'Shurely Shome Mishtake"
Labour's lunatic fringe (which means the party leadership these days) are calling for Sir Richard Branson to be stripped of his knighthood after a turbulent week in which Britain's favourite businessman made Jeremy Corbyn look like a prize prat over his Virgin Trains stunt.
Now I'm no fan of the honours system, as regular readers know, but I'm not in favour of picking on just certain individuals either, especially for cynical personal or political reasons.
I mean where will it all end: will Sir Sean Connery (one of Scotland's favourite sons) be next on Jeremy Corbyn's hit list?
'Shurely shome mistake', I fear, and one which is bound to be ridiculed by both the Private Eye magazine and the SNP.
Read the full story in The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/john-mcdonnell-shadow-chancellor-for-richard-branson-virgin-to-be-stripped-of-his-knighthood-trains-a7213501.html
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell calls for Richard Branson to be stripped of his knighthood
'It should be a simple choice for the mega-rich. Run off to tax exile if you want. But you leave your titles and your honours behind when you go,' says Mr McDonnell
By Matt Payton
Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has called for Virgin's founder and CEO Sir Richard Branson to be stripped of his knighthood.
Cunning Stunt Backfires (25/08/16)
John McTernan is on fine form with this article in The Telegraph about Jeremy Corbyn and his 'Traingate' fiasco.
But the killer lines are all from Richard Branson and the Virgin Trains spokesperson who says matter of factly:
"We're a bit puzzled why Jeremy couldn't find unreserved seats when he boarded the train - they're right next to him as the photo shows."
Boom, boom!
Jeremy Corbyn will regret picking a fight with Sir Richard Branson
By JOHN MCTERNAN - The Telegraph
Jeremy Corby on the train CREDIT: VIRGIN TRAIN
Rule 1 of spin is "Don't lie". Embellish the truth, gild the lily, make the most positive presentation possible but do not lie.
Of course, sometimes you may feel that you have to make something up. This is where Rule 2 comes in - "Don't get caught." In politics, the truth doesn't have to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, it just has to be a "defensible truth". Or, in other words something that no-one can disprove.
Which leads directly to Rule 3 - "Remember that people will fight back if their reputation is at stake." Yesterday, as "Traingate" unfolded, it was clear that Jeremy Corbyn and his team had broken all three rules.
Rule 1 of spin is "Don't lie". Embellish the truth, gild the lily, make the most positive presentation possible but do not lie.
Of course, sometimes you may feel that you have to make something up. This is where Rule 2 comes in - "Don't get caught." In politics, the truth doesn't have to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, it just has to be a "defensible truth". Or, in other words something that no-one can disprove.
Which leads directly to Rule 3 - "Remember that people will fight back if their reputation is at stake." Yesterday, as "Traingate" unfolded, it was clear that Jeremy Corbyn and his team had broken all three rules.
When Corbyn originally released his ridiculous low-fi rail video I thought that this simply confirmed how completely incompetent his whole operation is. They had obviously not ordered those cheap advance tickets because they always come with a compulsory reservation. Obvious really, Corbyn was bound to treat Labour Party money the same way he would spend the taxpayer's money - wastefully.
Cult of Corbyn (26/08/16)
The pollster YouGov reports that a big majority of voters believe Virgin Trains rather than Jeremy Corbyn over the rumpus about the Labour leader's journey to Newcastle.
But the most remarkable figure is the 39% of Labour voters who believe Jeremy Corbyn's version of events even though the Labour leader has since admitted that he walked past unreserved seats on the train - which he didn't use because he wanted to sit with the rest of his team and/or his wife.
See the following quote from the London Evening Standard newspaper:
"Jeremy Corbyn today conceded there were spare seats on the “ram-packed” Virgin train where he claimed he was forced to sit on the floor.
"In a change to his version of events, he said he had been looking for seats for him and “a group of colleagues” to sit together, accepting that the train was not full.
"It came during a bad-tempered press conference in which he rebuked reporters for questions about the incident and whether it reflected on his integrity."
Now a cult depends on the support of otherwise people who rely on propaganda and refuse to believe the evidence of their own eyes.
So the 'Cult of Corbyn' is the only rationale explanation here, if you ask me.
