Frances Barber - Wrong Again

While real-world politics grinds on, with Theresa May driving the UK ever closer to disaster as she staggers about aimlessly in an effort to understand reality - and that she doesn’t have any political future to speak of - there are always those who indulge in late night whataboutery in an effort to claim that the real issue is something else, and that it’s all someone else’s fault. And when it’s late at night, it’s so often Frances Barber.

The minor Sleb has been whining on about the Labour leadership ad infinitum, and indeed ad nauseam, ever since Jeremy Corbyn won his first leadership election. At first she claimed that he wouldn’t do anything about the Scary Muslims™, but lately she has been making potentially actionable claims about Jezza and anti-Semitism.

This clearly informed her backing for backbench MP Jess Phillips, who has been given lots of press exposure recently. “So All Corbynites are so terrified Jess Phillips is more popular than the anti Semitic magic Grandpa, they have gone for the jugular. But it hasn’t worked. We all adore her. There we go” ranted Ms Barber. Then she lost it completely.

“Disgusting. You are a pig” she snapped at one Tweeter, following up with “When did @UKLabour welcome homophobes? I must have missed that”. The target of her ire had already been identified as a Lib Dem supporter, but The Lady Wasn’t For Listening. Instead, she regaled Owen Jones “Hey @OwenJones84 are these your people? They are not mine”. Why sound off at Jones over a Lib Dem supporter?

But Jones decided to humour her. “Hi Frances! a) Yes this is one of your people, he's literally an anti-Corbynite #FBPE person, like you. b) Why was your first response to what you presumed was homophobia to demand a gay journalist take responsibility for it?” Well, quite. What say Ms Barber? “I understand your hurt. It’s over the Corbyn project has failed. But don’t please turn that distress into more hate. It’s all bad enough. I only wish you well Owen. X”. He’s not hating anyone. He’s asking what she’s on about.

To his credit, Jones had another try at getting through. “Hi Frances! Why are you asking me to take responsibility for a Lib Dem supporter tweeting something you've deemed to be homophobic? Would love to hear your explanation!” Ms Barber decided that she was now the victim. Of something. “Pile on happening courtesy of Owen Jones. Who tried to dog pile BBC QT because nobody clapped him last week. These guys. Jeezo”.

What? And she wasn’t finished with the defamatory stuff: “You are so broke you can’t even pay your staff. 200,000 have left because of Racism. You are in dire straits”. Is she referring to the Labour Party? Because broke they aren’t, not after the new leadership, which she so detests, got the finances back in order because of all those new members.

A bemused Owen Jones could only conclude “She really is the most shameless person on this entirely hell site”. Frances Barber has once again won no friends and influenced no-one. Why she should behave thus I will leave to others to deduce.

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