Damian McBride, media controller, for Gordon Brown has had to resign as he wrote a number of emails, suggesting slurs on prominent Tories, for a proposed political blog called Red Rag. This was to counter the right wing blog, Guido Fawkes, which consistently attacked Gordon Brown and the govenment.
Unfortunately, copies of the emails ended up at Guidos. These were then passed on the newspapers and the resulting scandal looks like putting the final nail in the coffin ending Godon Brown’s chances of winning the next election.
The emails were sent in January this year. They were nasty, suggesting sexual deviation and attacked a number of prominent Tories. However these suggestions were never followed through.
In one sense this is very trivial as I know in the past I have entertained very nasty thoughts of managers I have worked with. Though fortunately these were stated over a beer, many beers, not in text and in those days no one had a phone that could record what we were saying.
Guido and the Tories have a strategy of using the ‘dog whistle‘ tactic. Every day, every week, every month put out bad info about your target. Get a negative twist on anything they say, or do, or don’t do.
It worked Labour panicked. Instead of trying to aim body political blows on Cameron and his cronies on policy, or their ‘achievements’, such as an ‘improved rail service’ run of capitalist lines, Draper and McBride speculated on fighting in Guido territory setting up the Red Rag blog. Once the news broke the Tories played their cards marvellously.
Indignation, threats of legal action, heavyweights in every radio and TV station. Why was Gordon smearing them when he should be worrying about the economy?
Then the pressure for Gordon to apologise. If he did he was obviously involved. If he didn’t he was obviously not in control of his office.
(Apparently this was more important then sorting out the economy or they would have let Gordon get on with it.)
Then there is the question of how did the emails get leaked.
Did Guido have them for a long time and then decide to release them at an opportune time? I doubt it.
Has Draper’s emails been hacked? By right wing groups or out of control secret service personnel? Possibly?
Or did someone of the Blairite tendency leak them? Stronger possibility.
What is clear is that the Labour Party machine has lost its ability to deal with media problems.
The obvious strategy for Gordon Brown, when asked for an apology was a two word reply. The second word being ‘OFF’