Tuesday 24 March 2009

Kerry McCarthy: Wrong Again


Anti-smoker Kerry McCarthy, on March 13th, referring to the smoking lounges planned for the G20 conference.


F2C's cheap attempt to grab publicity by - how shall I put it? making things up? - has already been well and truly rubbished in the press.

'The press' is now exclusively the lefty bible, The Guardian, according to Kerry, seeing as it was extensively not rubbished elsewhere. The only tiny corner to attempt a weak rebuttal was this pitiful article from Hugh Muir.


"Labour 'double standards' as smoking ban is lifted for G20 world leaders," thundered yesterday's Daily Mail. Cue outrage. Not unexpected. Oh, and not true."

Bollocks, naturally, but easily swallowed by the incredibly blinkered member for Bristol East.

Not so by Muir's own newspaper on Sunday though, it seems.

So determined is the government to win the favour of the leaders flying into Docklands that it has passed special legislation to suspend the smoking ban in the vicinity of the ExCeL centre for the duration. But it may take more than a grand international bargain struck in the nostalgic surroundings of a smoke-filled room to save the world economy - or resuscitate the Brown premiership.

Anyone care to point out this joined-up journalism to killjoy Kerry? I haven't the heart.




6 comments:

Anonymous said...

So Government passed special legislation. When was this passed? Will I find any reference in Hansard? Was this in Parliament, in Cabinet or in a back room somewhere? Who, in this instance, is Government? Did they include my elected representative or yours? Certainly not Kerry McCarthy's.

Anonymous said...

Anyone care to point out this joined-up journalism to killjoy Kerry? I haven't the heart.


I think that you have !!!!!

Dick Puddlecote said...

So Government passed special legislation. When was this passed?

Haven't a clue Anon, but it must be true as the Guardian reported it ... just like Kerry says it must be untrue because Hugh Muir says so.

Your move.

timbone said...

OK Dick I am watching her space, would love to have the priviledge. An email to her honourable self would not be as nice as it being on her bog. I need a blog which I can drop it into. Her initial response to it was because the comment about the G20 was of no relevance to anything she said (it was about Bristol Buses) so that gave her the advantage.

Dick Puddlecote said...

Timbone: Don't forget to mention to her that Gordon failed to scotch the rumour in his press briefing of 12th March.

It would have been so easy wouldn't it?

timbone said...

Thanks Dick. I am poised. Waiting for the right moment (she will surely put a blog on about G20). I would hate for my comment to flounder in her moderating chamber.