Analysis comment

Starmer used anti-S*n stance to boost his leadership campaign – now he’s calling Murdoch ‘free press’ and condemning XR. But women MPs put him to shame

Starmer’s slammed for kowtowing to right-wing press – but at least two women Labour MPs show how it should be done

Starmer’s defence of the right-wing press is at odds with his campaign claims

Keir Starmer’s Labour leadership campaign video has been exposed as a mockery after Labour came out against the protest by Extinction Rebellion that prevented the delivery of millions of newspapers.

Starmer campaigned on his record of defending workers against the predations of Rupert Murdoch in the Wapping dispute, with both tweets and his official campaign video leading with it. Even then, it was exposed as a manoeuvre when he was asked if he would refuse to give interviews to the Murdoch S*n – and responded carefully that he did not intend to give it interviews during the campaign.

The mask slipped further when Starmer was interviewed recently and asked whether he wanted the S*n’s endorsement – and did not say ‘no’, instead answering that he wants “as many people to endorse the Labour Party as possible”.

And after the ‘XR’ protest on Saturday, Labour’s official position, approved by its leadership, was to defend the ‘free press’ – which in post-truth UK is a collection of billionaire-owned rags dedicated to obscuring reality – and condemn Extinction Rebellion:

Starmer was derided for the appalling u-turn:

And the Labour leader was put to shame by Labour MPs Dawn Butler and Zara Sultana:

It appears that Starmer or his representatives may have told Butler to take down her tweet, as it was subsequently deleted.

But even arch-Blairite MP Stella Creasy showed up her leader:

If Starmer wanted to give a demonstration that his leadership campaign promises meant nothing it all, he could hardly have chosen a better way to do it.

The SKWAWKBOX is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.

If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.

15 comments

  1. Every day more of Starmer’s camouflage peels away. He’s destined to be a Monster. The only hope is he brings about the splintering of the Labour Party so it might be restructured.

    1. Paul
      Temporary Embarrassment is just that a plastic war criminal, Peter Mandelson’s greatest creation, wont last 12 months
      The internal report and class action has splintered the party just need the restructuring now,
      Quislings and Bad Actors off you must fuck

  2. The knight will complete his mission to destroy the democratic socialist Labour party.How soon the wording removed from the membership card along with many solid working-class supporters.Those that voted for him have put the working class back a century.His intentions have along with his title are obvious even to the imbeciles that voted for him.Second rate torys.on a mission to copy the conservative and unionist party…They havnt got the message that neo liberalism is collapsing around the world and they choose to set up a tribute band to play for the Tory party…ashamed I doubt it?

    1. Joseph + 9 – In the last GE, for the first time, more of the ‘working class’ voted Tory than voted for Labour.

  3. On this occasion I have absolutely no problem with agreeing wholeheartedly with what Stella Creasy actually stated.

    1. Except without having the stones to refer to starmer’s hypocritical shithousery directly.

      Invertebrate.

      1. Oh dear, are the playground bullies ganging up again. 😨

  4. Nice bit of overtime for Steve H to book in for the paycheck.Typical trite comments from Greasy creasy..virtually meaningless,.no wonder judas H agrees..EG..I am not a racist,I believe in democracy,God save the queen????

    1. Et tu, greasy?

      Skwawky, get on the phone and ‘bully’ the #noshittakingmp greasy into expanding on that statement. Especially the ”Active protection of the free press” and the ”keeps all honest” bits.

      She’d know, wouldn’t she? What, with her accusing you of ‘bullying’ her, the lying, casual racist-tweeting melt.

      Sow the seeds, maaaan…Sow the seeds…

  5. Truth is not a matter of opinion – our ‘free’ press treats the truth as if it were.
    It takes ‘press freedom’ to mean the freedom to massage, distort, bend, twist and conceal the truth for its owners’ ends – a licence for the rich to lie to the electorate.
    Good governance is the primary ‘good’ in complex societies.
    Democracy, the press, the civil service, police, judiciary, all the panoply of state, all are simply the means to good governance.
    Governments need reminding of that.
    We should no more tolerate a corrupt or partial press than we should tolerate corrupt or partial police, judges, civil servants or politicians.
    When one political party’s supporters own the press it cannot be considered free or honest – the national press and other media must be considered a public office and therefore never be in private hands and always be open to public challenge on fact and impartiality.
    The MSM should operate under the same constraints as any other public body.
    I’m not claiming public bodies are in an ideal state, just that the arguments for and principles of public service should also apply to the press.

  6. “Free Press” as Jim Royle would say “My Arse”.
    Propaganda machine. Civil liberties.
    Corona Virus act SI’s just waiting around the corner.
    I wonder why ‘Crooked David ‘ did not initiate Levenson 2?

Leave a Reply

Discover more from SKWAWKBOX

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading