“I think he is the person that can do it…there is not anybody quite like Jeremy Corbyn, I don’t think” @giles_fraser tells @afneil #bbctw pic.twitter.com/6WYtOCPytd — BBC This Week (@bbcthisweek) April 27, 2017
Alas things soon took another turn for the worse when Neil asked about nice guy Corbyn’s links to the IRA and Hamas. Fraser’s argument that real peace involves talking to the bad guys soon looked on shaky ground when Corbyn’s comments were given context…AN: Where has Mr Corbyn’s brand of socialism worked? GF: Err… well I hope it’s going to work here. AN: But where has it worked elsewhere? GF: Well, I think it’s a brand for the future actually.
Mr S suspects Fraser will need to do a bit more research if he hopes to be a convincing cheerleader for the Labour leader…AN: You mentioned several times that Mr Corbyn was a man of peace. How does that square with his past ties with Hamas, Hezbollah and Sinn Fein/ IRA? GF: Well, that is very straightforward: in order to make peace, you have to talk to the bad guys. AN: But when he talked to Sinn Fein and the IRA, it wasn’t to make peace because he essentially wanted the IRA to win. So, why does that make him a man of peace? GF: There are a lot of people that wanted a united Ireland. I didn’t say that is what made him a man of peace, you brought that up. I think he is a man of peace. AN: And if he talks to Hamas or Hezbollah? GF: He is prepared to talk to – and, in fact, I don’t think we do this enough in this country, we are always so high and mighty – we talk to people behind the scenes, of course – but we won’t be up front about it.
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