Number 10 sorry for 'juvenile' e-mails smearing Tories

[turbobloke]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7994408.stm

BBC political correspondent Laura Kuenssburg said she understood their author to be Damian McBride, the prime minister's ex-political press officer.

A Number 10 spokesman said the messages were "juvenile and inappropriate".

The Tories said it was "absurd" that advisers were "plotting smear campaigns rather than focusing on how to help people affected by the downturn".

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/4283950.Down...juvenileemails/

ONE of Gordon Brown's officials was forced to apologise for sending juvenile and inappropriate emails from a Number 10 account, it emerged tonight.

The private missives featured ideas for potential smear stories about senior Conservatives, it was claimed.

The author . . . is said to be a senior Downing Street official who was emailing Derek Draper, who runs a Labour-supporting political blog.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "Neither the Prime Minister nor anybody else in Downing Street, except the author, knew anything about any of these private emails.

"The author of these emails has apologised for their juvenile and inappropriate nature and for the embarrassment caused.

[Puggit]

They'll do anything to cling on to office!

[Mannginger]

This is like the death throes of the Tories before New Labour came to power. It really is going to be a crushing defeat for them at the next election although they've still got a whole year in which to screw it up further (fortunately / unfortunately)!

(10th May 2010 is the last possible date of the next election IIRC?)

[turbobloke]

It really does reek of desperation, will calling it a 'juvenile' act on the part of an individual and distancing the incompetent Clown and his team from an 'independent author' really fool anybody? As to lectures on the 'appropriate use of resources' ffs this is Meltdown Brown the Big Spender. What a total and utter farce. Anyone seen Mandy?

[Jasandjules]

Smear Campaign?

Target the man, not the policies (because they can't do better than the Tory policies I guess).

[Durruti]

Those who follow the Guido Fawkes blog - http://www.order-order.com/ will be familiar with the developing battle.

Thankfully, it would appear that Guido really does have the bit between his teeth on this one and we may yet see further information come to light.

How many more revelations about how these people spend their time and our money can the public take?

The only real precedent I can think of for this sort of institutionally corrupt administration is Nixons Whitehouse '72-'74.

Interesting days.

[paddyhasneeds]

There's a difference here though - AIUI McBride is a paid civil servant and is not supposed to be "Labour".

[unrepentant]

paddyhasneeds said:

There's a difference here though - AIUI McBride is a paid civil servant and is not supposed to be "Labour".

So were Alistair Campbell, Lance Price and Jo Moore?

Agree with earlier posters that the next election campaign is going to be fought in the gutter.

[paddyhasneeds]

unrepentant said:

paddyhasneeds said:

There's a difference here though - AIUI McBride is a paid civil servant and is not supposed to be "Labour".

So were Alistair Campbell, Lance Price and Jo Moore?

Agree with earlier posters that the next election campaign is going to be fought in the gutter.

Hmm I didn't know that - assumed they were paid for by Labour.

Naive question but have Civil Servants always had such levels of (obvious) bias?

[unrepentant]

paddyhasneeds said:

unrepentant said:

paddyhasneeds said:

There's a difference here though - AIUI McBride is a paid civil servant and is not supposed to be "Labour".

So were Alistair Campbell, Lance Price and Jo Moore?

Agree with earlier posters that the next election campaign is going to be fought in the gutter.

Hmm I didn't know that - assumed they were paid for by Labour.

Naive question but have Civil Servants always had such levels of (obvious) bias?

I'm not certain about Campbell but I think that all press secretaries are civil servants, as are special advisors. They are parachuted in with governments and usually leave with them. Civil servants are not supposed to be biased, they serve HM government but I guess they are all human so....

[Skywalker]

The story has evolved following a couple of FOI requests that went in - appraently one from Guido and another an MP that was being verballed-up in the smear campaign.

Could it be that McBride on Winky's say so was co-ordinating Draper's blog smears?

[Skywalker]

Courtesy of the BBC story on their site - and 2nd artcle on their 1pm news

BBC said:

Mr McBride, a special adviser in Downing Street, was removed from his job dealing with the media on a day-to-day basis following the resignation of former Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly in September 2008.

The handling of her departure from government was widely seen as chaotic, our correspondent said.

But Mr McBride stayed on in Number 10, and was given responsibility for strategy and planning.

Edited by Skywalker on Saturday 11th April 13:11

[turbobloke]

Strategy and planning? So hardly disconnected from the machine then.

Anyway, strategy and planning

[brain donor]

unrepentant said:

paddyhasneeds said:

unrepentant said:

paddyhasneeds said:

There's a difference here though - AIUI McBride is a paid civil servant and is not supposed to be "Labour".

So were Alistair Campbell, Lance Price and Jo Moore?

Agree with earlier posters that the next election campaign is going to be fought in the gutter.

Hmm I didn't know that - assumed they were paid for by Labour.

Naive question but have Civil Servants always had such levels of (obvious) bias?

I'm not certain about Campbell but I think that all press secretaries are civil servants, as are special advisors. They are parachuted in with governments and usually leave with them. Civil servants are not supposed to be biased, they serve HM government but I guess they are all human so....

No. 10 Press Secretaries used to be career civil servants, eg Sir Christopher Meyer (Major's one-time Press Secretary) was a career diplomat who subsequently became Ambassador to Washington. Even Bernard Ingham (Mrs T's rottweiler) was a career civil servant who'd also worked under Tony Benn and Barbara Castle.

It was the arrival of New Labour that brought the politicization of former civil service posts. Press operations were given to Labour Party apparachiks who were employed as civil servants (ie paid for by the tax payer) while remaining Party workers. The amounts of "special Advisors" that ministers were allowed to employ on the public payroll was vastly increased also.

Which is why this has happened, along with many other abuses of the democratic process.

[CivicMan]

Derek Draper - one of the scummiest, sleaziest NewLabour luvvies to crawl this earth explains:

http://www.labourlist.org/derek-draper-emails#comm...

Remember he is also married to Kate Garraway, another face of Labourarselicking GMTV.

[brain donor]

It's going to be very interesting how far this develops. Supposedly one of the Sunday nationals is going to run the details tomorrow, though rumour has it that some of it is unprintable (which begs a few questions itself).
Mind you, if Guido's got the full story, then it'll come out somehow.

Pravda The BBC seem to be doing their best to downplay things to help the Labour Party as usual.

[loafer123]

It is a shame there isn't an issue that we could all get behind to demand the resignation of the government and a General Election.

I am willing to bet that the silent majority would mobilise as soon as one comes along.

[Langweilig]

loafer123 said:

It is a shame there isn't an issue that we could all get behind to demand the resignation of the government and a General Election.

I am willing to bet that the silent majority would mobilise as soon as one comes along.

We'll see what this "Green" budget is all about. Probably hitting the motorist again!

[Skywalker]

Guido & Twitter suggesting McBride's been sacked / resigned!!!

[Skywalker]

Sky News running the story now