Sgt. Braun or Gordon Klink?

Row as Number 10 emails 'smear Tories'

Looking at a quote and taking it out of context while dropping stuff that does not and adding what does assist the narrative (I am learning from the mistress, Aunty), I am minded of a laughable character with a manic grin from the 60's US TV...

tvacres.com

'The Prime Minister knows nothing...' nothing!

So remind me, as the boss of a company, what are my responsibilities (as imposed by various empowered, fine-wielding quangos?) for 'juvenile and inappropriate emails exchanged by (senior) staff', who happen to be heading up the spin-machine, 'sent to a [Tory-unsympathetic] blog'. Dodgy or just daft? Either way, truly a nasty-nanny-state, Government Of All Talents-herd.

'Veeeery interesting... but stupid'.

metafilter.com

To be fair, even the BBC is weighing in quite heavily as I type. Lots of disclaimers, but WW1 mine's worth of mud flying about.

Much concern on the source, mind. Anyone but the ones who need to pop the pills left with loyalty in the bunker?

Order-Order - Note update about BBC version - The BBC have an anonymous Downing Street source claiming that no-one else in Downing Street besides Damian knew about all this - simply not true and contradicted by the evidence.

Iain Dale

Indy - No 10 apology over 'juvenile' emails

Daily Mail - Downing Street aide quits after writing 'smear' emails about top Tories' private lives
- mind you, what shotgun has ever had crosshairs?

Guardian - Damian McBride caught in a spin over smear campaign emails - Bring themselves to mention it... just. So far, so tucked away. 'It left many political journalists who saw it feeling uncomfortable.' Being whom, these delicate flowers?

Cripes... took a while, but I knew the Guardian would (have to) mention this latest indiscretion somewhere.

Interesting to bring up Ms. Thatcher, and to see who her ex-employer and remaining employees handle discussion around a private conversation between colleagues whilst at the workplace.

So many on the payroll; so many standards.

Darn it, another evening explaining Animal Farm to the kids.

Guardian - Our diverse blog nation - Bless! And now it looks like the blog posts on the one above have been pulled:)

As has this one.

Else I'd have opined that while diversity,passion and belief are always nice, they ain't what get me to the popular blogs. Oddly, these also tend not to be 'funded' in some way by others than the guys running 'em. Oh, and having slightly more sense of humour than a po-faced Siberian Commissar down to his/her last bottle of vodka might be a plus.

BBC - No 10 official quits over e-mails - 'It's a high price to pay isn't it for sending a silly e-mail to a mate, to lose your job.'
BBC - No 10 'smear' messages published -
BBC - McBride's resignation statement in full -
BBC - Do political blogs have any sway? - Bears, woods. Pope, Catholic. 'Truth', enhanced narrative.

Order-order - McPoison’s Going is Good for Political Standards
Order-order - APRIL 12TH, 2009
NoTW - Vicious and vile - but worth a few ratings!

Order-order - 'Stephen Pound says Guido is laughing all the way to the bank - actually Guido gave the story to the News of the World and the Sunday Times for pleasure not profit. '

Has this man been held to account, especially by the news persons interviewing him? I would expect nothing less from a professional news broadcaster... paid for, or 'uniquely funded'.

Telegraph - McBride-Draper: All the Prime Minister's Men

Mirror - Spare Us the Hypocrisy - Everyone's favourite talking head... apparently.

Quick, Mr. Maguire, get your people to call the BBC's people to get you on to 'comment' in the next 'news' slot in the safety zone. I think you are need of some support, paid for by the taxpayer.

So far, all I am reading - and not just in the blogs that so scare you pandered Westminster Village Useful Idiots - suggest the blogosphere is where you get information (if not always objective, but if the cap fits) and verifiable facts, whereas you and your ilk are bashing out as much innuendo on irrelevancies by way of sad 'counters' as you can be fed by some political machine that's spinning out of control.

'Spare Us the Hypocrisy'. Indeed... indeed.

Hope the next job is appropriate to your qualifications.

Telegraph - Damian McBride scandal: Fatal flaws of the PM's pitbull

Telegraph - Damian McBride and Derek Draper: I suspect I was one of their targets -

'Derek Draper, after all, was the man wheeled out to trash my speech on the BBC and on Channel 4'

The choice of 'uniquely funded' media being, in themselves, 'very interesting... '

As for Mr. Maguire, Everyone's favourite talking head... apparently.

Not doing so well on his own blog at the 'mo. Best he gets his people to call the BBC's people to get him on to 'comment' in the next 'news' slot in the safety zone. I think he may be in need of some support, paid for by the taxpayer, natch.

So far, all I am reading - and not just in the blogs that so scare the pandered Westminster Village Useful Idiots - suggest the blogosphere is where you get information (if not always objective, but if the cap fits) and verifiable facts, whereas the MSM are bashing out as much innuendo on irrelevancies by way of sad 'counters' as can be fed by some political machine that's clearly spinning out of control.

As Mr. Maguire ironically headlines: 'Spare Us the Hypocrisy'. Indeed... indeed.

Why the likes of the BBC are using my money to give voice to such folk and their baseless tittle tattle (it's not just gossip, it's specially briefed gossip) as opposed to verifiable facts is beyond me.

Telegraph - New Labour dies horribly on Maguire's Mirror blog - As for our Kevin, it's efficient I guess. A resignation/suicide note from his current...er... 'job, combo'd with the best box-ticking application one could craft to get the HR guys at Aunty fast-tracking him to 'Kevin's Kiddies' on CBBC, when he helps our youth think the 'right' way.

YouTube - Downfall - Brilliant!

Guardian - The Labour rottweiler who attacked the wrong target - Oldwrinkly 12 Apr 09, 3:51pm I see that the Guardian quietly removed all comments posted on this subject in yesterdays edition.Has the No. 10 hotline been ringing?

Phew, I thought I just imagined writing stuff to complement hundreds of others, only see it all vanish.

Interesting, but stupid.

Along with the actions of some other last, loyal Rottweilers in the bunker (the latest 'Downfall' is ace, BTW).

Quick, Messrs. Maguire, White (sorry, make that Sir. Michael.. what was that for services to again?), get your people to call the BBC's people to get you on to 'comment' in the next 'news' slot in the safety zone. I think you are need of some support, paid for by the taxpayer.

So far, all I am reading - and not just in the blogs that so scare you pandered Westminster Village Useful Idiots - suggest the blogosphere is where you get information (if not always objective, but if the cap fits) and verifiable facts, whereas you and your ilk are bashing out as much innuendo on irrelevancies by way of sad 'counters' as you can be fed by some political machine that's spinning out of control.

And in defence of Sgt. 'He knows nothing, nothing...' Brown of Nu Labour's Heroes. At least he has some experience in not seeing holes being dug all around him.

Telegraph - Why we all love and cherish Dolly Draper -

Whilst all delicious, I am concerned how I am having to fill my hard drive up with entire post/page grabs before they get deleted, closed or plain vanish.

Don't the MSM realise the power of censorship revealed in all its self-interested shame?

Telegraph - Telegraph Has Behaved Terribly Over Smeargate -

Telegraph - Yes, Derek Draper did get it wrong! -

Guardian - Gordon Brown's vicious side is now clear to the whole country - Hmnn. I (and I am sure many others) had missed that up 'til now. Ta for sharing. I feel cleansed by the belated apology as I did the previous association. Not.

Indy - A scandal that lifts the lid on the seamier side of spin - UK, pee hell, see

Times - A Labour plan to derail the Tories that went spinning out of control - Anyone seen the film based on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness?

Times - Roll of Dishonour

Just watching SKY, with lesser-loathed Labour pol Mr. Alan Johnson on. The gap between him saying 'Damien...' (Omen 2?) and his surname was palpable. Any chance he hasn't used the latter in the last several years and had to recall it up quick?

Meanwhile, letters have been sent (hand written, in black felt tip! Woooo!), no doubt saying that lessons have been learned. This lot make what's happening in Thailand look almost a beacon of good governance.

I advise the prompt purchase of Nokia shares. There is going to be a shortage I suspect as our funds are used to cover those embedded like stucco in the walls of No. 10.

Sun - 'Mad Dog' was trained to maul

Just saw a Conservative MP on the BBC. Novel.

And after Hazel Blears perkily reading out from the excu.. crib sheet (bloggers are only corrosive if and when what they share is true, m'dear. And the job you lot have been getting on with is patently not one we the electorate are keen on being conned into funding), what a breath of fresh air Nadine Dorries was.

Even the order was interesting, as Ms. Dorries was allowed to demolish not only the logic of Mr. Brown's latest attempted 'get out of poo free' wheeze, but also one of the apologists sent out to polish it.

Fascinating how the MSM seems not to have noticed, or chosen to ignore that the raft of new 'measures' are pointless as what exists is and was fine.

They were just not used as they should have been. That, at least, should come as no surprise, at least to those of us outside the bubble. Odd thing about bubbles is... they can be seen through easily.

Note to BBC producers, editors, reporters and talking heads: sticks and stones may indeed hurt your bones, but in politics words only hurt when they are the truth.

Telegraph - Gordon Brown apologises - another blogging milestone

Telegraph - Gordon Brown draft apology: blog crisis is global

Times - The Brown cabal motto: smears, not ideas - 'We...'?

Evening Standard - Brown is besieged by Labour big guns - 'et tu, Frank?'

Daily Mail - Brown's 'apology' letter wasn't heartfelt, says Tory MP caught up in email scandal - What's thick, white and impossible to comprehend?

BBBC - But expect to see normal service resumed by the weekend with the return of Marr, Robinson, Crick and so on.

Indeed. Their blogs will be 'interesting', as their loooong, school hols absence has been noted, even by cheerleaders. Not that they even proof read what they write, much less reply to be called out on what they do pen in barely credible thin, black 12-point.

Must catch the Newsnight.

Mixing farmyard metaphors, I saw a round-up last night with startled rabbit in headlights which I think was one of our country's cabinet GOATs being nailed for being dumb enough to trot out, a previously tried, now totally untrusted and discredited line from Mandy's Book of Best Dismissals, namely 'We think it's time to draw a line under this trivial affair, and get back to the job of...'

The response was something like 'Well, we've had a succession of Labour's great and good (or is that greed and gutless?) trotted out saying the same damn thing this evening, and our audience doesn't seem to think it's that trivial and whatever job it is you think you are doing, many would rather you stopped'

They may be rats, but it seems someone has superglued their tails to the Captain's coat-tails as he looks for the next iceberg to ram.

Newsnight - 'The government wants to draw a line...'

Would this be a thick, felt-tip line?

Support for our knows-nothing PM is quaintly loyal to the 'Gordon they know' (um, 'very well'... so that's OK then) and they love, but one wonders who superglued these GOAT's tails to the coat-tails of Dear Leader as he looks for another iceberg to ram with, sadly, the ship in a state that the British electorate are currently reluctant passengers upon.

Love the VO following Frank Field's thoughts. 'Gordon Brown's critics, however...'

However? If what he said was supportive, I'd hate to hear anything not helpful.

Mind you, the notion that all this will be resolved by Gordon Brown 'bringing in' team B, with him still at the head of it, is risible. This moral compass he has seems to only point at the next iceberg! Are we doomed to follow him to oblivion? Is our system of governance so rigid that nothing can be done to spare us from the paranoid Madness of PM G?

And any notion that the spinning genies released from these various odious bottles can be corked, much less unhired, is as daft as pretending nukes can be un-invented.

And will political leaders stop telling me what I think or want. They have no blooming clue what... no... let's just leave it at 'they have no blooming clue'.

Indy - Former Labour ministers blame Brown for email smear fiasco - yet current ones see him as the best man for the job of steering them clear?

Indy - Frank Field: A necessary government information machine, corrupted by spin -

BBC - Slur MP condemns No 10 'cesspit' -

Spectator - A Blogger's Notebook