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editI have changed the reference to Birchall's notorious email addressed to Polly Toynbee back to version (pre-December 31) which read:
"Ian Birchall became infamous for a time in May 2006 for sending an offensive email to Polly Toynbee, The Guardian columnist."
The version of December 31, which read as follows:
"In May 2006 Ian Birchall was widely commended for his vigorous denunciation of £300,000-a-year Blairite journalist Polly Toynbee."
I see as misleading in that:
1) It eliminates the link to the original email Ian Birchall sent, which read:
"You (ie Polly Toynbee) are a loathsome overpaid hypocrite. Nobody would miss you for 5 seconds if you were dead like your despicable shitball husband. I should like to see you in a cancer ward screaming with pain and vomiting blood."
2) The erasing of the link does not allow readers to make up their own minds as to whether the comment is a "vigorous denunciation" or an "offensive email". Most people (I believe) would agree with the latter, but at least we should be allowed to decide!
3) Birchall himself confessed that he wrote the email in a "fit of late-night depression", adding (somewhat pathetically) "I have been ill recently" (See Harry's Place blog for more details: [1]
4) The December 31 2006 version said that Birchall had been "widely commended" for his noctural ramblings, but by whom? No references have been provided.
5) Does the inclusion of Toynbee's salary and political sympathies justify the insulting invective employed by Birchall? As a non-Blairite socialist, I think not. Whatever the case, let's not try to dress it up as a "vigorous denunciation".