Remainer rag Private Eye has clearly been reading Guido again, with their satirical take on Darren Grimes’ righteous crusade to fight the biased Electoral Commission. Guido thinks that Private Eye’s public schoolboys should try punching up at the cheating monied remainers rather than kicking down at the working class kid from County Durham.
You can donate to Darren’s crowdfunder here. Just £3,000 to go…
For the past couple of years Telegraph staff have kept track of the internal bloodletting and embarrassing insider secrets recounted in remarkable detail in Private Eye. Eagle-eyed reporters have noticed a pattern. While he has a reputation in the office for being an all-powerful control freak who always gets his way, in the Eye editor Chris Evans is almost always portrayed as an ignorant, innocent party who is far from the scene of the crime.
Take this well-informed Eye nugget about the Telegraph’s infamous election day email urging readers to vote Tory, for which the paper was fined £30,000. Even though Evans’ name was on the email, the Eye write-up generously portrays him as an innocent bystander “without a political thought in his head“, and instead names and shames two other Telegraph journalists, as well as Murdoch MacLennan and Aidan Barclay, as being responsible.
Then there was this curiously briefed story about the Telegraph’s positive coverage of UKIP. The Eye’s piece makes clear that talking up UKIP definitely isn’t Evans’ idea, in fact it is Evans who has been “keeping at bay” UKIP supporter and Telegraph owner Frederick Barclay. Evans is referred to as an “idiot“, but it’s Sir Frederick who is the true villain of the piece.
This Eye story, again very well-informed, derides the decision of Telegraph execs to cut back the Saturday paper. MacLennan and the Barclay brothers are named as the guilty parties, but who was it who bravely tried to fight back against the cull? Chris Evans, of course, alas his efforts were, according to the Eye’s top source, sadly “swept aside”.
What about this Eye hit piece on former Sunday Telegraph editor Ian MacGregor, who is dubbed a “laughing stock” whose job was really being done by – you guessed it – Chris Evans. MacGregor is portrayed as a shameless lackey of Aidan Barclay’s business interests. Who was the man standing up to him? Evans, once again.
Whoever the Eye’s mole is, it seems they are keen to make sure Evans escapes blame for calamitous decision making, as his rivals in Victoria are publicly machine gunned one by one…
Isabel Oakeshott clearly has strong views on the pious comb dodging editor of Private Eye, judging by this currently being emailed round Hat Trick Productions. Funniest thing out of their offices for a long time…
Lord Gnome is clearly a fan of this organ’s new feature, Speaker Watch. This week, Private Eye’s Gavel Basher takes a look at the recent bad behaviour of John Bercow, don’tchaluvim?, beginning with news of the failed attempt by Bercow, ain’tyasickofhim, to try to get his pal Julian Lewis the Defence Select Committee chair job. Shome mishtake, shurely, since this was something Guido reported two weeks ago (They’ve done this already, Ed).
The Eye go on, noting Bercow’s tactic of repeatedly calling Lewis to ask questions in the House to let him plug his credentials, despite his name not being on the order paper. Once again, Guido pointed this out two weeks ago (Get on with it, Ed):
Finally, the Eye brings you news of Bercow’s ill treatment of the recently departed Clerk of the House. News that appeared on Guido a month ago (You’re fired, Ed):
Get your latest Speaker news from Guido, or in Private Eye two weeks later…
Police are requesting “on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service” that magazine vendors refrain from selling today’s edition of Private Eye. This afternoon two plain clothes policemen asked this vendor working outside Farringdon Station to take down this week’s Eye. When the vendor, who does not wish to be named, asked them why, they said it was at the request of the CPS, specifically because of the cover featuring Rebekah Brooks. They showed identification. The vendor told the cops he would keep selling them unless they produced a court order. Chilling…
Down the road at the nearby Old Bailey potential jurors were asked if they were readers of Private Eye or Guido Fawkes during the selection process. If they answered affirmatively they were excused from jury service. Anyone else a little hacked off by all this?
UPDATE: Index on Censorship – the free speech campaign with offices near Farringdon Station – went to check for themselves:
News vendor has confirmed to index that he was told potential contempt issues with @privateeyenews cover
— Padraig Reidy (@mePadraigReidy) October 29, 2013
The judge doesn’t find Private Eye amusing:
Judge tells jurors to ignore edition of Private Eye out today making 'bad taste' joke about Rebekah Brooks
— CourtNewsUK (@CourtNewsUK) October 29, 2013
UPDATE: 17.24
Private Eye front cover has been brought to our attention, but AG has decided proceedings for a potential contempt of court aren't required
— Attorney General (@attorneygeneral) October 29, 2013
(Click here to enlarge)
Well done to Private Eye for reading a story in the unpopular parts of the blogosphere, not bothering to check it, running it and subsequently discovering it was a poorly researched, lazy hatchet job with no basis in reality.
So not only second hand news, but second hand news that was wrong.
Are they even trying any more?
