Coincidence is a curious thing. Today, Kensington Labour MP Emma Dent-Coad launched a new report on inequality in her area.
At the same time, Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham Conservatives (KCFC) have rightly been the target of scorn and contempt for sending a questionnaire to residents asking whether they thought the Grenfell Tower tragedy was still important.
And on the very same day, the Establishment ‘happens’ to ‘discover’ a supposed racism ‘scandal’ about the Ms Dent-Coad.
KCFC sent a form to locals, in which their Grenfell question – alongside issues such as bin collections and recycling – displayed a callousness that shocked even veteran Tory-watchers who thought nothing could surprise them:
Handily for the Tories, the right-wing Fawkes blog came up with a seven-year-old article by then-councillor Emma Dent-Coad and blared about a ‘vicious 2010 blog post that really is dripping venom and hate‘ toward a black Tory parliamentary candidate, claiming that she called him a ‘token ghetto boy’.
Except the article didn’t.
Ms Dent-Coad actually criticises Shaun Bailey’s use of the word ‘ghetto’ about the Golborne area from which he originates, pointing out that it has been called an exemplary diverse community – and wonders where, given that he was reported to be taking riding lessons so he could go fox-hunting, Mr Bailey would be able to fit in.
Which Fawkes claimed was a statement that he ‘will never’ fit in, which is rather different.
Tory MP James Cleverly thought he scented blood, which gave Fawkes another spurious headline ‘condemning’ Dent-Coad for ‘vile prejudice’.
Cleverly leaped with both feet, describing Ms Dent-Coad’s article as “vile and unacceptable language, [which] once again highlights a distasteful prejudice towards black Conservatives that I’ve called out before“, before demanding:
When will Labour deal with this?
Of course, that was Fawkes’ ‘take’ on the article, rather than the article itself.
The SKWAWKBOX contacted Mr Cleverly:
You have made comments today to Guido Fawkes about a quote attributed to Emma Dent-Coad, which you described as “vile and unacceptable language” and “distasteful prejudice”. The quote was misleading and Ms Dent-Coad was in fact quoting your Conservative colleague Shaun Bailey’s own words.
Questions:
- Do you wish to retract your own comments and apologise to Ms Dent-Coad?
- Do you wish to apologise for attacking the Labour Party: “when will Labour deal with this?”
- Do you now consider it ill-advised to rely on the Guido Fawkes blog as a source?
Mr Cleverly has not so far responded.
Gareth Bacon, Tory leader of the Greater London Assembly, was also quick to get in on the act – unfortunately also without checking whether Ms D-C had ‘said this’:
Of course, it was unbelievable, not merely ‘almost’.
The ‘outrage’ wasn’t limited to Tory politicians. Financial Times leader-writer Sebastian Payne was also keen, taking to Twitter to condemn the ‘disgusting’ remarks and to conflate them with the case of suspended MP Jared O’Mara:
The SKWAWKBOX offered Mr Payne the chance to comment:
Your Twitter comments about Emma D-C’s ‘disgusting’ remarks appear to have been made on the basis of a Fawkes claim and without reading the source material, as it’s clear she is in fact quoting the Tory candidate. We will be publishing on this issue this evening and your comments are likely to feature. Do you wish to make a comment?
He didn’t, at least so far. But then, Mr Payne’s last interaction with the SKWAWKBOX ended less than well, so his reticence might be understandable:
Emma Dent-Coad was more than happy to talk to the SKWAWKBOX, however. When we pointed out the ‘coincidence’ that this should all happen on the very day the Tories would be grateful for a diversion or two in Kensington, she laughed and commented:
The original blog post couldn’t be clearer. I was quoting Shaun Bailey’s own comments about parts of the borough, along with those of his Conservative colleagues on Kensington and Chelsea Council.
She also pointed out the 2010 Guardian article referring to former Tory council leader calling areas of Chelsea as ‘ghettoes’.
Of course, this is far from the first such attack on Ms Dent-Coad, who has been an uncompromising advocate for her constituents affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy that KCFC today seemed to be hoping local people might be forgetting.
Update: BBC News ran the allegations in its ten o’clock programme – having been warned by the SKWAWKBOX that they were fake news. So much for ‘impartiality’.
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Reblogged this on MAL's MURMURINGS.
Reblogged this on sdbast.
Surely there must be a parliamentary standard board to report this kind of thing to? The right are behaving worse than savages using the media to attack and hurt people, it must stop!
The sole purpose of Guido Fawkes is to incite his gullible readership with that type of fake and misleading article.
He is the Bill O’Reilly of British politics and is becoming increasingly irrelevant.
He’s basically just a reactionary bigot pining for the days of Thatcher and Reagan.
It’s all rather desperate and sad really.
“Is it true – or did you hear it on the BBC?”
Tories lie. That’s what they do. They lie.
I LOVE IT WHEN THEY RUN OFF AT THE MOUTH AND DON’T HAVE THE TRUE FACTS!
THE TORIES GRASP AT EVERY STRAW THAT COMES THEIR WAY!
THEN WON’T ANSWER WHEN THE TRUTH IS QUOTED VERBATIM!
MAKING THESE TORIES MORE STUPID THAN THEY LOOK!
IF THAT’S POSSIBLE?
FROM ONE LIE TO ANOTHER, IT NEVER ENDS!
They are remarkably good spinners of the truth but more than that they get it widely broadcast. The BBC website currently has this at their Number 3 slot – and then its repeated on the same page. “MP blogs about ghetto boy” causing “outrage” and “anger”. Instantly it becomes not just true but “important”. MSM is their World and they play it like a musical instrument.
fascinating how Fawkes is unable to read properly
Staines and his boys suffer from what is commonly known as ‘selective reading disorder’.
It seems the lady has now said:
“If [Mr Bailey] is offended, I apologise.”
“http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41980425”
Gareth Bacon AM: “If a conservative MP said this about a white labour candidate there would RIGHTLY be uproar”
Perhaps so.but the toerags’d allow them back into the fold the second they think it’s blown over. That’s IF they even get so much as a scolding.
I mean, my dog’s black, stinks, can’t speak English, and for some reason doesn’t want to be seen near a woodpile…
Oh, and if I were PM for the day, I’d go for tougher enforcement on tories…
This morning the story is at the number 1 spot on the BBC website, eclipsing Brexit and War. Anxiety about the Council election in RBKC maybe where so many journalists live? It’s a better story for Tories than Grenfell even though it is 7 years old and always a non-story. Desperate times?
The apology is in number one spot on the local London page, not the main, UK nor England pages as of 1210.
Strangely it is absent altogether on Skwawkbox!
‘If he was offended’? Yes, that really validates the fake accusations. For those desperate for it to do so, perhaps…
Judging by his reaction he was offended.
“https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/labour-mp-emma-dent-coad-apologises-for-calling-london-assembly-member-shaun-bailey-a-ghetto-boy-a3690231.html”
so the apology seems justified.
Maybe I’m missing something, but in the blog she does indeed call him a ‘token ghetto boy’:
http://emmadentcoad.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/this-is-my-posh-voice-local-boy-done.html
Given there is no reference give, it appears those are indeed her own words to describe him?
You don’t put your own words in quotation marks, as a rule – and she’s already clarified whom she was quoting
Who was she quoting when using the “token ghetto boy” phrase? I don’t think the blog post makes that clear at all.
Just a further thought on this. You say that people don’t normally put their own words in quotation marks.
Are these someone else’s words?
“And on the very same day, the Establishment ‘happens’ to ‘discover’ a supposed racism ‘scandal’ about the Ms Dent-Coad.”
(from your article)
No time to give you grammar lessons, Graham
I dunno if that’s an apology TO him; more likely FOR him.
Personally, I’d tell him to get bent.
Urgent! The dickhead Jeremy Vine has just repeated the lie word for word and is about to debate the issue with his bigoted Dunning- Kruger syndrome supporters. Please put him right on Twitter and phone if you can. Looks like an all-out BBC fake news, spin doctor attack on Emma Dent -Coad. I would do it myself but to slow on the keyboard
“This morning Ms Dent Coad told BBC London Radio the comments made were not her own – she said she was quoting a constituent in her blog.
She added: “If [Mr Bailey] is offended, I apologise.””
“https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/labour-mp-emma-dent-coad-apologises-for-calling-london-assembly-member-shaun-bailey-a-ghetto-boy-a3690231.html”
It’s worth reading the article in question, to which Skwawkbox has linked above.Whilst the lady quotes someone as calling Mr Bailey ‘a free-loading scumbag’, and someone else calling him ‘the most hated man in North Kensington’, the phrase ‘token ghetto boy’ is not attributed to a third party.
E D-C was quoting bailey himself when referring to him as ‘token ghetto boy’.
He revels in the ‘fact’ he was brought up in a ‘ghetto’…Until someone else makes a remark about it, like.
Balls to him. Maybe he’d be better off having something to say about anne marie morris and her overt racism.
So Mr Bailey has referred to himself as a “token ghetto boy”?
Have you got a reference for that?
Go look for it yerself. I’m not your lackey.
I thought not!
Looks like I’ll have to explain again because of your mental deficiency.
Bailey has made great play about how he’s black conservative, and how he was brought up in a ‘ghetto’. (Like the rest of those toerags – all from ‘humble’ beginnings, aren’t they?)
Alright for him to dine out on that – but not to have it said back to him.
Don’t ever second guess me, dickhead.
Oh and hindson – did you fill out your questionnaire?
https://inews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/DSC_0365-760×1351.jpg
Nice try on the deflection!
Are you still saying that Mr Bailey referred to himself as “token ghetto boy” or not?
Seriously, hindson- have you some sort of OCD? Are you a retard? Or are you just incapable of any basic comprehension?
You haven’t really got the mental capacity to be an idiot so I really don’t know why I bothered to ask.
I’m not explaining again. Your pedantry and semantics are tedious bordering on provocation . You ought to seek some sort of psychological treatment.
“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”
(Attributed to Socrates)
Yeah, whatever.
Prick.
^^^Quote attributed to me.
Lost the debate have I?
Deflection he says?
This supposed ‘racism’ coming the day after Dent-Coad releases a report about victorian-era poverty in one of the world’s richest boroughs. Fays after the toerag K&C party distribute utterly sickening and totally insensitive questionnaires to local residents…
Nope – not deflection at all. We won’t mention anything about these on Tv and we’ll just about pay lip service to them in the gutter press.
But to top it off, there’s you showing puerility and borderline obsession with one quote as well as who may have made it, and in what context…
Face it hindson, it’s desperation from you isn’t it? The media’s been sussed on this one as well, and you just can’t accept it.
Reblogged this on maisysabredavid and commented:
Typical Tory trashy
@The Toffee For the record I think that document is appalling, but Skwawkbox’s article is headlined (and most of the text is about) “EGG ON POLITICIAN/MSM FACES IN FAWKES-BASED ATTACK ON EMMA D-C” and there seems to some confusion about exactly who said/wrote what (although the lady has apologised for any offence caused by what appeared on her blog)
You introduced the notion that Mr Bailey described himself as “token ghetto boy”, the phrase which is the crux of his complaint, and I’m trying to ascertain whether you have a source for that, because if you have you could discredit him at one stroke, and I would have thought that you’d delight in that.
Or did you make it up?
You introduced the notion that Mr Bailey described himself as “token ghetto boy”,
Oh aye?
Show me where, then…’Token ghetto boy’ is your pigeon. I never said he described himself using those exact words.
However, you did. You, hindson. You.
Gone a bit wrong now, hasn’t it?
Apology refused because I don’t like you.
I’m sorry but your circular arguments are making you look foolish and frankly discrediting the article. Maybe you should keep quiet if you can’t say something sensible?
“EGG ON POLITICIAN/MSM FACES IN FAWKES-BASED ATTACK ON EMMA D-C” and there seems to some confusion about exactly who said/wrote what ”
Any confusion on your part has been caused by you yourself. I know what I’ve been saying all along.
EDC used bailey’s supposed ‘ghetto’ upbringing against him. He’s nowt but a snivelling little sh*thouse hypocrite, full of belief in his own billshut…Bit like someone else I can think of 🙂
Oh, and I don’t really care about the ‘ad hominem attack’ on bailey OR you.
I’m right he, you & the mainstream are wrong. Don’t like it? Tough titty.
Your words:
“E D-C was quoting bailey himself when referring to him as ‘token ghetto boy’.”
“https://skwawkbox.org/2017/11/13/egg-on-politician-msm-faces-in-fawkes-based-attack-on-emma-d-c/#comment-49921”
Oh ffs….
You’re a bigger fucking imbecile than the ones you vote for.
I’ll not entertain you any further regarding this.
What was that about lost debates and slander?
It’s all there for NORMAL people to see what I’ve written.
I cannot believe I am reading around various places that people are shocked BBC also ran the Dent-Coad fake news story, people really must look critically at all so called ‘news’ in corporate and ‘public’ media… much of it is stage managed to control, distract, confuse and quiet the restless and unhappy masses and keep us arguing with each other so we cannot mount a concerted opposition on the fundamental economic and financial structure front. Always go to source if possible. It is also imperative we all dip into alternative, independent and new media and think and make our own minds up. We are being manipulated much of the time by our biggest domestic media outlets.
The level of BS and inflammatory stories pouring out of MSM of late leads me to believe something big (and undemocratic) is being put into place, probably on more than one front. The other aspect of this Tory governments scandals and ineffectiveness is, it is also discrediting the institution of ‘democratic’ government itself, as is also well under way in the US as Democrats tear themselves apart, try to combat much of Trumps agenda and blame it all on Russia. What are British government and ministers advisors doing? Not steadying the ship that’s for sure.
The only racism here appears to be from Shaun Bailey, stigmatising entire communities with the ghetto tag of racial stereotyping. And we all know who in 20th-century history loved that tag.
It all fits the establishment narrative of pigeon-holing, too. Nothing they like better-Emma Dent-Coad’s original blogpost nailed it very succinctly, muppets or useful idiots of any colour are always very welcome for the execution of their machinations.
Mr Bailey is denying using the word “ghetto” at all to describe where he grew up:
“Bailey denied saying the words and said he would not have used language such as ghetto to describe where he grew up. ”
“https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/14/labour-mp-apologises-conservative-token-ghetto-boy-emma-dent-coad”
An open goal for anyone who can produce evidence that he has used the word in that context.
So no doubt there will also be a record somewhere of him denying this back in 2010, when the accusation was first made and was most relevant to his putative candidature?
I haven’t seen anything to suggest that Mr Bailey was aware of these remarks until now.
It’s my opinion that the whole thing is a storm in a teacup – old news,exaggerated outrage, Intemperate remarks duly aoplogised for – but it’s been fascinating to watch folks running around saying essentially that EDC had nothing to apologise for just as she was apologising for any offence caused, and maintaining their positions for hours after the apology was issued.
TO those of us who don’t know of the Tory Troll Hindson , his many deliberate deflective statements can be found on these threads and others over on “The Canary ” blog . He is a self confessed Tory supporter and this should be borne in mind when trying to engage with this TROLL. Hindson modus operandi is to appear genuinely wanting debate but in fact it is a FAKE debate with one purpose , a tool he uses to obfuscate , deflect and confuse with mostly contradictory and pedantic twisted points of view .When one understands this then one can appreciate that any and all comments from Hindson are there to undermine the SB blog or the Labour party.
Most of us sensible level headed folks don’t give to much notice to the pedantry semantics , however its very clear for all to see that the BBC is now nothing more than a Tory mouth piece , very sad , when the whole over all picture of many instances of BBC bias is taken into account , then no amount of bending of the truth by this TROY TROLL will make any difference to those facts .
Try not to allow him to wind you up when engaging , best as others have advised , to just ignore any and all comments form the Troll , feeding it only makes it worse !
TBH he is fucked anyway, as he well knows , when the next imminent election comes then Labour will sweep the floor with this Tory trash and boot the lot of corrupt inept wankers into oblivion
ROB
Graham is quite correct re Bailey not being ‘aware’ of these remarks, for the simple reason that if he’d acknowledged them back in 2010, he would have had to defend or deny them.
I suspect either course of action would have been difficult then, and he was probably advised by Tory Central Office to say nothing, because their friends in the media, including the Tory mouthpiece The Guardian, wouldn’t run with the story.
That proof is already circulating on social media, posted by Novara’s editor. Don’t have time just now to provide you with a link but you’ll find it easily enough
Do you mean this?
“https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmhaff/181/181ii.pdf”
Ev195
If so it’s Mr Bailey quoting other people as having a “ghetto mentality”, and saying factors play into that mentality; he doesn’t say he grew up in a ghetto.
There’s no “reply” button on this post of yours.
“https://skwawkbox.org/2017/11/13/egg-on-politician-msm-faces-in-fawkes-based-attack-on-emma-d-c/#comment-49985”
which neatly avoids both the questions posed above it.
To parody another article of yours:
WHY IS SKWAWKBOX TRYING SO HARD NOT TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN WRITING?
“https://skwawkbox.org/2017/11/13/egg-on-politician-msm-faces-in-fawkes-based-attack-on-emma-d-c/#comment-49922”
and
“https://skwawkbox.org/2017/11/13/egg-on-politician-msm-faces-in-fawkes-based-attack-on-emma-d-c/#comment-49936”
Can’t see a question here, Graham
Have I entered another dimension here? The blog is clearly linked to in the original Fawkes article and is very clearly extremely offensive. Just because he may (or may not) have referred to himself by a certain term does not give her, as a white woman, the right to do so.
If he’d called himself an n word and she had repeated it would anyone be defending her? This is hardly much better. She uses his race and the assumed natural social standing that race may afford him against him and suggests he will never fit in with high class people. That is deeply offensive to Shaun and also to any working class black person who aspires to be more than this terrible woman thinks they are worth. Are we also ignoring her cartoons of black tories being hanged? She is a disgrace to the good name of the Labour Party and should resign before she does any more damage to such a great old institution.
The fact you think the drawing is a black person because it – the whole thing, not just the person – is in black pen speaks volumes. You should read the interview with black activist Lee Jasper, might be an education…
Dear Skwawkbox, thanks for your excellent site. As a journalist myself, I wonder: is there no penalty for MSM to repeat ‘fake news’ from dodgy websites? In the rush for rolling news, fact checking is becoming a thing of the past. What penalties are there for repeating inaccuracies? I’m thinking of the recent out of court settlement Farage had to make for his libellous comments about Hope not Hate. Could MSM – BBC in this case, not be sued for libel, and the action crowd-funded?
Dear Skwawkbox, thanks for your excellent site. As a journalist myself, I wonder: is there no penalty for MSM to repeat ‘fake news’ from dodgy websites? In the rush for rolling news, fact checking is becoming a thing of the past. What penalties are there for repeating inaccuracies? I’m thinking of the recent out of court settlement Farage had to make for his libellous comments about Hope not Hate. Could MSM – BBC in this case, not be sued for libel, and the action crowd-funded?
There appears to be little comeback. Crowdfunded legal actions would be a good deterrent
@Skwawkbox Again no reply button in your last response to me. The unanswered questions were in the links. It’s tedious, but I’ll repeat them, but start with another unanswered one:
1. You appeared to state that proof that Mr Bailey had described himself as growing up in a ghetto was circulating on social media – specifically by Novara’s editor. I asked (with a ?) whether you meant this which he’d retweeted:
“https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmhaff/181/181ii.pdf” Ev195 (which isn’t proof of that at all).
2. Much seems to revolve around the quotation marks enclosing “token ghetto boy” in EDC’s blog. In response to another poster you said “You don’t put your own words in quotation marks, as a rule – and she’s already clarified whom she was quoting”. I didn’t think it was clear so asked (with a ?) who she was quoting.
3. Following on from that I (somewhat tongue in cheek) posted this, containing a ?:
“Just a further thought on this. You say that people don’t normally put their own words in quotation marks.
Are these someone else’s words?
“And on the very same day, the Establishment ‘happens’ to ‘discover’ a supposed racism ‘scandal’ about the Ms Dent-Coad.”
(from your article)”
1. As I said, don’t have time to teach you the nuances of grammar. 2. Definitely don’t have time to go chasing links for you. 3. She’s clarified whom she was quoting. Look it up. No time etc etc
Classic avoidance, but do you not think the “proof” that Mr Bailey described himself as growing up in the ghetto is worth promulgating even if you don’t want to engage in debate on the other points?