Siderite, quite why you have to come out with some quasi-intellectual rant about “whataboutery” is beyond me (as for “whataboutery” being a “known logical fallacy”, really? Which ‘expert’ came up with that one? No doubt you’ll enlighten us. I can hardly wait to find out).
The reason I said you’re missing the point was/is because you are (still) missing it. I really have no idea what part of “I’m certainly not defending him” do you don’t/can’t/won’t understand.
I’d also say you have to be pretty daft to interpret “I’m certainly not defending him” as being a deflection; and you’d have to be even more daft to interpret it as a “defence”.
As for chirruping like a budgie, as I’ve said on many occasions I can live with Starmer. The key thing was to get Corbyn and his Communist mates out of the way.