The Daily Mail isn’t letting the furore over their article on Ralph Miliband die down (see yesterday’s Hynd’s Blog article).
Stephen Glover has taken to the pages of the Mail to say, “How typically hypocritical of the Left, who danced on the grave of Mrs Thatcher, to be upset about debate over Red Ed’s Marxist father.”
Well, where to start?
Firstly, it isn’t just the left that were upset with the Mail’s hatchet job on Ralph Miliband. David Cameron said he “completely understood” why Ed would want to get his point of view across while Nick Clegg (let’s not pretend he is on the left) tweeted:
Secondly though, I feel obligation bound to point out that as someone who self-identifies as left wing, I didn’t take to the streets to “dance on Thatcher’s grave” and nor did most people who self-identify as left-wing that I call friends. I accept though that thousands did, and that was distasteful. But at the time I repeatedly wrote articles arguing for respect, see:
- Thatcher is dead, but Thatcherism is alive: If only it could be the other way round
- Celebrating Thatcher’s death is wrong both pragmatically and in principle
Thirdly, as I argued before, these debates are not rooted in left or right wing politics but notions of respect and decency that are found across the political spectrum. Trying to make this about political affiliation is a desperate attempt to use in/out group mentality to defend the indefensible.
Lastly, it has to pointed out that Glover’s crass attempt to draw in Thatcher’s death into this argument is a desperate attempt to shield their original article with the unacceptable actions of those who metaphorically danced on Thatcher’s grave. The moment an argument rests on “well George Galloway said/did something worse” you know you’re on a slippery slope into the cesspits of journalism.
UPDATE:
Talking of cesspits of journalism, this story is just breaking: “Mail on Sunday reporter gatecrashes Miliband family memorial service“.
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