Darren Grimes Legal Action ISN’T

Bravely clinging to the wreckage of his nascent media career, while still protesting his innocence, Darren Grimes, the UK’s most inept form-filler, has taken his battle for credibility to the perceived enemy, which in his case is the hated BBC. No matter that the Corporation has given him a platform in the past - they have given him an opportunity to shift the blame for his demise, and he has taken it with both hands.

His site, Reasoned UK, was characterised in a Radio 4 report as “a safe space for racists and homophobes”. Having sensed an opportunity, Grimes was off and running. “I have contacted my legal team to look into taking action against the BBC for their comments yesterday. Many were upset with my interview on social media yesterday, but that does not excuse what the BBC has said about me in their activist editorialising”. Yeah, right.

“Activist editorialising”? Grimes wouldn’t know what that was if it jumped up and kicked him in the undercarriage. But do go on. “On the BBC website, I am listed as a 'conservative commentator', here, in this editorialised news item, I am listed as 'right-wing' and [Reasoned UK] is reported as been a 'safe space for racists and homophobes'. That is a completely unfair representation of what I have said”. The world is unfair, Dazza.

Then he tries to pull a whopper, but fails. “It is taken from this Pink News report, in which it's clear what I actually said was that [Reasoned UK] seeks to be a space for those falsely and unfairly accused of being racist, homophobic and transphobic. E.g. believing in biological sex is ‘transphobic’”. He didn’t say “falsely”, or “unfairly”. That matters. Also, the claim in the Pink News article remains unaltered - and, indeed, unchallenged.

But he was taking legal action - sort of. “I have started legal proceedings against the [BBC] for what they said about me during [BBC Radio 4]’s Six O’Clock News on 2 July 2020”. Ah, Griffin Law. The outfit led by Donal Blaney of Tory Bullying infamy. Zelo Street received one of their legal threats some time ago. Read what happened HERE.

But here a problem entered, as one enterprising Tweeter pointed out. “Darren, have a word with your solicitors. Their letter doesn't appear to meet the requirements of the pre action protocol for media & communication claims. They'll have to do a protocol compliant letter soon. Pretty unfair other people will be donating to pay for another letter”. Whoops!

Also, Grimes faces another potentially challenging hurdle if he presses his action, as another onlooker explained. “What I tend to like about these cases is that to prove damages they first have to show a demonstrated drop in earnings etc which means revealing all their sources of income and explaining what they are getting paid for. Spotlight on the cockroaches and dark money scuttle scuttle”. Most interesting.

As to what he meant in his promo video, Ian Fraser observed “Darren Grimes' exact words were ‘Do you hide your political views for fear of being called homophobic, a TERF, racist?’ Arguably, anyone who hides their views for such reasons *is* one of those things. However the BBC has chosen to issue a correction”. But not an apology.

Which Grimes admitted. “BBC ‘apology’ is nothing of the kind, but at least admits how wrong they were in what they said about me. BBC need to apologise properly, on air, or else legal avenues will continue. Thanks for the support”.

Who are these “legal avenues”? Without Griffin Law ponying up a Pre-Action Protocol compliant Letter Before Action, his “legal avenue” will be a mere cul-de-sac. Is he prepared to risk an examination of his revenue sources - all of them - before the inspection of the BBC’s lawyers? Grimes has already tried to reinterpret what he said in that promotional video after the fact, which will get him precisely nowhere.

Darren Grimes’ media career is effectively over. Just in time for the fruit picking season.

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