I was in some danger of falling into the slough of despond, but I have been rescued by the need to defend myself against the ludicrous attacks of Dorries Dale. That anybody can be quite so graceless in victory is something I find hard to comprehend.
Following his statesmanlike “Craig Murray lost his deposit. Ha ha double ha!” posting, Iain Dale has come out with this one:
Perhaps if he had done anything worth reporting, he might have got some media space, but the fact is that the “honest man’s” sole noteworthy contribution to the campaign was to put out a virtually libellous leaflet about Chloe Smith.
I am not sure what the new Dale concept of “virtual libel” is, precisely. Iain is of course an expert on libel, having recently cost the Mail on Sunday a major amount of money as a result of one of his wild and unfounded articles. Having never libeled anybody, I do not need the proven libeler Iain Dale to give me any lessons.
But “virtual libel” seems to be Dale speak for “Truths the Tories do not want want you to know.”
The facts about Ms Smith in the leaflet in question are these:
She was born in Ashford in Kent
She works for Deloitte Touche
Deloitte Touche were accountants and auditors to RBS/Natwest before the crash
Chloe Smith tried to be selected as candidte for Ipswich before being selected for Norwich
Iain Dale does not think you should know any of this – and all of these facts were totally absent from the Tory literature and from Ms Smith’s own website. It is apparently “Virtual libel” to tell inconvenient truths about Tories.
There was a time when Dale’s blog was worth reading, but sadly it has degenerated into the dullest of party propaganda.
Dale has also published an attack on me in the Eastern Daily Press. It is very brave of that paper to run columns by a notorious libeler. He calls me “scurrilous”, again in relation to my truth telling about Ms Smith.
As a believer in free speech, I have never pursued anybody for libel, or threatened anybody with a libel suit. But I am pondering the moral question of whether, in these particular circumstances, it would be good to pursue the case and recover my election expenses? Dale of course is a known and proven libeler already, so I should not be damaging anybody’s reputation. I should be grateful for your views.
I suspect that Dorries Dale’s ire was stoked by the fact that my article on the by-election was published by the Mail on Sunday.
The Mail on Sunday is of course the very newspaper who are more careful in their dealings with Iain nowadays, after he cost them a lot of money with his libel. I do understand Iain’s resentment that I am writing on the by-election for the biggest selling national Sunday newspaper, while he is confined to a quiet corner of the regional press, but nontheless I do think he is unwise to allow his jealousy to get the better of him.
Another fascinating point is that it turns out that Ms Smith’s “Job” at Deloitte Touche was to be on secondment to the Conservative Party. Is this a disguised form of political donation to get round disclosure rules? It certainly shows how ludicrous it is to belive that the Tories will control the financial services industry. It’s the other way round, I fear.
The blog will emerge from Norwich North mode and start concentrating on world events again, soon. It is taking me a few days to get over it. I cannot get over the feeling that I let down rather badly the wonderful volunteers who came and gave so much.
Dale is a wierd sort of a bloke…he thinks he’s far more important than he is. He is a junior Tory gofer, who obediently trots around the country carrying out menial tasks on behalf of the candidate of the day….his political commentaries are limited to the occasional local press article and a blog no-one outside of the Westminster Village and the internet community know exists, and an internet radio show that could probably fit its audience into a phone box….his rare forrays onto the national stage usually end up with his humiliation….Galloway embarassing him on national radio, Michael White making him look very silly on national TV, and making up stories for the Daily Mail, costing them thousands of pounds….
Whilst I imagine getting into a slanging match with such an odious, pompous twat as Dale is tempting, I would advise against it Craig….look at the things you have achieved on the world stage, in Africa, in Eastern Europe, as well as holding prestigious posts such as the one you hold with the University of Dundee, and compare it with what Dale has done…..he is barely worth mentioning on these pages.
No – you didn’t let anyone down Craig. You gave it your best and if you hadn’t been barred from the BBC Look East televised debate – and if you’d had the 18 months and paid staff and volunteers from across the country the parties had – the result might have been very different. You were an inspiring candidate and a lack of equal media coverage was the biggest problem.
I wasnt too sure about the first of the three leaflets but the second one was great and your performance in the hustings debates was electrifying.
I don’t know what Iain Dale is like as a person but in his blog as a dull, unoriginal party hack who is full of blustering hyperbole over trivia and massive pedantry.
I suspect his use of the word ‘virtual’ to qualify ‘libel’ is a euphemism for ‘not’, because he knows every word of it is true and so any libel case would be lucky even to get to court.
Nor was there anything “scurrilous” or personal about your criticisms of Chloe – they were all to do with her public life and profession and nothing to do with her private life.
P.S the last discussion i remember on where you should stand next involved weighing up where you would have the best chance of winning next time and where the volunteers would most like to go on holiday. It was a disappointing result but worth every footstep to beat the BNP and get a single vote for you, never mind 953 in two weeks – and everyone enjoyed 99.9% of it.
Thanks Dunc. Bob, you are right that Iain Dale isn’t worth the time and space, but I needed waking up and it worked!
I should add that I shared the prevailing national mood that the Tories would at least be an improvement on New Labour, until I saw them close up in the last few weeks.
Congratulations on getting that splendid article into the Mail on Sunday. As for the infantile witterings of idiotic Iain Dale, give him a taste of his own medicine and, as Maggie Thatcher advised, deny him the oxygen of publicity by ignoring the twit.
Looks to me like you’ve got the law wrong when you say, “Another fascinating point is that it turns out that Ms Smith’s “Job” at Deloitte Touche was to be on secondment to the Conservative Party. Is this a disguised form of political donation to get round disclosure rules?”
Donations in kind, such as seconding staff, have to be declared, and indeed there are example of such donations getting published on the donation registers for years now.
So how would it be “disguised” if it ends up being published just like a cash donation?
Mark,
Thanks. That’s why I was asking. Has it been declared?
Mark –
I should explin myself further. This is not really a secondment. Chloe worked for the Conservative Party – for Gillian Shepherd, and then for Jame Clapperson (sp?) who became famous for getting the taxpayer to pay for hundreds of trees to line his estate. She then left to work for Deloitte Touche – but was almost immediately seconded back to the Tory Party again.
It is therefore not a question of Deloitte Touche seconding genuine DT staff to the tory Party – though I would find that strange anyway. It is a question of Deloitte Touche taking on Tory Party staff, to disguise the fact they have never in fact worked for anybody except the Tory Party.
“Dale of course is a known and proven libeler already, so I should not be damaging anybody’s reputation. I should be grateful for your views”.
Let it go Craig. Having ‘previous’ is not proof of guilt, which is a rather important principle. If the worst he said was ‘scurrilous’ then that would almost certainly go down as a mere expression of opinion.
“I cannot get over the feeling that I let down rather badly the wonderful volunteers who came and gave so much”.
Yeah well, the result was disappointing and, although in your heart of hearts you probably didn;t really expect to win, you probably thought you’d at least keep your deposit. I certainly did. From what I’ve heard from your volunteers however they seem to have gained a huge amount from the experience and probably feel ten years younger, just like you.
Politics in Britain is in a strange place at the moment and you obviously didn’t quite hit the right note this time around. Clearly Chloe didn’t either but at least she had media exposure, habit and a well-oiled party machine on her side.
Let it go. He’s not worth the time.
Glad to see that you’re back and swinging, though.
Oh, and you didn’t let anyone down. Quite the opposite. Indeed, I’m rather hoping that you won’t get too discouraged to try again. If the Atlantic hadn’t been in the way, I’d have been there with you. But it’s mighty cold, even at this time of the year.
Hang in there.
Craig,
In answer to your question about whether or not it’s been declared, there doesn’t look to yet a published entry in the Electoral Commission’s register of donations, but given that items do not get published immediately, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything odd has happened.
There are four previous donations of staff from Deloitte to the Conservatives which have been declared, total value just under £62k.
You did your best, and therefore you didn’t let anyone down. If you want to try again next year, you may wish to consider to form a real political party in Norwich (or join forces with an existing party there), to build grass roots support and convince the voters that you can be trusted to be a good MP to them.
Craig,
Just read your Mail article..
‘we could give Parliament a real leavening of independent MPs, who were genuinely not in it for a lucrative career but to serve the public good’
Leavening, what a great word. And surely what this ‘democracy’ needs.
I have just ordered another of your books from amazon (after just finishing Murder in Samarkand) – Dirty Diplomacy, it is dated 2007 on the amazon site, is this a brand new book ? , no mention on your site about it yet. Would hate to think my money was going to a fake Craig Murray who was cashing in on your good name.
Cooler heads have already counselled against, possibly wisely, but I say sue the bastard.
I think it unsporting to sue people for stuff said in the blogosphere but this is in the super soaraway Eastern Daily Press, so why not go for it?
Obviously a right of reply or printed retraction/apology should be the first requirement on EDP, with litigation to follow only satisfaction not provided?
Chris Dooley @10.47pm:
“I have just ordered another of your books from amazon (after just finishing Murder in Samarkand) – Dirty Diplomacy, it is dated 2007 on the amazon site, is this a brand new book?”
Yikes! Pretty sure “Dirty Diplomacy” is the title of the US edition of the exact same book! So cancel your order toute de suite, if you can! The book you need (the prequel to Murder in Samarkand/Dirty Diplomacy) is “The Catholic Orangemen of Togo”.
Ooops, I have just entered Dirty Diplomacy in your searchbox and solved my question. Maybe I should have checked here first before buying your great book twice :). Ah well, I can send the second one to my MP, maybe he might grow a spine against the whips after reading it.
It’s Deloitte not Deloitte and Touche. Your attempt to link Chloe with the RBS audit is ridiculous and by the way was there anything wrong with the audit that was performed anyway?
I am afraid that your line of attack was mean-spirited and paraded your ignorance to better informed people. An honest man, pah.
It’s Deloitte not Deloitte and Touche. Your attempt to link Chloe with the RBS audit is ridiculous and by the way was there anything wrong with the audit that was performed anyway?
I am afraid that your line of attack was mean-spirited and paraded your ignorance to better informed people. An honest man, pah.
Oh boy, I see the spelling monitors are out in force again.
Why did these ‘better informed people’ not want to put the facts about Chloe’s ‘work’ put before the electorate of Norwich North while they made their decision on who to vote for ?
“by the way was there anything wrong with the audit that was performed anyway?”
That’s my quote of the week. Permit me a profanity, folks:
Praguetory, you unbelievably stupid fucking twat.
I dare say there is many a libel action that doesn’t care to demonstrate reputational damage, and goes in for the financial win anyway, but I am of the mind that it *should* be demonstrated. And unless there’s more to the story, I’m not sure it’s worth it – there’s not much to Dale’s schoolboy gloating and I don’t think many non-Tories have paid attention to it.
And as has been discussed on a previous thread, his Tweeting (or re-Tweeting, as he was at considered pains to point out) makes him look like a prize plonker — hardly the sophisticated political commentator he makes himself out to be. Dizzy can get away with it, since he’s not much known outside the blogosphere. But I suspect Dale will regret his silly comments without you having to do a thing.
PS – nice to see you back on form. You will come to find out your volunteers certainly do not feel let down 🙂
Don’t waste your time on stoats like him. From what I have seen of his blog he is no more than a simpleminded arch-pedant. I hope you start planning for the General Election soon, if you are going for it that is. I honestly believe you can win. As someone else said, they are spread thin on General Elections. Also, try and figure out what obstacles may be placed in front of you well in advance. Have some strategies at the ready to overcome them. Maybe put some ads on your home page for what support you will need well in advance? Donations, foot soldiers, feedback, election team positions etc.. Winning is possible. All the best.
P.S. Even at this early stage, I wish to formally nominate eddie to be our election campaign mascot. That’s if he isn’t too busy fantasising about David Shayler of course…
Tee hee!
Thanks for the above laughs, folks, and it’s great to see you back, Craig.
I’m going to bed with a smile. There *will* be another day!!
“Galloway embarassing him on national radio”
Just for those of you that missed it…
George Galloway v Iain Dale, 31mins in…
tinyurl.com/cfvpjh
To go with the post above…
“Does the Prime Minister recall that in the 1980s this country was the world leader in the development of clean coal technology via the fluidised bed plant at Grimethorpe colliery in my constituency? That was until the Thatcher Government pulled the plug on the funding.”…
http://tinyurl.com/lm3des
test
I’ve watched Dale’s blog pretty much since its inception. At first it was because it was a sort of archetype of a new medium. It’s been an education to watch it morph into a strange, gushing, trashy, populist ‘look at me aren’t I a clever sensitive worldly-wise insider’ Dale promotion – almost child-like in its combination of egotistical desperation to be liked and judged wise and reasonable in all things. The man sees his optimum career path as being best served by Tory Party uber-loyalty (with a dash of daring tut-tutting criticism thrown in from time to time of course). He’s right on-message on such absurdities as ‘America is a force for good in the world’; ‘Poor threatened little Israel’; The UK in the vanguard of ‘the war on terror’ and such. And, in full accord with our celebrity culture, he just loves to shepherd his loyal fans. His post following the one about you is a good illustration. It reminds me of that 60’s peace of narcissistic self-promotion, since taken up by Bryan Ferry and others, the lyrics of which include:
I’m in with the in crowd;
I go where the in crowd goes.
I’m in with the in crowd;
And I know what the in crowd knows.
We got our own way of walking
We got our own way of talking
Spendin’ cash; talkin’ trash.
Quintessential Iain Dale eh? Forget about him. He’s a credulous party-political hack and simply not worth wasting time and effort on.
PS. Commiserations on the result BTW. The UK electorate is both as sheep-like in its herd instincts and as childlike in its party-political credulity as Dale himself, which goes some way to explaining his ‘popularity’ such as it is. This little poem by Emily Dickinson springs to mind:
Much madness is divinest sense
To a discerning eye
Much sense – the starkest madness
‘Tis the Majority
In this, as all, prevail:
Assent and you are sane
Demur, you’re straightway dangerous
And handled with a chain.
Just a techie aside – it may be that your web site isn’t up to much in the traffic handling stakes – but I suspect your web site was the recipient of a Denial of Service Attack during your campaign…. If it was as artless as Labour goons tearing down your posters you might be able to recoup your deposit…..
Craig
This election wasn’t about winning/losing really was it? It was about self belief and integrity and being strong enough to stand up and be counted. It was really about courage.
How many people would actually have the courage to stand on a national or international stage and state that ‘this is wrong’…very few for we all perceive we have to much to lose and therefore we would not risk taking such a stance.
You however have provided those of us who have our own thoughts of the wrongs that the government of this country (whatever colour rosette it wears)perpetuates on other countries of the world and on its own citizens, with a voice. That is your victory. Its not a great big news shattering victory, but its a small one for every one of us.
We all thank you for that Craig. Whether we were able to vote in Norwich North or we are citizens of a wider world your voice helps us all.