Shroud Waving As A Defence Stategy

I wasn't too bothered by Diane Abbott's comments about white people wanting to "Divide and rule" black people. It's mildly racist at worst- like other things that she has said in the past- and people are quite right to think that it is foolish for a shadow minister but in the grand scheme of things it isn't bad enough to lose sleep over.

What was much more offensive was the small horde of apologists for Diane Abbott insinuating that to focus on a prominent black figure's remarks about white people was in some way trivialising the murder of Stephen Lawrence because "OMG!!! ITZ THE SAME WEEK 2 OF HIS MURDERERS WERE CONVICTED!!!!*

Given that Abbott's original remark was made in the context of a discussion stemming from the convictions it is a stupid argument- it could not happen at any other time. It's such a brazenly cynical strategy of circling the wagons to protect one of their own that it's amazing that anyone thinks it would work.

* So far the shroud waving defenders of St Diane include Gary Younge, Laurie Penny, Steven Baxter, at least one Guardian cartoonist and tons of Twitterers.