Corb Blimey!

[ursus arctos]

Your defamation laws are massively effed up, ex. 17,382

[Nefertiti2]

They are doing enough to stay inside the law. They are not reporting the stories, they are reporting that someone is saying the stories.

Bradley has asserted that Corbyn sold secrets as a fact without citing any other source.

Also if a libel is repeated you are just as liable for the libel as the person making the original allegation.

[MsD]

From what I've seen on Twitter/FB, this isn't changing anyone's mind. The same people who think he was an agent of Iran/friend of Hamas/IRA enthusiast will believe the shite, the others either won't believe it, find it funny or not care. We're not at war with Czechoslovakia and there's little Corbyn could have told anyone they didn't know already, being spies n'all.

That said, it's still a cunty libel.

[My Name Is Ian]

They are doing enough to stay inside the law. They are not reporting the stories, they are reporting that someone is saying the stories.

There's a very strong chance that they would constitute libel. If the insinuation or implication of repeating the allegations were not clear enough in stating that they were untrue, it would likely be enough were the matter to go to court (ultimately, "the man on the Clapham Omnibus" test may well apply, and that in itself would make for a particularly interesting court case.) Saying "I'm just repeating what he said" isn't a strong libel defence at all.

[Snake Plissken]

Ah, I didn't realise they were moving on from "allegedly" and "reportedly" to flat out saying it.

It doesn't matter. The papers are experts in the field of libelling and then sticking the apology on page 116. Isn't it something like Section 16 (?) of a libel case where if the other side makes an offer to admit liability and make a full apology, then the full costs of your defence become yours no matter what? This is what tends to stop the libelled ever getting to court - multi-millionaires excepted.

[ursus arctos]

Even so, Bradley isn’t the press and wasn’t speaking in Parliament

[Lurgee]

Left wingers and libel suits tend not to mix well. Ask Harold Laski.

[NHH]

I think there's an unwritten rule that you should avoid court cases because a) politics is a rough and tumble game and to sue is to point at the teacher and say 'he hit me miss!' and b) because your political enemies will be delighted that you will be tied up in a scenario in which they can repeat the libels aplenty, and drag in every other bit of stuff that suits them, whilst tying you up in court and that c) a political party leader doesn't get themselves tied up defending their reputation in court, but in the court of public opinion.

Obviously, these rules were 'divined' in a time when a convention held that certain libels were just too below the belt to be made, which is to say, they may have less purchase in yer modern scorched earth alt-right landscape.

[Amor de Cosmos]

The last libel suit I remember that involved a Labour leader (PM in fact) was Harold Wilson v The Move over a cartoon. He won, as I recall.

[My Name Is Ian]

Michael Foot settled against the Sunday Times in 1995.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/su...m-1590325.html

Edit: From what I can gather, the similarities between the allegations made then those being made now are striking.

[Nefertiti2]

Even Theresa May is turning the heat up on this.

Something's up.

[Nefertiti2]

It's been deleted.

https://twitter.com/danbloom1/status/965665023619141632

[Lang Spoon]

Matthew D’Ancona was his usual pisspoor self in the guardian column on this. Almost up there with their Dup friendly poo-poohing the Irish Language Act like the GFA ain’t no thing leader article. Fucking Scott Trust Sensibles. Enablers of cunts, employers of cunts. Almost miss the Rusbridger days.

[Nefertiti2]

Really trying to figure this out. There doesn't appear to be anything new about this stuff, that wasn't in the pre-election 18 page hit on the Daily Mail. I can't imagine that this is going to be bringing back young voters or indeed anyone born after the Berlin Wall fell. What's happening?

[ursus arctos]

It’s one thing that the Conservative Party and their masters in the press can agree on?

[Nefertiti2]

Although Ben Bradley has deleted his tweet, this, from a government minister remains up.

https://twitter.com/bwallacemp/status/965653485957107712

[Antepli Ejderha]

It's been deleted.

https://twitter.com/danbloom1/status/965665023619141632

He really should have sued as this isn't going to stop.

[Eggchaser]

Did Corbyn go to Cambridge, then?

[Nefertiti2]

The leader of the Opposition s office

https://twitter.com/lotocomms/status/965692388458074112

[Lang Spoon]

As far as I understand it, Corbyn would have a very solid case judging by the pisspoor Reynolds Case judgment, where twisted firestarter corrupt as fuck former Taoiseach won a shitload of money from The Times for alleging stuff that was true (and even at the time, the corruption was pretty verifiable). Of course, the damage in going crying to the courts would leave this as the very last resort for Corbyn. But I’m pretty sure he would win.

[Nefertiti2]

interesting that May is also saying Corbyn has a duty to request his file.

it looks as though this, with the Soros attack in the Telegraph is an attempt of the Breitbart/ Birther playbook to discredit Corbyn.

They know that proving an absence is impossible and whatever Corbyn does (as with Obama's Birth certificate) can be used to stir up the base and create uncertainty elsewhere.
The BBC this morning craven as ever repeating the allegations via the press and Anne McElvoy, whilst not reporting the Tweet by Bradley or the fact that he deleted it on the threat of legal action.

Things are going to get a lot dirtier. I think the rumbles about the anglo irish agreeement and the impossibility of holding the Tories together any longer means that an election is near, and that they are trying to throw as much much shit as possible before election rules on equality kick in.

[Duncan Gardner]

The last libel suit I remember that involved a Labour leader (PM in fact) was Harold Wilson v The Move over a cartoon. He won, as I recall

New election to be called tonight- or will we hear the grass grow awhile yet?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Andy Burnham threatened legal action v Jeremy Hunt in the last Parliament. Hunt promptly stopped lying about him.

[Ginger Yellow]

As far as I understand it, Corbyn would have a very solid case judging by the pisspoor Reynolds Case judgment, where twisted firestarter corrupt as fuck former Taoiseach won a shitload of money from The Times for alleging stuff that was true (and even at the time, the corruption was pretty verifiable). Of course, the damage in going crying to the courts would leave this as the very last resort for Corbyn. But I’m pretty sure he would win.

English libel law, both statute and jurisprudence, has changed pretty dramatically since then. Even the Reynolds defence itself became much more robust than as it was formulated in that judgment.

[Nefertiti2]

Corbyn is speaking at the Engineering Employers Federation. Manufacturing industry

Jeremy Corbyn gets asked about Czech spy-gate by Mail. Chorus of boos from EEF delegates. Corbyn says he's sorry Mail is reduced to following up nonsense from the Sun. Cue loud cheers and applause in the hall.