Don’t Menshn Creep Street

[Update at end of post]

After her column in the Sunday Sun was cancelled, to the relief of all those readers who wished it had happened a lot earlier, (thankfully) former Tory MP Louise Mensch claimed she had been “promoted at work”. She then claimed to be “Vice President, Creative and Strategy, News Corporation”, even though the company’s website had no trace of her and the main switchboard did not know who she was.

(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

But yes, Ms Mensch really was doing some work with the Murdoch empire, and now has come news of the fruits of her labours: an allegedly “centre right” website is to be launched with the name of Heat Street. Already nicknamed “Hate Street” by some, and here on Zelo Street as Creep Street, this will, according to a spokesman, “in a spirit of free speech and no ‘safe spaces,’ cover a variety of topics from a diversity of viewpoints”.

So, as with all such enterprises, the $64k question has to be “Who’s paying”? “Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is backing a new digital entrant into the center-right media … a company spokesman confirmed to BuzzFeed News”. Really? And who’s doing the hard work? “The site … will be led by Mensch and by Noah Kotch, a former network producer who helped launch Vocativ”. But the signs are not good.

For starters, she claims that her site will be “Libertarian”. If only she knew the meaning of the word: this is the same person who backed a call to shut down social media sites on occasions when the Government of the day decided there was some kind of unrest. So libertarian is Ms Mensch that she considers bullying teenagers acceptable. So libertarian that she threatens those opposing her with legal action.

We’ll be taking no lessons in libertarianism from Louise Mensch, thanks. Is there any other guidance as to what this new site will offer? “#HeatStreet will stand with gamers against attempts to defame the community” she tells. Would that be when she got the row otherwise known as GamerGate totally wrong and waded in against a real feminist?

Monty doing his corporate duty there

Still, she claims that “Disagreement will be encouraged”. We’ll see if that includes anyone passing adverse comment on the Murdoch Mafia and their interference in other countries’ internal affairs, or Ms Mensch’s track record of getting it totally wrong. We’ll also see how this new market entrant expects to survive in a marketplace where there is already the Drudge Report, Breitbart, Guido Fawkes, and goodness knows how many other right-leaning offerings on both sides of the North Atlantic.

Looking for another job, Mark?

What is Ms Mensch’s new offering for, apart from some loosely defined right-wing propaganda purpose? Did she really have to make a sales pitch to Creepy Uncle Rupe or one of his minions? Or does she just get to blow loads of his money on a wing and a prayer? Will it last as long as Menshn? And does anybody who matters care?

This looks like a vanity project under another name. But one thing is for sure: there will be laughter and ridicule a-plenty as a result. As Mrs T once said, just rejoice at that news.

[UPDATE 1815 hours: the New Mensch and Murdoch joint venture has not got off to the most auspicious of starts.

The most obvious domain name, heatstreet.com, is already owned by a body piercing shop in Florence, South Carolina. As the business has been in existence since 1998, there is no chance of their being accused of cybersquatting.

One might have thought that those involved with the new project would have checked this out beforehand. Still, what else could possibly go wrong?]