Mehdi Hasan

Mehdi Hasan’s polemical take on politics, economics and foreign affairs

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Not a Tory supporter, Stephen?

Hold the press -- JC editor comes out for Cameron.

Stephen Pollard, the Brown-hating, Kaminski-supporting editor of the Jewish Chronicle, on his blog, 9 October 2009:

On a couple of blogs today I've been described as a Tory, as if that somehow undemines my arguments because I am parti pris in Kaminski's favour.

Problem is, it's nonsense . . . James Macintyre of the New Statesman, however, has behaved rather differently. In two posts at 13.14 he called me a "Tory supporter" and a "Tory sympathiser".

I emailed him to point out that I am not a Tory supporter.

Stephen Pollard, the Brown-hating, Kaminski-supporting editor of the Jewish Chronicle, in the Times, 27 April 2010:

Next week I will vote Conservative for the first time . . . It's strange looking at the election campaign and hoping for a Tory victory. But since Tony Blair went, Labour offers only tax-and-spend big government. I've encountered far worse racism from Labour supporters than Conservatives. And only one party offers to transform opportunities for the poor and the struggling middle classes. It's not Labour.

Surprise, surprise!

Update: Egomaniac Pollard has been quick to respond to my playful post above with a rather weird and intense post on his JC blog:

Hasan is clearly unable to comprehend the concept that someone might vote for more than one party in their lifetime. I have always voted Labour. Were Brown not leader and the party instead had a leader who did not disgrace the office of Prime Minister, I would probably have carried on doing so. But for reasons I outlined in my piece, I've decided now that I'll be voting Tory.

You might not agree with my reasoning, but I'm sure most people understand the idea that you can make up your mind about which party to vote for based on the evidence available to you.

Pollard is "clearly unable to comprehend" that I'm not questioning his right to vote for a party other than Labour; I'm just questioning the idea that he wasn't a Tory back in October when he was getting all high and mighty about James calling him a "Tory supporter" and a "Tory sympathiser". The idea that he only converted to the Tory cause in the period between October and April is, frankly, laughable.

As for him rejecting a party leader who has "disgraced the office of Prime Minister", why then did he vote for Tony Blair in 2005? As his own JC columnist Jonathan Freedland pointed out, back in October, he has long been a "fierce anti-Brown partisan". And I have no doubt that he'd decided to vote Cameron in October when he was shamefully defending the indefensible Tory alliance with nutjobs and loons from Poland, Latvia and the Czech Republic.

Ideologically, as Pollard himself concedes in his Times piece, he hasn't been on the left since the mid-1990s. He is a market-worshipper. In fact, he is a Murdoch-worshipper. From his blog, 28 August 2009:

This is to whoever wrote James Murdoch's speech today at the Edinburgh TV Festival (maybe the man himself?):

I worship you.

15 comments

bernard2's picture

NOTICED BBC DECLARED CAMRON THE WINNER TONIGHT AND THEN POLLED THE VOTERS , THATS MINIPULATEING THE POLL , PLANTING THAT THOUGHT IN PEOPLES MINDS , THEN POLLING THEM . THATS LIKE PUSH POLLING THEY LEARNT IT FROM CROSBY TEXTER THEY RUN THE TORIE CAMPAIGN . VOTE LABOUR DONT BE DIMB .

David's picture

So is the main thrust of your argument Mehdi basically "Liar liar stinky pants on fire" or was there a more intellectually challenging point you were trying to make here? I am confused.

David Wearing1's picture

"Labour offers only tax-and-spend big government"

Now be fair, Mehdi. Would a genuine Tory say something like that?

Oh no, hang on. Those are the words of someone who's Tory to their fingertips.

"I've encountered far worse racism from Labour supporters than Conservatives"

Now what's this a reference to?

Red Rag's picture

Being hung by your own words?

Duncan's picture

QED then!

demonax3's picture

He does what he is told to do.

Reginald-Fah-fah's picture

How do you do my fellow Tory? Jolly good show my good chap! Marvellous to see another voter not voting Labour. Fantastic!

Pawel's picture

In fairness Mehdi he is saying that he will be voting Tory for the 1st time and strongly suggests he had voted Labour under Blair?

Its very possible he changed his mind between October 2009 and now. Not sure what your point is here

vanrisszcu's picture

True Pawel, but I doubt it. And, I suspect, so do you.

kenny jenkins's picture

If he was fan of tony blair he's obviously a tory

MikeS1's picture

We should all aspire to Bernard's high standards of literacy

MikeS1's picture

But Mr Hasan belives that all non-believers are cattle does he not?Why does he care who they vote for?

bernard2's picture

I dont know weather you noticed on the bbc they declared camron the winner before polling the public after todays leaders debate . they planted the seed in peoples minds first useing the anker woman delaring camron the winner . thats kind of SUBLIMINAL POLLING . the statesman should look into that . they have realy in a way been minipulateing the public all the way along the murdock owned media , sky did the same thing .I CAN SEE THROUGH THIS NONSENCE , VOTE LABOUR.

bernard2's picture

I CAN PROMISE YOU ONE THING IF YOU CONSTRICT THE ECONOMY BYE 6 BILLION DOLLERS OF GOVENMENT SPENDING YOU WILL SHRINK THE ECONOMY , YOU CANT AVOID IT the laws of economics havent changed .if thats what you want vote dave and his cronies in BUT DONT SAY YOU WERNT WARNED , IM VOTEING LABOUR , ITS A FAR BETTER PLACE THAN WHEN THEY TOOK OVER FROM THE PARTY OF NO THE CONSERVITIVES .WATCH THE HONEY MOON WILL SOON END AS THE CONS THROW MILLIONS OF PEOPLE OUT OF WORK .

bernard2's picture

WHY HAVE YOU ALL FORGOTTON THE YEARS OF CONSERVITIVE PARTY SLEEZE DURING THE THATCHER AND MAJOR YEARS , YOU HAVE ALL GOTTON AMNESIA BRITTON , IF YOU ELECT DAVE AND OSBORNE YOUR MEMORY WILL RETURN REALY QUICK . BUT BYE THEN YOU WILL DISERVE ALL THEY DISH UP TO YOU FOR YOUR STUPIDITY.in america all my friends there thought brown left camron for dead , they think camrons a light weight .labour im more convinced im doing the right thing voteing labour than ever.

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