Criticism, even robust and persistent criticism, of those who put themselves out there in the public gaze can never be a bad thing; we should be prepared to hold those people to account, whether they are politicians, pundits, journalists, experts, sports personalities or Slebs. What is not a good thing is when persistent criticism spills over into obsessive pursuit for its own sake, when it ceased to be objective and becomes creepy.
And when it becomes creepy, one group of individuals out there on the right know exactly what that means: step forward the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog. Whenever Staines gets irritated by criticism, he reaches for the S-word, as he did with Fran Singh of the Guardian: “Am on a pub crawl @fransingh get a job and stop stalking”. Stalking. It’s A Very Bad Thing. The Great Guido says so.
He said so to Lib Dem stalwart Olly Grender: “Oh please. You tweet at me quite a lot, trading banter and insults. Are you stalking me?” And he suggested to Declan Ganley that he had indeed had at least one real stalker: “You're nobody until you have an online stalker”. He even claimed others were using the term when they weren’t.
So it was that when Owen Jones observed “My obsessed fan @guidofawkes attacking me for remembering 1916 Easter Rising. Look forward to him attacking the Queen”, Staines inserted the S-word of his own free will: “Yawn, standard OJ rebuttal tweet #7 ‘Obsessed’, ‘Stalker’ etc. You're like Kim Kardashian complaining about paparazzi”.
But he didn’t like being called out for it himself, as independent MP John Woodcock did. “For the record, and to allay your paranoia. When you accused me of stalking you, I was in bed, at home, in Ireland”. No, Staines was far more comfortable accusing others of doing it: “Jessica why do you follow us so closely? You are like one of those fans who turns into a stalker, always quibbling. You must have a lot of spare unbilled time”.
Well, The Great Man is going to have to swallow it up once more, because as he did with Woodcock (over Woodcock’s partner Isabel Hardman), he’s been caught bang to rights stalking once more, whether it’s him personally, or his gofers on his behalf.
OH WHAT A GIVEAWAY
And now it's getting gratuitous and creepy
This time, Staines’ obsession concerns Carole Cadwalladr of the Observer: only last month Zelo Street called out The Great Guido over another sneering, dismissive, and indeed dishonest attack on her. It was not the last: only six days ago, in a post attacking what the Fawkes massive called a “Loony Remoaner Lawsuit”, they included her photo, even though she had no connection with the story. That’s the real giveaway.
So when the Fawkes rabble once more laid into Ms Cadwalladr yesterday for the heinous crime of commenting on the leaking of the US Ambassador’s cables, she called time on the stalking. “Colleagues in British media, can I ask a q? Below latest from Guido. It’s pathetic but also relentless. What do you make of it? I find it sexist & creepy & given links to Johnson/Farage/Banks disquieting. Is it acceptable because I’m somehow seen as ‘asking for it’? Is that it?” She is right to ask that. Because acceptable it is not.
Paul Staines and his pals have allowed their obsession with Ms Cadwalladr to spill over into creepiness and stalking. That must be what it is, because they said so.
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10 comments:
Perhaps, being only your man in a pub type gossip columnist, Mr Staines is hoping to pick up hints on how to become a top rate investigative journalist with all that entails?
Like a hard work ethic? Honesty? Integrity?
Well, the Brexiteers like to look for unicorns (as if they believe in them too) so nothing is entirely impossible.
Second thoughts - nah, he's too far gone in the employment of those who haven't got the best interests of anyone but themselves at heart.
Shine on Carol, continue to shed a beacon light into all those Paul Staines and his cronies have been paid to defend.
The striking thing about the Staines mob and their ilk is just how seedy they look and sound.
His headline doesn't appear to be true, either. Cadwalladr doesn't appear to have accused the Russians of anything: merely noted that those with Russian connections also seem to be buddies with the probable leaker, certainly with the copy clerk who wrote them up for the MoS.
Oh not the RUSSKIS AGAIN!
Fucking hell, they're EVERYWHERE. Apparently even inside Oakeshitt's pants without her knowing it.
Oh how we larfed.
He had to get off The English Isle in case he sank it!
Or, was it for cheaper tax?
Surely he knows it's only a matter of time before they all fall.
Another appearance from our lovely commenter who could defend Russia even if they blew up the moon.
@ 23:37.
So now the Russians are threatening to blow up the moon.
Jesus wept.
Well, if so, it's a slight improvement on the USA and Lapdog Britain trying to blow up the Earth.
@ Anon 15:18
The Russkis? I believe they are busy subverting,or trying to, democracy in Italy currently.
As Mueller might have said "Lordy there are tapes!".
@ 18:19.
As if Italy needed "subverting".
After the P2 mob, the Gladio loonies, the Vatican and Operation Paperclip, and the mafia?
Shurely shome mishtake?
@ Anon 22:29
Perhaps they still need to try in their own particular way? Competition in the corruption stakes! Perhaps needed a bit more of the action than they were getting? Not working out so well elsewhere?
https://www.politico.eu/article/italian-prosecutors-investigate-reports-that-league-sought-russian-funding-matteo-salvini-aide-gianluca-savoini/
And of course there's a bit more to it that might concern us.
From twitter
Anne Applebaum
Verified account @anneapplebaum
Jul 10
In the light of new revelations about Salvini's Russian connections, here is my article from a few months ago about some of the Brexiteer's Russian connections. Just a reminder, this is a pattern.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/fthe-more-we-learn-about-brexit-the-more-crooked-it-looks"
You're right in that our politicians are making, well, not some mistake but a huge mistake.
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