John Rentoul ...





... and his new hero





Contrary to what some on the left would have us believe, the years when Labour was in power, and Tony Blair was PM, were generally good ones for most Britons. The minimum wage, Sure Start, a better-funded NHS, tax credits, more employment rights, peace at last in Northern Ireland, the abolition of Section 28 - all these moved us forward. Sadly, there was also the Iraq débâcle, and the latterly wayward Blairite acolytes.Among the last-mentioned was John Rentoul, who, like Desperate Dan Hodges, supported alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson when the latter stood for Mayor of London, opposed Ed Miliband as Labour leader, and attempted to portray Jeremy Corbyn as an anti-Semite without managing to pony up any evidence in support.Now, Rentoul is asking “” and apparently without even a hint of self-awareness. The short answer is that, no, it will not - so long as he has his way. Because The Great Man has also declared “”. So let’s translate that for him.Rentoul doesn’t want us looking behind stories like ”.He doesn’t want anyone pursuing the story which saw Ian Fraser observe “”. Dr Chowdhury was only 53 and had no underlying health conditions.He would rather the likes of Owen Jones keep quiet, rather than point out “”. Another 900+ died the previous day. And another 900+ died yesterday. But hey, no-one should be held accountable, right?He’s not going to want to follow up BBCLewis Goodall in asking “” We wasted 15 days. But in the brave new post-Coronavirus world of John Rentoul, no-one will carry the can for that.Anyone might get the impression that Rentoul had, like so many others who inhabit the Westminster bubble, become fully invested in The Adoration Of The Boris. We are allowed to learn some lessons, but if the new hero of establishment client journalism has to carry the can for his lousy leadership - forget it. The Great Unwashed aren’t allowed that.Small wonder Blair’s reputation has suffered, when his supporters turn out, like John Rentoul, to be shameless floor crossers. But it pays well,Enjoy your visit to? You can help this truly independent blog carry on talking truth to power, while retaining its sense of humour, by adding to its Just Giving page at