Sun Editor Royal Rant Busted

While the row over breaking Royal confidences rumbles on, with nobody convincingly arguing that the Sun’s “QUEEN BACKS BREXIT” splash was leaked by other than Murdoch shilling-taker Michael “Oiky” Gove, the paper’s editor Tony Gallagher, along with non-bullying political editor Tom Newton Dunn, have been spinning and digging for all they are worth, which at present is not every much.

Unconvincing: Tony Gallagher

This was illustrated superbly in an interview granted by Gallagher to Robert Peston, now political editor at ITV News, where he blustered “We do know more than we’ve printed … I haven’t yet decided whether we are or whether we are not going to do that”, only to later have Newton Dunn cobble together a lamentably poor piece claiming that a recollection by former Labour minister Tony Benn backed up their Royal story.

Benn claimed that back in 1977 the Queen had told him the then German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was “so rude”. The standard of reportage was so lame that readers were told of the Queen and the EU “the late Mr Benn also claimed she once slagged off its leaders to him”. When one is the Queen, one does not do something so bleedin’ common as slag other leaders orf. And it got worse - a lot worse.

Peston asked about Privy Councillors breaking Royal confidences. Gallagher’s reply did not contain a denial that his information had come from a Privy Councillor; indeed, he defended their right to speak freely. Given that the two PCs from the Lib Dems who were at that Windsor Castle lunch, Nick Clegg and Lord McNally, wouldn’t have spoken to the Sun, that leaves Cheryl Gillan … and “Oiky” Gove.

So just to be on the safe side, Gallagher tried a “look over there” by telling “Among those who are circulating the idea that Michael Gove is (the paper's source are) people close to Nick Clegg … I think Nick Clegg has questions to answer”. The Sun has not been asking those questions, or, put another way, OH WHAT A GIVEAWAY.

The presence of Gove was then reinforced after the Sun ran another story claiming “THE Queen said David Cameron needed six of the best after the PM once blabbed about a private conversation with her … It was revealed by a senior MP yesterday”. The MP said “Her Majesty was so angry about his indiscretion, she told me Cameron deserved ‘six of the best’ for it. I think she meant it too”. Now who does that sound like?

And the claim that the Queen backs the campaign for Britain to leave the EU have not been helped by the Sun’s splash from June last year, when readers were informed “THE QUEEN last night suggested it could be ‘dangerous’ for the EU to allow Britain to walk out”. That is the most recent Royal utterance the Murdoch faithful can muster.

Yes, according to the Sun, the Queen was anti-EU in 1977 and 2011, but in favour last year. Yet we are supposed to find Tony Gallagher and Tom Newton Dunn credible witnesses for the Out campaign. Bullshit. And they’ve effectively dumped Gove in the crap too. What a complete and utter shambles they are.