The Labour Party website had one of those embarrassing moments, but the result of the leadership and deputy leadership emerged anyhow: Angela Rayner is now the party’s deputy leader, and Keir Starmer the successor to Jeremy Corbyn. Starmer won on the first ballot; his 56% of the popular vote means he secured more votes than Corbyn in 2015.
Starmer has previously won plaudits for his pro bono work as a lawyer (that means taking on cases for no payment at all). He is someone who worked his way up, from a humble upbringing via much hard work. Ms Rayner left school with no qualifications at all, but as a single Mum worked her way up too; as a former care worker, she knows just what many in the sector are going through right now with the Coronavirus pandemic. Heck, she had to make her acceptance speech from isolation, having contracted the virus herself.
That Labour members had made a wise choice was soon underscored as the press abuse began, with the opening salvo soon coming from the
Mail on Sunday’s not even slightly celebrated blues artiste Whinging Dan Hodges. “
Sir Kier Starmer is currently addressing the nation like a vicar who has been dressed as an insurance salesman then locked in a shoe cupboard”. Would Desperate Dan care to show who he really wanted to win?
He certainly would. “
Based on this Labour has better hope someone pressed the wrong button and Lisa Nandy has actually won. And this isn’t a joke”. He’s right there; Hodges wouldn’t be able to identify humour if it leapt up in front of him and kicked him in the undercarriage. And nor would the odious flannelled fool Master Harry Cole.
So it was no surprise to see Master Cole revealing another press attack line: “
Labour have elected more knights than women to lead their progressive party”. And then came the ocean-going hypocrisy from the Murdoch
Sun: “
Millionaire Sir Keir Starmer is set to be crowned the new Labour leader”. That’s the paper owned by multi-billionaire Rupert Murdoch, and managed on his behalf by multi-millionaire CEO Rebekah Brooks.
That has not stopped the Sun going into misinformation overdrive. “
The Sun can reveal former chief prosecutor Sir Keir, 57, has already had a podium delivered to his home and spent last week practising his acceptance speech [no podium in sight, sorry]. A source said: ‘It’s not what most us have been doing while we exist on lockdown. But needs must when you are about to become Leader of the Opposition.’” Making it up. Again.
And while Starmer gets to work on assembling his Shadow Cabinet, Hodges has already told his followers the most likely subject of his next
MoS column, and another right-wing press attack line: “
Just one thing. Starmer's got a mandate from the members now. So that's it, right? Everyone in the party - including Momentum - has to shut up and back him whatever he does. That's how it works, isn't it?” SPLIT! SPLIT! SPLIT ALREADY!!
All of which means that Labour members have indeed chosen wisely. Because the great and good of our free and fearless press can manage nothing more than whinging, abuse - and making up attack lines. Because their pal Bozo will be no match for Starmer.
Meanwhile, they might reflect on these words from Margaret Thatcher: “
I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left”.
Got it in one, Mrs T.
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6 comments:
It doesn't matter who Labour chose. The usual attackers would've attacked anyway. You don't seriously suppose Heil and Scum "news"papers would do anything else?
Starmer and co?.....We'll see. It takes more than a soap opera PMQs "win", a quiff and a Suit to make a radical government. It takes RADICAL POLICIES. So far, Starmer is about as "radical" as, say, war criminal Jack Straw. His first shadow cabinet will be telling. My bet is that he's Bliar-lite.
Should one be amazed that Dan Hodges' political and journalistic credentials fail to deliver spelling/ proof-reading of 'Keir'?
Time will tell about your predictions, Tim, but I'm nothing like as confident as you that the Labour Party has made a wise choice. As far as I can see, it's first stop Centrist city again. And I really don't think that the attacks from the bonehead Hodges and his ilk signal a wise choice, not when we know they'd say exactly the same thing about James Murdoch if he were elected Labour Party leader
Blairite wins. Quele surprise
Lost my vote , I only vote for socialists
We knew what the reaction would be from the ghastly media no matter who won. However Rupert Murdoch has just ceased print publication of 50 of his Australian titles because of the virus pandemic with the fantasy that they will all go on-line and be subscription based when the majority were freebies. It's an indication all is not well with the Dirty Digger's empire and the same goes for the rest of Britain's largely right leaning media. In another few years the entire UK media industry will dramatically change and it's influence is rapidly on the wane. Coupled with a looming headache for the Tories now they are forced to toss money around like confetti and at the same time deal with Brexit which hasn't one redeeming positive.
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