Don’t Menshn Naz Shah

After the row over what Bradford West MP Naz Shah may or may not have said in her social media past, pundits responded in a variety of ways. Some were condemnatory, some thoughtful, but all agreed that she had been foolish. Most also concurred that she was making great efforts to show regret and move forward. Nobody thought that there was any other plot than a trawl through her accounts. Except one.

(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

Yes, once again ready to pour oil on troubled waters by going in with both feet was (thankfully) former Tory MP Louise Mensch, whose isolation in her reassuringly upmarket corner of Manhattan is taking its toll on her already tenuous relationship with reality. For her, no conspiracy theory was too outlandish - not even this one.

Ms Mensch had previously praised Naz Shah, who beat the appalling George Galloway last May. So Someone Else must have Done It. Hence the relatively mild opening “Thank you @NazShahBfd - I know you are no anti-semite and I suspect it is the real anti-semites who did this to you”. See, someone else DID do it. Now who might that have been? Brace yourselves: “FUCKING LABOUR LIARS … @NazShahBfd is NO anti-semite. Absolutely the contrary. Real Corbyn scandal”. See, Jezza did it!

“Great reporting by Buzzfeed UK. Chapeau. The set-up by Corbynites here is the story. @NazShahBfd is no racist”. I wouldn’t be too sure about that chapeau, but do go on. “Labour conspired. Racists”. See, it’s a CONSPIRACY! And there’s more.

“Did you or anybody working for you bowdlerise @NazShahBfd's moving apology on anti-semtism, @SeumasMilne you git”. And Seumas Milne was in on it! Wow! All those London-centric hacks missed it! Now for the demands: “That was a real apology @NazShahBfd, until @JeremyCorbyn's racist trolls gutted it. WHO removed anti-semitism reference?”

Yes, who indeed? “Immediately after her election @NazShahBfd visited a very old and beautiful synagogue in Bradford West. She is no racist. Sod off Corbyn”. So it was Corbyn’s fault. Oh, hang on a minute, the plot thickens: “While @NazShahBfd is no racist, #KenLivingstone openly excuses anti-semitism, is a mate of #Corbyn's and a man = Crickets”. It’s a misogynist conspiracy including Ken Livingstone!

Tell us more. “How fucking dare Corbynites plot against a good woman and non-racist @NazShahBfd and rally round anti-semitic #KenLivingstone”. But they didn’t. “HELLO Seamus Milne, your filthy plot against @NazShahBfd now exposed by #KenLivingston blatant. open anti-semitism - what now, jerk?” Very good, Louise. But nobody “rallied round” Livingstone - he too was suspended from the party.

And the reporting by BuzzFeed UK had to be rowed back because Labour did not edit Ms Shah’s apology. There was no conspiracy, no favour towards Livingstone, no involvement by Milne, and the only person lying was Louise Mensch. And no change there, then.