Statistics And 1984

The closing of ranks among supporters of London’s formerly very occasional Mayor Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson has continued this morning, as the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog have, by complete coincidence you understand, gone in to bat not just for Bozza, but in support of the Murdoch mafiosi who have been shamelessly exploiting the divisions in the Tory Party.

Would you buy a used statistics guide from HIM?

While the Murdoch Sun has wheeled out faithful retainer Trevor Kavanagh to tell any readers not yet asleep “His words will be music to the ears of millions who voted for Brexit - and have been waiting with increasing frustration for a Downing Street sign that they had done the right thing”, and blame any adverse comment on the BBC, the Fawkes massive has deployed Alex “Billy Liar” Wickham in unswerving support.

Teaboy Wickham, who lies more or less when he draws breath, started his defence of allegedly brave Bozza yesterday, claiming “There was nothing in Boris’ article which went against current government policy - as Fraser Nelson says it doesn’t contradict policy, it articulates it better”. We know exactly how far Fraser Nelson can be trusted - no further than the SOB can be usefully chucked. And Wickham was at it again today.

Claiming “Boris Article Wasn’t Wrong About £350 Million”, he asserts “Boris-hating journalists have reported the row between BoJo and Sir David Norgrove with such glee that they have neglected to mention that Boris’ article was correct and Sir David has cocked up” and then has the brass neck to talk of “The supposedly independent UK Statistics Authority chief”. And, sad to say, there is more.

“Sir David has made a pretty major error” continues Wickham. How so? This is where a little smoke and mirrors is deployed. “Boris doesn’t say there would be £350 million extra money available for public spending. He talks about ‘control’, because half of how this money is spent is currently controlled by the EU, and he wants it to be controlled by the UK”. Who is this “half of how this money is spent”?

The problem for Wickham and his ultimate masters at the Baby Shard bunker is that, however one slices it, there is no £350 million in the first place. Even if the gross EU weekly payments are used, last year’s figure was £230 million, and the highest possible number for two years in the future is £310 million. Is someone trying to pretend that the EU somehow controls items outside its budget? Bozza was wrong. He got caught. End of.

This lame spin, which piles in on behalf of not only Bozza, but Spectator editor Fraser Nelson, whose magazine occasionally features Wickham’s highly creative take on the term “journalism”, is bunk. But it does have one purpose: excusing a career liar while trying to demonise the head of the UK Statistics Authority. Sadly, the best the Fawkes rabble can do in backing this up is to quote (yes, it’s her again) Nadine Dorries. No, don’t mock.

Bozza was caught bang to rights. But now we have to endure a Nineteen Eighty-Four level of Newspeak: truth is lies, ignorance is strength, freedom is slavery, and as the head of the UKSA has committed thought crime, he is dealt with by The Great Guido’s thought police.

Sadly, the Fawkes idiocy exists in a real world where few believe them. Another fine mess.