Ey up, a polecat ...
Sadly for those who would vote Labour, if only to see the terminal ineptitude that is the Tories cast out of power, and hopefully for a very long time, it is now clear that the party’s leader Keir Starmer has his own polecat, and gives every appearance of giving that individual rather more autonomy and authority than they merit. The existence of the Labour polecat has been made public by the fallout from last week’s attack advert targeting Rishi Sunak.
At first, it seemed that the aggressive Tory bashing was being walked back, after criticism from the likes of pundit Yasmin Alibhai Brown: “Labour attack ad. Is it to appeal to racists in the red wall? These voters drive all Labour policies. Among them are many who are repelled by the PM's ethnicity. [Sunak] is a fanatic Tory. But this attack stinks of racism and opportunism”.
Point. Then came the weekend papers, and Dan Barker noted “It seems Keir Starmer was not told the Labour Party was going to put out a series of ads personally attacking Rishi Sunak … A) Labour's comms policy is a mess … B) The highlighted section here is to protect Keir Starmer, who will say it was in bad taste & someone will lose a job”. It wasn’t just Starmer not being told.
As Sunder Katwala observed, “Observer report says Starmer didn't know about the controversial Labour ad, nor did Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, nor most of Shadow Cabinet. Though there was a major Comms/LOTO row about it. This comms initiative is becoming somewhat orphaned”. So it was going to be rowed back, was it? Oh no it wasn’t.
... but who is he?
Sharp intake of breath. That could have come straight out of the Cummings playbook. We have a polecat. And today’s Daily Mail splash tells you that, whoever the individual behind the cowardice of that anonymous briefing, they have the ear of the party leadership. Starmer is not going to row back last week’s vicious smears - he is doubling down on them.
“Despite claims of ‘gutter politics’, Labour chief writes in Mail he makes ‘zero apologies’ … TORY ANGER AS STARMER STANDS BY ‘EVERY WORD’ OF RISHI ADS” reads the headline, telling you One, that this version of Labour is happy to try and court the right-leaning part of our free and fearless press, and Two, that is not going to stop those press outlets favouring the Tories.
Moreover, Three, the latest opinion poll, this from Opinium Research, has Labour’s poll lead down at 11%. The Tories are back at 30%, so not total wipeout territory, and the Lib Dems are back in double figures. For reference, the Labour poll lead at the 1997 General Election was 12.5%. Opinion polls had recorded far larger leads in the run-up to the poll.
Yes, the Tories have been smearing Labour on crime for many years. But think on: what Cummings, the polecat by whom all polecattery should be measured, did for Bozo was that, ultimately, he did for him. His was a shameless and destructive force, and Starmer’s polecat will be no different in the effect he has on his party. The Labour leader has made a mistake.
Whether he can recover from that mistake is another matter. That is all.
https://www.patreon.com/Timfenton
As predicted, Starmer and his apologists have finally crossed the line into ranting righty territory. There's no going back from this. Nor is it "an aberration" or "a mistake", since he says so himself......naturally in the Daily Heil.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing new about this muck of course. You can find its origins and methods fully described in A Brief History of Fascist Lies by Federico Finchelstein (University of California Press, 2020).
This episode merely confirms the Quisling's membership in the Parliament Assisted Living Home for Liars, Hypocrites and Conmen.
There are individuals saying that the time has come to stop being squeamish and to fight fire with fire.
ReplyDeleteI just hope that the Blairite tendency who seem to support this the most will hang their heads in shame when they discover the day after the next GE that they've just handed the Tories another five years.
Mind you - I've no problem with someone attacking Yvette Cooper from within the ranks. Some of us remember her actions in the DWP.
ReplyDeleteRight on the money as usual, Tim.
There have been worrying signs that Starmer's 'team', now that they have to actively come up with something to answer the what-is-he-about question, are losing whatever judgement they had.
And to attack the one front bench Labour politician capable of regularly demolishing and humiliating her opposite number seems particularly inept (cue ritual ad feminam rants from the house band of well-practised spittle-drippers).
Did I read that Starmer is now using Aussie advisors(forgive the lapse into casual racism again, Malcolm. I'll. Try. To. Stop. It)?
This stuff certainly has the stink of the noble antipodean knight Crosby about it, doesn't it?
I almost agree with Bertie here - not about Yvette Cooper, she is dangerous in her own right - in the full let alone the round.
ReplyDeleteI suspect the hand of a polecat with a name very close to my own.
And, I'm telling you now, he might have the vinegar of Cummings but he doesn't have the skills, and that is going to be a big problem..
ReplyDeleteRishi Sunak said Labour was soft on crime so why are you all throwing hissy fits?
Sunak: "It's the same old Labour, soft on crime, soft on criminals." Why are you all throwing hissy fits?
https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2023/03/22/rishi-sunak-soft-crime-keir-starmer-takedown/