Last night, the S*n published a story that Defence Secretary Michael Fallon had ‘felt’ the knee of journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer ‘repeatedly’. This week’s Sunday Times carried a different version of events:
This raises the possibility that the S*n story is a ‘dead cat’, designed to deflect attention away from more serious infringements still.
The Sunday Times article goes on to state that ‘Downing Street is concerned that if either man is forced to resign it will destabilise the government‘. Indeed.
So the S*n story may be an attempt to drain outrage over the issue – and provide distraction while plans are made to protect the other names on the list. Given that the two publications belong to the same group, the difference in versions is interesting.
To complicate matters, left-wing journalists who have seen the full ‘deeply disturbing’ list say that Fallon’s name is not even on it – the Sunday Times article simply says that he and another Cabinet minister were ‘named’ by female MPs, journalists and researchers. So why ‘out’ a name that wasn’t even set to be revealed by the publication of the list?
It might be a ‘warning shot’ by Murdoch, who owns the S*n, to apply pressure to the Tories to approve his purchase of the remainder of Sky News – or that ‘dead cat’ to try to manage the issue. Or both – with a bit of ‘PR’ for the government thrown in.
If a senior Cabinet minister ‘feeling’ a woman and making lewd comments to her in front of a roomful of Tory front-benchers is the least damaging revelation, selected to be the ‘dead cat’, then what is being kept back must be ‘disturbing’ indeed.
However, left-wing journalists have said that if the UK media doesn’t have the courage to publish the full list, it will be published from a foreign jurisdiction – this looks unlikely to be a situation that the government can ‘manage’, even with the help of its media backers and pawns.
And if Theresa May knew even a small portion of the information that will come out, she will have to resign.
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Reblogged this on sdbast.
I still smell a big fat rat toying with the dead cat. New left media must be very careful.
BBC News24 still working overtime to spread the Fallon soft soap story, quite possibly a deliberate attempt to desensitise viewers to seriousness of deeply ingrained practise of MPs bullying their junior staff, lack of any means of redress, constant abuse of power by both MPs and Ministers in the workplace.
Lots of handwringing by Tory MPs about how it is so difficult to resolve because MP’s are their own private company employing their own staff and even when disgraced as bullies and miscreants, MPs cannot be sacked ‘because they are elected’.
Abusive MPs molesting junior staff has been known about for years, and instances repeatedly brought to light, but still they have installed no useful mechanism for abused staff to seek redress and justice from their tormentors.
It is all just so difficult, the MPs say once again.
Meanwhile the groping and abusive fondling continues by these inadequate lotharios.
Notice how frequently the antiquated Parliamentary system seems to be designed more for the convenience of its members than for its usefulness and accountability to the public who they are supposed to serve?
Yep Murdoch will make it easy for/on the toerags if they kowtow to his demands.
Meanwhile the tory-in-all-but-name political section of the bbc will ALSO try & smooth this latest outrage over, too – indirectly handing the beeb-hating murdoch competition their prize…At their (bbc’s) own expense, ultimately when they grant murdoch full bskyb control.
Instead of ripping into the government AND providing an alternative news outlet to murdoch AND justifying their licence fee, they’d much prefer to cosy up to them.
And even when that happens they’ll continue to blame the independent media for their own shortfalls.
At their (bbc’s) own expense, ultimately when they** grant murdoch full bskyb control.
**The toerags, of course.
Oh well, prue leith (Who she?) has told the entire universe who the winner of the baking show is, or something. I just heard two women talking about it outside the corner shop…
Old, dead cat, now… :/
The Skwawkbox tells us “To complicate matters, left-wing journalists who have seen the full ‘deeply disturbing’ list say that Fallon’s name is not even on it”
Which means that the list doing the rounds on Twitter is a different list – the plot thickens.
Very suspicious re Fallons , all to easy and quick resignation , very unusual in this day and age with these bunch if arrogant bastards in power , to go so so quickly and without a protracted fight.
What are they hiding ???????