Labour MP Jess Phillips has, by her own choice and personal demeanour, a higher than average profile among those in the Commons. She is not backwards in coming forwards on any number of issues, some of which she is eminently well qualified to talk about. But she is not universally liked across the entire political spectrum of her own party, and her recent behaviour has not helped her cause in the slightest.
Jess Phillips MP
Her latest problem has come not from anything that has happened in Parliament, but from the kind of association that she should have known would cause her trouble. Think back to the leadership of Mil The Younger: the amount of stick he got from his own party when he decided to go along with the Murdoch Sun and endorse one of their “campaigns”, otherwise known as campaigns to sell more papers, was legion.
The Guardian recorded his buyers’ remorse: “Ed Miliband has apologised for agreeing to be pictured holding a special World Cup issue of the Sun … The picture angered people in Liverpool, where the paper has been subject to a boycott ever since its controversial coverage of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 … Liverpool’s Labour mayor, Joe Anderson, issued a statement highly critical of Miliband”. It’s a live rail kind of issue.
Not for Tories, you understand: The Blue Team can be as close as it likes to the Murdoch mafiosi, and in Michael “Oiky” Gove they have one of Murdoch’s hired hands in the cabinet. But since the election to the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, association with the Murdoch mafiosi has been Streng Verboten. Except not for Ms Phillips.
Natalie Rowe
As the Evening Standard told earlier this week, “Media mogul Rupert Murdoch invited MPs and editors out to play at his pad. Combative Labour MP Jess Phillips was there too”. No other Labour MP attended. The Skwawkbox was unimpressed, noting that she “missed last night’s weekly PLP meeting”, but “later attended … a private event thrown by Rupert Murdoch at his penthouse apartment”. Along with other less than distinguished guests.
These included the Daily Mail’s legendarily foul mouthed editor Paul Dacre, along with the Sun’s deeply unpleasant editor Tony Gallagher. I expect that the twinkle-toed yet domestically combative Rebekah Brooks would have been in attendance, taking notes.
Ooh, look who's here. Again
Steve Topple at The Canary went suitably OTT with “Jess Phillips has shamed Labour and Birmingham with her latest stunt”, but made the very valid point that the Sun has been in the vanguard of demonising minorities - along with disabled people. It was, as the baddies told one of their own in Charade, a Dumb Move.
And now has come the suggestion from the well-informed Natalie Rowe - who blew the whistle on former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale - that Ms Phillips had been getting a little too close to old Whitto. The Labour MP has claimed this to be “libellous”, but has failed to issue a straight denial. Also, she is on record as saying “People having affairs is their own business”. Well, she does have a point in this instance.
After all, having some kind of Close Encounter with a notorious Tory MP is probably less bad for a Labour MP than breaking bread with Rupert Murdoch and his pals.
12 comments:
If a woman wishes to have an affair, that is her business.
If she's a (non-New Labour) Labour MP who chooses to have an affair with a tory MP then it is assuredly an affair of public interest. Not because of ("adulterous"?) sex, but because tory MPs propagate far right policies which are the blood enemies of everything the Labour Party is supposed to represent. If she can't see why then maybe she should cross the floor and "make an honest woman of herself". If she's New Labour then such a coupling is to be expected - as was the Blair/Brown coupling with neofascist media thug Murdoch.
If it's true, Phillips should be ashamed of herself. She might learn there's a good deal more to being an honest politician than looking and sounding plausible.
Prostitutes taking Whittingdale's money I can believe. Anybody having an 'affair' with him (ie voluntarily and umpaid), no.
Ok, maybe Ann Widdecombe. Or Dorries. Or McVey. Or Fox.
BTW, that picture of Natalie Rowe. If Dawn French and Lenny Henry had ever had a daughter ...........
I didn't know about this affair.
Just as I didn't know there were actually no Weapons Of Mass Destruction in Iraq before I decided to mass murder hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis in spite of me not knowing or caring if there were or not - see my Whatever promise to that nice intelligent mr. Bush.
Nor did I know what that nice mrs. Murdoch really want when she invited me round for tea.
I'm with you, Jacob. Especially since I became a Catholic and can confess Everything I Didn't Know to my local witch doc - er, priest, and get absolution. Ms. Phillips should try it.
Rock on, Jake lad.
Jess is an opportunistic hypocrit in my opinion. The way she ogles and uses sexual innuendo over a male tennis star yet frightens the crap out of Andrew Marr when he dares to suggest if it was he commenting on a female she would be on her high horse. She's a fraud. Worst MP labour has. A disgrace to the values and the momentum
Frank Field lost 7 constituents at Hillsborough.
Then did this:
https://wirralinittogether.blog/2014/04/28/despite-25-years-of-pain-and-injustice-which-merseyside-mp-is-backing-the-sun/
Frank Field is, was, and always will be a dead-faced disgusting waste of human DNA.
One of the prime New Labour quislings who look even more traitorous and hypocritical with the passage of time. A truly vile specimen. The kind of tory long ago identified in the most pejorative terms by Nye Bevan.
Deselected by his constituents, but minority restored by the Kinnock/Blair gang. A horrible obsequious far right excuse for Homo sapiens. The sooner he's out to pasture the better for the remaining moral health of the Labour Party.
Àttention seeking Jess is now trying to our do Santa her need is so great. Luckily the TV shows like her course nature but surely it's time for her to stop flitting from horse to horse and get in the saddle left or right.
Nah mate, I appreciate your work and I'm certainly not a fan of Jess Phillips but this sort of cheap innuendo crap is beneath you and undermines all the good you do. Hold her to account, but do it without losing your integrity eh.
Dan,
This article is about Jess Phillips' integrity. Since she's a member of parliament this is a valid question. No MP of any party or political viewpoint is immune to it.
Tim has "undermined" nothing. He queried Phillips' credibility. If she wishes to become a national figure she best come clean - or get out of public life.
Nobody gives a shit about her sex life. It's her political stance that is in question.
Then why even mention the ridiculous accusations about her sex life?
She’s my MP, wrote the email that got me suspended from the party, doesn’t like any truth aside from that she creates herself needless to say I don’t have any regard for Jess.
I believe this to be a hyped up bogus allegation based on TV program and ‘fawning’ over John Whittingdale. She can however shag whomever she likes as an adult woman nobody has the right to dictate what she does with her body, although hubby back home in Birmingham looking after the kids might be justifiably upset.
The real truth is much better than the Truth as per Jess Phillips .....
#Dontbuythesun
We'll there hasn't been any denial from Yardley's biggest narcissist, if it's false she should sue for libel, she can,afford it with all those TV fees in her back pocket.
She's not a Labour MP worthy of representing anybody but her own career and fame. She once told the media she'd resign if Corbyn was reelected as leader, well she hasn't and her CLP should be asking her serious questions about where Jess' loyalties lie.
Many suspect she s a Blairite and would happily cross the floor.
Ahs needs deselwcting asap.
Post a Comment