Boris Better Brexit IS A FANTASY

Times are not good for the remaining real journalists at the increasingly desperate and downmarket Telegraph: hardly had they been caught out pilfering a Bellingcat exclusive on the identity of one of the two Russians alleged to have been involved in the Salisbury poisoning, than the paper goes full Narnia and leads on a series of highly creative claims from London’s formerly very occasional Mayor Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson.

Under the headline “My plan for a better Brexit” (shurely "paycheque"? - Ed), Bozza tells anyone still awake “There has been a collective failure of Government, and a collapse of will by the British establishment, to deliver on the mandate of the people … This is the moment to change the course of the negotiations”. The Government that he was part of until very recently, and the British establishment of which he is been a part, if only a spare one.

Still, we might as well see what the Tel is getting in exchange for bunging Bozza £260,000 a year, apart from generating More And Bigger Paycheques For Himself Personally Now. Has anything been proposed, apart from sitting on the sidelines and whinging?

Well, yes it has. And here it is. A Six Point Plan, the first of which is to “Chuck Chequers”, which is not really a point, is it? It’s just, er, sitting on the sidelines and whinging. Still, on to point 2, “Scrap Irish backstop and rewrite withdrawal agreement”. Very good Bozza - without an “Irish backstop” there will be no solution to the Irish border question, with the likelihood that Northern Ireland gets screwed over. There are certain niceties to observe.

Still, on to point 3. “Negotiate ‘Super Canada’ free trade deal”. Ri-i-i-i-ight. The Canada-EU free trade deal took FIVE YEARS to negotiate, and since its completion in 2014 has yet to be ratified. We’ve got until the end of November. Plus the Canada deal doesn’t include financial services. You know, Bozza, that City of London thingy. You remember London - the place you were supposed to be Mayor of, but never really bothered.

Anyhow, do go on. Point 4 is “Invest in border controls”. Christ on a bike, we already have border controls. Six Point Plan? More like Phil Space Plan. Is it worth going on?

Maybe not. Point 5 is “Prepare for No Deal”. Shit and slide in it, we’re ALREADY preparing for No Deal. Perhaps Bozza wants to prepare a bit more energetically? No, not really.

And so we arrive at the windswept border hamlet that is Point 6: “Start trade negotiations around the world in April”. Er, this is a joke, isn’t it?

What about trying to roll over some of those scores of FTAs we already benefit from via the EU? Do we drop all those and hope all the firms who depend on them don’t (a) go bust, or (b) up sticks and go elsewhere? If we don’t strike some kind of a deal, the Government of the day will have its hands full dealing with the economic slump, mass unemployment and subsequent unrest, never mind negotiating more trade deals.

This is a pointless story, featuring a pointless politician, in a now pointless newspaper. Bozza would not be able to identify a trade deal if it jumped up and fly-hacked him in the undercarriage. He is unfit to shovel shit from Heap A to Heap B unsupervised.

But he is able to score payouts from gullible editors. No change there, then.

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Monty Joins The Paranoid Far Right

The favoured narrative of the paranoid far right is that people who are not white are coming to get them. The concept of “White genocide” is rolled out to frighten the easily led, the idea that brown people, and especially Scary Muslims™, are on a mission to replace what are termed “Indigenous people” deployed in support. To back this up has come the largely spurious idea of “Anti-White Racism”.

Yes, Monty, you've goofed again

What this last really means, though, is the calling out of White Privilege, the entitlement of white people to lord it over others. When combined with Male Privilege, the paranoia easily kicks in. And it is over White Male Privilege that the serially clueless Tim Montgomerie, famous mainly for being Himself Personally Now, has come spectacularly unstuck.

Monty has been observing the confirmation hearings for Combover Crybaby Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. As a good Christian Conservative, he looks in on politics Stateside when those of similar political and religious orientation are concerned. His first response to Kavanaugh’s grilling was to blame the Democrats.

“The Dem Senators are winning by constantly delivering talking points but I hate that they've clearly pre-judged before testimony”. Who’s being partisan, Monty? “This from @LindseyGrahamSC is what the Republicans needed hours ago”. Er, Monty is.

But it was when Steven Thrasher summarised Kavanaugh’s own testimony “Hell hath no fury like a white man told he can’t take whatever he wants whenever he wants it” that Monty lost it. Thrasher was nailing White Male Privilege. Monty missed that.

“For a lot of [people] on here, Justice Kavanaugh’s sin appears to be that he’s a white man” he observed. Now, at this point, Monty might have got away with that. But what came next meant that his wriggle room declined to an amount not unadjacant to zero.

After Southern Christian Conservative Rod Dreher sniped “Yes. Straight up racism”, Monty declined to distance himself from the remark. Indeed, he embraced it.

“It’s tragic to watch Rod, and your book becomes more relevant with every passing day” he moaned. So Monty is objecting not to White Male Privilege being called out, but is himself invoking the ridiculous and spurious concept of “Anti-White Racism”. He was given enough rope to hang himself, and duly strung himself up.

As a result, no-one should take issue with one Tweeter who observed Monty and Dreher’s love-in and concluded “In a just world neither one of you would get paid to do what you do”. One has to wonder just where the teachings of Christ got lost in all of this.

Tim Montgomerie has significant previous on matters of racism - he was, after all, allied with Nadine Dorries in the anti-Semitic attack on former Lib Dem MP Evan Harris - and now he has allied himself with the paranoid “Anti-White Racism” far right.

Yet our broadcast media gives him a platform. What was that about loss of trust?

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Julia Hartley Dooda Hate Crime Fib BUSTED

This year’s Labour Party Conference may be over, but one side issue from the event in Liverpool continues to rumble on, namely the sneering trivialisation of the Conference’s allocation of a “Safe Space” for those who have conditions such as ASD. This stunt was another exercise in uncaring ignorance by numbingly tedious TalkRADIO host and self-promotion specialist supreme Julia Hartley Brewer.

We know who you are, thanks

After Ms Hartley Dooda had been subjected to severely adverse comment for her loud and inconsiderate behaviour, she decided not to apologise - perish the thought! - but instead told her adoring followers “I’m told that this ‘safe space’ at Labour conference is meant for people with autism & other disabilities. The sign doesn’t say that. For the avoidance of any doubt, there was no intention to upset disabled people, but every intention to upset snowflakes. Hope that clarifies”. She’s all heart. Or maybe not.

But now, Disability News Service has told “Disabled party members are calling on Labour to ban a prominent right-wing journalist from future events after she posted a video on social media mocking the provision of a ‘safe space’ used by disabled people at this week’s party conference”. Also, one party member “said she was now set to report the incident to the police as a potential disability hate crime”.

She had not, however, made such a report. But the mere prospect was enough to trigger Ms Hartley Dooda’s victimhood complex. “So apparently I’m being reported to the police for a hate crime for posting a joke about ‘safe spaces’ on Twitter. This is the country we live in now, folks”. The country where so-called journalists fail to do their research.

So it was that the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines, another not known for checking his facts, responded “FFS”. Former Screws and Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan, also not too hot on bothering to do research, harrumphed “How ridiculous. #TheWorldsGoneNuts”. And Jeremy Vine complained “Madness. Terrible to waste police time with this”. All that BBC training and he couldn’t be arsed with a little research, either.

It got worse. Claire Fox went totally OTT with “Malicious & joyless reaction. But also scary. Like being snitched on the Stasi”. The STASI? But the pièce de résistance came from the collective idiocy at Spiked: “This is Kafkaesque: @JuliaHB1 reported to the cops for hate crime because she criticised "safe spaces" at the Labour conference. This is the attempted criminalisation of speech. Of ideas. Of criticism. Everyone who believes in freedom of thought should offer support to @JuliaHB1”. She hasn’t been reported to the cops.

It was left to Mark Wallace at Conservative Home to support Ms Hartley Dooda, but get his facts right too: “It’s completely ridiculous that someone reportedly now plans to report @JuliaHB1 to the *police* over that video”. Plans to report. You know something is badly wrong when an alumnus of the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance is the one getting it right.

Julia Hartley Dooda verged on the dishonest just to play the victim; this was bad enough, but all those supposed journalists going wrong in her wake was just unforgivable.

And they wonder why so many people don’t trust them. I’ll just leave that one there.

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Ezra Levant DOUBLE Contempt Of Court?

Not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to score More And Bigger Self-Publicity Opportunities For Himself Personally Now, Rebel Media supremo Ezra Levant made sure he was there at the Old Bailey this morning as Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, turned up for his court appearance.

What's that, Officer? I'm what? Nicked? What's one of those?

Levant was quite full of himself and his own self-importance as he proclaimed “Tommy is telling @bbcdomc how other UK journalists in contempt of court are ignored by the establishment. He’s giving specific examples. He’s teaching them their business, since they don’t know it, or pretend that they don’t”. Yeah, right.

And there was more. After Emma Kennedy correctly told “Adjourned at defence’s request. They say they’re not ready. This is quite surprising”, Levant, who has suddenly become more knowledgeable about English Law than everyone else put together, snapped “Don’t lie on Twitter”, thus precipitating a pile-on from the Wall Of Gammon™ who, as if in well-rehearsed chorus, called “liar” on Ms Kennedy repeatedly.

Duly emboldened, he responded to Ross McCafferty’s observation that some of Lennon’s supporters outside the Old Bailey were giving Nazi salutes with “Don't lie on Twitter. There were hundreds of cell phone cameras filming every person, every minute. Prove it, or retract”. I rather suspect McCafferty will be telling him to shove his suggestion.

But on he droned. “The media are ALREADY LYING. They are saying a Tommy has requested the delay ordered today. That is exactly WHAT DID NOT HAPPEN. The judge has delayed it. The only conversation in court referred to what date all lawyers could make it. Tommy was ready for today … The judge wanted to adjourn the case. He also asked for further legal arguments. How can the MSM lie when they were literally in the court and heard what the judge said? It proves the importance of independent citizen journalists”.

“Citizen journalists” my arse. In fact, such expertise in citizen journalism was being displayed by Levant that he then committed blatant contempt of court - twice. First he posted a video, clearly taken from within the building, with the observation “I just peeked out a window at the crowd below - still close to a thousand strong! They saw me from the window, and started chanting, “Oh Tommy Tommy!”

Then he got Lennon on video - this, as I type, is his Pinned Tweet - and commented “Tommy Robinson went to the window. The crowd cheered - and chanted, ‘we want Tommy out!’” Dominic Casciani, who had previously been slagged off by Levant, noted “One of Tommy Robinson's key supporters and funders, Ezra Levant, has posted a video of the activist inside the Old Bailey. You can't film within the precincts of a criminal court. I can't send the link - because I'd be in contempt of court for doing so”. Quite.

Viewers may still want to look away now

That’s why Zelo Street has posted neither link, nor video image. Casciani then added “The video has been retweeted by Katie Hopkins. Again, I cannot provide the link because (for those who wish to understand media law) that could be regarded as Contempt of Court and I don’t fancy an afternoon in the cells”. Was this right?

Link and video not included

Link and video not included

Sadly, it was: Hatey Katie had put her own comment on Levant’s video, telling her followers “Hugest hugs to all the proud patriots turning out to protest Establishment over-reach & hounding of #TommyRobinson - good work capturing a brilliantly British moment @ezralevant”. And thus the contempt of court was spread yet further and wider.

Link and video not included

And for all those needing a second opinion, Patrick Smith of BuzzFeed News confirmed “A Tommy Robinson supporter has posted a 36-second video of him inside the Old Bailey building – strictly prohibited by S41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1925; possible £1k fine. No photography allowed in courtroom or within ‘the precincts’ of the court”.

All of which leads the the conclusion that Levant, who spent so much time today throwing his weight about on Twitter, lecturing the hated MSM about journalism, might be best advised shooting his mouth off a little less - and learning about journalism a little more.

One can only hope the Attorney General is looking in. I’ll just leave that one there.

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Tommy Robinson Trial Farce Continues

This morning, with around 300 of his supporters looking on, Stephen Yaxley Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, arrived at the Old Bailey for the retrial of his alleged contempt of court in Leeds earlier this year. After making a number of allegations against several real journalists, and claiming that his trial was a political one, Lennon went into the court building and proceedings could begin.

Sadly, there was to be no result today, as Andy Hughes of Sky News explained: “BREAKING: The case of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, aka Tommy Robinson, has been adjourned because the defence has asked for more time to submit legal arguments. Next hearing in a few weeks time”. It was his own legal team’s request for more time that precipitated the adjournment. But soon the Lennon propaganda machine told otherwise.

Lennon’s Facebook page soon made sure his followers had the story he wanted them to have. “Because Tommy was not pleading guilty the prosecution raised a concern that his testimony would breach a reporting restriction which is still in place on another trial. Tommy's legal team also informed the judge that the establishment have not followed the correct procedures again for this trail! So now the trial has been adjourned until the 23rd October. Surely the establishment were aware of the other trial before they set this court date!” In the retelling, it was, as usual, someone else’s fault.

And his followers should listen only to him: “MSM are LYING again, just to be clear Tommy's legal team are ready for the trial, the establishment did not follow the correct process again which was pointed out and the Crown prosecution service did not want Tommy's testimony to impact another ongoing trial.” Don’t listen to the MSM!

So why was the dastardly establishment doing this to poor Tommy? “This is all just to mess with Tommy's head, increase his costs and continue to persecute him. This entire case is a joke and should be thrown out. There is about 1500 people outside court and maybe they think there will be less if they put it back. There will be more, as people can see how political and corrupt this prosecution is!”

The alternative reality which many of Lennon’s fans inhabit was also on view outside the court, where Lizzie Dearden of the Independent told “A few minutes ago there was a conformation between a woman holding a placard listing the laws that Tommy Robinson has broken in the past and his supporters They ripped the placard out of her hands and started shouting at her before she was surrounded by police”.

What was that about “free speech”? The unfortunate young woman was asked “If you had a daughter and she was raped, how would you feel?”, then called a “Holocaust denier” [!], told about “Muslim rape gangs”, and told to “Go home”. She had been doing no more than holding a placard showing factual information.

So the circus of victimhood rolls on, with Lennon raking in the money from his willing and easily led devotees, towards his return court date next month.

Meanwhile, all who want to see what this is about know that it has nothing to do with free speech, and everything to do with Lennon promoting Himself. No change there, then.

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Novichok Hitman - Telegraph Shame

[Update at end of post]

Those working at the increasingly desperate and downmarket Telegraph can be forgiven for celebrating when their paper actually ponies up a real and original story. But what they did yesterday afternoon, after the excellent Bellingcat site revealed the true identity of one of the two Russians linked to the Salisbury Novichok poisoning, was beyond shameless.

The claim by Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and the various propaganda mouthpieces of his gangster régime that the two visitors to Salisbury were mere tourists, nothing more than civilians, always looked suspicious. As the BBC has reported, “Following the attempted poisoning in March, UK investigators identified one of the two suspects as Ruslan Boshirov … But the website Bellingcat says he is actually an intelligence officer by the name of Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga”. And it got worse.

Eliot Higgins is on the sofa. And the Telegraph isn't

“He has served in Chechnya and Ukraine and was made a ‘Hero of the Russian Federation’ in 2014 … British officials have not commented, but the BBC understands there is no dispute over the identification”. And first with the news?

That would be Eliot Higgins of Bellingcat: “Breaking Skripal news from Bellingcat, we've established the real identity of one of the suspects, and he's not a sports nutritional supplement salesman”. Quite so. Along with their investigative partner The Insider - Russia, Bellingcat had concluded that Boshirov was in fact Chepiga.

Carole Cadwalladr of the Observer praised Bellingcat’s work: “More brilliant work from @bellingcat. Skripal suspect not only a highly decorated GRU colonel but to ‘send him back to a field job’ would be ‘extraordinary’. Suggests job may have been ordered ‘at the highest level’”. Peter Jukes of Byline Media was similarly impressed.

“To send a highly decorated colonel back to a field job would be highly extraordinary, and would imply that ‘the job was ordered at the highest level.’ @bellingcat on fire at the moment. Amazing work @EliotHiggins and Team”.

Then, out of nowhere, came an intervention from Hayley Dixon of the Telegraph. “Watch the @Telegraph website at 5pm for a major breaking news story….” Her colleague Josie Ensor spelt it out. “Incredible @bellingcat/@Telegraph investigation into Russian poisoners. Looking harder & harder to deny the order didn't came from the top. Skripal 'hitman' unmasked as GRU colonel awarded Russia's highest military honour by Putin”. Suddenly it was a Telegraph joint effort. Or was it?

One unimpressed Tweeter shot back “Where was the Telegraph involvement? It was a Bellingcat + Russia-Insider investigation”. But the Tel this morning claims otherwise.

“The disclosure, uncovered by investigative journalism organisation Bellingcat and the Daily Telegraph …” it tells readers in its front page splash. So what’s going on?

My information is that Bellingcat talked to the Tel about the investigation, but the paper contributed nothing to the story. Fortunately, other media outlets have correctly credited only Bellingcat, or given The Insider - Russia a mention, too.

The Telegraph’s desperation knows no bounds. It may also know no partners very soon.

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[UPDATE 28 September 1405 hours: what did I tell you? Press Gazette has now confirmed the Zelo Street story, telling readers "There was no partnership agreement between Bellingcat and the Telegraph over the scoop appearing to reveal the true identity of one of the suspected Novichok assassins, according to Bellingcat’s boss". And there was more.

"Eliot Higgins told Press Gazette: 'I’m a bit unclear on what the Telegraph is doing… seeing [as] we didn’t make any agreements with them.' He added that he 'can only imagine it’s a terrible misunderstanding'".

Mr H is too kind to the increasingly desperate régime at the Tel. Those less charitably inclined would have put it rather more directly - that the paper tried to hijack someone else's scoop.

Number of future "partnership agreements" between Bellingcat and the Tel? That would be zero]