Don’t Menshn Refugee Lies

Did you follow the GamerGate controversy? Perhaps you took an interest in the Tim Hunt sexism row? If the answer to either of those is “yes”, you may have noticed the interventions of (thankfully) former Tory MP Louise Mensch, along with her propensity to call “liar” on anyone opposing her point of view. You may have believed her; after all, this is someone who was allowed to become a Member of Parliament.

(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

However, and here we encounter a significantly sized however, there is a problem when it comes to putting trust in Ms Mensch, and that is her serial and flagrant dishonesty. She may shout “liar” at others, but her track record on blazing trousers is not good. She has been especially economical with the actualité on the recent refugee crisis, and it was this that has brought her latest mendacious pièce de résistance to public attention.

Ms Mensch appeared on Fox Business Network yesterday as a guest of Trish Regan, on her show “The Intelligence Report”, a contradiction in terms if ever there was one. FBN is closely associated, both commercially and politically, with Fox News Channel (fair and balanced my arse). Ms Regan asked her to comment in Barack Obama’s reported comments that the USA should take some of the refugees from the Middle East.

This is what she said (the video is HERE, just in case you have problems believing what you read): “Well, in Europe, [openness to refugees] has meant nothing but complete disaster … blood, chaos, carnage and mass murder … so to hear the President literally suggesting that America do the same thing is really quite strange to European ears”.

There was more: “We in Britain look at the disaster of Angela Merkel saying ‘come one, come all’, and what that’s actually meant is there are no real refugees … the criminal attacks, the massacres that were carried out in Brussels, then in Belgium [?], carried out by young men who have mostly just abandoned their womenfolk, abandoned their families, young men of fighting age who have literally stormed into Europe and pretty much taken it over” [my emphases].

Now, FBN does not enjoy a very large audience - that distinction lies solely with Fox News - but nonetheless it is clear that Ms Mensch now has her foot in the door with the Murdoch broadcast networks. And what she clearly intends to do with her foothold is tell wall to wall invention, with yesterday’s also suggesting that her new venture Heat Street will be little more than a fact free sub-Breitbart right-wing rant-fest.

The attackers in Paris were French nationals. Those in Brussels were Belgian nationals. No refugees, real or otherwise, were involved. Nor has any migrant group “stormed into Europe and pretty much taken it over”. Did you believe what Ms Mensch said on GamerGate and Tim Hunt? Think again. Compare her slick yet utterly mendacious FBN appearance with reality. Then realise that your trust has been sadly misplaced.

Louise Mensch was not fit to become an MP. Yet she became one. Think about that.