Just in time for the return of Westminster politics, and Westminster politics coverage, has come confirmation from one long-serving broadcast host that the media establishment are rather less well-informed than they would like us to believe. And to the considerable embarrassment of the BBC, the admission has come from none other than Andrew Neil.
Neil has, despite his continued participation in programmes where he is supposed to demonstrate even-handedness, been joining in with the right-wing wolfpack to kick those on the left whom he dislikes, and one on the left who Neil dislikes above all others is pundit and campaigner Owen Jones. It is here where The Great Man has come unstuck.
Neil has got it into his head that Jones is not merely disliked, but despised by the Labour leadership. So after he sneered “Frank Field = Enoch Powell. Modern McCarthyism at its finest/worst, depending on your point of view” at Jones’ pointing out the Birkenhead MP’s tendency to xenophobia, things rapidly went downhill from there.
Jones tried to warn Neil that he was batting on a sticky track: “I quoted a Bishop who compared Frank Field to Enoch Powell - who Field praised - because of his anti-immigration bigotry. But given you hired the Holocaust denier and Nazi apologist David Irving, and your magazine publishes defences of Nazis, I’d stay out of this one, old chap”.
The Spectator has indeed defended the Nazis, via the less than good offices of Taki Theodoracopulos, self-confessed racist, virulent anti-Semite and Golden Dawn supporter. This thought was not allowed to enter as Neil sneered “I admire how you do JC’s work, tirelessly and, so far, without reward. Everybody close to Mr Corbyn still despises you. It’s so unfair. Maybe adding to your MCarthyite litany by calling Mr Field a bigot will make them see sense. I do hope so”. A Brillo idea, but not a brill one, sadly.
Labour Party chair Ian Lavery treated Neil’s drivel with the contempt it richly deserved. “What a load of nonsense from @afneil, think you need to get yourself some fresh sources. @OwenJones84 is and always will be a close friend and true comrade. He is an assiduous supporter of the mass movement of people power we are building”.
He was not alone. Matt Zarb-Cousin also weighed in: “Andrew Neil talking shit again is it. What this mess of a man doesn’t seem to realise is when he steps out of the Daily Politics studio and away from the comfort blanket of his studious researchers, he just comes across as another clueless right-wing idiot”. And there was more.
Mike Segalov felt the need to point out “Aside from being a baseless accusation, this is incredibly unprofessional from someone employed to, impartially, present political programmes on the BBC, isn’t it?”. You might wish to ponder thus, I couldn’t possibly comment. But where had Neil got this dubious information?
Andrew Neil loves to call “liar” on others. He should get his own house in order first.
Enjoy your visit to Zelo Street? You can help this truly independent blog carry on talking truth to power, while retaining its sense of humour, by adding to its Just Giving page at
Neil is not and never has been "impartial".
ReplyDeleteLike all the other far right BBC shills, he's hired for specific propaganda reasons. He was able to (relatively) soft peddle while New Labour held quisling sway. Then Corbyn was elected - unlike Neil - and changed everything. Neil is now reduced to his actual hate-spitting far right reality. As was Maitlis on last night's Newsnight.
In fact Neil embodies everything rotten and corrupt in British media. A wretched figure, like all his colleagues. Watch them all get steadily worse.
But some of us aren't as easily duped as Daily Heil readers.
If you think Maitlis is right winger then just how far to the left can one go, beyond Venezuela?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous @ 17:43.
ReplyDeleteOf course you can always go the other way.
In which case you end up with CIA/School of the Americas trained mass murdering juntas in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Brazil, Peru and all the other Central and South American corrupt fascist states. To say nothing of economies robbed by local and US corporations, plus "contras" paid for with drugs money. And that's without sanctions designed to destroy an entire society.
Maitlis and co have done a really "good" job at not informing the public about THAT. They are, after all, employed to help underpin the Monroe Doctrine and all its "benefits".*
*This paragraph may be more than slightly sarcastic.