Paul Staines’ Double Hypocrisy

The lobby briefing ruckus continues to rumble on, enlivened now by the kind of double standards that could only come from the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines. After his replacement teaboy Tom Harwood first failed to spin the 10 Downing Street authoritarianism successfully, and then made an idiot of himself lecturing real journalists about journalism, a dead cat was called for. Staines has duly delivered.

"I demand journalists deport themselves professionally ..."

Pausing briefly to get his various bellies under control, The Great Guido has written to the chairman of the Parliamentary Lobby to complain about bullying, which may cause more than the occasional raised eyebrow. He tells Jason Groves “Congratulations on becoming chairman of the Lobby. I am writing to ask you to restrain your colleagues from bullying a member of our reporting team”. Reporting team? The Fawkes rabble? Yeah, right.

But do go on. “On January 20, 2020 Christian Calgie was shouted at for a prolonged period by a number of your colleagues, the ringleaders being Pippa Crerar and Tom Newton-Dunn. You will no doubt be aware that recordings of that day are circulating. Your predecessor as chairman of the Lobby has already apologised in relation to that day”.

Lobby hacks shout occasionally. Who knew? But there was more. “Christian is the most junior member of our reporting team and has been in the job for a matter of months. He is live tweeting the proceedings on my instructions. Today when Christian began tweeting someone shouted ‘That wanker’s tweeted… we’re off embargo.' Christian is now reluctant to attend the briefings”. Awww DIDDUMS! Oh look out, he’s not finished.

"... don't call my gofer a Bell and Cranker ..."

“I recognise that your colleagues do not like the competition and want to keep proceedings as they were. That does not entitle them to bully the youngest member of my staff. He is doing his job. You will no doubt share my expectation that your colleagues should in future behave professionally towards our reporters in their place of work, at government briefings”. Calling someone a wanker is bullying? Competition? From that shower?

But enough. As Jon Stewart might have said, two things here. One, as Staines well knows, the previous post on the Fawkes blog today - written by Christian Calgie, no less - is accusing the Lobby of being snowflakes. This is followed by Staines telling the world not to diss poor Chris, because he is, whisper it quietly, a snowflake.

And Two, is the Paul Staines demanding others deport themselves in a professional manner the same Paul Staines caught on camera in 2012 at a Ken Livingstone press call, along with his then tame gofer, the odious flannelled fool Master Harry Cole, and someone dressed in a chicken suit, barging into the crowd of assembled journalists?

"... and he isn't a snowflake, right?"

The same Paul Staines who gets very touchy when anyone mentions that a camerawoman was knocked to the ground during the melée? The same Paul Staines who failed to confront Livingstone and then berated the Ken aide who blocked him. shouting “You … are a cunt … you are a fucking cunt … cunt”? That Paul Staines?

Snowflakes and bullying - double hypocrisy, Meester Bond! But seriously, O Great Guido, if you want to dish it out, you’ll have to learn to take it. Another fine mess, once again.

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