Yesterday afternoon, the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog ran yet another claim that the Labour Party had, in their words, been “useful idiots” for the Stasi, the security service of the then East Germany. Until yesterday, this might have been picked up by their pals in the press; by then, sadly, it was pointless for The Great Guido to even imagine such success.
That was because the Fawkes massive’s part in the fake “Red Scare” claims made against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had not only unravelled, but also the promised bonus of a Stasi file on Jezza had been exposed as nothing more than a mirage. The Murdoch Sun was certain that there was a Stasi file on Corbyn, and the only source for that certainty was the Fawkes claim that there was one, because they had confirmed it two years ago.
The only problem with that claim was that they had confirmed only the process by which a file held by the Stasi could be opened. They did not get confirmation that there was one on the Labour leader. Worse, the former Czech diplomat Jan Sarkocy turned out to be a liar and a fantasist, claiming Jezza had told him what Mrs T had for breakfast. Sarkocy claimed the Czechs paid for Live Aid, or maybe it was the later Mandela concert.
At least one of the claimed meetings Sarkocy had with Corbyn never took place: on the date concerned, Sarkocy was in London, but Jezza was at a conference in Chesterfield. He was caught on film, which formed part of an ITN report. By yesterday afternoon, this attempt by the Fawkes rabble and their press pals to kick Corbyn was finished.
But still the pretence was maintained: The Great Guido pitched “Get Corbyn To Sign The Stasi Archive’s Consent Form & Win A Piece Of The Berlin Wall”. Not quite as memorable as “Kill an Argie and win a Metro”, was it? Then reality intervened and readers were told “Following pressure from the British presss [sic] the Stasi archives have released an unprecedented statement saying they have not found any records for Corbyn”.
And to that I call bullshit. The Stasi archives made that statement the previous day, and it was duly reported by the Guardian. The deluded clowns at the Fawkes blog knew full well that they were lying; they did not care. Perhaps they will care now that the right-wing press, which bought their bullshit and expended a whole raft of front pages on it, have been made to look stupid and are looking for someone to blame.
They need look no further than the sleazebags who sold them the pup that was Jan Sarkocy. The Fake News outlet who reassured them all that there was a back-stop in Corbyn’s Stasi file. The sub-boot boy division of the Murdoch press whom Rebekah Brooks has on speed dial. Yes, Fawkes folks, they’re looking at you to explain how you conned them all into running the worst fake story since non-existent Iraqi WMDs.
All those who look in regularly on Zelo Street know that the Fawkes blog is a borderline Fake News outfit. Now their press pals know it too. Their problem is that they had to find out the hard way, by seeing their reputations pissed up the wall.
The Great Guido is bust. From now on, nobody with brain plugged in and a hole in their backside will trust this shower any further than they could chuck them. Good thing too.
3 comments:
Thing is, it won't go away. It'll be another "long form birth certificate", proving "to our satisfaction" that all is well. In other words, move the goalposts and if in doubt just refer to "Spy slur Jez". And just like Beckett and the PIE, it'll be dragged out whenever needed.
Glad the false "Iraq has weapons of mass destruction" propaganda got a mention. After all, it was the main root of the tragedy which has ruined the lives of millions of innocents in the Middle and Far East. And it was a story peddled by one convenient false messenger promoted by the mass murdering likes of Blair/Brown and their US puppet masters.
Then there was the false story of Iraqi occupation military tearing Kuwaiti babies from incubators. That one peddled by the daughter of a Kuwaiti government officer.
War crimes are bad enough by ANYONE. But false news which creates a war is even worse.
This McCarthyite bullshit may be at a much lower level, but it comes from the same twisted, evil mentality. It poisons democratic civilisation and leads directly to the kind of corrupt society we now have. Only "ordinary" citizens can say "Enough is enough" and sweep the culprits into the dustbin of history. It can't come too soon.
File under "falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it".
The intended damage has been done and a side order of deflection achieved.
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