Bullying is rife in the UK press. But, when it comes to bullying the dead, the Daily Mail is unbeatable.The man has stooped low for most of his 'professional' career, but Richard Littlejohn's column in today's Daily Mail just hits new lows.
Following the template of Jan Moir dancing on Stephen Gately's grave, bully-in-chief Littlejohn decided to justify his £1m-a-year salary with a spiteful attack on deceased Michael Foot.
As the dead can't defend themselves, Littlejohn saw it fit to write a series of smears against the former Labour leader's health and wartime record.
The excellent Tabloid Watch reports here.
8 comments:
Good grief, new lows keep arriving fast.
The accusation of cowardice is a bit low. It remains likely that Foot was rejected by the forces for health reasons. Was he a Soviet stooge though and is it impolite to say as such now has died? Certainly in poor taste to say so but I can't agree that such things should not be said. I regard Foot as a great man, but he was wrong on some critical issues. Same could be said of course about numerous others.
Michael Foot successfully sued the Sunday Times after they brought up those KGB allegations.
The whole tone of Littlecock's article is appalling. Including the bits not about Foot.
'It remains likely that Foot was rejected by the forces for health reasons.'
It's not likely, it's a bloody fact.
'Was he a Soviet stooge though'
No
'and is it impolite to say as such now has died?'
It's pretty stupid is what it is.
Well I pointed out that it is likely that he was rejected medically. It's a 'bloody fact' though is it? Why such language? I mean during 1939 - 1945 I can think of several genuine 'bloody facts'. Not least that approximately 600 000 Britons died during world war two.
Still Michael Foot was no coward and is due credit for his opposition to Chamberlain's appeasement. I never called him a Soviet stooge either. He certainly was not a source for Soviet Intelligence. However his policies (unilateral nuclear disarmament) favoured only the Soviets. By all means eulogise him, he was a great man. He also was rejected by the electorate. The left wing of the Labour party kept Mrs T in power. Not surprised that Mrs T has led glowing tributes to her principled yet naive nemesis in 1983. She owed her re-election to him. I wonder if when Mrs T passes away that people around here will so reticent in terms of criticising the dead?
'Not least that approximately 600 000 Britons died during world war two.'
Er...the point of this is?
'I never called him a Soviet stooge either.'
You rather questioned if it was a possibility.
'The left wing of the Labour party kept Mrs T in power.'
Not to mention an Argentinian military government.
'I wonder if when Mrs T passes away that people around here will so reticent in terms of criticising the dead?'
No we won't be reticent, because she and her time in power symbolised a lot of what is wrong in this country. But then we won't cast spurious apersions on her patriotism etc either.
Charlie I'll stop splitting hairs with you. Do you accept that the Labour left in 1983 and 1987 was incapable of winning elections? Foot oversaw the worst defeat in Labour's history in 1983. Stick to such dogma if you like, if you favour such policies that's your prerogative. However they were rejected unanimously and repeatedly at the polls. Foot was a great man, he was wrong though and seemed unable of ever correcting himself. Many of both the left and right fall into that category, as they are dogmatic, the rest are of course opportunists. I think we would agree the latter make contemporary politics so dull.
Paul's last message is pure political criticism of Foot. Nothing wrong with that. It's fine as well as totally legitimate.
What isn't fine however is when people start spreading false rumours over the man's chronic poor health or the fable that he was a KGB stooge.
Simply because those rumours are based on lies, nothing less. Lies are lies and it is wrong to perpetrate them, particularly so the day after someone's death.
That's not on. As simple as that.
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