Darren Grimes Protests Too Much

For failed trainee hairdresser Darren Grimes, defeating the Electoral Commission was easy: his defence against electoral malpractice was, effectively, that he was too stupid to fill in a form correctly. Now, though, he faces a potentially far more difficult challenge, and claiming he was too ignorant to know what he was doing will not help his cause.

Yesterday afternoon, Dazza let it be known that he was “Taking on the Metropolitan Police”, which would not be a wise move. What had happened is that a complaint had been made concerning his infamous interview with appalling old bigot David Starkey, who had asserted “Slavery was not genocide, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many damn blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there?” Grimes did not push back, or criticise.

Worse, and this is the point that Grimes is either too stupid, or too wilful to figure out, he could have told Starkey that maybe they should go back over that part of the interview in view of the incendiary nature of his guest’s comments, but he did not. He just nodded along, then published the result on his YouTube channel. That is important.

It is the one thing that has evaded all those out there on the right. So after reading that Dazza is to be interviewed under caution by the Met, and that he is being accused of stirring up racial hatred, off the end of the pier they have all gone. The loathsome Toby Young has whined “The only hatred Dr Starkey stirred up was against himself”. So the so-called Free Speech Union is taking up the cudgels on Grimes’ behalf.

Other luminaries also not concerning themselves with the law are increasingly minor thesp Laurence Fox, who has airily declared “Why don’t you go and investigate an actual crime? Do something about the 10 year knife crime high maybe? No one gave you consent to police our thoughts. We give you consent to police criminal activity”. The Met is investigating criminal activity, Lozza. You don’t get to decide that. It’s the law.

Iain Dale has gone one better: he claims they’re out to get Grimes because of Brexit. “Failing to challenge someone in an interview is not a crime. The worst thing Darren Grimes was guilty of was naivety. Somebody in the Met is clearly out to get Darren. They failed to over Brexit so they're now trying it on with this. Disgraceful”. Dale has been publishing material for so many years, you’d think he knew the law.

Most likely there will be no further action taken; if there is, perhaps Grimes will join Dale in accepting a Police Caution. Toby Young and his pals will be able to claim that they were the ones that kept Dazza from the slammer, and Grimes will think twice before committing his uncut interviews to pixel - especially given the build-up he gave the Starkey one.

Maybe it will sink in with Dazza that those actions which have consequences may include his own. In the meantime, ignore the over-egging of the pudding: he’s not taking on the Met or anyone else - he’s just going down the cop shop to have a chat with them.

Think carefully before you hit “publish”. I always do. But Darren Grimes didn’t.

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