Last week Labour sent out a bonkers, highly paranoid email supposedly from Charles Clarke, which basically asked unsophisticated push-polling questions. “Do you support the fight against terrorism and Tony Blair?” “Are you a jihadist opponent of Detention Without Trial?”

It was pretty over the top, so all credit to the Fat Controller for apologising in his email of yesterday.

Finally, I would like to apologise for the questionnaire which was attached to the message that I sent out to party supporters on Friday. It was not intended to gauge public opinion but to start a political debate around the proposals currently being debated in Parliament. Many people have raised with me perfectly valid concerns about how the questions were drafted. I can only say that I share those concerns and give my assurance that questions of this type will not used in the future.

My old friend Zack Exley taught Labour how to use email to energise the base, not irritate it. No doubt a Labour HQ spin merchant was taken out and shot for crassness in the name of Clarke. Any names? Send the dirt to the usual place.