Sour grapes from Australian Labor. Not content with getting pummelled down under, bargain basement strategist Bruce Hawker is over here to train Miliband and his troops at how to scream and scream and scream until they are sick about press coverage:

“It is important to hang a lantern on any media-led campaign against Labour well before the election is called so you do not waste precious campaigning time exposing the motivation behind their attacks, as we were forced to do. Second, enlist allies and third parties to reinforce your message about media bias. Research and publicise the concrete examples early and often.”

Which would explain Ed’s daft article in the Indy on Sunday and the attempts to paint all criticism as an evil smear.

Hawker is in town to give Labour a rousing pep-talk. Ever helpful, Guido would recommend that they take his advice with a pinch of salt. Shall we have a look at his previous record of success?

After running Kevin Rudd’s abortive attempted coup in February 2012, Hawker’s loyalty was rewarded with the dubious honour of running Rudd’s election campaign this year against Tony Abbott. Polling day saw Labor drop to their lowest primary vote share since 1931. Brilliant Bruce admitted the wipeout was his fault, telling the Australian: “I have to take my fair share of it, I’m not going to shy away from it.” Not that it stopped him from attacking party staff in a tell-all-book, writing that Labor HQ was “second rate”. 

In 2012 Hawker was “the key architect” behind one of the worst defeats in the history of Australian politics when Labor were wiped out in Queensland. They lost all but seven of their previous 51 seats in the lower house – thanks to heroic Hawker. 

The year before in New South Wales, Hawker predicted that the campaign he was running for Labour was “potentially facing political Armageddon”. And correct he was: they lost 60% of their seats.

Guido, for one, welcomes Labour’s new antipodean overlord. What could possibly go wrong?