The Mirror’s bogus account of UKIP night out
Posted on March 3, 2012The Mirror was doing its best to discredit UKIP yesterday after a weekend of pretty good publicity (even from the Guardian, which must have shocked a few out of their blazers).
The paper claims:
25 UK Independence Party members were handing out fliers when some apparently went crazy after being asked to leave a quiet boozer.
They allegedly began threatening bar staff and police had to be called.
I’m told, though, that what really happened in Skegness was rather different than the Mirror’s account.
Rather than “handing out fliers” at the Wetherspoon’s pub The Red Lion, the group had ordered drinks and food, sat down and started chatting to staff when they asked permission to put UKIP “save the pub” beermats on the bar. The manager understandably said it wasn’t his call and agreed to call his Area Manager to check.
In the meantime the group’s food was delivered – hardly something a pub would do for customers who were “going crazy” on a “night of shame”.
When the manager returned a few minutes later, he apologised and said he’d not only been told by his superior that the beermats couldn’t be handed out, but that the group couldn’t touch their food, would be given a full refund and would have to leave immediately.
All this suggests a wrong call by an overzealous manager in a regional office, a far cry from the Mirror’s portrayal of something just short of an EDL riot.
I can’t imagine Wetherspoon’s would stand by such an overreaction against UKIP members, either, for two reasons.
First, the company has a long and honourable history of euroscepticism – see here for a recent article by their Chairman Tim Martin about the “economic folly” of the Euro and the “incredibly stupid” “load of baloney” of the current Fiscal Union proposals. Wetherspoon’s isn’t a UKIP-supporting company, but it has a sensible eurosceptic head on its shoulders (unlike, it would seem, the Skegness Area Manager).
Second, Wetherspoon’s are in touch with their drinkers. They know perfectly well the fact that your average pub-goer is no great fan of the EU, and are therefore unlikely to have some kind of UKIP ban. As evidence, just look at the ale being served at the time of the incident by the Red Lion, the pub in Skegness at the heart of this non-story:
Rather says it all, doesn’t it?
Tags: Ale, EDL, EU, Euro, Eurosceptics, Fiscal Union, Freedom, opinion, Politics, Red Lion, Skegness, The Mirror, Tim Martin, UKIP, UKIP Conference, Veto Ale
Oooooh the sycophantic media puppets of the other parties are getting scared aren’t they? GOOD! they should, because we know that they are lying and we have the power to think for ourselves, without the need for constant mainstream media conditioning.
06.03.2012 13:08
As I was actually present in the pub as the UKIP group were leaving I can honestly say there was no trouble whatsoever.
In fact the group didn’t make any sort of fuss & left quietly without even mentioning the request to leave to anyone in the pub.
We later saw them out in other pubs giving out “Save British Pubs” beer mats & fliers. They were not drunk, they were well mannered & well behaved.
A point made to me by Elaine who had taken such good care of me (she allowed me to plug my electric wheelchair in as I had almost run out of power) during my meal in the bar. We chatted & she commented on what a great idea it was to help save our pubs she also commented on what a polite group the UKIP campaigners were.
Later at around 10.30 we saw the group again with senior members of the UKIP NEC peacefully walking down the main street.
I can say with all honesty that the Mirror article is not only untrue but that it is complete lies. I will happily take any lie detector test, swear on any holy book etc that there was no trouble in the Wetherspoons pub whatsoever & I can categorically confirm there were NOT any police in attendance at the Red Lion Pub during or after the UKIP group had been on the premises.
I am saddened that such lies must be put about by the Media just to increase circulation as it appears only bad news sells. The Daily Mirror & otther media should try telling the truth it would be a refreshing change & I’m sure would bring about a more positive view of the media.
06.03.2012 13:26
It is interesting to read this as I saw the article and thought how the account seemed very strange and rather out of character – think what you like of UKIP but they are more the geeky, ale supping kind than the riotous larger lout cround.
As one of the comments on the article suggests, they have relied on the word of a drunk man to write the article.
It would be interesting to hear the response from Wetherspoon.
06.03.2012 14:23
Its the Mirror – we know they are not at all patriotic to Britain. Look at their constant sneering at anyone who is deemed a “patriot” to these isles.
Also, which other newspaper – apart from the SWP rag, Tribune & The Morning Star – would run obviously fake pictures of our troops committing war crimes?
The Mirror is written by anti British scum for anti British scum.
06.03.2012 14:27
Tribune has NEVER published faked photographs, as you claim. I am a former Editor of the newspaper, and attacked Piers Morgan at the time for publishing the pictures. Email me your monstrous claim again, and I will see you in court.
07.03.2012 16:57
I would suggest that UKIP sue the Mirror. In fact I think that it is essential that they do so.
06.03.2012 14:30
Any surveillance video? Anybody get it on their phone? These days, that’s the first question you ask. (Failing video, it just turns into a swearing match– I swear I saw this, you swear you saw that.) Of course, there’s always Twitter, too; you’d think if such a kerfuffle were going on, someone would be Tweeting about it, right? It’s getting harder and harder to just make shite up, isn’t it (NOT “innit”)?
06.03.2012 14:40
I have a photograph of us sitting down and chatting (far from riotous!) moments before we were asked to leave, but no video.
06.03.2012 19:02
The Daily Mirror is little more than a pea-brained ‘celebrity’ comic. That it even makes comments on political matters is ludicrous, given that its readership would be far more interested in who someone that finished 4th on X-Factor in 2008 is now going out with.
TV news shows may as well ask someone from “Take A Break” to review the broadsheets as Kevin Maguire.
06.03.2012 14:45
UKIP members make a patriotic change from you supping European lager at Manchester last year.
06.03.2012 15:30
I hear their foaming at the mouth was putting off the other customers, and well, frankly, I wouldn’t want such a bunch of undesirables in my local either. Awful manors in my experience, bloody splitters.
06.03.2012 22:16
There is a simple step to be taken here – report the Mirror to the Press Complaints Commission and seek a retraction and an apology.
07.03.2012 08:27
Sadly, this Weatherspoon reaction is typical of the spineless corporate psyche that we see time and time again. Business managers are terrified of offending the status quo and the powers that be, and are more terrified of their CEO’s reaction should they dare to demonstrate any initiative. This is perhaps understandable to some extent because in a crony capitalist/socialist state only businesses that toe the party line are allowed to survive, and businesses are well aware what the rules are.
As the Eu fascist super state is rolled out over the coming decades we can be sure that big business will do nothing to stand in its way.
08.03.2012 09:34