Monday, 5 October 2015
Manchester Demo - Look Over There
As the Tories gathered in Manchester for their annual conference yesterday, there were the inevitable protests, with more than 60,000 demonstrating against continued austerity. As Greater Manchester Police (GMP) observed, most of the protest was peaceful and there were just four arrests. But that was not good enough for the useful idiots of the punditerati, who obediently distracted attention from the Tories’ own behavioural problems.
Yes, what may yet go down as Bullygate was totally ignored as anyone behaving badly was deemed to have been under the direct and personal control of Jeremy Corbyn. GMP telling “Ch Supt O'Hare said: ‘The fact that only four arrests have been made throughout the day so far was particularly pleasing … The overwhelming majority of people have exercised their democratic right to protest with dignity and good grace” had little effect.
Nor did my good friend James Doleman, who was there (pace most of those ranting), observing “Despite the vapours of some journos who should know better (and I am looking at you @ThatMichaelW) very peaceful day at #TakeBackMCR”, or that “Tory delegate meets egg” should be viewed against “Just FYI this particular genius thought it was a great idea to taunt the match as it went past the conference”.
And the words of Stopfordian Owen Jones, “Vast majority of protestors today were super friendly and upbeat, basically a family day out. The ones who weren't need to learn from them”, counted for nothing as the ranters fired up the indignitometer, starting with John Rentoul, who scoffed “This was tweeted an hour ago by @jeremycorbyn Nothing on his supporters spitting at journalists yet”.
How dare Corbyn talk about book signing? He must appear and prostrate himself before the great Rentoul to explain his minion’s activities immediately! It got worse, as Philip “Corny” Collins piled in with “It's a simple test here for @jeremycorbyn. Idiots at a protest threatened journalists. See @KateEMcCann. Condemn it. No equivocation. Now”. Never mind Rentoul, the munificent Collins demands the presence of Corbyn forthwith!
I’m sure that Rentoul and Collins being disaffected Blairites has nothing to do with their demands that Corbyn condemn something he probably hadn’t heard about. Which, of course, it didn’t with John McTernan, sneering “Not condemning violence is now a thing on the left. And it is not good”, on the basis of someone not doing that at all.
And then, with the inevitability of night following day, came the fourth horseman of the Blairite apocalypse, the Telegraph’s not at all celebrated blues artiste Whinging Dan Hodges, with “Good to see Jeremy Corbyn condemning the abuse and intimidation of journalists. But he needs to condemn abuse of Tory delegates as well”, which means whatever Jezza does, it’s not good enough and he’s rubbish.
Meanwhile, this quartet of clowns has given the Tories a breathing space, taking attention away from the behaviour behind an activist’s apparent suicide. Well done, chaps.
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8 comments:
More EON journalism, where anything short of full-on roaring condemnation to your critics' satisfaction* of the issue at hand is interpreted as outright support for it.
*You may recognise the phrase from the Barack Obama birth certificate fuss in America, where Donald Trump insisted that Obama prove his eligibility for office 'to [Trump's] satisfaction'. AKA moving the goalposts or the 'no true Scotsman' test.
David Aaronovitch tweeted about "scum" not being a helpful word to use.
It's a pity that many respected journalists had no words to desribe the swamp at Wapping until the they were forced by events occuring with no help, some might some say the complete opposite, whatsover.
It is a pity that all journalists have now been tarnished with the same broad brush that they themselves like to use on the general public.
Nobody can condone ANY of the bad behaviour however miniscule it may be.
But since the tories and their supporters (New Labour and the LibDems) have been spitting on millions of ordinary citizens for the last thirty-odd years - to say nothing of spitting on the graves of Hillsborough victims - they can hardly complain when a few of their, er, lickspittles get a mild dose of the same treatment.
Live by the spit, die by the spit.
Incidentally, some reports today of police snipers on the roofs around the tory Sieg Heil. The police say the sniper rifles were used because their scopes are "more powerful than binoculars" and were used purely "to observe".......Yeah, right. Maybe that explains the silencer clearly visible in one photograph. I bet the police thug on the firing end of the weapon had a very itchy finger.....I mean, it isn't as though he had no precedent is it. Might be worth a question or two, Tim.
Tim, for some reason that at the moment escapes me, we residents of Stockport are known as "Stopfordians".
The same hypocritical rags that buy photo’s from the paparazzi.
Kiera Knightley recalls her experience as an 18 year old:
"You'd walk down the street and you'd have men trying to get under your skirt to take pictures up your skirt and all the time calling you a 'whore' or spitting at you or trying to get a reaction”
Sienna Miller at Leveson:
"For a few years I was relentlessly pursued by about 10 to 15 men almost daily. Anything from being spat at, verbally abused. The incentive is to get as strong as a reaction as possible."
It's a strange world we live in, where unless someone (usually a person the writer dislikes) specifically condemns an antisocial behaviour, that person is seen as explicitly endorsing said behaviour.
As for the bell-end who got egged, I don't recall any demands that Conservative politicians condemn bullying when Prescott got egged. Indeed, if memory serves, it was Prescott who recieved censure for over-reacting by punching the egger...
I engage in some genial banter and rough and tumble with my opponents - the brickbats traditionally associated with political life.
He on the other hand is a vile troll and mindless thug.
I didn't see any condemnation by these "journalists" when a Tory thug punched Mil the Younger.
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