As the pushback against the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog gains momentum, and it comes clear that the Corbyn bashing hit piece the media establishment took on trust was at the very least seriously flawed, the focus has shifted to those within that class who have for so long treated the Fawkes crowd as serious and credible media players, when they were nothing of the sort.
Still not frightening, really ...
... and still nowhere near the moral high ground
That is not a problem for The Great Guido, far from it: Staines loves the idea of his being able to bend the media narrative to his own deeply unpleasant ends. He has crawled his way into the heart of the media establishment - remember the sick-making 10th anniversary bash? - and, fools that they are, one and all, they have been suckered and played. Now they are in deep shit. And it’s not as if the narrative was hard to debunk.
Solomon Hughes has spelt it out for those in the media and political classes who have found the latest Fawkes Fake News challenging. “The bizarre media reports that Jeremy Corbyn has done something bad on antisemitism by going to a Jewish cultural dinner organised by a left wing Jewish group he knows were injected into the media by the Tory Guido Fawkes website … The Guido website, run by Paul Staines tricked gullible/cynical media by not eg - noting Jewdas are v. much a Jewish organisation. Paul Staines started in politics with a holocaust-themed ‘funny’ song and an attempt to get the Tories to work with the anti-Jewish, fascist BNP”. And is still peddling anti-Semitism, remember.
There was more. “The BNP were very heavily anti-Jewish , the real fascist deal, when this happened. Staines’ song, ‘Gas them all’ looks to be a ha ha joke about the mass murder of Jewish people. Why would the media trust this source? … Even more recently, the Guido Fawkes website launched an entirely fake story into the press about a (nonexistent, entirely made up) ‘Stasi File’ on Corbyn. After weeks of following this fake story, the press admitted it was fake. Yet still they trust the source” [Zelo Street post HERE].
Then came two more names for the roll of shame. “Even on R4Today, Nick Robinson & Helen Lewis where both talking about which Jewish people Jeremy should meet, and both implied Jewdas were not campaigners against antisemitism in labour and out, which is wrong and offensive”. And before anyone calls “Anti-Semitism”, there was this: “This isn't one of his formal duties, it's his mates and they invited him so he went. Jewdas actually make a deal of campaigning against anti-semtism inside Labour (eg calling I think for Ken Livingstone to be kicked out of Labour)”. Got that, media people?
Andrew Neil hasn’t got that, sadly, and one Tweeter had this observation: “I’m baffled by this, on two fronts. 1. Why would a reputable, non bias BBC journalist be retweeting Guido Fawkes? 2. Why does a reputable, non bias BBC journalist have something against Jeremy Corbyn attending a JEWISH group’s meeting? And why are Jewdas ‘nutters’?” Hicham Yezza added “The Guido Fawkes story at no point tells readers Jewdas is a group of Jews or the event is a Jewish event. It literally doesn’t mention this once. A right-wing website denying a group of Jews their Jewish identity, and accusing •them• of antisemitism. All for politics. Vile”. And with more than a whiff of anti-Semitism.
Plus Brillo wasn’t out of the woods yet. Not when Owen Jones wanted a word with him. “You once hired David Irving, a Holocaust denier. You have no moral authority on this whatsoever, and should apologise, in full, for a) hiring a Nazi apologist and b) denouncing a Jewish group you don't like as ‘nutters’”. Jones also had a few choice words for those in his own chosen profession taking the Fawkes rabble on trust. “Labour MPs and members approvingly sharing Guido Fawkes is grotesque. He's a hard right extremist who championed the Contra terrorists, who told me the left is ‘evil’, who told me he opposes democracy because it gives power to the ‘have nots’, whose blog is a cesspit of bigotry”.
Still, details, eh, Fawkes fans and Corbyn bashers? And just in case anyone missed the point about Jewdas being a Jewish group, Jewish voice pointed it out for them. “Jewdas are a group of religious Jews who are dedicated to fighting Anti-Semitism and standing up for socialism hence the mainstream media attacking Corbyn for meeting them is a sign they have gone to the Alex Jones Fake News zone”. Ouch!
As for the claim by Fawkes teaboy Alex “Billy Liar” Wickham that Jewdas were “a fringe group that despises and is despised by mainstream Jews”, David Baddiel, who might be expected to know a little about this subject, retorted “No it isn't. They are just Jews who disagree with other Jews. Which means: Jews”. Boom!
The media establishment, along with some equally foolish politicians, has not covered itself in glory over this issue. Worse, the taking of the Fawkes rabble and its perverse narrative on trust demonstrates a sickness within that establishment, and an unforgivable laziness to do some journalism - like second sourcing Fake News sites.
Mainstream media - including, to its shame, the BBC - allowed itself to be played, and as a result has lost not merely the plot, but the trust of yet more of this country’s electorate.
You were warned about the Fawkes mob, media people. And you did nothing. As a result, you stand forever diminished. For that, you have no-one but yourselves to blame.
If these commentators including Andrew Neil had bothered to go to the Jewdas website they would have realized it was a Passover event and those there are mainly Corbyn's constituents. Not only that there were many who attended ( Jews) who were not "leftists" but friends and families of those who were invited and did not necessarily hold the same "left wing" views. They were there for Passover.
ReplyDeleteHow many Passover events are conducted where those attending have their political views investigated? Does Neil outrageously think all Jewish events are only legitimate if those attending are Tory voters?
This has reached a new gutter level. The media are now complicit in cravenly using anti-Semitism as vicious partisan propaganda for political reasons.
The Board of Jewish Deputies (who praised Theresa May when she did a deal with the right-wing DUP)and MPs must condemn this attack on Corbyn. If not they will be seen for what they are: partisan players who do not care that they flame anti-Semitism as long as they achieve a political outcome.
First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out –
ReplyDeleteBecause I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Sick and Incurable, and I did not speak out –
Because I was not Sick and Incurable.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.
Don't kid yourself what this is all about in mainstream media. It's the same embryo fascist bullshit propaganda in different clothes. How many more examples are needed?
Did you write that, Anonymous? It's very nice. You should write like that more often.
ReplyDeleteThe ending was a bit sad though. Maybe something more upbeat next time.
Another excellent article Tim.
ReplyDeleteI suspect it's not that the media allowed themselves to be played, but rather have taken a calculated decision to continue the smear.
Many older voters still take their word on trust and are more likely to vote in the council elections, so there will be a short term gain of saving a few Tory councillors from the upcoming rout - which will help keep the rotten Tory / DUP ship afloat a little longer.
But they must know full well that they'll loose even more credibility amongst younger and more savvy voters, and think it's a price worth paying. Pulling this kind of shit just shows that they're really in dire straights.