Corbyn Jig Smear PULLED

Last year, it was the Murdoch goons at the Sun who went after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn after his first appearance at a Whitehall Remembrance Day ceremony. Then, he was held not to have bowed his head in a sufficiently grovelling manner after laying his wreath at the Cenotaph. This was transformed into his not having bowed at all, by the creative device known to ordinary people as lying.

But this year, there was a more pronounced forward inclination of Corbyn’s head, plus there was no longer Young Dave and his Eton-trained bow to use as a comparison. What to do? Well, the tabloid warriors could always make something up, and so it came to pass that a supremely creative whopper was confected out of nothing, and Jezza was accused of disrespecting the dead - because he had been Dancing In The Street.

Photos cropped and totally untrue description added

Philadelphia, PA … Baltimore and DC now … and don’t forget the Motor City … er, no, not that kind of Dancing In The Street. A thoroughly dishonest Twitter source calling itself Political Pictures posted images of the Labour leader with the comment “Jeremy Corbyn attends Remembrance Sunday and breaks into a dance - showing no respect for the event what so ever - disgraceful”. This was totally untrue. But that didn’t deter the press.

Mail Online published “Is this really the day to audition for Strictly, Jeremy? Corbyn appears to dance a jig at the Cenotaph as he waits for the Remembrance Day parade”, and thus doubled down on the lies by claiming that Jezza was waiting at the Cenotaph when the shots were taken, although he wasn’t. The Murdoch doggies at the Super Soaraway Currant Bun were also on the case.

The Sun Politics Twitter feed proclaimed “Jeremy Corbyn DANCES his way into Downing Street as he attends Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph”. This was also a pack of lies. But the Labour-supporting Mirror - which has not always backed Jezza during his tenure as party leader - not only smelled a rat, but also did something the Mail and Sun had failed to do - investigative journalism. And the story soon unravelled.

This media "no longer available". Wonder why?

Telling readers “No, Jeremy Corbyn wasn't dancing a jig on his way to the Cenotaph”, they explained “the full-frame photos reveal what Mr Corbyn was really doing … The Labour leader chose to attend the service with a constituent, George Durack … Mr Durack is a Word War II veteran, who served in the 7th Armoured Division … Mr Durack told the Mirror he was ‘walking along with Jeremy and he certainly didn't dance’”.

Or, put another way, BUSTED

Then, to put the lid on it, David Prescott reminded everyone “The snapper claiming Corbyn danced near the Cenotaph is the same one caught lying that he swiped food from veterans”. Mail Online pulled its story in short order. The Sun, and its deeply unpleasant hack Alain Tolhurst, left theirs live a little longer, but also bowed to the inevitable and have now pulled theirs, too. And Political Pictures’ reputation is now in tatters.

The moral of the story, as so often, is that when something looks too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. Shame on the Mail and Sun for rushing to publish without checking the story out first. Criticise Jezza on his politics, not on what you just made up.