LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has been taken to task on social media after he quoted legendary Scottish manager Bill Shankly in advance of England’s narrow 2-1 win over Tunisia in the World Cup on Monday night.
Corbyn tweeted: "As we prepare for England's first match in the #WorldCup here's an inspirational message from one of our country's finest ever football managers. I wish our fans a safe tournament and the players the best of luck. Let's get a win."
The quote read: "The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That’s how I see football, that’s how I see life."
As we prepare for England's first match in the #WorldCup, here's an inspirational message from one of our country's finest ever football managers.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) 18 June 2018
I wish our fans a safe tournament and the players the best of luck. Let's get a win.#ENGTUN pic.twitter.com/BTBVQNzIaN
That is indeed Shankly’s quote as Corbyn has used it before, only that time he referred to the "great Scots-born Liverpool football manager".
More than a few people took to Twitter to point out the Labour leader’s error – "Shankly was Scottish" said one tweet.
A further tweet said: “Bill Shankly was Scottish so not from your country. He'll also be turning in his grave at new Labour tory lapdogs.”
Another quoted Shankly, who played five times for Scotland before World War II ended his international career (though he played in seven ‘wartime’ internationals), as saying: “You look down at your dark blue shirt and the wee lion looks up at you and says ‘get out after those English b******s!'”
Corbyn should also have been careful with that quote, for it starts: "The socialism I believe in is not really politics."
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