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A lot of lefties have walked away from PoliticsHome because Michael Ashcroft has taken a major stake in it and Rawnsley has left.

There is much discussion of this over at Iain Dale's Diary.

Here's my take on what Dale is calling the Left's 'gesture politics', as I commented over there.

Rawnsley is a brilliant journalist and widely respected across all parties but let's not kid ourselves. He is also a Leftie, albeit with the journalistic nous and skill to keep it out of his factual reporting, if not his more subtle opinion pieces.

The Fabians and their fellow travellers think he's 'sensible' and 'balanced' because he's a Leftie like themselves, like TaylorM, like ClarkeC. They are their own (and only acceptable) benchmark for 'balance', just like the BBC group-thinkers. Rawnsley's a lot cleverer than they are. Or I thought he was.

To be to the right of this lot is the only evidence they need that you are a Bad Person. (Seriously - an objectively bad, or at least deluded, person.)

To be associated in any way with anyone who works for the Conservative Party is to touch pitch. Ashcroft is the archetype, the antiChrist, their chief target, the Worst Person in the Whole World. 'Argh! Where's the garlic?! Everyone grab a stake!'

For any one of them to be seen by their peers to associate with Ashcroft means political perdition. They behave like lemmings because they have been trained to adhere to the approved group-think. It is the Socialist Way.

Pathetic. And frightening.