Jess Brammar And Right-Wing Hypocrisy

The appointment of Jess Brammar to a senior role at BBC News appears to have moved from being a strong possibility to imminent. This was confirmed at the weekend as the increasingly wayward Mail on Sunday ran a bad faith and unfeasibly mean spirited hit job not just on her, but also her partner Jim Waterson. The sign of bedrock being reached was the MoS calling Waterson, seven years Ms Brammar’s junior, a “toyboy”.

Jess Brammar

Here’s the MoS’ suitably snarky take: “Relations between Downing Street and the BBC have been plunged into fresh turmoil after the Corporation ignored opposition to the appointment of a Left-wing [no citation] journalist as head of its news channels. Jess Brammar, who posted a series of now-deleted tweets critical of Boris Johnson, Brexit and Britain’s imperial past, is expected to be confirmed as executive news editor”.

This was “despite objections from Sir Robbie Gibb, a member of the BBC board”. Despite objections from a rabid Tory Brexiteer, more like. But this virulently unpleasant slice of spite was justified because one of those whose name appeared on the by-line, Katie Hind, was an “award winning” journalist. So for what did she garner her award?

Katie Hind - butter wouldn't melt

As Jon Dryden Taylor has observed, she got her gong for an “enviable exclusive”. Which consisted of another mean spirited hit job, this time on Victorian Beckham. She also got a mention for an article on Sky News host Kay Burley breaking lockdown rules. Well, slow handclaps all round. Woodward and Bernstein rolled into one. Or maybe not.

Robbie Gibb - in his natural habitat

What value those awards have, given the MoS’ self-pitying Glenda Liz Jones also won one, is debatable. They may come in useful for propping doors open. As Dryden Taylor concluded, seeing the headline of Ms Hind’s Vicky Becky hatchet job “is perfect proof of how sick our newspaper culture is”. And the MoS attack on Ms Brammar wasn’t all.

Today, the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog have continued to go after her, with chief creep and next-generation teaboy Christian Calgie proclaiming “BBC Dodges Questions On Jess Brammar Hiring Process [no it hasn’t and, so what?] … Goodall Breaks BBC Rules During Latest Brammar Row [irrelevant]”.

Lewis Goodall was smeared as a “Labour spokesperson” [no citation], Ms Brammar is smeared as “divisive” (yes, The Great Guido called someone else “divisive”), and still no-one is mentioning the elephant in this particular room - the stench of right-wing hypocrisy. Henry Dyer has a prime example - courtesy of, yes, Robbie Gibb.

Christian Calgie - another pretend journalist

“BBC Board member Sir Robbie Gibb did not declare role on board of top Tory lobbying forum in BBC register of interests. Enterprise Forum say Gibb is no longer a member of their board, but neither they nor BBC nor Gibb will say when he left board”. Gibb should already have been sacked from the BBC Board for interfering in the recruitment process for the job which appears likely to go to Ms Brammar. But he gets a free pass.

Tim Davie - will he realise that appeasement is pointless?

All of which shows, in case there is anyone out there who still doesn’t get it, that the right bleats about “cancel culture” while trying its damnedest to cancel anyone who is not One Of Them. Ms Brammar is attacked not for being left-wing, but for not being right-wing.

But point out their hypocrisy and watch the right whine. No change there, then.

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