Even before he had got his feet under the leader’s table, Keir Starmer was being attacked, not merely by those out on the right, but by the left of his own party. He was demonised as a mere “
Blair Lite”. Memberships were being cancelled (allegedly). There was talk of betrayal, centrism, managerialism, abandonment even. At times like this, the opposition rides to your rescue. The
Daily Mail came galloping yesterday evening.
“
'He's only in it for the photo op!' Sir Keir Starmer under fire after he is caught asking camera crew 'have you got what you need' while taking part in national clap for NHS” shrieked the headline, readers being told “
New Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of 'clapping for the cameras' by Twitter users … Twitter users claimed that Sir Keir was taking part in the NHS national clap for the 'photo opportunity’”. There was more.
“
New Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer caused Twitter fury after asking the media 'have you got what you need' at the end of the 8pm 'clap for our carers'. He took part in the weekly NHS appreciation gesture on a live Sky News broadcast but stopped abruptly at the end of the clap”. No, he didn’t cause “
Twitter fury”. There are always plenty of right-wingers sounding off. The
Mail took those, used its megaphone, and generated more.
Only later does the
Mail concede that Starmer was wanting to clear a path for his daughter to get across the road outside his house. But by then, the screaming headline had done its job. Photographer Marc Ward, meanwhile, had the real story - like, there wasn’t one.
“
Here's the angle where he speaks to me. As you can see, he heads over the road and fetches his daughter and we cut. A total non-story being whipped up online by people who love to shout 'fake news' but the tweet has been shared hundreds of times, the truth? How far does that go?” Exactly. And as to those two Tweeters the
Mail used, well.
One of them (Tracy Bishop, aka @trixietracy71) has deleted her Tweet, but enough of her feed remains to see that she is a Government supporter. The other, Craig Z aka @zece7, has recently Retweeted Tommy Robinson fan Jack Dawkins. No further questions, M’Lud.
But while Owen Jones fumes “
This is classic gutter deceitful stuff from the Daily Mail … It was vile when they did this to Corbyn, and it remains vile now [and to Ed Miliband, and to Gordon Brown] … The Mail need to apologise, and any decent person, whatever their politics, should take on politically driven lies and smears”, that headline quote - “
He’s only in it for the photo-op” - has become established in readers’ minds.
And that, left-leaning people, shows you who the real enemy is. There is bugger all use metaphorically kicking lumps out of Keir Starmer just because he isn’t Jeremy Corbyn. It won’t bring Jezza back, and nor will it move Labour forward. Worse, it will make the party look weak and divided to its critics. The
Mail’s crude and opportunistic hit job tells you all you need to know about where the real enemy lies. And it ain’t the Labour leader.
So give Keir Starmer a break.
And concentrate fire on the real enemy - the Tories.
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Bozo was also filmed clapping so almost certainly was asked the same question.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, he won't be pleased with his dad who has just told the media he has fourteen grandchildren. Google "Stanley Johnson grandchildren" and you'll only find ten.
My problem with Starmer isn't his background, education or achievements. Up to now he has done nothing about the back office scandal other than, seemingly, kick it into the long grass.
ReplyDeleteIf I wanted my money going to support the tories I would have donated it to them. Labour will not get a penny more from me, ever. I just don't trust them. Whether they get my vote or not will depend on their policies and it that leaves with no vote at all then so be it.
All my life i've voted and supported Labour. The last two elections with a sense of hope. I will not go back to voting for them just because there is no one else.
Desperate stuff, clutching at staws. They know that starmer is going to slowly destroy Johnson at pmqs over the next few years. Labour need to find their collective inner bastard and let starmer eviscerate the over promoted assortment of spivs and free market ideologues on the Tory front bench.
ReplyDelete@ Mick. So you'll be happy for the Tories to get in again?
ReplyDeleteIts not just Starmer, is it ? Its the PLP and the party machine.
ReplyDeleteI parted company with Labour in 2010 when it became painfully obvious that there was little difference between them, the Tories and Lib Dems (I remember forum discussions about the likelihood of a Lab/Con coalition - it seemed quite possible).
Corbyn won my vote back, but it has always been conditional. Labour is reverting to pre-Corbyn mode, so you can count me out.
Basically, I dont want to return to voting for the least worst option, especially now I know it is ruled and directed by individuals who obviously despise people like me.
That's SIR Keir, please give him his full title - seeing that you embellish the PM's moniker. The lib-dem leader also has a title.
ReplyDeleteChampagne anyone . .. ...
Red Star
ReplyDeleteI would echo that thought, we are in the same position as America, two right wing parties who effectively make voting pointless, whoever wins the election, corparations are the beneficeries.
Presumably, those to the left who reject Labour's current frontbench team are quite happy to watch millions suffer as a consequence of more Tory misrule.
ReplyDeleteYou got it spot on Tim the real enemy is our "free and fearless press" so called not Keir Starter. He wouldn't have been my choice but he is the party leader. Both left and right of the party should take aim at the real enemy.
ReplyDelete"There is bugger all use metaphorically kicking lumps out of Keir Starmer just because he isn’t Jeremy Corbyn."
ReplyDeleteThere was bugger all use metaphorically kicking lumps out of Jeremy Corbyn just because he isn’t [insert name here]. Didn't stop a lot of people doing it.
Here's hoping Labour and Starmer win (but then I wanted the same for Labour and Corbyn).
The left have become as ideologically extreme as the right. Complete polarisation, probably manufactured by the usual agencies to negate collectivism and only the Tories benefit. The attacks on Starmer from the folks who miss Corbyn are getting louder and more vitriolic by the day and Boris is the real beneficiary. The extreme right can never win and neither can the ideologically 'pure' left; even without the shenanigans and manipulation the British voters are just not interested in extremes.
ReplyDelete@Mike D : " The extreme right can never win and neither can the ideologically 'pure' left"
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem, isn't it - back to having to vote for what seems to be the least worst of almost identical alternatives.
But perhaps Corbyn could have won, if Labour's chances hadn't been sabotaged by certain MPs and unelected party officials.
That's what really rankles - the feeling that they have p*ssed all over us, laughing all the while. And they're almost certainly going to get away with it, even be rewarded, like McNicol and Watson.
@Red Star; "...perhaps Corbyn could have won, if Labour's chances hadn't been sabotaged by certain MPs and unelected party officials."
ReplyDeleteMaybe in 2017. But by 2019 the media had successfully painted him as 'extreme' and the manifesto didn't help. The nationalisation grab beyond rail, the abolition of public schools and mooted 'Garden' taxes were all too easy to spin as state interference without too much manipulation. That, combined with Labour's Brexit position which swung from accepting the referendum in 2017, a winning position, to looking like they wanted to scrap it stealthily in 2019 all but guaranteed a wipe out in the North were I live.
Yes, I'm as p*ssed as you at the treatment of Corbyn but getting back to that position with lessons learned is going to take time and there's no need to pull the party apart with acrimony in the meantime. Most if not all of the internal architects of Corbyn's defeat have left.
@23:02
ReplyDeleteWho the fuck convinced a large number of people in The North that leaving the EU is a good idea?
Mike D
ReplyDeleteAnd the ones who remain have been promoted or given cabinet positions.
Ever get the feeling you've been had?