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Sunday 17 October 2021

Hodges Incites Hate On Rayner

For the second time in five and a half years, an MP has been killed while going about their work. It is becoming abundantly clear that other MPs have faced, and still face, physical threats. So the question for our free and fearless press is clear: what would be the sensible course of action for its hacks and pundits to take? What would the responsible kind of editor have done? What would Nietzsche have done?

He's desperate, Dan

It was not one of those questions that Ted Verity, editor of the increasingly wayward Mail on Sunday, was answering this weekend. Instead, today’s MoS has carried a column from not even slightly celebrated blues artiste Whinging Dan Hodges which purports to consider the issues around David Amess’ killing, but ends up inciting hatred against another MP.

Hodges’ column is typical of the genre honed by successive Mail editors - first David English, then the legendarily foul mouthed Paul Dacre - that led one former staffer at the titles to tell Nick Davies “Dacre kills with headlines”. The headline and supporting images, their juxtaposition, and the first few paragraphs, contain the intended message. What is buried further down the page provides the excuses when someone complains.

"I don't know why he was killed BUT look whose photo this is!"

So what’s the headline? “I don’t know why Sir David Amess was killed but the visceral hatred of Tories at the heart of Labour has to end right now”. Yes folks, Desperate Dan wants you to know “I don’t know why Sir David Amess was killed BUT”. And this is a big but. A big but that juxtaposes Amess’ death and “visceral hatred” from the Rotten Lefties™.

And just to make sure readers know which lefties Hodges is on about, close to the top of the page is “Though not all of those tributes have been welcomed. As news of the appalling attack was filtering through, a tweet from Angela Rayner expressing her own sympathies provoked anger from several Tory MPs and officials. ‘She was calling us scum a few days ago,’ one told me. ‘She doesn’t get to express sympathy today.’

Evening all

Then comes a big photo of Ms Rayner. Boo rotten lefty Angie!! “I don’t know why David Amess was killed BUT here’s a big photo of Angela Rayner”. Quite apart from Hodges being an ocean going hypocrite of the lowest order - he is, after all, the author of “Labour MUST kill vampire Jezza”, the article that depicted Jeremy Corbyn, knives plunged into his body, in a coffin, published 10 days after Jo Cox’s murder - his excuses won’t wash.

When Emma Kennedy passed adverse comment on his column, Hodges did his best to wriggle his way out of it. She should, he declared, quote what he had said that was so objectionable. This is pure sophistry: he’s been at the MoS long enough to know how that paper plays the game. The suitably crafted headline, the accusing finger pointed at the Labour Party, and, oh look! A great big and very obvious photo of Angela Rayner.

The MoS pundit may also be a stinking hypocrite

In the aftermath of Hodges’ “Labour MUST kill vampire Jezza” column, we saw Darren Osborne admit he had wanted to kill the then Labour leader. One man was later jailed for 28 days for violently assaulting Corbyn, an act that had the Tories sniggering with glee. When I last encountered Ms Rayner, she had turned up on her own to a canvassing session in Crewe. After Hodges’ incitement, she might not turn up alone in future.

Because incitement is what Dan Hodges’ latest column is. He can protest all he likes. But the headline and photo placement gives the game away. We see you, Desperate Dan.


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10 comments:

Wildswimmer Pete said...

Tories are scared shitless of Angela Rayner, look at how she slaughtered Raab. I can imagine the fireworks if she faces our fat, lying Great Leader over the dispatch box.

Rosie said...

Keep going Tim at Hodges and the Mail and the MoS. It is true that this inciter of hatred towards Labour's left and and inciter to murder Corbyn and now Rayner,fed into the abuse all Labour MPs experienced from the far right.I only wiash Corbyn had been a little stronger and gone after Hodges legally. I hope Rayner does go after him and the MoS now for inctement to do injury to her. Amess loved animals apparently and was a decent man who died in the line of duty at the hands of a vile mad person, a perpetrator who has by the reported ethnicity, probably set the support that does exist for refugees and asylum seekers back even further.

Anonymous said...

Nye Bevan was spot on about tories. Rayner really isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath, but she too is right about them.

I'll take it a step further. Far right media tories like Hodges and other bought-and-paid-for propagandists are even worse. They help the scum spread over the surface of an already-corrupted society. British media is rotten with their infestation.

But you won't find a one, NOT ONE, of them with the courage to admit their culpability in the poisoning of British society and culture.

Hodges, like the rest of them, is merely a seedy coward hiding in a corporate funk hole. None of them would know the truth if they tripped over it. All they have is that image of moral corruption staring back from a mirror.

Gonzoland said...

"Commons Speaker: We must end the hatred aimed at our MPs" - Lyndsay Hoyle, The Observer, 17/10/21.
Hoyle is probably thinking about social media when he should be looking at the usual suspects in mainstream publications.

iMatt said...

I do hope those on the right having a pop at Ms Rayner are reminded of the fact they via the Mail attacked a trio of judges, branding them "ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE" with their faces on the front page. And indeed how Remain supporting Tory MP' were attacked by the Telegraph published the faces of Remain supporting Tory MPs, calling them ''Brexit Mutineers''. This and other similar headlines lead to these MPs be branded "TRAITORS" by extreme brexiters.

We also have the toxic racist Farage who jumps on the bandwagon of David Ames' murder. On Twitter he posted a picture of himself covered in milk shake. His words would carry more weight if he did not support Donald Trump, who openly talked of shooting someone on 5th Ave in NY, spoke of wanting to punch a heckler in the face at one of his 2016 election rallies, and was the inspiration behind the 2016 insurrection where Trumpists were shouting "HANG MIKE PENCE!"

Anonymous said...

Falling circulation figures indicate a slow death for corporate print media. The sooner the better.

And broadcast media are now under direct danger from social media. Hence increasing attacks against social media.

So tenth rate far right tory meffs like Hodges have a limited shelf life. Hence an increase in their sweaty desperation. They can and will get worse.

Darren G said...

I wonder how many tories are desperately deleting tweets where they said the word scum

If it hadn’t been for the bravery of those 76 years ago the memory of whom they defile, the scum rioting in London would be speaking German and probably be shot.
Fabricant June 6 2020

30,000 deaths and some ignoramus 'makes a point'.
There are some scum on #twitter.
in response to

Hope you had a lovely day Micky.

BBC News - Coronavirus: UK becomes first country in Europe to pass 30,000 deaths

Fabricant May 6 2020

There are more from Fabricant, but because they are from him, I guess its ok for the wig to make the scum comments but not for others


Sure if looked otehr tory MPs are using the word, but nothing is being said about them

Mr Larrington said...

Is Hodges trying to imply that harbouring a visceral hatred of Tories is a Bad Thing then?

Confused of E17

Anonymous said...

It was obvious Rayner was going to be a target when she was smeared on BBC TV "News" in the immediate aftermath of the murder.

The rest followed exactly as they did with the Starmer Quiff Quisling "forensic" bullshit.

The same old pathetic and predictable nazi-type repetitive propaganda smear method. How disgusting.

Unknown said...

For decades MPs on all sides of the House have abused those within our communities that are without a voice, or representation, as the main parties all suck upto the corporate bloodsuckers and tax Dodgers.

Many disabled people have been assaulted, abused and blamed by the Tories & the Blairites for the 2008 Financial Crash, when in reality it was their disastrous mishandling and light touch regulations that were the real reasons.
Hypocrisy is the label 99% of our politicians should carry after their names.