Nadine Dorries Takes Revenge on Twitter Critic: Uses Paul Staines to Push Smear

A couple of days ago I wrote a blog entry on how Nadine Dorries MP had smeared the blogger Tim Ireland as a stalker, and persisted even though Tim has himself been targeted for personal harassment by someone using her false allegation as his justification. Tim recently wrote to Andy Rayment, the chairman of Dorries’ constituency party, but was dismissed both by him and by Dorries as a “nutter”. Rayment’s response also featured in a local newspaper.

One of Dorries’ constituents, who writes online as “Ms Humphrey Cushion”, followed up with an email to Conservative Party HQ:

I am writing to share my disgust at the letter written to Tim Ireland by Mid-Beds Conservative chairman Andy Rayment, as featured in today’s Beds on Sunday. I believe Mr Ireland is an intellegent individual who seeks to right wrongs, not stalk MPs! A quick look at his blog will prove me right on that.

…I am a constituent of Mid Beds and Vice Chair of the Luton & Mid Beds Co-Operative Party and Blogger for the Mid Beds CLP. I attended the hustings where Ms Dorries made very vocal accusations about Mr Ireland in full view of the entire audience. No apology for her outrageous smears has ever been made. Again, this is something I expect you to investigate.

I look forward to your reply. Regards

Tim blogged on Dorries’ extraordinary behaviour at the hustings here.

Yesterday, Dorries wrote on her blog about an article she has written for a book edited by Iain Dale:

In the article, in which I very clearly define the reasons why MPs should not blog or Twitter (yes, I know ) I mention someone who has posted 22,000 tweets in four months.

Today, someone has emailed my office with the details of a political/personal Tweeter who has posted 35,000 tweets in a similar amount of time.

…Is there such a thing as Twitter addiction? How can anyone live a normal life who can do that? Surely these people cannot be in employment because if they are, how can they work? if they aren’t then it’s time they got a job which involves being sat at a key board because there’s nothing much up with their fingers, brain or attention span!!

Ms Humphrey Cushion is a prolific Twitterer with currently 34,500 Tweets to her name, and she has posted many Tweets mocking and criticising Dorries. However, a politically-motivated “outing” of a critic as an alleged welfare cheat who ought to be working might be seen as a shabby ploy to silence or discredit an opponent – the phrase “someone has emailed my office with the details” is  a device to create a bit of distance, and I suspect refers to a staffer who has been given the job of compiling information.

The pretence of distance was further maintained with the help of Paul Staines, the right-libertarian blogger known as “Guido Fawkes”. Staines shares Dorries’ dislike of Tim Ireland, and on two occasions he has tried (and failed) to suppress information on Tim’s blog by threatening to use England’s distinctly unlibertarian libel laws. Staines was more than happy to smear Ms Humphrey Cushion on Dorries’ behalf (link added):

Nadine Dorries is trending on Twitter after she attacked benefit claimants who Twitter all day. “Ms Humphrey Cushion”, one of her constituents, has tweeted nearly 35,000 times in the last six months, often about nights out and her life of unemployed bliss.

She claims that she has chronic arthritis but it clearly isn’t affecting her thumbs. If she can operate Twitter there are plenty of jobs she could be doing on a computer. Alarm bells should be ringing at the Department of Work and Pensions.

Could this be this era’s “on yer bike” soundbite. @HumphreyCushion, get off twitter and get a job

Numerous abusive and anonymous comments are posted beneath.

The baton was then passed back to Dorries, who would have us believe that Staines had made the connection without any help from her (includes NSFW link):

So, Guido found one!

…The left wing Twitterati have apparently gone into overdrive today, and so they should. Guido informs me that his expose claims to be a Labour activist web site organiser for Bedfordshire – or something similar, AND she writes porn http://wordejaculation.wordpress.com/  Nice lady.

…If you are genuinely disabled, or like my mum, retired and love to use the internet to chat to friends etc (she makes me look like a luddite) then that is fantastic and I wish you many hours of pleasure.

If you Twitter all day, every day about claiming disability benefit in one tweet whist arranging a night out in the pub in the next. If you tweet about claiming six months rent from the social fund whilst tweeting how bad your hangover is and if you stride into political meetings and shout the odds with energy and enthusiasm with no sign of any physical disability and if you claim to work for the Labour party and write porn at the same time as claiming your disability benefit – then don’t expect someone like me not to a) inform the authorities and b) tell you to get of your Twitter and get a job.

Alas, however, it turns out that Ms Humphrey Cushion has a job: she’s waiting for an operation so that she can get back to work as a carer. She writes:

….I am currently awaiting 2 operations on my feet as arthritis has crippled them.  I have waited since March for these operations, sadly the hospital has been relieved of its “18 week guarantee”, thanks Coalition. I struggle to stand and walk, I also have arthritis in my neck.  I am a home carer. I love my job although the pay is dreadful and working with dementia clients can be as distressing as it is joyful.  My company are holdng my job open for me, I wish I could work from my chair at home but sadly the clients cant come to me!

…I miss working.  I also miss walking. I miss days out with my kids. I miss going to their sports days and plays.  I miss having the life I took for granted just a year ago.  But I have Twitter and I thank God for Twitter every day.

As for disability benefit, she wrote in June that

If I were entitled, I would use my allowance to pay for transport as I can only walk short distances and struggle to drive. I do not qualify however as I currently only score 6 of the necessary 15 points, despite being signed off working as a carer as I can only stand for 5 minutes at a time. Once my shoulders completely freeze and I can no longer raise my arms above my head, I will qualify.. something to look forward to then.

Also, she adds today that

…I do not now, nor ever have received disability or any other “health” related benefits. However does claiming disability benefit mean you are not entitled to enjoy a night in the pub?

…Nor have I ever attempted to ask for a loan from the Social Fund.  A tweeter suggested that I should ask for one this week as I couldn’t pay 8 months rent as a deposit on a house I had viewed.  The reason I was asked for this extortionate amount is because I am a part-time employee.  The same rule applies to people on incapacity benefits and the unemployed.  I was incandescent with rage and so tweeted about it this week.

Dorries appears in the latest New Statesman expressing her admiration for Sarah Palin, and she has been mocked as a UK Sarah Palin or a UK Michele Bachmann. Judging from the above stunt, maybe we should add “UK Andrew Breitbart” to the list.

35 Responses

  1. I understand picking on your critics.

    However, to choose to attack one who cares for those with dementia and suffers from arthritis seems like a rather poor choice.

    Maybe she should line up a war hero in a wheel chair for her next smear? Maybe some orphans?

    • Issues of petty malice, dishonesty and pure wrong-headedness aside, this is a notable lapse in judgement from Staines especially. Normally he attempts to maintain at least a semi-credible veneer of distance and deniability and tries to base his smears on a shred of truth that he can fall back on should push come to shove.

  2. “However, to choose to attack one who cares for those with dementia and suffers from arthritis seems like a rather poor choice.”
    To be absolutely fair, “Mad Nad” didn’t know her critic was a disabled carer when she made the smears.
    But that doesn’t excuse her in any way – she still made nasty, bigoted accusations on no evidence. Is that how she treats constituents who come to her for help with sorting out benefit problems? God help them, if so – she’s not likely to.

    • Well Sonia, I wouldn’t dare project what Nadine does and does not know on to her ridiculous twattling. But if she does not know, has not checked, has no evidence, has done no research this increases the prospect that her defamation will be considered libel.

      Mr Ireland has advertised for support in taking action. I will certainly consider joining in if this dire behavious from Nads continues.

      She is not a fit person IMO to be an MP, irrespective of whether we think her political views are most excellent or most sickening.

  3. I love the “Guido informs me…“. She’d been tailing Ms HC like a coiling viper.

    Still, like Palin-panning and Bachmann-bashing I can’t help but feel this is a mite futile. I mean, anyone who’s not so deeply rooted in their Toryism they’ve got Margaret Thatcher bedspreads knows that Dorries is deceitful and wrongheaded. What’s the next step?

  4. (Oh, and considering how much Dorries seems to know about HC, would it be fair to dub it “obsessive“?)

  5. It may be that I am the other Tweeter that the ridiculous Nadine is defaming. 27,000 tweets and counting.

    These are many and varied including quite a lot of RT’ing, some live tweeting of events e.g. PMQs, and some participation in twitter memes and running gags (as does Ms Cushion) – all of which increase output.

    Nadine has already defamed me frequently and in clearly libelous and/or slanderous ways.

    Nadine’s twitter output was of course much slighter, in every sense, but nonetheless ridiculous in the extreme.

    Looks to me that Nadine may believe she is losing her grip of her MumP role with Lyons due to report shortly on her rather strange second homing and so on. If that doesn’t finish her parliamentary career then other things under investigation may well do so.

    Meanwhile she’s out to settle some scores and undermine detractors. I suspect she is not fully on top of what she’s doing at the moment. The pressure’s got to her.

    If Mr Dale prints Nadine’s guff he is (a) gullible and foolish and (b) likely to have to pulp his damned book!!

  6. If she trained as a nurse then she should know better that nurseing skills are required updating on a regular basis. quite an example towards kids that have an interest in politics when one has time to write blogs like that. This goverment has boasted that much stigma and fear in disabled people as it is without all this nonsense going on. I suffer mental health issues and for a long time now been at braking point with what this goverment is doing I use twitter as an escape from things by following the poetry blogs and trying to increase my writing etc. Now it like they are trying to take that away as well. All what this goverment has done is increased the stigma that various charity’s and organistions have fought to reduce over many years. I fought over 3 years on fighting discrimanation that i found evidence on by DWP lead myself into taking a brake down and being hopitalised. All because i tried to get back into work to support my kids.

  7. […] You can read more about the bizarre tale here and here. […]

  8. […] Nadine Dorries Takes Revenge on Twitter Critic: Uses Paul Staines to Push Smear by Richard Bartholomew […]

  9. I’m not sure about these allegations that she “used” Paul Staines to perpetuate smears on others.

    The thought occurs that he might have been a willing and intentional accomplice, possibly with a unique agenda.

  10. This Nadine must be obsessed about herself. What would anybody gain from stalking her wrinkly face and neck?

    Designer suits and skirts don’t make a woman attractive.

  11. […] stagnant mind of Nadine Dorries MP craps another brainturd. Her and her hangers-on really do have a consistently misanthropic line in smearing those who have the temerity to criticise her. That someone like her can be elected to […]

  12. […] a minute… why do I care? 4 10 2010 Last week Nadine Dorries lashed out at tweeter/blogger “Humphrey Cushion” by stating that: “If you tweet about claiming six months rent […]

  13. I did a blog about this and I think it’s harsh to say that all the blame lies on one side. I think it’s a matter that needs resolution but I don’t think the blogging community/twittersphere/Guardian should be delivering that justice. That’s the reason why I have since referred the matter to the PSC.

  14. […] for disability living allowance. She had to give up work as a home carer, as she is currently on a waiting list for two foot operations. If someone tweeted so frequently, Dorries wrote, then clearly they had nothing wrong with their […]

  15. […] and that singer with nice hair who’s probably a racist. She is not. And this was an attack. Maybe only on one of Dorries’ enemies, but it was veiled as an attack on the disabled. […]

  16. It appears only Cameron doesn’t know Dorries is “barking mad”
    Dorries speaks about spening time Twittering on people with a disability. They should be working.
    Forgot have you Dorries that you announced what the shoes you wear cost !!
    I think after seeing the Flitwick saga you have “lost The Plot”

  17. […] for disability living allowance. She had to give up work as a home carer, as she is currently on a waiting list for two foot operations. If someone tweeted so frequently, Dorries wrote, then clearly they had nothing wrong with their […]

  18. […] Dorries | Lucy Glennon | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk « WorldWright's … on Nadine Dorries Takes Revenge on Twitter Critic: Uses Paul Staines to Push SmearHonkingAntelope on Joel Richardson Shows Off his IgnoranceFenris on English Defence League […]

  19. […] then Expresses Mirth at "Nutter" JibeWorldNetDaily Distorts Report into Islamism at UK UniversityNadine Dorries Takes Revenge on Twitter Critic: Uses Paul Staines to Push SmearArchbishop Duncan Williams Marries US […]

  20. […] Richard Bartholomew: Nadine Dorries Takes Revenge on Twitter Critic: Uses Paul Staines to Push Smea… […]

  21. […] is a pattern of reckless maliciousness with Dorries: here’s Dorries attacking another on-line critic as a benefits cheat (helped by Paul Staines, another […]

  22. […] invited critical public attention: she took revenge on someone who had criticised her on Twitter by smearing the person concerned as a benefits cheat, and her behaviour on a reality TV programme last year was […]

  23. […] Dorries’ – helped party-hack blogger Paul Staines (and perhaps Tory Bear) – decided to smear Ms Cushion as a “benefits cheat” who was pretending to be disabled to get welfare […]

  24. […] decided to join in on the action, not against Tim, but someone else Nadine sees as a mortal enemy, Ms Humphrey Cushion. . @humphreycushion Enjoy your day tweeting. Remember Nadine and I might be watching you! ;) […]

  25. […] was) for chatting to friends about a night out in the pub where she had a bit much to drink, for citing political criticism of Dorries (she is Cushion’s MP) and because Cushion wrote a couple of saucy stories for another website […]

  26. […] though, that sets my bile duct a’twitchin’. She’s tarred them as stalkers, shirkers and conspirators. When a Labour tribalist did go too far – plundering her daughter’s […]

  27. […] titles for Hart in the late 1980s was was none other than Paul Staines, now better-known as the on-line smear-merchant “Guido Fawkes”. An interview with Staines in Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy […]

  28. […] at one time employed Paul Staines, who is now famous as a conservative political blogger, smear-merchant, abusive thug, and libel bully. Staines was at the time a part of a young conservative activist […]

  29. […] of attack just because it happened to be manifestly unsustainable or vilely unfair. Back in 2010, she used Harry Cole and Paul Staines to smear one on-line critic as a benefits cheat, on the grounds that […]

  30. […] education correspondent and the Twitter feed (a piece of misdirection from veteran smear-merchant Paul Staines, or perhaps sidekick Harry Cole); did not the Labour activist Damian McBride also take to the […]

  31. […] know we have had our differences over the past few years but I’m a forgiving soul and my MP, Nadine Dorries really needs our […]

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