As the BBC has reported, “MP and former Attorney General Dominic Grieve has lost a vote of no-confidence by local Conservatives … It followed a ‘robust discussion’ about Brexit by party association members in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire … Opposition to him is reported to have been organised by a former UKIP candidate”. A former UKIP stalwart who ran against Grieve in 2017 and has rejoined the Tories.
Worst Jeeves and Wooster reboot ever
Gabriel Pogrund of the Sunday Times broke the news: “Dominic Grieve loses confidence vote at Beaconsfield Conservative Association by 182 to 131 votes; paves way for deselection”. Why no uproar? As Owen Jones pointed out, “If this was a Labour MP, this would be front page news with talk of bullying, abuse and creeping totalitarianism”.
Dead right it would. And no mention of the aspect Helene von Bismarck picked up on. “Dominic Grieve could have chosen a much easier path, one that many MPs from both big parties have travelled on: think of yourself, support the front bench no matter how bizarre their decisions, put the party first when the country is on the brink. He did not. This is his reward”. Also, there was the entryism aspect, as FT editor Lionel Barber observed.
“Dominic Grieve, a principled Conservative, has been toppled by a campaign led by ex UKKipper and pantomime producer. You could not make this up - except the serious point is entryism now strikes the Tory party”. But out there on the right, the odious flannelled fool Master Harry Cole was unconcerned: “A very British coup”. There’s hypocrisy for you.
After all, when he was pretending to be a journalist at the Murdoch Sun - rather than doing the same thing at the Mail on Sunday, where he is now - Master Cole was not so sanguine on the subject of deselection. “Moderate Labour MPs fear deselection plot after union baron Len McCluskey lunches hard left agitator Derek Hatton” he spluttered in September 2016, having invented another pack of lies for the Sun.
That was not an isolated occurrence. When Michael Dugher, one of Parliament’s most useless occupants, threw in the towel, out came the D-word again: “Lab First: Dugher's crime was ‘speaking out against pernicious influence of Momentum + defending hard-working colleagues from..deselection’”. Rubbish. It was because he was useless.
As well as being in the Murdoch press’ pockets, but then, what you will not read in the Sun, and all that. Cole dragged the D-word up when attacking John McDonnell, too. “Weary Labour stalwart sighs: ‘It would be deselection if normal Labour MP had done it.’”
Yes, deselection was bad back then, although when he was tame gofer to the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines at the Guido Fawkes blog, Master Cole was all in favour of it. Providing it was a Tory MP. On one occasion, he actively encouraged a local Tory association to ditch its MP Tim Yeo - that being the one in South Suffolk.
Hence his boast “So remember when i went to the seaside last week? RT @GuidoFawkes: Guy News Special Report: Tim Yeo Must Go” (he went to doorstep Yeo at his home), and his grotesque “gunsight” characterisation of Yeo with the triumphant claim “VICTORY: Tim Yeo deselected on an 82% turn out”.
Fine for Tories to do it, bad for Labour. Another prime example of press hypocrisy.
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