”The sheer volume of texts and emails is extraordinary, especially when you bear in mind that the level of equivalent communication with the media alliance was nil”

Do you think he meant to imply that Weber Shandwick were just not very good at their job? Lobbyists are paid to try to influence the democratic process and the problem comes when the politicians do not put up enough of a defence. Michel was apparently “bombarding” DCMS with messages. Rightly or wrongly, Weber cannot moan if they were not even trying…

TOP MESSAGES FOR THE DAY

1.       The South West has provided the perfect start for the Torch
Relay. Hundreds of thousands of people have lined the streets to
welcome the flame, creating remarkable scenes and providing a great
advert for the region, the country and the Games.

2.       The Torch will briefly enter the West Midlands for the first
time today, before arriving in Wales on Friday. Both parts of the UK
are making a huge contribution to the Games, and will add their own
distinctive magic to the Torch Relay.

Pyongyang 2012…

“1. The people of the South West are embracing the Torch with hundreds of thousands lining the streets to welcome the Flame.”

Has the smack of the North Korean Ministry of Information, no?

“Can you think of anything f***ing worse?”

Guido will put him down as a maybe.

.@GuidoFawkes scoop confm'd, Susie Squire going to CCHQ to replace the retiring Henry Macrory My take on what it means, specc.ie/KjOOXu—
James Forsyth (@JGForsyth) May 22, 2012

As revealed here this morning…

This snippet from Rachel Sylvester’s column, stuck behind the Times pay-wall, deserves a wider audience:

“At Westminster, Mr Balls can be overbearing. An attempt to oust Liam Byrne, the Blairite Work and Pensions Secretary, from the Shadow Cabinet, which was resisted by Mr Miliband, is blamed by some on the Shadow Chancellor’s bovver boys. “There’s a gang within the gang,” says an insider. “The punishment beatings are back.” One MP compares Mr Balls and his wife, Yvette Cooper, to the Borgias who just can’t help plotting.”

Belardinelli the bovver boy has a certain ring to it…

Watson was also asked about his relationship with Political Scrapbook. He denied, unprompted, to being “part of the management”, or indeed ever feeding them information. Which is odd given a simple Google search pulled up this glaring example:

“Tom Watson will in a few moments use parliamentary privilege to publicly expose details of a notorious murder inquiry allegedly blocked by News International.”

Information reaching the media before Parliament? How did that come about? The website also carries a very prominent advert for Watson’s book and is funded by the his allies at the GMB Union….

Guto did however manage to convince the Guardian and the Telegraph’s Mandrake otherwise. Nevertheless he managed to spin himself a promotion and pay hike of over £100,000 extra, he is on £250,000 plus benefits at News International, nigh on doubling his pay at City Hall. If he can improve the perception of Murdoch over the next couple of years he will have earned every penny…

UPDATE: Guto has been in touch to insist that he never claimed to have been offered a Downing Street job and that it was merely speculation by journalists.

City Hall have confirmed that Sam Lyons has taken over from Guto Harri as interim chief-of-spin for Boris. Speculation that Guto Harri was off to spin for News International looks set to be proven correct at any moment.  Unofficial News International sources say he has signed and is starting on Monday. Guido spoke to NI officially, who did not handle it too brilliantly:

GF: Can you confirm that Guto is joining you on Monday?
NI: I can’t really say anything about that. But can I put you on the list for it?
GF: What list? So there is an announcement coming?
NI: Errr, I don’t really know to be honest.

You snooze you lose Dave…