I have known of allegations of sexual pestering against Chris Rennard for at least five years, and I find it impossible to believe Nick Clegg has not known for longer.
But I am baffled as to what the current fuss is about. The allegations of which I know are not of criminal offences, but the sort of inappropriate workplace conduct which should lose you your job. And it was always my understanding that was why Rennard resigned as Lib Dem Chief Executive four years ago. Unless there are new allegations which are actually criminal (and I have still not heard that alleged) what is actually supposed to happen now?
Why the allegations about Rennard were not published at the time, I don’t know. All the senior political journalists knew of them. There are some things, like Prince Phillip’s love life or Jack Straw’s visits to a South London address, which are well known but our corporate media somehow decides to hold back on. One group of people who do know every detail of such matters are the Metropolitan Police’s close protection officers, one of whom allegedly committed suicide recently.
Several things are happening with the Rennard “news”. Clegg has lied. The Tory media have dug up very old, stale news especially for the Eastleigh by-election. The current hysteria about all sex-related allegations (lead news story – Rennard; next item some dodgy Archbishop; next item BBC/Savile) propels this bit of old nonsense effortlessly to the top of news programmes. Meanwhile the bankers are still getting all our money courtesy of the state, Israel is devastating Palestine, the Bahraini despots oppress their people, Saudi and the US stoke terrible war in Syria. But evidently none of that is nearly as important as Rennard’s alleged rather pathetic attempts to get laid.
I understand that Chris Rennard was given specific responsibility for new women candidates at the end of last year and that one of the women, who had refused to speak to the press in the past on the grounds that Rennard no longer had responsibility for candidates not the opportunity to pester women, was back in a position to do so. See Cathy Newman’s account of how the film was made at http://www.channel4.com/news/lord-rennard-questions-pile-up-for-clegg The woman who went to Cathy Newman is being trolled rather nastily on Twitter by Rennard’s supporters and is not, she says, being helped by made-up quotations attributed to her in the press. She stands by what she said on the C4 programme and that her concern is that women should be able to work and enter politics without this kind of treatment. She insists the timing of the C4 piece is coincidental but obviously the newspapers’ response to it is connected with the current concerns in the press and with the by-election. Obviously other subjects matter but women should be able to enter politics without the kind of repeated and rather disgusting sexual harassment alleged.
Yeah – media management? Why, whoever heard of such a thing?
Quick, look! – paralympic runner kills girlfriend! Look! Look!
Craig : you’ll probably think that I’m impossibly naive – or just easily misled – but nevertheless: is it not just possible that the media are occaionally full of what are really non-stories like Rennard not as part of some dastardly plot to divert our attention away from more important matters but rather because such non-stories are in reality likely to be closer to our own everyday experiences (or wishes) and are therefore more likely to arouse our interest and so sell the paper? Most people can probably relate more easily to fancying a work colleague than to Israeli strikes on Gaza (relate in the sense that the former will probably aappear more “real” than the latter).
Just a thought.
PS – you know that this post of yours will have disappointed more than one of the Eminences because, apart from the mention of the Israel/Palestine war, there is no Zionist angle to foam about?
Any time you see any kind of news being propagated by the gaggle of stenographers posing as the “news media”, ask yourself three questions:
1- Why am I being told this?
2- Why am I being told this?
3- Why am I being told this?
As it has been rightly highlighted, the news of uprising in Qatif in KSA, the images of a Bahrain Government sponsored militia driving his four wheel drive into a crowd of protesters, or the bullet wounds of the children shot dead by the same militia, ad nauseam are absent from the same “media”. This is in line with the same principles as Orwell highlighted in his prophecies published as 1984.
The fact is the shameless bastards owning the same “media” are far too busy pushing the common narrative set by the various “think tanks” (read as: out sourced governance paradigms) , that they have only but one option: paste sex all over the print media and air ways. After all they sell cars with sex, sell toothpaste with sex, why not hoodwink the plebeians with sex too?
Thank you Kathz.
I appreciate that the horsemeat stories and this are diversions from what the media should be addressing but I cannot agree with the male view of sex abuse we have been given. Ask any woman or child what it’s like when it has not been sought. I think sex abuse is one of the worst crimes on the level of rape and murder. Frances Andrade committed suicide following the trial of the Brewers. She had lived with the memories of the abuse committed on her by the couple when a child. What revolting people.
Yes Clegg has lied. He is a moral pygmy like most of the rest of the males who polish the green benches with their posteriors.
And yes there is actually an Israel connection as I have already said on the previous threads. Rennard went to Israel courtesy of the LD Friends of Israel. That fact is not hidden. It is on his Register of Interests plain to see.
http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/christopher-rennard/26623
Clegg also thinks it is a wonderful country and so-ooh democratic.
‘He began by thanking the Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel for all the work it had done to promote the organisation within the party; in doing so he acknowledged that the party and LDFI did not always see eye to eye. He described himself and “many, many” Lib Dem members as “real admirers of the democratic traditions and liberal ethos of life within Israel’ and went on to say that this was a period of “immense delicacy” as talks between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority take place. He was “acutely aware” that all “we” can do is to create the conditions helpful to negotiations. The only time Mr Clegg referred directly to Palestine was when he noted how much depended on the talks: “So much hinges on the talks, not only the security and safety of the Israeli people which has been under constant threat… but the prosperity and safety and stability and future of the Palestinian communities.” The instability acts as a rallying cause for extremism around the world, he added. It is significant that the LibDem leader did not attend the Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine fringe meeting despite being invited to do so. It is also significant that he didn’t mention the clear and present aggression against Palestinians by Israel’s ongoing illegal military occupation of Palestinian territory.’
http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/europe/1537-lib-dem-leader-clegg-attends-friends-of-israel-fringe-meeting-but-ignores-friends-of-palestine
Rennard was shown tossing pancakes on ITV earlier. Yes he is a tosser.
All the news channels have been primed to announce that Clegg will be making a statement later and some even indicating what he will be saying. YCNMIU.
Yet more trivia ,sexual this time,or celebrity murder to hold our attention while we fund Al Ciada in Syria and the French invade Mali.Forget the real news.I must say the fuss Ch4 has made about the Rennard case is ludicrous, yes of course the women involved should have been spared the embarrasment of Rennard’s passes if he made them but would they have made a complaint if he had been a Cary Grant or someone they had actually fancied?Instead they very vocally said no, so what harm was done? One rather unprepossessing man makes a pass and gets rejected,why is this considered NEWS????Why isn’t Ch4 telling the real news on any number of really important issues?Passes get made and accepted or rejected daily and a large number happen within the workplace.”Get a life” seems the only response to this trivia.
OMG, I was overly optimistic. The Saintly Mary has of course managed to find a link to Israel – Rennard went to Israel! Cast the man into the outer darkness immediately!
Re Michael Culver “Passes get made and accepted or rejected daily and a large number happen within the workplace”. Exactly. And that is why such stories, when they concern people in the public eye, make the headlines: it is the story of many a man in the street.
But not necessarily a plot.
Can anyone tell us more about the allegations wrt the Prince Consort and the allegations wrt the ex-Foreign Secretary?
I second that request. This may all be common knowledge in the UK, but those of us overseas don’t know.
re Rumours – I “third” that request. Never mind about Pr. Phil, though, it’s J.S. I’m curious about.
Perhaps “Fred” could help with one of his furtive little innuendos?
That they’re being termed as ‘serious sexual allegations’ kinda diminishes serious sexual allegations. The hand down the back of the dress one is defo probably a sacking offence but trying it on in a boozer, late at night when…oh noes…he touched her knee 3 times is fucking bullshit.
And a 4th request for Prince Phil and Jack Torture info.
False dichotomy, unpleasant idiot. The one does not preclude the other. No plot needed, just a corporate media. Read Chomsky, if you possess the wit.
There cant be anything squishy about Prince Philips love life because the first load of search hits are all articles declaring how inspiringly beautiful it is.
There are extra news stories, about sex crimes and scandals, but nothing on the hard abuse networks we heard about, in Jersey and… before the oddly picked out and then retracted allegations on mcAlphine farted across the tweetsphere and people were scared to have linked them, as lawyers threats where broadcast and even payed by the bbc with our tv fees. aye.
The most self intrested news to the masses should shurely be the perpetual failure and massive theft of the financial industry sucking the state dry with the state willingly complying. But that is a long muffled issue. The ever rising food and fuel prices, combine with super cheap gadgets. Even if growth is possible, what strange plant results?
A carousel of celeb and politico scandals and crimes is wheeled out in faux sacrifice to the worse things hidden behind and besides them.
The troll said “see this doesnt even contain any mention of that thing you expect to be mentioned” and also added the supposed things name to be beyond doubt — absurd in clear type. As absurd as “the news”
Dont forget to smile and dance and sing…
Craig
You forget that it is usually the cover up rather than the initial sin that brings down most politicians.
“OMG, I was overtly optimistic. The Saintly Mary has of course managed to find a link to Israel – Rennard went to Israel! Cast the man into the outer darkness immediately! “(Habbabkuk 7.34pm).
Lord Rennard : Register of interests.
Visit to Israel 6th – 11th June, 2012. Costs of visit (except for costs of flight) met by Liberal Democrats Friends of Israel; cost of flights met by the Government of Israel.
So not a visit courtesy of the Israeli taxpayer to enjoy the Tel Aviv beaches then?
Thanks Mary
The emergence of this material, at this propitious moment, is not the best example I’ve seen of randomness at work.
A 5th request for Prince Phil and Jack Torture info.
Sounds more interesting than that pathetic Rennard loser.
By the way, did anyone else notice that
DSK agreed to pay Nafissatou Diallo $6 million in settlement of the civil lawsuit she brought against him?
Another big man whose sense of entitlement got the better of him. In the account I read it said he’d have to get half the money from his wife (who has since left him.) The other half as a bank loan.
“The reports come as Mr Strauss-Kahn awaits a French court’s decision on whether he is to face further investigation into pimping charges arising from allegations that he and associates arranged sex parties with prostitutes in the northern city of Lille. His lawyers have filed a request for the charges to be dismissed.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/1201/1224327340975.html
December 1, 2012
This from ‘Sunday Sleeze’ May 2011
‘Congratulations are surely in order now Lord Rennard has a new job as an international fundraising consultant. His experience facilitating donations from international business elites, such as for example convicted fraudster Michael Brown, is no doubt the kind of sterling experience that secured this sinecure. Although he forgets to mention that most of the money raised for the 2010 general election was during the year after he was sacked:
“He was the Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats from 2003 to 2009 during which time he was in charge of election campaigns, organisation and fundraising and personally headed the high net worth donor fundraising programme. Under his direction over six million pounds was raised for the 2010 general election campaign”
Taking personal responsibility for the money raised by colleague Lord Clement Jones, the Party Treasurer, and his team has further endeared him to LibDem colleagues. It doesn’t look as though he will have many junior staff to worry about, the company appears to have only one female trainee for 23 consultants and associates. She might then find herself pulled in too many other directions to service the needs of Lord Rennard.’
What goes around…?
Good on yer Mary, keep going girl!
once again habbabuk, you are an utter embarrassment, and your trolling is so petty and relentless that someone must be paying you for such persistence.
And can i add my name to request more info about all this business re Jack Strawture?
Keep up the good work Craig
Politics is a nasty profession. I know absolutely nothing about Brit politics but it does seem that there must be some kind of play going on behind the scenes. Here in the US Petraeus got dumped as head of CIA for some really minor foolishness. He shouldn’t have been there in the first place and there were a number of good reasons for him to be purged. Alas, none of those came into play. But I didn’t complain when he fell even if for the wrong reasons. That is the way the game is played.
BTW, my personal conjecture on the Pertraeus downfall is that politically Obama felt he no choice but to invite him inside his tent (so he could piss outside, not from the outside inside) but resented him deeply for forcing him into the Afghan surge. Obama simply waited for an opportunity to get rid of him while in a weakened position to not cause him further trouble.
O/T! I see that Mrs Obomber (the talk show wannabe) made the announcement direct from the White House that the joint CIA/Hollywood production Argo won the Best Film oscar.
The LDs spokespersons so far are an unlovely and unimpressive lot, eg Simon Hughes. Totally irrelevant too except that they have enabled the cruel and destructive Tory legislation to get through ‘Parliament’. They will go down in history as the worst stooges ever to have been elected.
@ Mary (07h47) : why the inverted commas around the word Parliament ?
@ Uccello (02h50) :
“you are an utter embarassment”
Why so? Because I remarked that for the Saintly Mary, all roads lead not to Rome but to Tel Aviv/Jersusalem? Or because of my more substantive post earlier on?
“your trolling”
I should prefer the slightly longer expression “your refusal to bow automatically to the prevailing orthodoxy as propagated by the Eminences”.
“somebody must be paying you”
Not at all, it’s a labour of love.
“for such persistence”
Oh, I thought that I’ve posted rather little over the last 10 threads or so, compared to many others.
BTW – I’m sure you’re aware that “Uccello” is Italian (vulgar) slang for “dick”?
If not, then what a happy coincidence!
Big thank you to Craig, for having the wisdom and tolerance to allow us to witness “dershowitzery” (aka false dichotomy,etc)in house, instead of, at Huffpo, courtesy of the “yelling yorkshire yarmulker” ! I am already missing the entertainment provided by the “false dichotomy” of the now banished happy kemper !! But there is always a revisit to Madoffs’ wife YouTube plea in court that “she was having to pay for his security out of her own funds”, to make up for that loss of entertainment.
This contains one of the few mentions of the National Health Action party, founded by ex Independent MP Dr Richard Taylor and Dr Clive Peedell. Their Dr Iain MacLellan is a candidate at Eastleigh. Yes I know you hadn’t heard that before! There are actually 14 candidates but you only hear of four.
‘But Dr Clive Peedell, who set up the National Health Action Party to protect the NHS said: “We and many others have warned from the beginning that the Tory agenda behind Lansley’s Bill was privatisation, and transforming the NHS from our greatest public service into a competitive market.
“The Tories have clearly lied even to their coalition partners to get their Bill through and are now determined to sneak through the finishing touches that would kill off our NHS. They must be stopped.’
Tories’ hidden privatisation plan revealed
25 Feb 2013
The massive step towards full privatisation of the NHS is being made in regulations sneaked out earlier this month exposed by the Daily Mirror
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-tories-hidden-privatisation-plan-1729681
Here is a run down of how the plan to privatise the NHS started and the process to date. It really began in the time of Thatcher, who got Eindhoven of the Rand Corporation over from the US to lay out the framework. The plan came to fruition with Thatcher’s other acolyte, Cameron, putting the final nails in the NHS coffin.
In this lecture, based on the book The Plot Against the NHS, co-author Colin Leys attempts to set the record straight on plans for a new healthcare market. He argues that the healthcare reforms proposed by the Coalition are not as radical as they seem, but are part of a plot to dismantle the NHS born under Blair
http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/colin-leys/plot-against-nhs
How Quickly They Forget
Sabbath of Remembrance
by Steve Amsel / February 24th, 2013
Yesterday, synagogues throughout the world commemorated Shabbat Zachor (Sabbath of Remembrance). On that day the first known enemy of the Hebrews, Amalek, is remembered. On that day as well the combined Hate Lists of the ADL and the Wiesenthal Centre are dug out to confirm that Amalek still lives today.
Yes, Amalek still lives. There is no doubt in my mind about that, BUT NOT ON THOSE LISTS. Amalek lives right here in Israel. He is remembered every day of the year by Palestinians, but especially today, the 19th anniversary of the massacre in Hebron by a crazed American zionist.
He is remembered every day that a Palestinian child is lowered into the grave, yet another victim of Israeli terrorism.
He is remembered when a family in Gaza visits the graves of loved ones killed by Israeli soldiers.
How quickly zionism forgets the war crimes committed daily against the Palestinians. How quickly the Western World forgets them as well, mostly due to media blackouts in the zionist controlled press in those countries.
The fate of those who resist the above atrocities is also remembered …
Yes, we remember those crimes every day of the year. And yes, we will never forget them or forgive those that committed them.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/02/how-quckly-they-forget/
Photos and links within, one of which is:
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2012/02/25/18-years-since-the-hebron-massacre/
‘The dawn of Friday 15 Ramadan 1414 a.h. / 25 February 1994 marked the first of three massacres perpetrated by Israeli settlers accompanied by the Israeli Army. There were more than 30 martyrs and 270 injured. The main massacre took place while the victims were performing al- Fajr (Dawn) Prayer at Al Ibrahimi mosque.’
English Knight, I think you wouldn’t recognise a false dichotomy if it turned round and slapped you across the face.
BTW are you out on license?
It’s all very well some ladies thinking they’ve notched one up for feminism when stories such as these emerge.
But that’s rarely what’s playing out.
The superficiality of their ambition, really is quite intriguing.
Is it just me or does this whole thing stink of Simon Hughes?