Thursday 25 March 2010

Littlejohn makes it up about swans

Richard Littlejohn is being his usual smug self in his column of Friday 26 March:

Oh, and in Peterborough, fishermen have produced evidence that Eastern European immigrants are catching swans and eating them - a story dismissed originally as an 'urban myth'.

You couldn't make it up.

Except, of course, he could. In fact, 'you couldn't make it up' seems to be the way he's ends a story where he has done just that.

What 'evidence' is he talking about?

Presumably he's referring to the story published in the Mail a few days ago, where some very general claims were made (mainly about fish) with absolutely no hard evidence produced to back them up. If it's as common a problem as the Mail makes out, you'd think there might be photographic proof at least.

Yet even the Mail seemed unsure about the swan claims:

The swans are allegedly captured with bread on barbed snares before they are hauled in from the River Nene in Peterborough, and clubbed to death.

Moreover, the RSPCA were forced into issuing a statement specifically rejecting the claims:

To date the RSPCA has not received sufficient evidence that any particular person or group of people is responsible for the death of swans in this area.

Our inspectors and animal welfare officers have investigated all allegations, but at this time there is nothing to suggest the deaths are connected or deliberate.

Perhaps Littlejohn would just like to clarify exactly what evidence he's talking about...just so people don't think he is, in fact, making it up after all.

4 comments:

  1. Absolutely disgraceful racist-baiting on Littlejohn's part. Mind you, even his awful, vile-smelling words do not compare to that horrific cartoon by "Gary". It's just awful in so many different ways, I can't think of any more adjectives to describe it.

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  2. Perhaps "you couldn't make it up" really means, "YOU couldn't, but I, Richard Littlejohn, sixth best columnist in Britain, can and do write whatever untrue, racist, unfunny crap comes into my head".

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  3. Interesting that most of what that column from him seems to do is take something out of context to make a point of (insert whatever here) being forced on (insert person/class here). The comment about the midshipman on the Russian ship using Metric measurements was a stretch - let alone the rest!

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  4. Anonymous - Totally agree with you. How does an ex-Navy guy in his 80s talking about a 200m long ship in an interview prove the 'enforced metrification of Britain'? Baffling.

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