Don’t Menshn Vote Leave And The BNP

[Update at end of post]

More than once recently, I observed that those advocating for Britain to leave the EU were on a hair trigger, nervous about last-minute revelations and all too ready to get defensive about their campaign. This has been exemplified today by the reaction to a BuzzFeed UK post telling that Vote Leave’s largest single donor - who has gifted them £600,000 - was formerly a member of the racist BNP. Red faces all round!

(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

Gladys Bramhall, who is 88, “confirmed her membership and said she would have been signed up as a member of the far-right anti-immigrant party by her husband … ‘My husband joined, he obviously enrolled me at the same time,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t with my knowledge’”. Vote Leave have declined to comment - understandably - but this constraint has not extended to (thankfully) former Tory MP Louise Mensch.

She has not only had no problem commenting, but has well and truly gone off the end of the pier: “Jesus. So much for Kinder Remain. Article says 86 year old was signed up without her consent”. No it doesn’t, and she’s 88, but do go on. Had Jim Waterson deleted his Tweet, perhaps? “He has not before it got 322 Retweets smearing an 86 year old woman DISGUSTING REMAIN”. She’s still 88, and Waterson isn’t part of Remain.

So she just made it up anyway: “Buzzfeed have deleted the tweet with the lying smear of old lady signed up WITHOUT HER CONSENT”. There was no sign she did not consent, and they haven’t deleted anything. Is Ms Mensch listening? As if: “Buzzfeed have deleted this lie Stronger In she's 86 and was signed up without her consent APOLOGISE”. She’s still 88, and there’s still no sign of lack of consent. Whatever.

“Not all Remain lie about pensioners but official campaign @StrongerInPress does - 86 year old DENIES joining BNP”. No she doesn’t. But Jim Waterson is still not taking any notice, and this cannot be forgiven. “She is NOT ex-BNP @jimwaterson she told you she NEVER JOINED”. No she didn’t, and yes she is.

Never mind, have a go at the Britain Stronger In Europe press team instead: “You little shits @StrongerInPress she is 86 years old and she is NOT BNP have you NO SHAME?” Nobody said she was still BNP, and she’s still 88. But she was, except Ms Mensch now claims “the facts are she was not BNP. And Buzzfeed are FUCKING LIARS”. Wrong.

By this time, Jim Waterson had taken time out to tell her that nobody had deleted anything, and it was Ms Mensch that had posted a broken link. So for this he was smeared as a liar: “Then why are you lying as she told you in your own words she was not a BNP Member but signed up without consent?” She didn’t say she wasn’t, and didn’t say she didn’t consent. Is Ms Mensch listening? Er, no: “she explicitly DENIED she was a BNP member to you she said her husband put her on the list”. She didn’t deny being a member.

Louise Mensch is showing even more detachment from reality than usual. And she’s been invited to join a live TV debate tomorrow evening. If I were on the Vote Leave team, I’d be getting worried about her damaging the campaign. As it is, I’m getting the popcorn in.

[UPDATE 1740 hours: Jim Waterson has now reported that Vote Leave's Michael Gove has indicated that the £600,000 donation may be repaid because of the BNP connection.

Gove was being interviewed by Iain Dale on his LBC show. Meanwhile, the original story is still there, no amendment or withdrawal has taken place, and nobody has apologised to Louise Mensch.

But she won't withdraw the smears and abuse, because being Louise Mensch means never having to say you're sorry]