Welcome To Zelo Street!

This is a blog of liberal stance and independent mind

Sunday 10 February 2019

Corbyn Mail Hatchet Job POINTLESS

Tom Bower, serial author of unauthorised biographies and husband of Bozza favourite Veronica Wadley, became briefly famous in 2009 when Richard “Dirty” Desmond launched a libel action against him over a reference in a biography of disgraced former Telegraph owner Conrad Black. Desmond lost the action, and infamously then retold the story, as did the Express and Daily Star, as if he had actually won.
Bower may now by in his 70s, but we all have to bring the dosh in somehow, and whatever the nature of his targets, one cannot object to free dissenting speech, or, indeed the taint of opportunism surrounding his latest venture Dangerous Hero. This is yet another unauthorised biography, this time of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. It has been snapped up for serialisation by the Mail on Sunday - starting today.

Hence the thundering front page headline “Dangerous. Incompetent. Chaotic with money. A devastating book reveals why Corbyn is totally … UNFIT FOR OFFICE”. It would have been unexpected had the headline come out any other way.
So what does Glen Owen’s article teasing the serialisation tell us? “JEREMY CORBYN was last night condemned as ‘not fit to govern’ following a devastating new exposé by one of Britain’s leading investigative authors”. Like Jezza gets slagged off every day by the Tories and their pals in the press establishment. Film at 11.

The online sub-headings don’t improve matters, either: “Bombshell new book set to add to political pressures mounting on Labour leader … Author spent 18 months on A Dangerous Hero: Corbyn’s Ruthless Plot for Power … Devastating expose reveals truth behind end of relationship with Jane Chapman … Chapman told author she left Corbyn in 1979 because life with him was so arid”. Yes, well. There’s a teensy problem here.
Tom Bower

Corbyn did not have a “plot for power”, ruthless or otherwise, and only stood in the 2015 Labour leadership election because it was his turn to be the “token leftie”. He did not expect to win - well, not at the time he put his name forward. So what else is there?

Well, apart from Ms Chapman’s recollection of her life with Jezza, there is “Soon after the break-up of the marriage, Corbyn embarked on a year-long affair with Diane Abbott, who is now his Shadow Home Secretary … The closeness between Corbyn and Abbott has led to claims that she is ‘bombproof’ in the party, despite a series of political gaffes”.
Political gaffes like what? Ms Abbott forgot her figures during a radio interview. Or are we supposed to consider being ambushed by mercenary hack Isabel Oakeshott on Question Time a gaffe on her part? But enough: this pudding is being over-egged to a ridiculous degree. Bower has nothing to reveal that is not already known.

But with Corbyn’s Brexit compromise garnering serious attention and approving comment in Brussels, it is inevitable that the right-wing press is going to pile in. In the case of the MoS, that has run to 20 pages of knocking copy today.

It didn’t work at the last General Election. It won’t work now. That is all.
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

9 comments:

J said...

"A Dangerous Hero"

Well I have to say, it makes Corbyn sound rather James Bond'ish... You can imagine the film tag line: "He was a hero - living dangerously to serve his country..." [cue title music - https://youtu.be/_4gdhsVKTcs ].

Also, if there is an early GE in the next few weeks... they have kinda shot their wad early with this latest smear. It will all be nothing but a faded memory and soggy discarded chip papers by next week.

Every time they run these smears they have to get more and more hysterical just to stand still. The more they do it, the less impact it has. People just tuned it all out as background noise during the last GE when they ran the multi-page smears. No one cared, no one listened.

Anonymous said...

The Heil on Sunday?

Oh my aching sides.

Desperate McCarthyite hysteria from the Rothermere rent boys and girls.

Which will add several hundred thousand votes on the Labour side.

Time is running out for all ranting righties. Hence an increase in their hysteria. Rabid foam everywhere.

Roy said...

I know it's the MoS, and they're going to print the most sensational bits of a sensationalised book but at the end of the day the headline is 100% correct.

He is unfit to be PM. He's unfit to be the Leader of the Opposition. He's the worst thing that's happened to the Labour Party since Michael Foot, the previous "Token Leftie." (Unless you count Kinnock but he actually had a prayer)

Anonymous said...

Tom Bower's 'tache? Just needs a little trim, don't you think?

Still, this effort is a big compliment for Corbyn.

Anonymous said...

Bower must be really on his uppers to produce this kind of far right trash.

Some people will do anything for money.

Anonymous said...

someone wrote an article for the Mail online (might have appeared in the paper but ain't gonna buy it) claiming he would be the least intelligent PM ever cos he got two E's at A-Level

They obviously forgot Major who left school at 16 with 3 o levels

is that is the level of "facts" regarding JC then I wouldn't believe any other "facts" uncovered by this bloke

and lets not forget the Mail recently had to publish a 210 word apology cos the only fact that they got right in a hate piece was that it had happened in France

Anonymous said...

Tom Bower, New Statesman interview, 2014: “The only reason we have any journalism at all in Britain is … Rupert Murdoch; he’s the only person who invests in journalism in Britain” (Note: he wrote ab book about Robert Maxwell, it doesn't look like he's written one about Murdoch)
Source: https://www.newstatesman.com/2014/02/dancing-scoundrels-tom-bower

RodJ said...

What have A levels and O levels or GCSEs got to do with intelligence anyway? Vernon Bogdanor, who was Cameron's tutor at Oxford, once described the cockwomble as the most intelligent student he had ever had. A statement so breathtaking that many people are still gasping for air. Unfortunately for us, the present HoC, and especially the government front bench, is full of people who are living proof of the ancient Egyptian theory that the purpose of the brain is to cool the blood.

Pendragon said...

I assumed that the MoS smear on Corbyn was timed to increase the chances of a split in the Labour Party. You never know the smear might provoke Remain Labour MPs to form their own party. I'm sure the Tories would be delighted by another fracture in the anti-Conservative vote. Why do you think we have First Past The Post?