For reasons that do not seem immediately obvious, the Guardian has today given a non-trivial amount of space to what at first glance looks like an interview by staffer Zoe Williams, but turns out to be yet another slice of shameless self-promotion by Karen Danczuk, second wife of Rochdale’s nominally Labour MP. The only saving grace is that the paper doesn’t pay for interviews. That must have hurt with Kazza.
Karen Danczuk - modest as ever
“It is a blustery Tuesday morning in the Rochdale home of Karen Danczuk, a former councillor for Kingsway” tells Ms Williams, not it seems enquiring how the mortgage is being paid and who stumps up the bills for that thwacking great motor on the drive while Kazza is doing nothing that even vaguely resembles gainful employment. Nor does she dwell on the “former councillor” - she was allegedly pressured to stand down.
But she does say of Kazza that “Her loyalty to Simon is binary and unshakable”. That might give a clue as to where the money comes from. Then Ms Williams allows her subject to say of the MP that he is “a very vulnerable person whose main flaw is to trust too much”. Those on the receiving end of the litany of dirty tricks - one of which is now the subject of litigation - might find that analysis, well, interesting.
Instead, readers are told “There is no need for Karen Danczuk to stand by Simon”. See above. Doubt is cast on Camilla Long’s Sunday Times article, although this is understood to have got its author shortlisted for an award. And the biscuit is well and truly taken by the claim “Though Simon and [first wife] Sonia weren’t divorced until 2010, Karen says they had separated by the time she and Simon met”.
They were still living in the same house, and had not yet separated, when Sonia discovered that Kazza was pregnant. Ms Williams also allows her to get away with “Karen Danczuk wouldn’t want to be an MP. ‘They’re too – what’s the word? – chained.’ She wants to be a lawyer”. Yeah, right. That’s not what she said last November.
Then, Kazza was telling the world “Looking forward to launching my own Personal Training Company in the New Year. You've seen my journey, I now want to teach you!” It hasn’t happened. Only a week and a half ago, she was featured in the Sun: “She now wants to write books, is applying for PR jobs, and starts a radio-presenting gig soon”. No book deal yet, no PR job and we’re still waiting for the radio presenting gig.
And all of that is before considering that volte-face over what happened at Alicante airport, which led to the bad blood caused by the Rochdale Seven affair - heck, even the Mail On Sunday got that one. There is the collapse of the Deli business and the landlord having to go to court for unpaid rent. There is the IPSA investigation into all the overtime she was paid when working for her second husband, resulting in him having to give her a final warning. Yet none of it finds its way into Ms Williams’ article.
Interview features cannot be fact checks; that much is understood. But this blanket covering of soft soap really will not do. Ultimately, it will damage Zoe Williams and the Guardian far more than it will Karen Danczuk. And that is not a good place to be.
21 comments:
Claimed Abuse. On February 8th Zoe Williams made this claim in the Guardian:
"Last week I interviewed four people who were abused as children: it was by chance – I wasn’t writing about sexual abuse. One was an interview with a personality who was repeatedly raped by her brother. One was a writer, abused in a public school. One was for a housing story. And one was an activist; she was raped over a period of years by her father... One male victim, three female. One predator taking advantage of an institution, three abusing family members"
Today she makes reference in the farcical interview to Karen Danczuk's claimed abuse. Her story, of course, changed from the one she sold to the Sun for an alleged twenty grand. That was a 'family friend'. It's news to many that she claims she outed herself as an alleged victim a year before this.
Yet so far it is simply allegations. I don't know the truth and nor does Williams. No-one has been found guilty of abuse. The man she accused has strongly denied her claims.
I can say there is a court case pending, the matter is sub-judice and the claimed victims have also claimed their right to anonymity.
Isn't this all rather prejudicial? I hope the Guardian ran this by its legal dept first.
Chabliiiissss chabaliisss!
Need another drink!
Need another job, I only got the last one with Murdoch because I ran and told him something.
Now I could be labelled under the terrorist act for my scare tactics like the EDL.
I can run away like the big boy I am and they'll probably freeze my assetts if I don't comply.
Chabliiisss. I need you. Put the bottle on intravenous!
If that's the best Williams can do she'd be better off shovelling sh........oh, hang on.
Karen Danczuk told anyone who would listen last year she wanted to be an MP. It was all over the press and her Twitter feed. Short memory syndrome?
Reality is Karen Danczuk was so bad as a councillor she was told to stand down after one term. It's news to many, her claimed political background & history in Rochdale. A very good piece on Karen Danczuk, her politics & contribution to Rochdale Labour Party here from Alderman Eileen Kershaw.
http://northernvoicesmag.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/karen-danczuk-told-to-pack-it-in.html
Chabliiiiiiiiiissssssssss
A hic! bag of prok scratchins and some dry roasted nuts Plaese
has any
And there was this recently. No need to worry as the answer to a Mail headline question is always "no".
'See you on the other side': Selfie loving Karen Danczuk QUITS Twitter as she vows to unveil the 'new her' in a few weeks (so is this the end of the cleavage shots?)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3440179
Interesting that a comment I left under that article inking to this very blogpost has been removed by the moderators there - but is the Guardian objecting to criticism of Karen D. or themselves? Both?
Ask the Ed over there!
Don't let them get their knickers in a twist over free speech. After all, they have a big enough mouth.
Arnold: Karen Danczuk has gone off to do a Bear Grylls 'celebrity' special, supposedly for charity, to be aired in October. See Zelo Street post 'Simon Danczuk bunks off work'.
Try challenging @zoesqwilliams on why she gave Karen Danczuk all this publicity and allowed her to spout half truths and misinformation unchallenged, and she blocks you. Shameful that a once decent newspaper has sunk to this level. Shameful Williams' research appears to have been a glance at Danczuk's Twitter feed and reading a few other news pieces full of similar half truths and downright untruths. The Camilla Long interview in the Times was far more insightful, and now nominated for a Press Award.
Danczuk is desperate to keep re-inventing herself, to be a'celebrity', but no matter how many fantasy careers she announces, she has no real job, few qualifications to get one, and her work ethic has to be questioned. See Zelo Street post on how Simon Danczuk had to give her a formal warning for not turning up for work, see 'Danczuk faces expenses probe'.
Therefore all she has to fall back on are those boobs, and even those are fake, purchased for her by Simon Danczuk for her thirtieth birthday. When everything else fails, post a tit selfie and the sad pervs who are her main followers will tell her how lovely she is and what they would do to her given half a chance. It keeps her in a bubble of thinking she's loved and important. And it keeps the 'celebrity' pages of the press filled, easy copy for lazy journalists.
Every now and again her PR agency Borne Media @WeAreBorne (Max Clifford's old outfit, now run by his daughter) will hire a photographer to follow her on some pre-arranged 'date' or 'appearance', take shots and sell them to the press. She really isn't followed by the paps, it's all a set up. It's no different to what Simon Danczuk does, something else Williams in her far from investigative churnalism piece seems to have missed.
Chabbblliiiiisssss
Did I leave my briefcase in here last night?
Got home and I was wearing a dress.
I know nothing about it.
Honestly.
Williams appears to have failed to spot all those other interviews and tweets Karen Danczuk has done, about how Simon was 'boozy Mr Grumpy', an 'alcoholic'. 'arrogant' 'goodwithhis*****' etc, and also the well documented episode when she tried to honeytrap him with a lapdancer so she could get a divorce.
Of course Karen Danczuk wants Simon Danczuk not to lose his lucrative job. She will do all in her power to ensure he keeps earning at a high level so he can give her maintenance payments, although his past history of paying, or more truthfully not paying, for his other two children doesn't bode well for Karen.
Simon Danczuk divorced her for 'unreasonable behaviour'. Her smoothing over the past and her bumpy marriage may have fooled Williams but it hasn't fooled those who know the truth. Simon Danczuk has returned to living in the family home when not in London as he has nowhere else, his own house in Rochdale is let out and his 'gaff' in Spain isn't much use as a base in his constituency. He still pays the mortgage & for the Range Rover and bills.
Until the divorce settlement is finalized she is reliant on him for cash. She has no permanent job. Therefore she is not so much standing by her man as standing by his wallet and someone to babysit the kids. She's tapped into a rich seam of gullible journalists happy to fill columns with anything she cares to say, no real questioning at all. I wonder how long this new found 'loyalty' will last? Until media has tired of Saint Karen and she has to move on again with fresh tales to tout?
Let's remember Karen Danczuk was Simon's mistress, he had to deny the first child was his as not only was he still married to Sonia when Karen had the child he was living with Sonia and the children. Williams managed to omit that fact too.
Her tales of her childhood, which alter with each telling, are challenged by other members of her family. Photographs of her in the family home from her teen years don't show her as 'trampy Karen' with greasy hair and dirty clothes.
No Tim, it doesn't bode well for the Guardian. It used to interview people who had achieved things in life, who had some talent, not a wannabe with a failed marriage, failed 'career' as a councillor ('useless' is the general opinion of her), in debt with a County Court Judgment for being too lazy/ inept to run a deli she opened, and all the rest of the details which Williams didn't so much as gloss over but failed to investigate at all. Lawyer? Whatever will she dream up next? As a PR exercise for Danczuk, however, it was faultless. Her PR agency must be popping the corks, to portray her as some sort of saint, which is far from the reality. But it's given her another round of publicity, interviews, shoots, and no doubt some earnings.
Did The Guardians extent of phone intercept start and finish with David Leigh and the arms dealer?
Never realised she was over 30. Acts like a big soft kid.
Aww, she wants to be a lawyer? And a personal trainer? And a radio presenter?
Well, I want to be a train driver. Doesn't mean it's going to happen.
I will be a Lawyer Andy ....... I will I will I will !
I'll #smashit once I get some firm who isn't bothered about being taken seriously to let me stand in for their receptionist to cover holidays. ...... 2 weeks as a receptionist gets you a law degree doesn't it ?
I thought it was an interesting interview. Whatever some people's opinion of Karen is, there are many people who will relate to her and her values. Aspiring to be a tabloid celebrity might seem vulgar but there's a whole section of non-politically engaged folk who might see Karen and take more of an interest, they might even vote.
Why would someone flashing her cleavage have any influence on voting? Karen Danczuk has little real interest in politics. It's just a veneer, something she puts on to try to make her sound more intelligent than she is.
Who would have guessed that a serial failure at business would have so much energy?
Wannabee lawyer? More like a claims farming shyster!
Glamour? More like a dodgy seller of dodgy overseas overpriced boob jobs!
What next? Buying thousands of Twitter followers?
No shame whatsoever.
Simon has a new squeeze see his Twitter TL wonder if Karen gave her blessing or is it a 3 way gang bang . She really is a wannabe celebrity a free wank fest for her followers isn't she
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