Darren Grimes Victimhood Fail

It seems that Brendan O’Neill is not the only pundit beginning to feel the heat, as the Coronavirus crisis exposes significant numbers of the Pundit Establishment for what they are - intellectually bankrupt shills for the alt-Right. One of those concerned at the possible loss of More And Bigger Paycheques For Himself Personally Now is Darren Grimes, whose track record on competence is not in the confidence-inspiring category.

Darren Grimes

After all, it was Dazza who got off being fined by the Electoral Commission by effectively admitting that he was too clueless to fill in a form correctly. And, as part of his role in the Leave campaign, filling in a form correctly, especially when it concerns hundreds of thousands of Pounds in referendum campaign expenditure, is rather important.

Nonetheless, Grimes has taken this unpromising state of affairs and attempted to bluff his way out of it, appearing on the “So what you’re saying is …” broadcast with London AM Peter Whittle, who may be glad of the delay in this year’s Mayoral and Assembly elections as he will most likely be shot out of office in his next encounter with the electorate.

Here, Grimes talks well, but lies badly. “Young, working-class and gay? He can't genuinely hold eurosceptic views. Without a degree, formerly in a hair salon and supermarket? He can't possibly have a platform in politics. The sneering in some quarters of the Left is repugnant. Sadly, for them, I ain't going anywhere”. As it was on the broadcast.

Sadly, Grimes falls into the same trap as O’Neill, trying desperately to frame the criticism of his Politics Live appearance as left versus right. And like O’Neill, that is not what those critics were at. The subject was Covid-19, and Grimes did not know what he was talking about. He whines about “they say I haven’t got a degree”, but they don’t. That’s just another facet of his victimhood playing. He just didn’t know his subject.

And with Covid-19, we need people who have some knowledge; anyone can play armchair expert. The thought also enters that Grimes is so shallow and insincere that he will follow any ideology for the right amount of money and prospects, after a Tweeter known as Lee, who writes for Independent Voices, called him out on his schtick.

“You’re not a victim, Grimes. You were a pro-Remain Liberal Democrat until you felt your squeals weren’t being heeded in those circles so switched to full-blown Farage worship and morphed into a Brexshiteer with nothing to add to the conversation … [People are] critical of you because you choose to be stupid. You choose to be a mascot to Johnson and Farage and that’s stupid. Working class people, like anyone else, can and do educate themselves out of being stupid”. OUCH! And, worse for Grimes, it’s true.

Moreover, the thought also enters that while Grimes might like to categorise himself as “working class”, what he does as a pundit, and in the service of the IEA, might be difficult to justify as being work. As in anything that is economically productive.

Grimes' schtick summed up in one image

Darren Grimes protests too much. He isn’t a victim, he isn’t even a very naughty boy - he’s just an ill-informed and hideously ignorant gob merchant whose empty wibbling and victim-playing is wearing thin in a market that is oversupplied with ignorance.

The IEA can put him straight about supply and demand. I’ll just leave that one there.

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