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Wednesday 27 January 2016

Tory Bullying - What Newsnight DIDN’T Say

Last night, BBC’s Newsnight featured an item on the Tory Party’s bullying scandal, and more particularly the problems facing the inquiry led by Clifford, Chance and set up by the party in the aftermath of Elliott Johnson’s death. It has been claimed that several potential witnesses have refused to testify because of the presence of one Rob Semple, who is considered by many to be far too close to Mark Clarke.
And Clarke, despite his denials, is at the centre of the scandal, after Johnson accused him of bullying, and many others then endorsed those claims. Semple has refused to recuse himself from the inquiry, and has also asserted that he and Clarke are no longer close. But then, the Sun’s alleged “Westminster Correspondent” Harry Cole also claimed to have fallen out with Clarke, with whom he had been very close friends, only for some items that must have come from Clarke’s personal correspondence to turn up in Cole’s Sun articles.

As Nic Conner, who featured in the Newsnight report, has said, “It does not matter if Rob Semple was or wasn't Mark Clarke's man in the Party Board, his presence will put off witnesses to come forward”. And what Newsnight did not cover was the question of potentially improper use of data - as Zelo Street regulars will recall, the access to Tory membership records was key to Grant “Spiv” Shapps’ plans last year (misuse of personal data is, it seems, outside the scope of the Clifford, Chance inquiry).

Had the Tories lost the General Election, and a leadership contest followed, Shapps would, it has been claimed, put himself forward. His access to all that membership data would enable him to post a good showing, even though he accepted he would not win. That would have enabled him to get his people into influential positions, perhaps get them selected as Prospective Parliamentary Candidates for 2020.
Those thus favoured, it was alleged, included Mark Clarke. And it seems the Tories’ problem with casual use of information is still around, as Eimhear MacFarlane has told: “I was a bit upset to get three separate emails last night where it was quite clear that my data had been harvested from one source (namely the Conservative Future membership database) and used by individuals for a purpose for which it was not intended”.

There’s more: “Two came from CF Executive members asking for me to support them in the CWF open primary. I’d already voted anyway. Another came from a London Mayoral candidate. Hello, I’m from Northern Ireland … You may be saying, ‘hang on, it’s only an email address’ but that’s not really the point. I willingly gave that email address over on the understanding that it would be used for the purpose I was handing it over for”.

Also missing from the Newsnight piece was the continuing investigation into the role of the Young Britons’ Foundation and its head man Donal Blaney in the bullying scandal, plus the fact that more than one Sunday title is still digging away at this angle. Zelo Street can reveal that Blaney has been claimed to have employed the services of another, rather more high-profile legal practice, to try and frighten off one of those papers.

Sadly, one paper that will not be deterred by such methods is still on the case, and should have more on the YBF’s role very soon. Some who would rather the story would go away are starting to realise that once the genie is out of the bottle, it won’t willingly return there.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I didn't see the last Newsnight and so can't comment on it.

But if Tim's observations are accurate they do no more than confirm how over the years broadcast BBC News in general has swung decidedly to the right. Its presenters on radio and TV are now little more than right wing apparatchik voice clerks. That is, propagandists.

One tiny example: This morning on BBC Radio5 there has been constant reference to "the spare room subsidy" before "the so-called bedroom tax." Subsidy, not tax!

Another:The other day on Daily Politics that greasy Murdochised thug Neil "interviewed" Nicola Sturgeon. And as the usual propaganda attack session finished, muttered almost under his breath a scarcely veiled threat,"Wait till the IMF gets at you."

Another, much earlier: Corrupt TV film editing of "reportage" of the Miners Strike at Orgreave - reversal of action to "show" the miners attacked police, when it was the other way round.

There are many other examples. Is it really necessary to list them? Each broadcast is utterly untrustworthy, nothing more than the dripdrip of constant distortion and lying.

We know too commercialised monopoly owned mainstream media is so far right it now constitutes a danger to democratic truth, let alone to common sense.

The total picture is one of widespread and growing moral corruption and a complete desertion of professional responsibility. Now the culprits can't even bother themselves to try to disguise it.

That is how far they and we have fallen. The BBC now is no better than the Murdoch and Rothermere liars.

Gram said...

And what about the Lucy Allan incidents of bullying her staff?

She continues here insane attempts to rationalise her bad behaviour.

She has falsified and re-published a constituent's Facebook communication to make it appear like a death threat, subsequently identifying said constituent.

Profferring an arcane 'explanation' of how it came about, she has refused to be respond to questions about it both to constituents and the media.

She has compounded everything by claiming SHE is being bullied and made claims (rejected) that a BBC journalist lied when reporting that she declined to interview unless she could veto questions about the above incidents.

Have a look at #sacklucyallan on Twitter if you'd like to see more on this. We need to keep it running and running until Telford gets rid of here and gets an honourable MP.

Anonymous said...

Here's a thought:

Just to even things up, why don't they refer to the "so-called spare room subsidy"?

But don't hold your breath.

PS During PMQs the Bullingdon pig head boy referred to "a bunch of migrants." That follows on from his "swarms of migrants" bullshit. D'you think the BBC/ITN/Sky will note the "coincidence"?......No, me neither.

Anonymous said...

when are we going to get to see the pics of the now former executive members of 'conservative futures' in ......er...compromising positions?

Anonymous said...

Any prosecutions?

Why not?

I expect it has something to do with friends caught up with other friends in high places.

If this was the average man on the street it would be so different.

More stinking hypocrisy!

I'm disgusted that the law will let these filth carry on regardless.