Saturday, April 11, 2009

The News of the World Taster

Press release from the News of the World...
Tomorrow the News of the World will reveal the sensational details in the shocking email smears sent by Gordon Brown's top aide. The PM's spin-doctor, Damian McBride, and Derek Draper, who heads Labour's internet campaigning, outlined a dirty tricks war of highly personal stories about top Tories.

The plan was far more sophisticated than McBride or Draper have claimed and was close to completion.

Emails seen by the News of the World show McBride and Draper schemed to spread false malicious stories that:

o Opposition leader David Cameron had an embarrassing illness
o Shadow Chancellor George Osborne's wife was "emotionally fragile" just because she appeared upset at parties
o A Tory MP used his position to get publicity for lover’s business
o Involved allegations about female Tory MP Nadine Dorries and another named MP.

In the emails, McBride says: "We've got to keep up the momentum."


I hope to have more during the course of the evening.
Stories had been drafted and pictures selected to run alongside them.


McBride spoke to the Prime Minister this afternoon and formally resigned from his post as senior media strategy adviser.

24 comments:

someday said...

"Opposition leader David Cameron had an embarrassing illness"

Ha, ha, ha.

You could not make this stuff up.

Conand said...

It feels like a General Election. C'mon Gorgon stop teasing! Let's have an election.

Bardirect said...

Shame that he was allowed to resign - he should have been sacked - but it shows that he still has more self respect than Brown.

Conand said...

Guido's site is down. It's started.

Letters From A Tory said...

*sound of beer can cracking open and my chair slowly creaking into the recline position*

This is going to be good.

Really good.

Siberian Tory said...

Draper was on C4 claiming he doesn't see why he should step down.

What odds will people give me?

Ralph Hancock said...

Guido's site is down. May be only temporary, or ...

TheBoilingFrog said...

I hope I'm not going over-egging this and I don't know the content of the emails, but in my view there's a real danger for Brown of a leadership challenge momentum here.

After last year's leadership challenge that never was, here's now another opportunity, when Brown is weak, of some in the cabinet to resign en masse citing 'principle' - 'bringing shame on Labour etc - so not looking treacherous.

Plato said...

PB.com is down too.

Assume it is overwhelming interest in this 'blogger spat non-story'

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH

I think perhaps this is our watershed moment.

Isn't it bizarre that there are so many people who want to read about this that it's crashed the two biggest political blogger sites?!

Conand said...

Draper has been 'retired' by Gorgon already, he just doesn't know it yet.
Poor Derek, you tacitly attacked your leader. Not good! This career is over old chum :) Back to the psychobabble.

Dick the Prick said...

Michelle Ryan was good in Dr Who - slow news day?

Cate Munro said...

I noticed Guido's site was down? Wonder if it's been sabotaged? I can't wait for tomorrow now! Dolly and Co. are up the preverbial for sure!

Unknown said...

Iain, info on Tom Watson running scared please.

If he emerges from this anything other than a disgraced backbench MP i'll be very disappointed :-(

Anonymous said...

LoL

I just listened to Derek Draper on channel 4 Plus One "I am not lying on purpose"

LO000000OL!!!

Jon Lishman said...

The "embarrassing illness" thing is particularly vicious, actually.

I reckon the only reason McBride and Draper pulled-out of this sick plan was because of the tragedy that was the death of the Camerons' son.

How inconvenient for the smear machine that must have been.

Alex said...

McBride and Draper have given all the arguments we ever need for not having an elected head of state. Things have come to a pretty pass when people such as these are so close to those people in power.

It is a shame that the country did not see the Labour Party for what they really are at the last 3 elections.

Ralph Hancock said...

Guido is up again. Nothing seems to have changed at first glance. Panic over, I hope. But these are alarming times.

JuliaM said...

"...in my view there's a real danger for Brown of a leadership challenge momentum here."

That'd be like a mutiny on board the Titanic as she slid beneath the waves. Who'd be dumb enough to believe they could steer it to victory in a GE?

javelin said...

How do they know he has an embarrasing illness?

Why are they picking on Georges wife?

This is looking like the last defence of Berlin. With Draper as the the youth facing the onslaught. Watson as the general in charge of the last defence. Question is whether Brown will be dragged out of his bunker or resign before he is humiliated in public.

Dick the Prick said...

Knob rot's not a laughing matter I can tell you... err...perhaps i've said too much.

no longer anonymous said...

"Shadow Chancellor George Osborne's wife was "emotionally fragile" just because she appeared upset at parties"

HAHAHAHA, that really is absurd! Mr Draper's professional opinion perhaps?

"Michelle Ryan was good in Dr Who - slow news day?"

Yeah, pity she's not staying as companion.

Paul Halsall said...

Boiling Frog,

You *are* indeed over egging it.

Now the nations attention turns to a man blowing up a hot water bottle, and tomorrow to eating vast amounts of chocolate.

Jimmy said...

"I noticed Guido's site was down? Wonder if it's been sabotaged?"

He knows too much. In fact he's probably been killed.

davidtbreaker (www.davidbreaker.com) said...

Had they not been thankfully caught out, maybe they could have been spun back?


Opposition leader David Cameron had an embarrassing illness - get the sympathy vote, the votes of fellow sufferers, lots of press; remember the fictional illness in Absolute Power? Electoral goldmine.
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne’s wife was “emotionally fragile” just because she appeared upset at parties - she’s upset about climate change, poverty and the economy because she cares passionately, lots of votes there.
A Tory MP used his position to get publicity for lover’s business - as part of a commitment to helping small business during the recession?
Involved allegations about female Tory MP Nadine Dorries and another named MP - just deny that one, no publicity is bad publicity?


David T Breaker