Ed Miliband: Boo Hoo Squish Squish

‘The last thing I cried at was Pride. Pride is about this lesbian and gay community in London who go and help the miners in Wales and Justine and I watched it recently. I blubbed.’

Part of an Absolute Radio interview earlier today where Mr Ed tries to show his human side, quoted in Mail Online.

Pride was set a generation ago - taking sides in this celluloid fantasy is about as meaningful as saying who you'd root for in the English Civil War.

Funny how Miliband supports the Tories' war against the poor today.

Update: An alternative view...

LOLZ!

Toby Young: The Sound Of Straight Hands Clapping

What can the Conservatives do to lessen their exposure to these sorts of scandals in future? The solution, I believe, is for all gay and lesbian Conservative MPs to come out in a very public, headline-grabbing way. Not that many of them are "in the closet" in the conventional sense of the term, i.e. leading a double life in which they're pretending to be happily married. Most are bachelors who are neither in the closet nor out of it, but in a kind of antechamber where they don't pretend to be straight but, at the same time, don't draw attention to their homosexuality either. Well, I think the time has come for them to draw attention to it. What has previously gone unmentioned, tacitly accepted within the party with a nod and a wink but not publicly acknowledged, should now be brought out into the open. And what better time for the pink ’n’ blues to come out than right now, when same-sex marriage has just become legal thanks in large part to the leader of the Conservative Party?
Oh do fuck off you patronising straight Tory winker.

People can do what they want, isn't that what you profess to believe (he said hypocritically).

Paul Flowers: It's Political Correctness Gone Mad!

The Daily Mail's gay Uncle Tom, Andrew Pierce, predictably sticks his oar in. 

Also in the Mail today, their new star columnist Dominic Lawson writes; Just tick the right diversity boxes and, hey presto, you can run a major bank.
Eh?
The liberal conspiracy gets worse...
"But as a member of the ‘LGBT community’, Flowers can somehow be seen as part of an oppressed minority, whom it would be politically incorrect to denounce as a sexual predator..." etc etc.

Yeah, right, that's happened.
Fagburn can't recall seeing a single sentence defending Paul Flowers against  the media lynch mob.
Lawson replaces Melanie Phillips - who left the Mail under something of a cloud recently.
Oddly Phillips has written a rather similar article about Flowers for this week's Spectator; The Revd Paul Flowers ticked all the right 'progressive' boxes — that's why he could get away with anything.
Maybe it would have been easier for the Mail to keep Mad Mel on?

PS Another professional Tory shitbag, Toby Young (no relation), pipes up in the Daily Telegraph;

As for his crimes and misdemeanours, this is where the "smear" really does exceed a Tory spin doctor's wildest dreams. Fined for committing an act of gross indecency in a public toilet in 1981! Forced to resign as a Labour Councillor in 2011 when pornography was discovered on his computer! Caught red-handed by a national newspaper trying to buy crystal meth, crack cocaine and ketamine! Renowned for his use of prostitutes! Engaging in behaviour that even his former rent-boy described as "debauched"! The list goes on and on.
It certainly has the whiff of a smear – the most imaginative, brilliantly designed smear ever cooked up. Miliband's right about that. Trouble is, it's true...

Good to see Toby "Sniff Sniff" Young banging on about Paul Flowers' drug use here...

Johann Hari: An Apology

"Following an examination by a former editor, Andreas Whittam Smith, Johann Hari, currently suspended as a writer from The Independent, is taking four months unpaid leave of absence from the newspaper, following a two month suspension that began in July. This decision has been made in accordance with Andreas' recommendation that, subject to certain conditions, Johann should be allowed to work again at the paper.
"The report on his conduct is a private one and will not be published, as would be the case with any member of our staff.
"During the next few months Johann will concentrate on a course of journalism, including ethics, in the United States, and will not be writing, tweeting or blogging for any of the group's titles or website.
"The expectation is that on successful completion of his studies, he will return to The Independent. Johann has acknowledged and admits the central accusations made against him, that of embellishment of quotations/plagiarism, and that it was he who used the pseudonym David Rose to attack his critics. Johann has also agreed to return the Orwell Prize awarded to him in 2008."

Statement From The Independent.

A Personal Apology by Johann Hari in The Independent.

'Independent columnist apologises for plagiarism' - The Independent.

Comment on L'Affaire Hari on the New Statesman blog.

Some stupid homophobic comments on Guido Fawkes blog.

"Imperfect ourselves, we must be tender towards others and be slow to impute motives" - Some bald bloke called Gandhi.
Part of me feels quite sorry for Mr Hari - we all fuck up occasionally, and none of us are saints.
You can bet that many of the journalists gloating over this have done far worse things ethically.
His "apology" seems rather self-serving - how can you give back an award that's been taken off you?
And Hari hasn't apologised for his real crime; telling lies about Iraq in the run-up to the last war.
Ho-hum...

[On re-reading this, it's a bit wet - and I'm a bit annoyed by the circlejerkery on Twitter tonight. So to clarify; what he did was wrong, he was a serial offender, and much of it wasn't even mentioned in The Independent case. Blah blah blah etc. Good day!].

Update: Toby Young picks some gaping holes in Hari's "apology" - as does Cristina Odone.

New Shadow Cabinet: "Overwhelmingly Straight"

In the Torygraph today, old Tory toady Toby "Toady" Young notes - with just the slightest hint of irony; 'The new Shadow Cabinet: overwhelmingly white, privileged and heterosexual'
"Sexual diversity? Admittedly, Labour scores a single point here – Angela Eagle is a lesbian – but no homosexual men were elected. Indeed, two of the Party’s most prominent homosexuals – Chris Bryant and Ben Bradshaw – were both surprise losers.
"So much for the party of inclusion. If you’re a gay man or a man or woman of African-Caribbean origin there’s no room for you at the top of the modern Labour Party. On the contrary, your best bet of getting ahead is if you’re a white heterosexual who was privately educated and went on to study PPE at Oxford."
The little minx!

The Hollywood Closet: Glad To Be Toby

Now I don't care about you, but I think the world would be a much better place if everyone went around telling other people what to do.
Surely no-one is more qualified to tell someone how to live their life than someone who knows fuck all about it?
Thank flip then for men like Toby Young, over on his blog for the Daily Telegraph he has announced; 'Hollywood is the home of gay hypocrisy'.
Oh really? Why's that then, Tobes?
Here is Mr Young's argument in a pistachio nutshell;
"Hollywood films are constantly championing heroic individuals who take a stand against prejudice and discrimination at great risk to themselves... Yet virtually no major stars are willing to jeopardise their careers by publicly admitting they’re gay. Proposition 8 only passed by 52 per cent of the vote and if more celebrities had been out of the closet at the time there’s a strong chance it would have been defeated."
Well, yes and no.
It's true that there are still no big name American movie stars who are out - though they've happily embraced a few British ones.
And yes, homophobia has dissipated as more people have come out, both public figures, and - more crucially, I believe - family members, friends, neighbours, and workmates.
But this is an argument as circular as the one about the chicken and the egg.
I agree that staying in the closet is a collusion with homophobia, but it's also a product of that same homophobia.
Mr Young's conclusion is positively dripping with sanctimony; "I’m fed up with being lectured by Hollywood luvvies about the the evils of discrimination. Until they put their own house in order, what right have they to criticise anyone else?"
Really, Toby? Sounds like a non sequitur to me.
Well, I'm fed up with being lectured by Hampstead pundits who blame the victims of discrimination for perpetuating discrimination.
What right has Toby Young to criticise gay men who are in a situation he will never have to deal with?
Though - it's worth noting - Mr Young has himself recently decided to "come out".
In May he wrote in his column for The Spectator; "Four weeks ago, I made one of the toughest decisions of my life. Ever since I was a child I’ve known I was different but I’ve done my best to conceal that fact. For most of my adult life I’ve pretended to be ‘normal’ and my late mother, God bless her, went to her grave without knowing the truth. But I cannot continue to live a lie. At the beginning of the election campaign I finally came out. Ladies and gentleman, I am a Tory."
I hate to say this, but I could have told him he was years ago.

"Just Gay Enough": Enough!

Leading bald commentator, Toby Young, wonders "Is Nick Clegg a 'Just Gay Enough' version of David Cameron?"
"Clegg is in touch with his feminine side, he’s emotionally open in a way that Cameron isn’t. He’s more vulnerable, less threatening... he uses hair gel, umm, err..."
World wonders; "Was there really an article in this, Toby?"