Monday, April 26, 2010

Domestic violence "in the Clegg household", Daily Mail implies

Is this really how you profess your love for your country, Mr Dacre? How low do you want the level to sink?

I know the sentence has been used millions of times but, really, there is no depth to the lows the Daily Mail can reach in their quest to the brutalisation of public life.

Jan Moir (remember her...the one spewing out homophobic bile on Stephen Gately's grave the day after the singer's tragic death) has now added her contribution to the paper's smears against the hated Lib Dems.

Today, the hyaenas of Fleet Street decided to pick on Nick Clegg's wife Miriam.

Look at what Moir the bully writes:
"Miriam is also in an arm sling, although these two incidents are apparently not connected. The wife of the Lib Dem leader claims that she simply broke her elbow when nipping out to buy groceries at the weekend. As you do".
Yes, she really is implying what you think she is. Because then she continues:
"Yet pro-wrestling observers suggest that Mrs Clegg's injury looks far more like it was sustained during the execution of a classic elbow smash; seemingly a routine response in the Clegg household when Nick doesn't empty the dishwasher quickly enough".
Of course, this could be a classic case of psychological projection and Moir may be simply accusing other people of something that is sadly familiar to her own life. Fact is, however, that Moir is trying to imply that domestic violence is routine in the Clegg household.

By mentioning "as you do" and by using the words "wrestling" as well as "classic elbow smash" and, especially, "routine response in the household", Moir is sinking to new lows in the world of political debate, if you can still call it that.

Our spoof Daily Mail headlines (1, 2, 3) last week joked that, after being accused of everything, it was only a matter of time before Nick Clegg was going to be depicted, in turn, as satan, a murderer and a laptop thief.

However, we couldn't in our wildest dream predict that, within days, the Mail would seriously come up with allegations of domestic abuse "in the Clegg household".

Is this worth selling more copies, Mr Dacre? At which point are you prepared to concede that enough is too much? How low do you want the level to sink?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Just when you think the Mail can't get any more repugnant. Is there anyone who would actually take this seriously? is Dacre's respect for his readers really that low?

Daniel Hoffmann-Gill said...

If I had a weapon I swear to God I'd use it on those Daily mail bastards. They are losing their humanity.

patrick gray said...

Shockingly bad stuff from the Mail. Barring some super redneck press in the US, I refuse to think that such smear tactics happen anywhere else in the world...

hellblazer said...

Not that the column isn't slime (and inept to boot) - but the implication of the elbow smash line is I think supposed to be that She With A Foreign Name beats up Cleggy who isn't man enough to put his foot down. Or something. So they aren't accusing him of domestic violence; they're just saying he's a wuss, which I guess is a more heinous failing in their eyes.

(Jesus, can't believe I've expended brainpower on parsing bits of that column...)

Jackart said...

The Mail and Mirror are papers I ignore, and ignore the opinions of anyone who reads them.

I find this keeps my blood-pressure down.