We discovered last night that the Super Soaraway Currant Bun has a deputy political editor. And stepping out of the shadow of the non-bullying Tom Newton Dunn was Matt Dathan, telling the world “NEW tonight: Maureen Lipman has recorded a mock version of her iconic BT advert to launch a blistering attack on Jeremy Corbyn's economic plans - and also accuses him of having an ‘ology of extremism’”.
Maureen Lipman
“Ology”? What that? But the premise of Ms Lipman’s video was straightforward and predictable: she was telling anyone who would listen that she could not countenance voting for the Labour Party. The problem was that when Dathan’s supporting article described her as a “Lifelong Labour supporter”, it wasn’t true.
Or rather, it was only true until five years ago, when she walked out on the party. Yes, the actor who is now telling the world about Labour and accusations of anti-Semitism flounced out on the party when it was being led by Ed Miliband, who is, er, Jewish. Her excuse that time was that Mil The Younger had declared his support for the Palestinians.
As the Guardian reported at the time, “The prominent actor said she could not vote for [the] ’Chuka Harman Burnham Hunt Balls brigade’”. She “reserved her most hostile comments for the Labour leader’s decision to back a symbolic Commons vote in favour of recognising the state of Palestine alongside Israel”. So the Sun’s claim was bogus.
It was therefore no surprise to see adverse comment arriving, with Tom London observing “I remember Maureen Lipman very publicly protesting and leaving the Labour Party when it was led by (the Jewish) Ed Miliband, in protest over his policy on Israel/Palestine. This policy reflected Miliband’s absolutely proper concern for Palestinian human rights”.
There was more: after Michael “Oiky” Gove Tweeted out the Sun article - not that he had been tipped off about it, of course - one observer responded “Is that the same ‘life long Labour supporter’ who quit the party when we had a Jewish leader, Michael? Or is it some other Maureen Lipman you're talking about?” Gove getting his facts wrong? Well, well.
Socialist Voice reminded everyone “In 2014, she said the same about Ed Miliband when he declared his support for Palestine. He is Jewish and was the target of anti-Semitic attacks by the Tory gutter press”. Anyone remember “The Man Who Hated Britain”? The Daily Mail using the anti-Semitic “Disloyal Jew” trope about Miliband’s late father?
The criticism continued. “Maureen Lipman video being promoted by Ian Austin, Michael Gove, Mainstream UK and The Sun. It’s almost as if they are somehow connected. She stopped voting Labour in 2014” mused one Tweeter, while another added “Maureen Lipman stays SILENT on the greater levels of antisemitism in the Tory party? Silent on the Conservative party of #Windrush, dog whistle racism … Silent on Johnson's Islamophobia - letterbox / bank robbers, watermelon smiles, picaninnies”.
Very few supportive comments were made, but Darren Grimes could be relied upon to tell anyone not yet asleep “Actress Maureen Lipman is on top form here”. Actress? How very gallant and 20th Century of him. But he only confirmed his Tory tribalism.
Maureen Lipman slagging off Labour is old news. And tediously predictable with it.
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5 comments:
Nobody gives a shit what Lipman says or does.
No-one under 40 or who uses a mobile - is going to get (or care) about the 'Beattie' reference.
I don't mean this to sound awful, but I'm always surprised to hear Lipman is actually still alive. She seemed to disappear for ages and indeed only ever pops up for nonsense like this now. Afraid to say that, whenever she's not acting, she seems like she's a bit well...odd.
Also, you have to love The S*n; the paper that still thinks a Dick Emery catchphrase is relevant is now hawking around a skit about a BT ad last broadcast in about 1988. Keep chasing that youth vote, Tories.
I seriously doubt Darren Grimes is old enough to know who Maureen Lipman is or to know her body of work - including playing Beattie in the BT ad campaign of the mid 1980s to early 1990s.
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