Blaney’s Bullying Hypocrisy

The bullying scandal steadily engulfing the Tory Party has already, as I described last Saturday, thrown up a number of questions for those close to disgraced and banned activist Mark Clarke which they have thus far failed to answer. One of those concerns the extent to which they themselves were involved in using bullying to further their own agendas. Zelo Street can reveal one of the protagonists playing both sides of the issue.

Donal Blaney

Step forward Donal Blaney, who founded the Young Britons Foundation (YBF), and is at present head of the board at Conservative Way Forward (CWF). Blaney lost no time in apparently distancing himself from Clarke after the latter’s involvement in the story of Elliott Johnson, who was later found dead near Sandy station in Bedfordshire, and has given every impression of campaigning against thuggery and bullying.

Or rather, he campaigns against what he pretends is thuggery and bullying by those who do not share his ideological outlook: “Barry the Bully Boy: Further evidence that Obama is a grubby little bully boy who has brought the worst of Chicago … Love the hypocrisy of liberals on gay marriage: we're tolerant of their lifestyles/values. They should tolerate ours. Instead they bully”. There’s more. A lot more.

“Campaigning 24/7 and using the bully pulpit is not leading, Mr President. Stop hectoring Congress and reach across the aisle for once! Race bully Al Sharpton returns to White House for his 73rd visit with Obama: that's once a month for 6 years! Shock! Horror! Union thugs intimidate people to do what they demand. In other news bear seen defecating among trees”. The targets all seem to be on the centre-left. Or black. Or both.

“Tories are united in their revulsion at Labour thug Tom Watson pretending he's not a partisan leftist mouthpiece for the unions … The thug who assaulted and battered Murdoch is part of UKUncut … Serena Williams' disgraceful bullying (there's no other word for it) of umpire in US Open Final should see her fined & banned. Feral thug … Can't we replace striking police officers with Gurkhas? No thug would dare take them on”.

Even Luis Suarez, whose presence nearly won Liverpool the Premiership, is not immune to the Blaney whining: “I'd take £50m and get rid of this snake in the grass … Ungrateful little thug”. But the reality, as Dan Taylor and Tim Ireland discovered, is that Blaney is himself a bully who tried to force both of them to not only get themselves legal representation, but divulge personal information to him which he had no right to demand.

Then his legal practice, Griffin Law, takes the biscuit in no style at all by advertising its services to those suffering “Bullying and Harassment”. All of this merely reinforces the thought that nothing Donal Blaney has so far divulged about his involvement with Clarke, whom he is claimed to have “mentored”, should be taken on trust. He is another who has so far remained on the fringe of the affair, and on whom the light should be shone closer.

Fortunately, the light is shining on him right now - and not only from me. Hello Donal.