Home to roost
We must admit, we’re baffled by the Daily Mail’s sudden and extraordinary attack on Ralph Miliband, the long-dead father of Ed and David. If there’s any publication on Earth you’d think WOULDN’T feel on very solid ground lecturing other people on stuff they said in the 1930s and 1940s, you might imagine the Daily Mail would be it.
We can’t for the life of us work out what the right-wing hatezine thinks it could possibly have to gain from such a hysterical, vile assault, which even most Conservatives are disassociating themselves from in embarrassment.
The current Labour leader has often spoken of his rejection of his father’s strong left-wing views (indeed, he does so in the rebuttal the Mail has, albeit with the greatest of ill-grace, published today), so goodness knows what the paper is trying to achieve.
Other than, perhaps, to tempt Labour into displays of gross hypocrisy.
Because if you’re watching the news tonight and you see a parade of Labour types lining up to express their outrage at the Mail’s despicable slur, pause for a moment to check if they’re on this list of people fond of comparing Alex Salmond to several of the world’s most genocidal murderers, or if they’ve stood up in the House of Commons and referred to Scotland’s democratic, proportional parliament as a sinister totalitarian dictatorship, or if they’ve very recently co-opted the language of the gentleman in the above photograph to describe their political opponents as a subhuman virus.
And if they are, maybe ponder whether they’re just reaping what they sow.
Lol the daily mail. ‘Nuff said.
Is that Rothermere in the picture?
You have a real knack for this stuff Stu. Ever thought about doing it full-time?
No wait….
“Is that Rothermere in the picture?”
Yes. It says so in the caption.
Well said Rev. Well said.
“The Englishman is a rabid nationalist. They are perhaps the most nationalist people in the world”
Many people around the world would agree with the young Ralph Miliband’s observation. How else would you describe a country that basically defines itself through a history of endless warfare?
Despite the clear New Labour hypocrisy, I wish Ed Miliband every success in damning this right wing rag.
Because if you’re watching the news tonight and you see a parade of Labour types lining up to express their outrage at the Mail’s despicable slur, pause for a moment to check if they’re on this list of people fond of comparing Alex Salmond to several of the world’s most genocidal murderers, or if they’ve stood up in the House of Commons and referred to Scotland’s democratic, proportional parliament as a sinister totalitarian dictatorship, or if they’ve very recently co-opted the language of the gentleman in the above photograph to describe their political opponents as a subhuman virus.
Thanks for this. Much and all as I disagree with the SNP’s economic policies regarding business and the EU, and much as I’m more generally socialist in my leanings, the sheer depth of hypocrisy I see when it comes to discussing Salmond is nothing short of amazing. It blows my mind that Labour hate the SNP so much they’re happy to align with the Conservatives over the SNP. I defy anyone to present a single piece of SNP legislation that’s remotely as despicable, damaging and costly as the Poll Tax, the Bedroom Tax, the new DWP, decimating industry (or, for that matter, the worst of the Blair-Brown administration).
I doubt I’ll be voting for the SNP (if it still exists in its present form) in an independent Scotland, but for Christ’s sake how can people see there’s a HUGE difference between a problematic but generally efficient & effective government, and some of the worst neoliberal mismanagement we’ve ever seen in the country’s history?
Aye times are changing some may see the error of their ways but I doubt it for hypocrites never can (do?) pity for us all for they will not change their ways,just keep telling us that our opinion is not valid because it is not theirs.
The Mail’s piece really was shocking. Really peurile and pathetic stuff. As low as Labour might have sunk in my eyes, at least they would never stoop to slagging off a political opponents’ father. Oh, except for this one time:
“Labour web row: ‘I wish Salmond’s father would die’”
link to express.co.uk
@BillyBigbaws
Ker-ching!
Hitler dressing up as an employee of the Daily Mail.
Usually it’s the other way about –
Mayor hits at Mail’s Nazi theme party
21 Feb 2005
link to theguardian.com
“We can’t for the life of us work out what the Mail thinks it could possibly have to gain from such a hysterical, vile assault, which even most Tories are disassociating themselves from in embarrassment.” I agree.
Perhaps, they need publicity to increase sales of the paper and it offers Labour the opportunity to look like the hard done by chaps!
The Mail really is a nasty paper but I think the chickens are coming home to roost. UK politics has become incredibly shallow and unpleasant. The name calling, scare mongering and straight forward lies are all part and parcel of what passes for political discourse. Labour have happily dipped into this trough for years with Campbell, McBride and others. Lamont seems to be purely a vehicle for a smear campaign and serves no other obvious political function. Reprehensible though the Mail is they have simply pushed the boat out that wee bit further. Labour are happy to dish it out but I think this is fair warning that the Tories and their media friends intend to wage Project Fear on a Milliband win in 2015. I despair at the shabbiness of it but am slightly surprised that Labour are surprised.
What goes around comes around. They have done as much as any other party to create this climate.
Possibly even worse than the North Britsman, which bans Pro Independence supporters who can beat the unionists in debate (some working for the paper, some are ‘professional’ politicians).
The Mail doesn’t allow any Pro Independence comments, and all we are left with is anti Scottish racist abuse, mainly by people who know nothing of the debate, or even Scotland. It is the usual stupid drunken sponger Scots comments. If it were the other way round and a Cybernat presented this abuse, they would be looking at getting a legal representative!
The Mail presented an article a year ago that they will keep the Hebrides with England, because of all the oil, there. Dare say the people of Lewis would be chuffed about that!
Nice twist at the end 🙂
The Daily. Mail is just a despicable right wing rag always has been, always will be. They were pro Hitler, pro Mosely, they campaigned against votes for women. they have vilified Alec S almond regularly with jingoistic fervour. they peddle the myth that Scots are subsided by England. people should know the rag for what it is. A Tory mouthpiece.
Slightly O/T – did somebody mention virus?
link to cybernats.com
And let’s not forget Margaret Curran who said “If Salmond was run down by a bus, I wouldn’t ask who did it”
She really is so lovely and fragrant (sorry, but I think I’m going to puke now).
Neil Kinnock got savaged by the UK media, particularly the right wing rags in the 1980s, early 1990s. I think Labour in Scotland might have had this kind of a campaign in mind against Salmond, although I am not sure if Kinnock was ever called a dictator? If they did model it on the campaign against Kinnock, then SLAB made a few mistakes. Salmond is a far more formidable and talented politician than Kinnock. I think Miliband is going to get the Kinnock treatment in the next 18 months of so.
I thought the same kind of thing watching Milliband’s speech. He said the word “evil” had to be reserved for very special situations. Well, given his party has been behind the kind of campaign you sum up so well here, Stu, with Salmond compared to Hitler and countless others it seemed hypocritical in the extreme.
I feel a bit sorry for Milliband. He seems like a decent enough guy surrounded by absolute shites – in his own party as much as anywhere else. And no one deserves to have their father’s name traduced in this way. I hope this backfires very badly on the Mail and the media generally. But if he doesn’t like it, he should be ensuring his own party isn’t dishing it out with fervour.
Probably the worst single example in recent times of the Daily Mail’s Nazi-style propaganda was as part of its long-running campaign to demonise chronically sick and disabled people. It shamelessly borrowed the exact same language used by the Nazis, “workshy” (arbietsschau), to cast disabled people as social parasites faking their ailments and physical and mental problems.
Disabled German people were the first group to be exterminated by the Nazis and were the very first victims of The Holocaust. The first identifiable victim of The Holocaust was a young disabled German boy, Gerhard Kretschmar.
Imagine the furore if the DM ran such demonising propaganda aimed at Jewish people, and quite rightly so. Yet it seems to think it can get away with it when it comes to another group of people who were also victims of The Holocaust. Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was something faintly antisemitic behind this DM attack which is redolent of Nazi hatred of non-existent “Jewish Bolshevism”.
References –
Workshy map of Britain revealed: Thousands of incapacity benefit claimants found to be capable of working
Daily Mosley
04 May 2013
link to archive.is
Daily Mail’s ‘workshy’ map was ‘designed to incite hostility’
Disability News Service
10 May 2013
link to disabilitynewsservice.com
Hopefully, this will now put an end to the vilification of the First Minister by Labour associates?
Try getting the Daily Mail to give Alex Salmond the right of reply to the almost daily smears and distortions of Salmond, the SNP and the Scottish government.
Is it just me that likes the sound of Ralph Milliband?
“Is it just me that likes the sound of Ralph Milliband?”
It’s hard not to imagine what UK politics would look like if he was Labour leader rather than his son, that’s for sure.
Daily Mail spews out this shite because it knows its readership well and thus maintains a daily circulation of 1.8 million. It’s unashamedly very right wing and the favoured rag for a collection of Tory, UKIP, BNP, EDL and NF voters.
Johnston Press still going down the drain despite its massive restructure recently:
link to pressgazette.co.uk
Luigi
I’m not going to hold my breath on that one
It was the last Labour Government who began the demonisation of the victims of Westminster’s neoliberal economic policies as cheats and parasites with its clunky sounding 2002 Benefit Thieves campaign, which carries on unabated to this day –
Benefit Thieves
DWP
link to campaigns.dwp.gov.uk
Anybody feeling sorry for the millipede needs to develop a brain. He was part of brown’s smear machine. Spreading lies about wives and children of opponents just so his scumbag of a boss could enjoy his overlordship of the grateful nation.
His silence on the death wish to Salmond Snr, His silence on the virus comments, his silence on the Mugabe, Pol-Pot, dear leader slanders, his silence on the SNP in league with Hitler lies.
Millipede is a disgusting maggot of a man and if his next shit isn’t an angry hedgehog then there is no justice.
O/T (what did you expect?)
Interesting discussion & questions to D Bateman on his latest blog posts defending BBC against bias charge going on:
link to drderekbateman.wordpress.com
I’m with you peter
Anyone else going to this tomorrow evening? I’m going, and some WoS regulars have been been heavily involved in the organisation:
‘On Wednesday 2nd October, the RADICAL INDEPENDENCE CAMPAIGN SOUTHSIDE group will be hosting our very own independence Question Time at the Glad Café, Shawlands.
We’ll have a panel of experts, from comedians to campaigners to people from the business community, who can answer any questions around the Scottish independence debate that you might have.
Panellists include Michael Gray from Business for Scotland & National Collective, and Lynda Williamson from Newsnet Scotland, with more to come!
TOO WEE, TOO POOR, TOO DAFT?
The evening will be separated into three parts; “Too Wee”, “Too Poor”, “Too Daft”. Is Scotland too small to survive alone? Are we too poor a country to make it work without Westminster? Are we simply getting ahead of ourselves? You may think so, but our panellists can break down exactly why we’re none of those things.
RADICAL INDEPENDENCE QUESTION TIME will be a lively, humorous debate between our panel and you, the audience.
So come along, bring your friends and your families, and join in with the debate on Scotland’s future.
Panellists:
Mary Lochart (Labour Co-op Party)
Shona McAlpine
Lynda Williamson (NNS)
Michael Gray (BFS & NC)
Janey Godley (comedian)
Kieran Hurley? (actor/director)
Alice Bowman (RIC)
Pete Remand (RIC)
Liam Stubbs Mclaughlan (RIC)
Host: Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai)’
The biter bit springs to mind in terms of Labour outrage although Mr Miliband snr seems to be of a different stripe to the jnrs. Wha hoppen there then?
As for the Mail, well right wing and vile so you don’t have to be. I’d rather gouge my eyes out than read through their poison on a daily basis.
Rev deserves a bonus for the research or possibly some fortifying and medicinal alcohol.
kininvie
Aye he posted twice today
The first was music to our ears as recalled labour harassing the BBC and the second was less palatable in as much as it inferred that it was pot calling kettle black. In addition he said that as far as he is aware the BBC is not bias.
Personally when I listen and watch interviews I hear and see bias but I have to allow Mr Bateman his opinion.
link to newsnetscotland.com
Jeez, Rev. I take my hat off to you!!!
Where the **** did you find those clippings? Are you sitting in some vast newspaper archive dungeon down in Bath while doing the Wings website?
Bloody Awesome!
“Where the **** did you find those clippings? Are you sitting in some vast newspaper archive dungeon down in Bath while doing the Wings website?”
Can’t take the credit, “Blackshirts” headline is well known and five seconds of Google delivers the goods.
Luigi says:
Hopefully, this will now put an end to the vilification of the First Minister by Labour associates?
—————–
We know the answer to this one. Two words…
No Chance!
Taranaich
I doubt I’ll be voting for the SNP (if it still exists in its present form) in an independent Scotland,
—————
Chances are, the SNP will rename itself and become a new party, but hey, that’s the exciting thing in an indy-Scotland! That very first General Election. How interesting and exciting WILL that be. Certainly makes me tingle just thinking about it!
For non-Twitterers – a pearler from George Foulkes, approx 40 mins ago:
‘Scottish viewers with right TV service can choose ITV rather than STV. Football coverage tonight much better. Will we still get it if Indy?’
Where’s Vronsky these days?
Alright there mister?
(ADOPTS RICHARD BURTON VOICE):
“Broadsword calling Vronsky…Broadsword calling Vronksy…come in Vronsky…”
Watching England sinking and taking its Scottish unionist slaves with it is not a pretty sight.
Forgot to say – the Shawlands Indy debate tomorrow night kicks off at 7.30, but you should try to get there a bit sharpish as it’ll be busy.
It’s also FREE, although donations towards the cost of staging the thing are welcome. I’ve pledged £20, and will have to send most of tomorrow busking in Kilmarnock to raise it…which means I’ll have to stay up all night learning how to play the guitar and/or moothie.
Anyway – hope to see some of you there, seeing as I met NO-ONE in Edinburgh, and never got so much as a sniff at a badge.
Hmmpph…
(And PS, I don’t know why the WoS people involved are so shy about coming here and shouting about it. Youse know who ye are…wee smiley etc. See ye’s the morra!)
@ianbrotherhood,
I shall be there but I might be a minute or two late, though in a good cause! I need to pick up some Yes papers en route for distribution. See you tomorrow.
@Betsy-
Aha!
How shall we identify one another?
I’m 4ft 3in, will be dressed in white leather, and have a strawberry-blonde mullet and jet-black Pastor Jack style beard/tache combo – but I’ve no idea what you look like.
Should I wear something distinctive?
Perhaps Mr Milliband should now ponder the questionable hate filled comments eminating from his own parties media contacts and MP’s / MSP’s regarding the current First Minister of Scotland.
Whilst he might not like what is being said in the case of his own family, perhaps he should now be more vocal across the board in reeling in his sides big mouths instead of casting apersions along with his poodle Alexander.
Not nice is it Ed!
Its chip paper. They will be back hating Scottish Independence supporters next week,
And then there was this! link to bit.ly
@Hen Broon-
Good link mister.
Had a swatch, scanned through most of it, unable to remove the mental image of that prick Mellor shagging someone whilst wearing a Chelsea (?!) shirt.
Not sure if I’m more disgusted by the fact that this wanker is still functioning in ‘public life’, or the horrible realisation that MSM has successfully imprinted my memory with such images.
In any event, these people, and their attitudes, belong to the 19th Century, and we don’t – that’s why we’ll be free of them this time next year.
The working class players of the England squad had to be ordered by the British upper-class Nazi-loving appeasers at the Foreign Office to give the nazi salute that day. I’m not too sure but I think the England team would also have been run by the same bunch of British establishment toffs who traditionally monopolise all the top jobs in the British Whitehall-Westminster mandarin establishment including those at the FO.
The day after the England game the Aston Villa team, touring Germany that summer, told them all to get stuffed refusing to give the salute and went on to gub a German Select XI 3-2 –
From the Archives: Villa say ‘no’ to the Nazis!
Paul Brown looks back at the 1938 tour of Germany.
Aston Villa Football Club
27 Nov 2012
link to avfc.co.uk,,10265~2992913,00.html
“Our manager, Jimmy Hogan, said “They’ll expect you to perform the Nazi salute.” The FA fella in charge of the England team had come to our manager and said “We’ve had a chat about it and we think it would be better if your players gave the Nazi salute to be really friendly.”
“We had a meeting about this and George Cummings and Alec Massie and the Scots lads said ‘”There’s no way we’re giving the Nazi salute” so we didn’t give it!
I came across this from the Fabian Society, which is nice.
link to nextleft.org
Then I discovered that;
“Mosley and his wife Cynthia were committed Fabians in the 1920s and at the start of the 1930s. Mosley appears in a list of names of Fabians from Fabian News and the Fabian Society Annual Report 1929–31. He was Kingsway Hall lecturer in 1924 and Livingstone Hall lecturer in 1931.
Office
Mosley then made a bold bid for political advancement within the Labour Party. He was close to Ramsay MacDonald and hoped for one of the great offices of state, but when Labour won the 1929 general election he was appointed only to the post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (de facto Minister without Portfolio, outside the Cabinet). He was given responsibility for solving the unemployment problem, but found that his radical proposals were blocked either by his superior James Henry Thomas or by the Cabinet.[citation needed]
Mosley was always impatient and eventually put forward a whole scheme in the ‘Mosley Memorandum’, which called for high tariffs to protect British industries from international finance, for state nationalisation of main industries, and for a programme of public works to solve unemployment. However, it was rejected by the Cabinet, and in May 1930 Mosley resigned from his ministerial position. At the time, the weekly Liberal-leaning paper The Nation described his move: “The resignation of Sir Oswald Mosley is an event of capital importance in domestic politics… We feel that Sir Oswald has acted rightly—as he has certainly acted courageously – in declining to share any longer in the responsibility for inertia.”[9] In October he attempted to persuade the Labour Party Conference to accept the Memorandum, but was defeated again.
Thirty years later, in 1961, R. H. S. Crossman described the memorandum: “… this brilliant memorandum was a whole generation ahead of Labour thinking.”[9]
New Party
Dissatisfied with the Labour Party, Mosley quickly founded the New Party. Its early parliamentary contests, in the 1931 Ashton-under-Lyne by-election and subsequent by-elections, arguably had a spoiler effect in splitting the left-wing vote and allowing Conservative candidates to win. Despite this, the organisation gained support among many Labour and Conservative politicians who agreed with his corporatist economic policy, and among these were Aneurin Bevan and Harold Macmillan. It also gained the endorsement of the Daily Mail newspaper, headed at the time by Harold Harmsworth (later created 1st Viscount Rothermere).[13]
link to en.wikipedia.org
Q: Is a fascist an inpatient Fabian?
@Ian,
Fully intend to be there – since I missed the last Weegie thingy.
Quoting ianbrotherhood :-
‘Scottish viewers with right TV service can choose ITV rather than STV. Football coverage tonight much better. Will we still get it if Indy?’
……………… and if so, will they be doing it on purpose ?
un bloody believable !!!!!!
Two final things on the Daily Mail (delicious, both of them)
1) The hack’s diary: link to libcom.org
2) Alistair Campbell takes the Mail deputy editor to bits:
Well, it would appear that politics in England have descended into the abyss !!!
(above linked video from :- kininvie)
Maybe now our English cousins will rise from their apathetic slumber and realize that they too have been deceived, manipulated & downright lied to.
Wake up England, while you can still retrieve the core of your NHS & Social Services.
If not, this is but a mere portent of your future !!
Peter, “and if his next shit isn’t an angry hedgehog then there is no justice.” Is the best thing I’ve heard today 🙂
ianbrotherhood says
“Should I wear something distinctive?”
a
Ahve got a nice hat ye could borrow but a wad need it back,
Morag stopped the Major (grrr) from selling it on ebay (thanks Morag)
on second thoughts a dinne think it wid go wi yer strawberry blonde hair (ah dinne think thats true BTW)
ianbrotherhood says
“which means I’ll have to stay up all night learning how to play the guitar and/or moothie.”
ah did that wance wi the trombone a goat 3 tanners a thrupenny bit a ha penny and an offer tae buy ma sister frae a sailor from Quatar doon Leith docks
ianbrotherhoosd says
““Broadsword calling Vronsky…Broadsword calling Vronksy…come in Vronsky…”
that wis eerily good a could swear a wis watchin the eagle has landed there 🙂
jlt says
“How interesting and exciting WILL that be. Certainly makes me tingle just thinking about it!”
A still tingle when a think aboot when a changed that light switch last week.
a kin still smell ma eyebroos
hhhwwwaaa
ahm awa afore a get a row aff the rev (again)
maybe this whole thing (back again) is a pre agreed campaign between Alex and Dave remember that picture?
Dave looking like he just lost big time at the casino and Alex looking like he just managed to hold a fart in all day and let it go just when they get in a lift?
so while Dave’s orchestrating a smear campaign against the labour crowd (who in spite of the disgusting attack on a dead man) I cant help but think of any crew who so richly deserve it, meanwhile the msm in Scotland tear themselves apart trying to ride two horses 🙂
happy days
John King
Dearie me, matey. Hope you are okay. No doubt, you gave yourself a wee fright! Dinnae dae anything daft. We need to have a pint together on August 30th 2014 …and maybe a wee bit more a couple of days after the Referendum!!!
On a different note, I can now see where the newspaper clippings have come from. This is the only problem with being in a van and going from site to site all day doing repairs and installations; you kind of miss out on the news!
I wasn’t aware of the Miliband photographs had been published by the Mail. I had got home, showered, made my tea, and then sat down to the footie. I wasn’t aware all day of the full out row between Miliband and the paper.
Jeez …I was truly stunned when I saw this article. I really started wondering where the Rev was getting his archive material. I was truly impressed. Then I saw the news at ten last night! So, sorry Rev …damn that news!!! I was ready to give you demi-god status!
ian we’ll have to stop meeting like this brotherhood says
“‘Scottish viewers with right TV service can choose ITV rather than STV. Football coverage tonight much better. Will we still get it if Indy?’”
did nobody think to say naw yell hiv tae move tae England, wee sowel
dont let the door hit you on the ass on the way out ! 🙁
Perhaps someone should tell G Foulkes , main Saturday night viewing on BBC Scotland , Match of the Day followed by The Football League .It fair sets you up for the start of a new week knowing the Torquay United score.
You know, a wee conspiracy theory just revealed itself to me: what if this is a deliberate attempt to boost Ed Milliband’s capital, to make him seem more of a legitimate challenge to Cameron?
Think about it: the Conservatives are fairly comfortably ahead, but their deeply unpopular policies are constantly challenged. Then Milliband finally pledged to do something about the Bedroom Tax with much acclaim and mutterings of “finally”. And now we have this, frankly, insane attack on a man who served Britain’s military in World War II, from a newpaper which really should know better than, as Rev says, to criticize someone on their WW2-era views. In fact, it’s so insane that I can almost see a terrible logic behind it: to make Milliband look like a threat to the Conservatives – and to suggest that there is hope for Labour voters.
Specifically, Labour voters in Scotland. If the Conservatives look likely to return in the 2016 election, that’s a significant boon for independence. But if it starts to look like Labour are returning to its roots, even if it’s for things that a party with Labour in the name should just do, then hope for the Union to become more equitable under a reinvigorated Labour could convince Scots to stick with it.
Of course, such a fair union would require cast-iron promises to deliver the powers Scots definitely want regardless of independence (the powers to determine tax, welfare and budget), and that is not on the table. Hope is great, but not when it’s a false hope.
… Or maybe the DM really are just that thick. I mean, they ARE the paper that did this:
link to londonparticulars.files.wordpress.com
@JLT: Chances are, the SNP will rename itself and become a new party, but hey, that’s the exciting thing in an indy-Scotland! That very first General Election. How interesting and exciting WILL that be. Certainly makes me tingle just thinking about it!
Absolutely.
For a moment I doubted whether I was reading BBC Scotlandshire