For ordinary members of the public, the rule is as simple as it is instructive: never, but never, go to the tabloid press. It will only end badly - not for the press, but for those foolish enough to go running to it, in the misguided belief that they might work any given situation to their advantage. And for politicians on the left, a similar rule holds true: never, but never, go to the Mail titles. And don’t even think about going to the Sun.
Sarah Champion
This last warning was recently disregarded by Labour’s Sarah Champion, who has represented Rotherham since 2012, and who has earned significant respect among her peers on both sides of the House for her work on young people’s issues. Ms Champion agreed to write, or at least see her name on the by-line of, an article for the Murdoch Sun, to be published in the wake of the Newcastle sex abuse trial verdicts.
It should have been clear from the outset that anything appearing in the Sun would form part of the paper’s Muslim bashing agenda, and so it proved. Ms Champion claimed the opening paragraphs had been “stripped of nuance”. But her office had passed the final wording, indeed approved it enthusiastically. Perhaps her staff were a little too keen to see her name in lights, and less careful about studying the wording.
The result of the article was that the Sun’s Trevor Kavanagh, faithful Murdoch retainer and practitioner of racist smears of many years’ standing, used it as part of his attack on Britain’s Muslim communities, an attack which ended with asking what we might do about “The Muslim Problem”. The blatantly racist language shocked not just the Muslim Council of Britain, but also the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
As a result of allowing herself to be manipulated as little more than a pawn in the latest dirty Murdoch game of bigotry and hatred, Ms Champion has had little alternative but to resign from the shadow front bench, Jeremy Corbyn accepting her resignation but stressing he looked forward to working with her in the future. Jezza had backed her until the Sun showed that her office had approved the fateful wording.
None of this was allowed to enter over at the Northcliffe House bunker, where the Mail has opened up on the Labour leadership this morning with the screaming and dishonest front page lead “Labour MP forced to quit equalities role after she confronted groomers’ race … HOUNDED OUT FOR SPEAKING UP ON CHILD SEX GANGS”. The Sun is in the mire over Kavanagh’s vicious bigotry, but the Dacre doggies are happy to take up the baton.
But no-one has been “hounded out”. The Mail’s legendarily foul mouthed editor knows his hacks are lying through their teeth. This, though, is what happens when a Labour MP goes running to the tabloids, and especially to the Sun. Whatever deal is struck, it will always be to the advantage of the Murdoch mafiosi. And when it comes to anything involving Scary Muslims (tm), that deal will involve thinly veiled and vicious racism.
Don’t go to the Sun, Labour MPs. It’s like a scrap with a pig: you end up covered in crap, but the pig enjoys it. Leave the pig to wallow in its own shit. And Don’t Buy The Sun.
9 comments:
Don't buy the Mail either.
Another lot who don't know the difference between sex and rape.
The Scum and the Heil aren't on the right of politics.
They're on the FAR right.
The VERY far right.
And going further by the day.
‘Ere, gav, wot’s wrong wiv er tellin d’troof abaht ooz dooin ripes?
Dahn the East End in the EDL we know she’s right an so’s d’Sun, speshly wen ar mites Kelv an Trev give it large.
I ad that Niggle Farge in the backer me cab once. Proper English ee woz. Corld the Kween Er Majestee ee did an Prince Flip Is Yness. Knew black from white too if yer see worrameen.
Gawd bless the Princer Wiles an the fewtcher Queen Camel.
Wannasee me tattoos, gav?
This speaks to her niavety.
The question is not so much about the article which seems ill advised in any case, but for a politician of 5 years in the job to make the mistake of writing for the clearly hostile Sun newspaper shows a lack of forethought on a massive scale.
What did she hope to gain from it? how did she think it would help the victims cause and who amongst the Sun's readership did she think she was talking to.
This mistake will dog her career until she retires from the job, any good work that is done by her, or on her behalf will be weighed against this article.
The article groups a complete race of people and talks of them as a single unit as rapists and child molesters, I think it is time for Sarah to think hard about what racism means and how she has furthered the rights ability to attack whole swathes of the population for the actions of a tiny minority.
Its not even that what she said is wrong,which it is, but the real crime of her stupidity is the stick she has given to the purveyers of hatred and bigotry, a stick that they will use repeatedly to beat the left of the party with.
If the girls were under 16, it's rape. Simple as
This is a woman who was the Labour spokesman on domestic abuse, even though she has a caution for hitting her ex husband with a painting.
She was also PPS to Tristram Hunt.
Hunt left Parliament to promote "histories" of how the middle classes have "saved" Britain and "promoted culture" over the centuries. A complete turnip the party is well rid of.
That might partly explain why Champion's such a dope and should be expelled from the party. After all, what's sauce for Livingstone's gander should be sauce for her goose.
Haven't had much respect for her since she resigned and then went back, with very little explanation. If she had good and altruistic reasons for being in the Shadow Cabinet, she shouldn't have resigned. If she had good reasons for resigning, she shouldn't have unresigned. Hasn't she ended up condemning the Sun for printing her article, or some such nonsense?
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