While Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party continues, and continues to attract significant hostility from the generally right-leaning press, his very presence is taxing some pundits to the extent that they veer over the reality line. There is no pundit more susceptible to this tendency than the not at all celebrated blues artiste Whinging Dan Hodges, who has brought forth an excellent example of his craft today.
He's desperate, Dan
Whether or not Hodges is still a member of the Labour Party - he flounced out during the Miliband years, only to come back last year - is not known. But he really, really cares about it, so much so that he will take the money from the Mail On Sunday while putting the boot in. “Reckon he's a nice, decent bloke? Well let me show you the dark, menacing reality behind 'The Great Corbyn Myth’” is the all-revealing headline.
Firstly, Hodges frames his attack: “The last time I talked to Jo Cox she was scared. It was 12 days after she had expressed her regret at nominating Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership. Her office had been inundated with phone calls. Many of them were aggressive, some were openly abusive”. Remember Jo Cox? Well, that Corbyn and his followers were rotten to her! So believe what you’re going to be told, right?
And under cover of this sympathy blanket, Dan drops his first whopper: “On Thursday, Jeremy Corbyn formally launched his re-election bid. ‘I hold out the hand of friendship,’ he said. Then he announced all Labour MPs would be facing mandatory reselection”. Except that wasn’t actually what he said, was it? Corbyn merely reiterated the party’s rules, which allow for reselection. He was also talking about how things will look in 2020.
The next General Election will almost certainly be fought on new constituency boundaries, which will mean some MPs - sometimes of the same party - competing for seats, as there will be fewer of them. So how else would Hodges want to see such disputes settled, other than by some kind of democratic process? Still, Desperate Dan could always fall back on the claims of bullying and intimidation, especially when it concerned other Labour MPs.
Typical of this tactic was “it was announced that police had advised Angela Eagle to cancel all her public surgeries on safety grounds”. Two things here. One, the Police do not comment on advice they give to public figures. And two, Ms Eagle has not cancelled “all her public surgeries”. She has cancelled walk-in surgeries, but will still meet constituents by appointment, and will attend constituency events. Still, details, eh?
Plus there is always the old chestnut of name-calling to fall back on: “Jeremy Corbyn is not a nice or decent man. He is a coward. He is a hypocrite. He is a bully. And he is a fraud”. Coming hard on the heels of his shamelessly milking the memory of Jo Cox, deliberately misrepresenting the bloke he’s attacking, and telling a whopper about Angela Eagle and her Police advice, that is, as one recent Labour leader might have put it, a bit rich.
Dan Hodges doesn’t like Jeremy Corbyn leading the Labour Party. We can figure that out without the deflection and dishonesty, thanks.
12 comments:
You forget Tim we are in the "past truth" era.
Deliberate mistrepresentation, lies and general deception is all the rage for the cheap churnalists.
Facts are so passé. Investigative journalism is so out of date as yet another decent one, Exaronews, drops by the wayside. The free market which they are so fond of won't support proper journalism so we are left with the rubbish.
Cameron has gone so no one can remind him of his promise over Leveson 2 and not much seems to have changed after Leveson 1 except for a few token slaps on the wrist perhaps. Not really surprising given those put on that "independent" Board of IPSO.
One wonders whether Hodges just finds some words from news report alters them around a bit and then creates a new presentation to fit the agenda à la Mensch, Mackenzie and Lord D'Acres of Grouseland's minions.
All in all rather depressing that the English press is still mostly crap and yet leads the rest of the media and politicians by the nose. Some one needs to provide them with a peg to distance them from the stench.Who is going to provide it?
Hodges is of little importance, except as a minor indicator of how increasingly sinister is this plot against the Labour Party.
As Len McLuskey said a few days ago, it begins to stink of (yet again) the Friends in the far right “intelligence” services. You remember them, the same “services” who, according to retired paranoid righty – and who could know better – self styled “spy catcher” Peter Wright (who never caught anybody), were “...up to their necks...” in a traitors' plot against the governments of Harold Wilson. Naturally of course there was never an official open inquiry into the treason. Wright, you will also recall, was linked to the round-the-reactionary bend James Jesus Angleton of the CIA when he was asked for advice on assassinations.
So......What have we got so far?:
1. Allegations of “harassment and intimidation,” with absolutely no evidence of any such except for unattributable emails – which could have come from anybody bent on black propaganda. My bet is email guilty parties are likely to be bogies planted by political enemies such as far right New Labour or the tories or said “intelligence” services.
2. A broken window in a communal staircase window. But that didn’t stop the lies that it was Eagles’ “constituency offices.” Lies which have never been investigated by mainstream media happy to repeat the propaganda. Odd, too, the way the broken window was filled by a Labour Party poster/placard when it was up to the building owner – still, another "photo opportunity" ey?
3. Now the utterly absurd “break in” claptrap at the office of Seema Malhotra.
4. Yet more Sunday Heil garbage about T shirts from sweat shops. That’ll be the same Heil that never bothers its arse to investigate bankers or newspaper owners, but finds time to hack into private telephones.
And that’s it.. “All” of it......naturally given full air time and exposure by cowardly jobsworths in mainstream media bent on sabotaging what’s left of democracy in this country.
The plot is so thoroughly evil, disgusting and cowardly you have to fear for the future of this country if it ever gives itself over completely to the perpetrators. We already have a far right rubber stamp House of Scoundrels in place of a democratic Parliament. It won’t take much more lying and sabotage to turn it into neofascist chamber of horrors.
The warning signs have been there for years. Now the alarm has gone off. People ignore it at the peril of their families' futures.
hmmm while under attack from those 172 bullies the roof falling in jc keeps smilling holding out the olive branch but greedie mps dont like him so to say jc a bully infact its they are but there is one thing in all this those treacherous mps could very well be out of a job look out for them at your local jcp nah they be on someones board some place milking it again ops jeff3
Mr Hitchens is reporting that the broken window Ms. Eagle is complaining about wasn't actually hers. Police report that it was in the common parts of the building which her CLP use. So, could have been aimed at anyone, or no-one at all. Nowt like the paranoia of the egoist to make you think everyone is out to get you though, is there?
The true legerdemain of Ms Eagle's 'cancelled surgeries' stunt is that she approached the police, actively seeking their advice, rather than the other way around. So not only did the police not see fit to warn her proactively, the advice she received (and we only have her word for what that advice was) would depend on what information she gave the police herself. And of course, the police can't comment on that. Given the liberties taken with the tale of The Phantom Brick-Thrower, it certainly wouldn't be surprising if Ms Eagle had told the police a load of horseshit, would it.
If nothing elae it's interesting how the Labour Party wrangling is playing out. Will the Corbynistas coup to take over the Labour Party, by members electing their leader as party leader, be successful or will a PLP counter coup to take back control by MPs elected by their constituency electorate triumph? Both sides claiming its democracy in action? Very similar to the GLC elections back when Livingstone usurped Mackintosh except that then Mackintosh actually won and Miliband lost.
Cries of traitors, claims and counter claims, smokes and mirrors (ironically lessons learned from our tabloids)- all detrimental to the Labour Pary as is, as was, or will be in the future if there is one.
Meanwhile a most divisive Party is allowed free rein. And Labour can't complain about their dishonesty when there is a whole lot going on even between themselves.
Perhaps Paddy Ashdown has something with a "plague on both your houses" Party?
But who would finance it?
Tim, as a reasonably long-time follower of ZS, I am mindful that (from one post, a month or so ago) that you're not necessarily a Corbyn follower, which is, of course, your prerogative. But, as some of the comments here point out, there has been a raft of unverifiable allegations made against Corbyn and his team, which have been unquestioningly repeated and disseminated through the media, and not just by your regular Aunt Sallies (Hodges, Young, Mensch).
It would be great if you could turn your forensic eye upon the BBC and the Guardian as well, because you are usually quick to point out inaccuracy, omission and downright lies when you see them elsewhere.
I'm not asking you to love Corbyn, but I have seen plenty of comments around from non-Corbynites who are as appalled at how his leadership has been portrayed as I am.
Let's not forget how Corbyn threatened to ring Conor McGinns Dad. He was very upset.
Interesting that Conor McGinns wife used to work as an aide for Owen Smith. What a tangled web of corruption they weave.
To Matt.
There is no evidence whatever that Corbyn or any of his supporters have "threatened" anyone.
If you have such evidence, let us see it. I'm sure the police and New Labour would be delighted to review its veracity.
NOTE: Hearsay and rumour are NOT evidence.
To Anon
I was just adding on to your list of this ridiculous well orchestrator smear campaign against Corbyn. Its actually getting quite sinister at the moment. Who is funding Saving Labour? I've noticed #Owen2016 is now trending at #2 on Twitter with evidence of bots using fake accounts.
I thought they had scraped the bottom of the barrel linking Jo Cox's death to Corbyn which you would expect from Dan Hodges but a Labour MP jenny Chapman tryed to do the same thing on TalkRadio on Friday night talking to George Galloway.
And to think we have got another 8 weeks of this. This could turn out to be nastier than the London Mayoral election.
@ sigil
You point out the problem. The situation is so polarised that if say Tim took a view for/against a certain journal and it didn't fit with your preconceptions you would start to distrust his blog.
The MSM is now so distrusted for factual reporting that even the better ones like The Guardian and the BBC (my preconception granted) are distrusted by those who should trust them the most.
The media have taken on "the bloke down the pub's" ignorance by reporting what he wants to hear whether true or not and if the politicians want to play they as sure as hell will play up to them too.
As Martin Rowson's cartoon in The Guardian sums up the Labour Party situation, it doesn't matter whether their Punch or Judy wins the pier is being is being demolished by the Tories in the mean time. If ever a leadership was required it is NOW. I can't see it being shown at present by either side. That is what is so depressing. Never mind the policies feel the cliques.
Well Tim if you are enjoying listening to "Pet Sounds" "wouldn't it be nice if we were older" and the Labour Party had grown up enough to marry their differences?
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