TB *Hearts* Nadine Dorries

Oh, Tory Bear - what's happened to you? You seem to have become a purely partisan blogger, slavishly defending the indefensible simply because she happens to be in the same party as you. And, ironically, you've adopted some of the traits that she uses.

TB swung by BBC Breakfast this morning to discuss the fact that despite being cleared by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Nadine Dorries is still being subjected to a vitriolic and partisan hounding online, especially from the more scummy, stalkerish elements of the otherwise maturing left-wing blogsphere.

There is nothing partisan about commenting on an MP whose lies have just been exposed. And since she is an elected representative paid from the public purse any vitriol against her owing to her deceit is more than acceptable.

Nadine claimed that she changed the names and locations of constituents she discussed in order to protect their privacy and her own. Funnily enough the BBC though this worthy of their airtime.

An MP lying about the details she shares with her constituents being newsworthy? Who'd have a thought it?

The quality is appalling, but someone managed to grab a recording of the discussion with lefty, but a nice one, Zoe Margolis.

I wonder what makes someone a nice "lefty"? And I wonder whether this particular "lefty" really wants to be considered "nice" by Tory Bear?

Anyhoo, at this point in his post TB has the video of his appearance on BBC Breakfast. He's right - the quality is appalling. As is his shirt - he seems to have adopted the two-tone shirts that one normally associates with bankers and Guido Fawkes.

Take note though Andrew Marr, not a basement dweller in sight. Though it's that sort of blogger keeping the attacks up.

No, it isn't - it is people like myself who keep the attacks going because we are sick to fucking death of politicians lie Dorries.

To those that say this isn't a left on right attack are wrong.

No, it isn't a left on right attack - I am neither left wing or right wing, and I am part of the attack. But even if I was right wing, I would still attack Dorries behaviour because for me, unlike TB, I'm not slavishly partisan.

It's precisely because of Nadine's views, that some might regard as controversial, that the left can whip themselves up into such a frenzy about her. But they are running out of attack lines, and funny how quiet they are about the accused fraudsters facing trial from their own side of the political divide.

Well, I object to Dorries's view on abortion, which are crass, illiberal and antediluvian. But that isn't the reason why I'm attacking her at the moment - it is because of her (self-confessed) mendacious behaviour. And I've not been silent on those expenses fiddlers who are facing trial - it is just that nothing is happening with that story, whereas with Dorries, this story is fresh and evolving.

Funny though that despite the countless attempts to bring her down, Nadine managed to increase her majority in May.

In a safe Tory constituency that has not returned anyone from another party since 1929* that isn't quite the achievement TB makes it out to be - particularly since in 2005 she was replacing an MP who had disgraced himself. And the increased swing towards her was only a bit more than the national swing towards the Conservatives. Quite how this current scandal will impact on her constituency vote next time remains to be seen, of course.

Something that along with her clearing by John Lyons is driving the local Labour Party and freaks many miles away in places like Guildford mad.

Well, she may have been cleared but in the process revealed that she has deceived people. It's not exactly a ringing endorsement of her behaviour now, is it?

She remains are popular local MP and would frankly be better ignoring the online nutters...

Well, her popularity may well take a bit of a battering over this. But that isn't the jarring moment in the final line. The use of the word "nutters" (which may well be tongue in cheek to some extent) is simply extending the banal insults thrown around by his fellow party member. Those who disagree with Dorries and call her on her lies are "nutters". The hypocrisy in TB's position should be clear to everyone - he's not a nutter when he attacks Labour politicians, but when someone attacks someone from his party... well, they must be mental.

TB is clearly a publicity hungry blogger determined to make himself into some sort of minor celebrity. Fair play. He's not doing badly at it. But he should bear in mind that there is nothing that damages a blogger's credibility quicker than being a slavish party loyalist. Nothing, that is, other than admitting that 70% of your blog's content is fiction...

UPDATE:

TB tells me in the comments section that he is not longer a Tory party member; sorry, my bad. However I still feel that tribal loyalty is playing a role in his judgement call on this one so when you read "same party" in the post above read "fellow right-winger" or similar instead.

*The boundaries of the constituency have changed over that period, of course.