Miserable Conservative Traitor becomes happy shiny New Labour MP

– at least that’s what you’d think from comparing the two BBC pictures of Robert Jackson on BBC Views Online. Jackson the traitor is happy and smiling, whilst Jackson the Conservative is as glum as can be.

And yet if you look at the two pictures they were obviously taken at the same time as part of the same set – the clothing and lighting are identical in both. So why is it that when Jackson was a Conservative the BBC portrayed him as a miserable git, yet when he sees the error of his ways and becomes a shiny New Labour turncoat he’s suddenly charm itself?

Maybe it’s an unfortunate coincidence. Or perhaps it’s just another instance of subtle left-wing BBC bias that we’re not supposed to notice.

Update: On closer examination it is also clear that the ‘happy’ New Labour Jackson’s colours are quite natural, whereas the old ‘Conservative’ Jackson’s picture’s contrast is badly skewed, thus, compared to the ‘happy’ picture, the top left corner is washed out, the left of Jackson’s face is thrown into shadow and his forehead verges on overexposed. Was this mere incompetence, or a deliberate attempt to portray the Conservative version of Jackson as harshly as could be got away with?

While we’re on the subject of defections, the BBC’s See also: list seems very sparse, given the constant froth of malcontents (did you hear about Robert Jackson’s knighthood? Me neither) to-ing and fro-ing between Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee Party, for instance, Richard Balfe’s 2002 defection seems to have been omitted. Short of time I expect.