Can Brogan Really Restore the Telegraph’sReputation for Political Reporting?
Stephen Glover’s media column in the Indy rakes over the Labourgraph’s dishonest handling of Smeargate. It is a pretty fair summary of the affair which Guido went over briefly here. Suffice to say the Labourgraph’s political team don’t come out of either account very well.
Glover reckons Ben Brogan is the best hope of restoring a semblance of sane editorial coherence from the Telegraph‘s political reporting:
Last week, Ben Brogan joined The Daily Telegraph as its chief political commentator, having been political editor of the Daily Mail. Perhaps he will help restore some balance to the paper’s political coverage. On the one hand, its political staff has been closer than was prudent to No 10. On the other, Simon Heffer has been tossing rotten cabbages from the right in the direction of the Cameroons.
Disorder has flourished under the editorship of a man, Will Lewis, who is neither a natural Tory nor especially knowledgeable about politics. Brogan’s role will be partly to mend fences with David Cameron, but there is also a good deal of general reconstructive work to be done to the paper’s political reputation. How could The Daily Telegraph ever get so close to a man like Damian McBride?
Ben Brogan is a good journalist, his blog was just about the only MSM political reporting blog that Guido really respected as a competitor. Most hacks use their blogs for stuff they can’t get in the paper. Brogan’s Daily Mail blog was often better than his stuff in the paper and it was very much a real-time competitor. There is however one prophetic blog post that Guido suspects he would rather forget. It was written after McBride’s 3 a.m. knifing of Ruth Kelly:
One Day the Truth About McBride Will Out
03 October 2008
When the Day of Reckoning comes and those of us who know are free to say what we know, Damian McBride will emerge with great credit from the madness of the past few years. … When the cry went up that there had to be changes in No 10, what they meant was McBride had to go. By the time we left Manchester he was being blamed for everything, including the credit crunch and the disappearance of Shergar. Such was his influence that like Macavity his prints were seen on every bit of damaging briefing. It became easy to blame him for every transgression, real or imagined. In fact, he was a victim of his own success. Damian is many things, but not an innocent. His role, by its nature, involved bad business at the crossroads.
But the McPoison of caricature is just that. There is far more to him than most realise. Few can match him for political insight, mischief making exuberance, stamina or that see-round-a-corner skill that few in politics possess. His intelligence was always Grade A, whether it was on election outcomes or how power was flowing. The Tories certainly have nothing like him, save perhaps George Osborne.
What does his departure mean for Gordon Brown? McBride remains in No 10 as an adviser on long-term strategy. The PM will continue to have him to hand. But his enemies will be on the look-out for signs that he is still speaking to the likes of me, so I don’t expect him to return phone calls for a while. Which means the PM will be without the best media handler he’s had. We’ll miss the service, not to mention the in-flight quizzes, and perhaps that’s no bad thing. He may wonder whether it was wise to give up a high-flier’s career in the Civil Service to run away with this circus. Of course, I’m an unreliable witness. But I’m certain of this: you will read a lot in the coming days about Damian McBride, and you shouldn’t believe more than a fraction of it. The true story is far better.
Or perhaps far worse.
Oh dear. Was that written by McBride too?
I bet a lot of shit’s been written by McBride that we’ll never know about. Shameful.
Don’t use the past tense. He is very much about, still.
Brogan has just been holed below the waterline – by his own side. An obviously disposable junior, James Kirkup, has just released the second most stupid editorial from the DT in recent weeks – the first being the attempted character assassination of Guido. Here’s the text:
Gordon Brown should quit, say “Tony Blair” and “David Miliband”. Hmm.
Posted By: James Kirkup at Apr 27, 2009 at 12:20:00 [General]
Posted in: Three Line Whip
The “please go” petition calling on Gordon Brown to quit is ticking along on the No 10 website: it’s picked up another 2,000-odd names in the last couple of hours and is up over 13,000. Doubtless that number will keep rising, and on a fairly quiet news day at Westminster, don’t be too surprised if the petition makes an appearance in tomorrow’s papers.
But further inspection raises a few questions about the petition. I’ve just skimmed a few names, and found four Tony Blairs, a David Miliband and a Khalid Mahmood…
His problem? .002% of the names are phoney. So the other 12,9994 names should be discounted.
You couldn’t make this up.
Major, those are the spoliers attempting to ensure all credibility is lost on the petition.
It’s no coincidence that the 0.002% equates exactly to the computer literate, but deranged, at large within our society.
Or indeed, the % support that McSnot has to remain in office – ie the numbers of Labour MPs with all to lose.
(Yes, I’m speaking about you lot, heads out trough and listen up)
I resisted the urge to sign Brine’s epitaph but I might put my name to it under an alias.
I’ve just looked at the date. Isn’t the 27th significant?
Brogan blogs at the Telegraph now too.
At a fringe event at Conservative conference, Ben Brogan came across as an admirer of Campbell, too. I think he enjoys the intrigue.
And there’s the rub. This isn’t politics rather a bunch of daft lassies and would be travelling salesmen playing games. Pass the sick bag.
The Telegraph has a very long road to walk before they reach Credibility again. I wish Ben Brogan well, but it seems to me he has joined a paper that has no idea which direction it should be travelling in.
Hint: Brown is a monstrous loser – he infects everyone and everything he deals with. And Labour is not currently a party worthy of even-handedness. It is a cesspit. Your remaining readers know this. You are not going to capture Guardian readers. You might outlive the Indy, but why sell the paper’s soul to capture their fey and feckless readership?
CUT. BROWN. ADRIFT.
It may be too late. All those with even a silght or tacit association with Gordon Brown, the Government and the New Labour Project is likely to be tainted for quite some time.
Well said GF. I think the DT is in terminal decline and therefore BB will make no difference. It’s a mere shadow of what it was so it will take more than the arrival of someone like him to turn things around. I am minded to start a petition for the removal of Mr Lewis!
“Can Brogan restore the Dt’s reputation”?
A better question would be “can Nelson get his eye back”?
Or even more bizarrely “Will Gordon ever answer a question at pmq’s”?
“Will His self anointed reputation for prudence be restored”? – hahahahahahahahahaahahahah
And will he be at PMQs?
A better question would be “can Nelson get his eye back”?
Well shiver me timbers!
I hope you are not inferring I am out of the same mould as the monocular fuckwit.
A tacit admission that resignation simply meant a change of title for McBride, yet no one has queried the integrity and honour in something like this being allowed
It says much more about Brown than it does about anything else
Agreed. But I missed any indication from No10 that McBride IS still a civil servant. If so it is an outrage that the electorate are being played as fools again.
Has there been any official confirmation of his new position ?
“McBride remains in No 10 as an adviser on long-term strategy”.
This comment was written in October last.
Talwin, I’m lost, sorry.
October last ? His “resignation” was only a few months ago.
a few weeks, sorry
OK, Doh ! I see it.
Still don’t know where he is now, and my own MP won’t confirm to me either.
Grow up, Fawkes.
Any journalist who wanted to keep his job had to be up the arse of McBride.
I suspect you have – grown up, that is.
How far are you up the rectums of your sources? I’ll bet it’s a question of degree rather than difference.
You seem to know a lot about getting up rectums. Are you a consultant urologist?
Billy, urologists are for wee wee. Do you mean proctologist?
Roll Up, Roll Up, Roll Up
More Sleazy Liebore Vote Rigging
Edinburgh Constituency this time
http://subrosa-blonde.blogspot.com/2009/04/oh-dearie-me.html
It all started in Glenrothes
It started in America
The trouble all started in the summer of 1950 as an itch in the pants of John Ebenezer Brown.
No it did not. It was started by the Pilgrim Fathers from Boston Lincolnshire. Should never have let that boat Mayflower leave Plymouth.
Mexico (Oops! sorry wrong thread)
It is a pity that instead of the Pilgrim Fathers landing on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock had not landed on the Pilgrim Fathers.
-Chauncey Depew.
Thanks for the plug whoever you are. It never ends does it this postal voting scandal. It should be banned.
The postal votes were not kept in a secure sealed box at the hustings but were transported in a plastic bag.
From the Edinburgh story above.
What is it with the Labour Party?
What part of the democratic process do they not understand?
Do they want to be seen as the heirs of National Socialism?
Hoons.
They are!
Why would you want the Telegraph’s reputation restored?
I used to enjoy reading it back in the days when it was a good paper.
Yeah, me too. Had a certain irreverance. Stopped taking it a while ago, though. Really gone downhill.
Used to subscribe but have not read it for years, except Ambrose and Randall on line.
I reckon the Barclay Bros have a lot to answer for. I think they bought the Telegraph as protection against New Labour.
They said in effect, “do not interfere with our money-making and we will make sure this important Tory paper is neutered”. You scratch my back ……
The ‘Labourgraph’! Makes so much sense now why I stopped reading it.
I wasn’t going mad after all.
I wonder if the Barclay bros have had a word with Brogan. The DT is always going to be rubbish until they sell it.
Fucking Labour Fucking NaziGraph.
Why would any self-respecting journo work that pile of steaming shit?
O/T McSnot in Afghanistan – bouyed by success in solving MP expense issue, moves on to resolving centuries-old tensions between fundamentalist islam, and modernist islam & Christianity.
Thank God for his intervention. We can now get the lads home…
But didn’t he look like warmed up shit!
God save Afghanistan then.
Nothing impresses the Afghans like a dark suit and tie. Plonker
Has the swine flu not reached Kabul yet? Shame.
Especially one last worn by Charlie Chaplin
Will he be back on Wednesday? Perhaps not until after lunch?
‘modernist islam’ – ho ho ho ho ho ho …..
I thought that St Tony BLiar was already solving that old Muslim/Christian conflict!
Some Arab threatened to wave a gun at him. He’s gone to tell the Pope how to run the Left-footers Club instead.
Given the anti-missile maneouvres that RAF planes are required to undertake on landing in Kabul or Basra I am very surprised that Brown would dare to fly there, given the very precarious state of the partially-detached retina in his remaining eye.
Self-important Nebbies (nebulous personalities) looking for positive headlines are the bane of troops on active service, as I know from bitter experience. The airfield approach would have been saturated with men who should have been asleep or stood down just to get Salvatore Mundi in for a photo-shoot. Gordo has nothing but praise for our troops, who have grown to expect nothing but praise from him. Unspeakable Hoon.
Roll up, roll up! Ask The PM is back for another session on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/DowningSt
Not sure when this went live but the deadline for submission and voting is 30 April, not long.
I’ve just viewed the questions posed and only half a dozen seem to have been submitted. That should make it easy for some real questions for real voters (to paraphrase Labour) voted highly enough for Gordon to have to answer them.
Of the questions already posed, only Steve from Brighton’s (who was in the last round, remember the “goodbye Gordon” at the end) seems any good
Where is the hotline to Al Quieda when you need it.
Yellow Pages nae use.
118 118 even less
Put a classified ad in Al Jazheera.
The irreparable damage that Labour has caused to our society and country could not have been done without the knowing complicity of the broadcasters and the print lobby journalists.
For year after year they protected and supported these Labour criminals in spite of the evidence.
Why did they do it? I do not know, but they did.
The damage is so collossal and the crime of the media so great that there should be a complete overhaul of how political information is presented – so that a small unrepresentative clique can never again hide the truth from us.
Control of Information gives complete control of society – and democracy.
The people who currently have the power to control the flow of information have failed and misused that power – they must lose that power. New providers of information must be allowed to come forward to give many more points of view.
There must be no more monopolies which are easily controlled, or bullied into silence.
In spite of the internet, broadcast news will remain the most important source of political news for most people, and so the broadcasting infrastructure must be opened up to very many more news providers.
Whether there is a dark age in our country will to a large extent depend on free flow of information. The free flow of information must be protected at all costs.
Heard of the Internet?
By all accounts the internet will crawl to a halt next year, strangled by UTube and I player watchers.
Guess why we’re seeing all these stories about “the internet grinding to a halt”?
To soften us up for banning all P2P traffic of course – get with the programme folks, the war on t’internet is gearing up.
Don’t worry – if the Tories get in at the next election the media will change its tune. Its all basically left wing and will continue to be so. Therefore it will be quick to condemn any right wing government.
Maybe we might even get some decent reporting!
I have given up reading ‘broadsheets’ full stop as all they have become is Labour press releases to a man.
We always expected this sort of reporting from the BBC Grauniad reading lovies but it comes to something when the only way the Westminster parties in Scotland can get a headline (even in the John Smith House run Glasgow Herald) is by jumping on a letter from the NUS president to Wee Eck whingeing about the plight of Scottish University Students. Forgetting of course why Wee Eck could not keep the SNP manifesto pledge because Broon suddenly cut the Scottish pocket money by 12% in real terms in 2007 because we voted the SNP into Holyrood. Wee Eck decision was then to cut prescription charges (benefits maximum number of folk, including students) or increase student grants; seems the sick won over the inane.
That’ll be the same NUS that is about as relevant to most students as the inside of a lecture theatre, holds it hustings in a telephone box and knows how to arrange the vote to ensure the right folk get in (just like Labour, then).
Where are the headlines on why there has been no criminal prosecutions under PPER 2000? There are enough politicians who have breeched the act to have Mr Plod breathing down their necks; Straw, Hain, Harrman, Wendy Alexander to name but four.
Why does the name Peston in any comment to a newspaper have the entry deleted within seconds? Even though it is on public record in Hansard that Peston basically threatened the chair of the Commons Select Committee with letting some potentially damaging stuff about the chair on the airwaves if he continued to press him too close about his treasury sources.
Just why are the press buying the Government reasons for delays to Typhoon, the new Lockheed interceptor for the Navy or the type 45 delays when they are clearly and totally in error? The Typhoon does what it says on the tin and more, the new Lockheed / BAE VSTOL aircraft will be ready for deliver in 2012, and the Type 45 missile system has been successfully test fired on the ranges, the only delay is the availability of a Type 45 to do final sea trials on. The real reason is that Broon and his Darling are skint!
Then there is all the nonsense around HBOS for whom the Peston / Treasury rumour mill did more damage than the second hand car salesman that ended up as the CEO. The stink of Brown and Darling manufacturing HBOS collapse in an attempt to stall the rise of the SNP in Scotland still hovers in the air and they would have got away with it if the world market fears around HBOS potentially defaulting had not started the run on Lehman Brothers, Wall Street and the collapse of Brown’s house of cards, banking, Puzzoli scam.
Now we have clear evidence emerging of further Labour postal voting scams that further question the sudden influx of 7,000 Labour postal votes at the Glenrothes bye-election and the loss of the voters register.
Yet Cameron sits on his hands and says nothing (Scarfe’s cartoon in the ST sums him up perfectly), the Torygraph is too busy peddling Labour’s anti Scots agenda and all the rest of the media is now thinking that possibly, maybe, but not for definite: what ordinary folk are telling them is true – Brown is stark, bollock naked and no emperor.
Just where are the media outlets calling for Labour to go?
The Telegraph is my favourite newspaper!
visit my blog for political ramblings and what-not:
http://www.richard-wilkins.blogspot.com
Thank you.
This is rather amusing – that betting Lord
Why Lord West is the perfect Labour minister
The Simple Sailor has just come up with his first response to Robert Winnett’s excellent scoop today that he was the mystery minister who bet 66-1 on Labour to be forced to form a coalition with the Libs at the next eelction.
Lord West says: ‘I have never placed a bet on Labour losing the election.’ He adds ‘I have never placed a bet at all while a minister ever on a political issue.’ Lord West added later: ‘I can assure you I have never bet on Labour not winning the General Election, that is all I would say.’
But in none of those non-denial denials did he deny that he had bet on the coalition outcome. A perfect example of New Labour dissembling.
http://waugh.standard.co.uk/2009/04/why-lord-west-is-the-perfect-labour-minister.html
Thats OK.
Downing St will just call him in, lean on him and he will change 100% about face in Labours favour.
Well thats what has always happended before isn’t it?
Lost his money though.. No chance of ZaNu getting anywhere near Conservative numbers at next election.
And, as usual, the Libs will have such a tiny number of seats they won’t be invited to anyone’s party.
The position in Scotland will be far more interesting, methinks.
Vote for SNP having proven a level of competence will finally end the Scottish Raj and potentially wipe out large numbers of ZaNuLabour MPs which will assist the Conservatives majority.
After which, why would Conservatives want to keep the right side of the Scots and the Scottish general repugnance of Conservatives will allow the SNP to wage war on the new UK government from a position of strength.
I hope I’m wrong on the last part but will revel in the end of ZaNuLabour meantime.
Bearing in mind the working over he got when he inadvertently told the truth about 42 days, I am pleased that a good, if misguided, man has learnt how to survive.
I expressed similar thoughts on his first post for the Labourgraph. I don’t hold out much hope for change having had my comments rejected on a number of stories over the weekend.
It seems like Brogan is one of a few token right-wingers, so expecting that it will improve with the Bizarro brothers still in charge is wishful thinking.
I think Brogan has been oversold. He wrote a witless blog chortling at the fact there were few people attending the Tory Spring Forum – this was written (presumably from the car park) 2 hours before the start. The tone of his blogs re. the Conservatives is sneeringly Hefferlight. RIP Torygraphy methinks.
Methinks
very pithy, Pip
in fact pith poor, Pip
yeth
Thack ‘im!
Brogan is no friend of the Tory party and the blog of his that you printed shows that quite clearly.
In a recent blog Dizzy shocked a lobby hack by telling him that he got Westminster scoops by diligent rearch, FOI requests, etc. The hack thought all stories should be fed through the likes of McBride.
Under Labour too many people have become reliant on handouts of some form or other. From a social welfare underclass trapped on benefits to the journalists getting McBride missives. Too few people are thinking for themselves, doing for themselves and paying for themselves.
Hell, it’s infected Parliament something rotten – there are increasingly loud mutterings about how little Parliament is sitting, how few debates they are having and how often they are being curtailed by the Government. For God’s sake! The members not in Government have as much power as those within it – they are granted their power by virtue of their representation of the people in Parliament. It should be wholly the other way around – the members should be making the running not waiting for the Government to allow them a few minutes to wave papers at each other.
MPs are as a whole, pathetic, and are far too craven to their parties. They are there to represent us and to protect us from the excesses of the State. They are there to keep the Government in it’s place not bow before it. Either they do not realise the authority they have or chose not to exercise it. Too busy filling their boots with expenses.
It’s becoming clearer that while dead tree journo’s might not be pigs at the trough, they qualify as Jackels round the feast.
Will anyone even notice, Guido? Generous helpings of paedophilia, celebrity gossip, and ‘terror’ on the front page, and op-ed pieces by Kevin Maguire and Max Clifford on the inside, the failure of Telegraph journalisim will be quickly forgotten.
Nor forgetting Swine Flu of course.
Civil Contingencies Act anyone?
Please to see you’re using the correct term, Swine Flu. The term Pig Flu should only be used in relation to MPs
Sir Reginald is suggesting that ‘Pig Flu’ should be used only in relation to MPs. Whilst I must agree in general terms that a derogatory tone must be the order of the day when making reference to the inhabitants of Westminster, it seems to me that Pigs being generally very useful, honest and certainly not a burden on the taxpayer should not be unnecessarily maligned by any association with the dishonourable bunch of free-loaders masquerading as our elected legislators. Pigs are better than that.
No, in relation to MP’s its “Hoon Flu”.
Hoon Flu can easily be diagnosed by seeing if your MP displays any of the following symptoms:
Needs more than 80 days per annum off.
Must claim for new bathplugs on expenses.
A need to fly to Afghanistan when you might have to answer awkward questions next Wednesday.
Swine Flu: “It started in America” (© 2008 Gordon Brown)
Just looked at the Telegraph website. There’s a picture of Brown offering a right-handed handshake to a soldier whose right hand is clutching the leads of two dogs. I had to laugh.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
That is hilarious. The soldier looks positively bemused. Brown looks as if he has just turned up at a garden party – skipping along – “Well, fancy seeing you here – what lovely little doggies” skip skip.
What a ……
Pity they weren’t German Shepherds. Hungry and hot German Shepherds.
Intentional that mate!
That right ‘and has been up some unusual cavities yer know an’ I aint’ takin about no dental surgeon neither!
Just hope that squaddy was wearing gloves – you really don’t want 100% pure jonah on your hands when you are in a war zone.
He obviously didn’t see Guido hiding around the corner.
Or was it actually Mandelson hiding round the corner and Guido was just the post boy?
Live chat the Daily Politics (Polly Toynbee is on), starting now: THE DAILY POLITICS LIVE CHAT APRIL 27TH 11:45 AM – MAD OLD BAG EDITION
13,701
13,071 now… did you invert a pair of digits, or did they lop 630 signatures?
I was doing my Alistair Darling forecasting impersonation
13,415
Security minister Lord West “outed” as the Punter betting against his own party. He denies it.
I don’t know why Brown bothered to come to Afghanistan, the swine chicken human flu has wiped the Conservatives out of the news, again.
Who needs McBride when you have Manglespin?
“his blog was just about the only MSM political reporting blog that Guido really respected as a competitor.”
Jesus wept.
It’s better than Red Box – that is a waste of a click.
Mcbride will find a role somewhere probably presenting some 2nd rate T.V. show in a few years time or working in P.R.
One thing is for sure he will be in demand……..like him or loath him (I the Latter) he really had a go at kicking things up and was focused and ruthless.
Qualities that some find very useful.
Brogan: “…bad business at the crossroads”.
Now there is a figure of speech one doesn’t meet every day. Because, AFAIK in England yet, one doesn’t in fact find dead chickens dumped at intersections of country roads, as one might in Tuscany. Chicken that have been specifically killed in pursuit of satanic objectives.
But if Brogan pronounces on the darkness of the regime, we should be aware of the play of the light. (Yea, verily, etc etc). Farmer Brown has had plenty of time to appease the God that is The Public, which has been mightily upset to witness the troughing by a herd of swine in the temple. (Yea, verily etc). He has not done so. But the light is a loving God, and grants Farmer Brown another opportunity to redeem himself, in the form of a non-eponymous minister with an eponymous title of Lord West of Spithead, who has been revealed with a vested interest in foiling the intent of the Swineherd and his pigs by betting against their reelection. Yea verily the little Lord hath spit in the wind, and Famer Brown must be beside himself with rage — a traitor in the midden! A hoon! Yet the Farmer cannot sack the little Lord for a little OTC derivative trading on the side, since that is perfectly legal, because it will draw attention to the non-sackings that have most grievously wounded the Public god, sackings that were within his power that has been his gift, that he and he alone could have done – but failed.
So, verily, let us stand back and admire the play of the light. And the walking, cursing, Nokia-throwing recursive rage that must be 10 Downing St right now. Truly the light is non-judgemental and divinely indifferent. It plays. It teases. It works in transparent ways. It has no taste, but tastes delicious.
No cock jokes please.
Not now Plato!
Mr Fawkes – with Dear Gordon out of the country, do you have something up your sleeve that would cause the world’s first intercontinental Nokia?
The lack of news today is very dull – yesterday was even worse…
ICBN?
Did anyone notice that Afghanistan is 180 degrees away from Mexico? Gordon seems to have run away as far as possible, especially as I doubt there are any air connections between the two countries.
I don’t think Gordon McSnot will be too keen on meeting Obama the other contender for Antichrist either:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aEsNownABJ6Q&refer=home
The first case was seen in Mexico on April 13. The outbreak coincided with the President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico City on April 16. Obama was received at Mexico’s anthropology museum in Mexico City by Felipe Solis, a distinguished archeologist who died the following day from symptoms similar to flu, Reforma newspaper reported. The newspaper didn’t confirm if Solis had swine flu or not.
Its The Jonah Pox
Brown passed it to Obama, Obama spread it to Mexico, now its gone Global!
Maybe someone at the Daily Mail remembered he was a fully paid up member of the Damian McBride fan club and decided to do something about before someone smart like Guido gave this sycophantic piece of drivel a second airing.
Methinks he was pushed, he didn’t jump at all..!
At least Damian knows he can count on one guy for a reference, he should just take that piece by Ben Brogan along to his next job interview, probably at Unite or some other Labour body who will cherish his “skills”.
Sounds like he would be a perfect ‘quiz inquisitor’ on TV. The new Ann Robinson perhaps?
Quiet as the grave. Same over here Guido. Where are the punters today?
Probably feeling ever-so-slightly paranoid about having every key-stroke, phone call and thought monitored and stored on ‘not a central database’.
Glover’s piece contains the priceless line: “After Tony Blair’s election as Tory leader ….” Still unchanged on the website.
lmao. Christ, Mystic Meg he ain’t. Despite the good reference you give him, that October blog reads pretty strongly to me that he spent too much time in McBrides pocket. Interesting to see where he goes from here but I’m not optimistic.
Sunday’s Telegraph doesn’t seem to offer domestic news any more, just copy and pastes from the past week with short news items culled from other papers’ websites.
It’s falling behind both the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday.
Incidentally, why would Brogan move from political editor of one good paper to the lower ranked political commentator of another? Shorter hours, or maybe a nod and a wink?
The Telegraph has got too close to Gordon and he has set it on fire!
http://delivernothinglabourparty.blogspot.com/
Brown = Commie!
Ooo, good photoshops on your bloggy. I dunno how to do that.
Good news – MPs interim expenses compromise being published this afternoon ready for vote on Thurs.
*rubs hooves*
Were you promoted by Caligula, then?
Visit my blog and all will be revealed
If anyone hasn’t seen the MEP snout footage – it’s here, really appalling venality
http://plato-says.blogspot.com/2009/04/eu-gravy-train.html
Good news, indeed, but we shouldn’t hold our breath. Absolutely nothing could happen between now and the demise of NuLabour.
Oh I don’t know Shellingout – just imagine if the rumours of suicides and by-elections come to be true.
Labour have more MPs than the other parties so are likely to have more snouts exposed, they have also been in charge for the last 12 yrs so the mud will stick more thickly.
There is already one senior LD who has asked Nick to cover his arse – and he’s been told to leg it if it all comes out.
Interesting times.
Oh, Plato – I really hope you’re right but this lot are so slippery, they manage to wriggle out of everything.
OTS.
What is going to happen when we are flooded with Pakistanis fleeing Pakistan when the Taliban take over?
Not a fantasy. He prevents Gurkha’s that want to and have fought on our behalf from coming here.
What is the betting we will have an open door policy!
More votes for Labour!
Interesting that you put Osborne’s political intelligence on a close footing to McBride, Guido. Surprises me a bit, because he really ought to have seen the shit that Mandybum would throw his way (pace, Mark Oaten!) after the Deripesky yacht debacle.
Whilst his performance as Shadow Chancellor has been reasonable, like his speech yesterday (he is no orator), I still question why he and Cameron have not attacked earlier and more aggressively over the economy.
It was evident from the growth in debt from 2002 that the Uk was in trouble (as I emailed to Cameron in 2006 only to get the stock reply).
Apologies, Guido, didn’t realise it was a quote!
(I know I’m stupid!)
Everyone knows you’re stupid.
Coming from you, my friend from the Al JaBeeba boards, that is a rare compliment! Now get back to the small matter in (your) hand!!
The worst thing about Brogan’s homage to McBride is not the brown nosing of that odious individual so much as it is the claim that George Osborne has the slightest idea what he is doing, he doesn’t.
Ere, stop messin’ about
Read what IRONIES TOO has to say about the Conservatives. ‘Shame on the Conservative Party’
http://www.ironiestoo.blogspot.com/
I looked and the writing is crap.
Is this a contender for the World’s Longest Sentence?
“On the afternoon of the morning in which the Sunday Times published an article reporting the EU Commission as stating that “Europe’s fishing industry is on the brink of suicide” and suggested returning much of its powers to the nation states, i.e., – mainly Britain (for the EU common resource of fish was once Britain’s fish, sold out by a parliamentary lie made by Conservative Geoffrey Rippon with Conservative traitor PM Edward Heath sitting at his side for which no apology has ever been given to the British people by the Conservative Party) this vapid self-marketer made not one single reference to the sterling gobbling EU.”
People keep telling us how intelligent McBride is.
He can’t be all that bright – what sort of numbskull plots a ‘secret’ libelous smear campaign via email?
using an e mail system which is open to public scrutiny under the freedom of information act , wot a tosser !
Let’s wait to see if the No10 e-mail system mysteriously loses lots of recorded data, like at Glenrothes!
Guvnor Ball has just given me £500 to put ” on a Westie” with his bookie.
What does he mean?
I am all at sea.
They’re fine and spirited little dogs, though not generally known to be of interest to the turf accountant.
Wonder if I can race my Cairn. I can see him now, thundering (scampering) along, scenting victory (other dog’s arses), last fence (small log he crawls under), finishing line! (stops dead to scratch his ear).
Maybe not.
So what?
Would’ve thought the only way for the Smellygraph to regain any semblance of political balance would be, first, to sack Mary Piddel and have her removed from the building by security guards. She’s as bonkers as Heffer, but bad bonkers not barking bonkers, if you see what I mean.
Then fire Heffer (because he’s barking bonkers). And bring Peter Obourne over from the Daily Hysteria so he can write for somebody other than middle class, menopausal housewives with labradoodles. Oh, and Will (‘brown’s bumchum’) Lewis must step down. And be replaced by David Starkey.
I could just about buy that rag again if that happened. Just.
What I find so boring is that all their writers seem to be related to each other.
Rachael Johnson is a pillock who gives old Jennifer ‘Big Chin’ Aniston a run for her money.
Brogan’s “Now Where Was I” (grrr) first post was his last as far as I was concerned.
Couldn’t get through the fug of smug.
Glad to hear you are enjoying the ‘new-look’ Storygraph, sir. In addition to the fine political coverage you are so enjoying may I point you to our Fantasy Cricket (£6 per team or two for a tenner) and our challenging puzzle page which includes the, ever popular, Sadoko and the patented Thickie crossword. Something for everyone, I think you’ll agree. http://www.telegraph.co.uk please.
Snarl.
Has my dog been posting again? Sorry.
Bad dog. Down boy.
Buy the Labourgrah. I dont think so. In fact I’ll never buy that rag again.
Don’t take the “p” out of The Labourgraph. Oh! you just did.
Oi don’t bring labradoodles into this. My randly girlfriend has one.
Hmmm.
Slightly O/T, but could Arsenal FC be a link between Peskon/McPoison and the NCR/RBoS ‘scoops’?
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23681329-details/Work+wars+between+Peston+and+Flanders/article.do
It’s odd in so many ways.Most of its readers are old style Tory loyalists and yet this is the group it affects now to despise.The editorial line is sympathetic to Brown whilst allowing Heffer to attack Cameron from the Thatcherite right.Only Randall seems to attack Labour with any vigour.It’s as if they want their readers to switch.
Randall’s too big to fire.
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard is a bonkers Europhile bailoutist money printer. He’s as bad Kaletsky in the Times. Along with mad, really MAD Will Hutton of the Groiniad, they are the three Brownite money-stooges of broads (Indy cant’ afford one).
Damian McBride ? Damian McBride ? I don’t know Damian McBride. I’ve never heard of Damian McBride.
You’ll remember…he was the one who was responsible when you took fully responsibility!
Brown in Afghanistan is just another common Labour ploy to deflect attention when ever they have problems at home.
Now I fully agree this visit would take a while to set up so thats what they will say of course. It just happens to be planned directly after one of the worse budgets ever which they knew it was going to be.
Remember this hoon does nothing for the people only what he thinks he can get in votes. The next is the June elections so watch out for these ploys below
Labour Deflection ploys
1) Terrorist Threat
2) Send PM to war zone (the safe bit that is)
Anyone think of anymore?
Agent 99
Here are a few deflections off the top of my head…..
3. a pandemic (mexican/bird flu)
4. foot and mouth (area TBA)
5. another smear campaign (better organised this time)
6. blaming other european leaders for our country’s failings
7. blaming the banks/americans for our country’s failings
8. a demonstration
9. debating MP’s expenses in the HoC (I’ll be surprised if they reach an agreement on this one)
The Lieboregraph take on Jacqboots’ database plans is an interesting piece of Newsspeak:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5230123/Jacqui-Smith-scraps-plan-for-email-database.html
Of course, she isn’t scrapping the plans at all – just requiring that ISPs provide the database, rather than say GCHQ. Allegedly, that will mean the cost will be only £2bn (instead of what was it? £11-12bn I think I’ve seen as one estimate) – and despite her alleged concerns for privacy, she intends to give access to Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all Government apparatchiks.
I think The Doors have this one right:
I’m a spy I’m a louse of Gov
I know the dream, that you’re dreamin’ of
I know the word that you long to hear
I know your deepest, secret fear
I’m a spy I’m a louse of Gov
I know the dream, that you’re dreamin’ of
I know the word that you long to hear
I know your deepest, secret fear
I know everything
Everything you do
Everywhere you go
Everyone you know
I’m a spy I’m a louse of Gov
I know the dream, that you’re dreamin’ of
I know the word that you long to hear
I know your deepest, secret fear
I know your deepest, secret fear
I know your deepest, secret fear
I’m a spy, I can see
What you do
And I know
When the music’s over……turn out the lights.
14,415 – gathering speed…
Gordon Brown snubbed by Pakistani President.
Americas fault,Pakistans fault. Brown blames every bastard under the sun for all his mistakes and expects to be welcomed with open arms.
what a c*unt.
BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(In the Telegraph would you know)
Home Secretary ditches plans for a giant Government database tracking all emails, phone calls and internet activity. (WELL NOT QUITE?)
Ms Smith said a central store of electronic data was an “extreme” solution and would have undermined privacy. Records of every electronic communication made by Britons will instead be held by private companies at a cost of around £2 billion.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5230123/Jacqui-Smith-scraps-plan-for-email-database.html
Story running here on BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8020039.stm
Chris Huhne having a bit of fun with it…..
Quote:
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: “I am pleased that the Government has climbed down from the Big Brother plan for a centralised database of all our emails and phone calls.
“However, any legislation that requires individual communications providers to keep data on who called whom and when will need strong safeguards on access.
“It is simply not that easy to separate the bare details of a call from its content. What if a leading business person is ringing Alcoholics Anonymous, or a politician’s partner is arranging to hire a porn video?
“There has to be a careful balance between investigative powers and the right to privacy.”
:Unquote
Is this Huehne fellow in any way related to or to be confused with that ZaNuLieBor chappie of the same name? You know, the transport ‘minister’ chappie, Geoff C.Unt.
Undermining privacy eh? No shit.
Our breaking news isn’t just any breaking news you know. It’s old breaking news.
Its just broken like Westminster and UK poltics.
Leaving aside whether it’s the Torygraph or the Liebourgraph, the content has gone down the pan in the last 12 months.
Guido,The answer to your question is NO!
Either muck sticks or is he so naive he shouldn’t be a journo.Perhaps his loyalty and talets are better suited to a post at no 10.
What a sad old mess the once great DT is.
heffer is a twat
Thanking you kindly, sir.
What template are you running on this site ? I really like it. Could you post where you got it from ?