Another day, another load of old bollocks from the Guardian

It must be a day ending in Y because the Guardian - remember when it used to be a good paper1 - is running another spurious story about Corbyn's leadership being threatened over anti-Semitism.

The headline the Guardian runs is: "MPs tell Jeremy Corbyn: get a grip or lose a general election" and the main 'Gotcha' is a comment by Angela Rayner, speaking at a Fabian Society event:

The sense of crisis engulfing Labour deepened further last night when shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, a Jeremy Corbyn loyalist, broke cover to express her dismay at Labour’s handling of antisemitism. The shadow cabinet was “totally exasperated by the failure of our movement to be able to deal with this issue”, she said.  

 In an extraordinary outburst at a Fabian Society conference, Rayner said she was “absolutely embarrassed by what’s happened over the last few days and I’ve made my representations very clear. If that means setting up an independent system, then so be it... let’s just get on and do it.” 

Note the contrast.  The headline deliberately puts Corbyn in the frame, implying he is in someway responsible for the 'crisis.' (2)  Whereas Rayner doesn't mention him at all in the quoted passages.  In fact, the specifies "Movement," not Corbyn or the leadership team.

Later on, the story quotes Clive Lewis:

The Labour frontbencher Clive Lewis, who is on the left of the party, called on the leadership to “get a grip” before it was too late. With the Conservative party looking likely to elect a populist rightwinger, Boris Johnson, to replace Theresa May, the dangers and challenges were clear, Lewis said. 

“Now more than ever our democracy needs Her Majesty’s Opposition to do what it says on the tin and oppose and act as a counterbalance to what a significant portion of the electorate will consider as a likely dangerous lurch to the hard right,” said Lewis. 

“If Labour cannot perform this crucial function, then the danger for us as a party is that an increasing portion of the electorate will ask themselves: ‘If Labour won’t or can’t step up, then who will?’ The answer to this question may not be one we like very much. As such it really is time to get a grip and quick,” Lewis added.

Note again the lack of a specific mention of Corbyn or the leadership in general.  Surely, if he had specified Corbyn, the Guardian could have quoted him saying that?  But instead of actually presenting what Lewis and Rayner said failry, the Guardian framed these comments which seem to be aimed at the party as a whole, or perhaps - since the Guardian seems to think it is okay to make up whatever spin you like for a story - they mean Corbyn's critics within the party. 

So, another shoddy attempt by the Guardian to advance its Corbyn bashing narrative instead of just doing honest and straight-forward reporting.

1 - No, me neither.
2 - A crisis that largely exists in newspaper headlines such as the example here.  Even journalists must eat, and that is facilitated by making things sound much more exciting than they actually are. 

Chris Williamson's re-admission

So, some Labour MPs and peers have written Corbyn a letter complaining about the re-admission of loudmouth MP Chris Williamson, who had been suspended over allegations he made anti-Semitic comments.

Never mind the Guardian's typically biased headline that Corbyn is facing "Mounting pressure" over this (as opposed to the same old stuff from the same old sources).

This, from the letter to Corbyn, is truly bizarre:

It is clear to us that the Labour party’s disciplinary process remains mired by the appearance of political interference. This must stop. We need a truly independent process.

So, a "truly independent process" is one where an independent decision is made by the people who have scrutinised the case and are empowered to make that decision; and then it is overruled because some people don't like it?

 Williamson is a tool, but Watson et al are dearranged.

Islamaphobia in the Conservative Party

And now this:

EXC: The Conservative Muslim chief has been expelled from the Tory Muslim group. Mohammed Amin tells me he has been expelled following an intervention by CCHQ because he criticised the 'moral integrity' of Boris Johnson: https://t.co/5pkY2JR1C2

— Shehab Khan (@ShehabKhan) 21 June 2019

The Tories are having a really stink couple of days. Obviously, the prospect of a conservative win must be making a lot of bigots feel legitimised and safe to express their hate.

n.b. He hasn't actually been expelled from the Conservative Party (yet) but has been forced to stand down from his role as chairman of the Conservative Muslim Group, for the sin of criticising the Dear-Leader-in-Waiting.

It seems you can't question Johnson's moral character ... even though the police have just been round to see if his girlfriend was alright.

A bad couple of days for the Conservative Party

In - what, 48 hours? - a Tory MP assaults a female demonstrator, a Tory MP verbally abuses a female colleague via twitter, a Tory MP is recalled for corruption, and a Tory MP (and likely future PM) has the police turn up at their door at 2am because his girlfriend was screaming "Get off me!"

With regards the last instance, I'm trying to be fair and imagine circumstances where a woman screaming "Get off me!" at 2am in the morning is okay.

Nope, can't think of any.

The Conservative Party - home of corruption and toxic masculinity.