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.
You did not let us down at all. Your post on The Fun of Electioneering was spot on. You gave us the best of times, too bad we were not able to persuade enough voters for you to win.
Will Dorries Dale be making any reference to these horrors, the subject of articles in the Guardian and the Mail and linked on the media lens message board today?
CIA ‘put pressure on Britain to cover up its use of torture’ – MikeD Today, 8:53 am
Secrets of CIA ‘ghost flights’ to be revealed – MikeD Today, 8:48 am
Torture ?” new claim of secret UK complicity – MikeD Today, 8:38 am
Government press release: We can win in Afghanistan – Mr Bombastic Today, 7:22 am
Mili and crew are starting to speak about talks with the ‘moderate’ Taliban (sic). USukisnato know – – Rhisiart Gwilym Today, 8:16 am
aaaaaaaaaaaaa
Did anyone hear the real Ms Dorries (and her daughter for good measure – ‘I wish my Mummuy wasn’t an MP’) a’weeping and a’wailing in the BBC Radio 4 Expenses programme? Still on iPlayer. All that stuff about seeing grown men cry and their being likely suicide risks.
Nothing has changed. No shame. No contrition, not even any insight into the commissioning of their crimes.
PS Don’t forget that Ian McIsaac is Cameroon’s party treasurer and an ex-partner in Deloittes. How can Cameroon have that Screws of the World ex editor as his Director of Communications @ $450k pa whose evidence to the Culture Committee was basically ‘I know nuffing’ or ‘Not me Guv’?
Sour grapes from the brothel user. You shamed your country, you shamed your family. Yet you have no shame.
Shame on you. Norwich deserved better than a Scottish Nationalist Male Whore.
I notice you delete all posts which are not praising of you.
Craig, it is not surprising that your reaction to the NN result is so confused – fewer than 1,000 votes is obviously deflating but the reduction in “Mainsteam” votes would be encouraging (although as a member of one of those mainstream parties I am upset at the result for different reasons =))
With about a year until the next General Election – notwithstanding any sudden posponement for “security purposes”, not entirely unthinkable a situation under Brown – you could now spend the next few months really concentrating on Norwich North as a candidate with serious ambitions to win. However you may need to do so with more than just a one-man band – if “Put an Honest Man in Parliament” is a serious attempt to have candidates across the country work needs to be put in now to have any effect.
Welcome back Craig and congratulations on a brave attempt in Norwich. Your team wouldn’t have worked with you if they had any doubts.
I wouldn’t bother with Iain Dale and his acerbic comments – easy to say right enough but still they do push the blood pressure up for a while. You create hits for him so feel honoured. He wouldn’t mention you if that wasn’t so.
Who cares
What complete nonsense. No post has ever been deleted for criticising me. Not even your silly one. By the way, it’s the first time we’ve had a Karimov troll for months.
Craig/supporters: I am wondering if there is any value in pulling together a coalition of independents and smaller parties nationally (possibly including the Greens and UKIP) whose sole task would be to lobby for equal and democratic access to the media? I am not arguing for a common political platform – just a common force that could focus efforts on pointing out the innate bias of the BBC and other media institutions.
Duncan on another thread has it entirely right when he points out the circular nature of editorial reasoning, which runs thus: “Candidate X is unlikely to do well, so we won’t give him any coverage”. Needless to say the lack of coverage creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, and that the BBC and others are permitted to do this needs to be challenged.
The question is, how should smaller parties go about challenging that power?
The day Ian Dale becomes more important than uncovering the UK’s involvement in torture, illegal overseas wars etc etc….. you can guess the rest.
Keep up the great work. don’t waste your energy on that muppet.
Please sue his anus off Craig!
Jon – Don’t know what Craig will think of it but that sounds like a good idea to me – a single issue coalition on getting all candidates media coverage.
It would be possible to make common cause on it with every small party and independent with the exception of the BNP.
That was the wrong symbol for Coulson’s salary. Should have been £450k pa.
This is McIsaac. I see he is involved with Wee Duggie’s DfID, now renamed UK Aid because people did not understand what DfID stood for!
http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_the_Board/McIsaac_Ian.aspx
CM: “But I am pondering the moral question of whether, in these particular circumstances, it would be good to pursue the [possible libel] case and recover my election expenses?”
Why not get a professional opinion on the merits of your case?
http://www.carter-ruck.com/Media%20Law/New_Case_Enquiry.asp
Carter Ruck? You should ask Private Eye readers about that lot – their clients are often not the nicest people in the world. In the magazine the firm tends to be known by a fairly obvious rhyming moniker, which for decency I can’t repeat on a family website 🙂
I stopped reading Private Eye in the late 1990s, Jon. This year, Carter Ruck successfully represented Erin Pizzey (over false allegations in Andy Marr’s book) and Dr Abdul Bari.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/16/muhammad-abdul-bari-bbc-question-time-charles-moore
“you unbelievably stupid fucking twat”
I think that kind of language is uncalled for, Strategist. You typify Craig’s very puerile attitude to all of this, which is to blame everyone else for his defeat, and then attack and denounce anyone else for suggesting otherwise.
Craig spent £50 per voter. What an idiot!
Difference between RBS and the UK government?
1. RBS’s accounts are unqualified.
2. RBS only made an annual loss of £30bn.
For clarity, a) what is the relevance of Chloe Smith working at Deloitte b) why would working on the RBS audit be a matter of shame c) what’s the link between the two.
A good comparison would be literature blaming a former ambassador for a distant oil state for Blair going to war in Iraq.
Dear Craig
If you see Iain Dale then be terribly nice to him after all, you want to upset him.
I find his outbursts rather funny.
He is not a happy man and the best way to annoy him is to be happy.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
ps
Maybe he will get piles and then we can all laugh at his ‘grapes of wrath’!
Sam Hunt – I am not a fan of abusive conversations either. Although I think Strategist is correct to support Craig in this dispute, I agree it is not helpful. But I am wondering why you are taking this line when two days ago you said, in reference to Craig’s wife and his promise to put an honest man into Parliament:
“Did you Put An Honest Man into her too?”
That also is abusive and highly personal, and I’d suggest an apology to Craig is in order for stooping so low. I would commend you if you might also make some recognition, if not apology, to Strategist for your hypocrisy. You appear to have come here to hurl abuse, though – in the interests of freedom of speech – I will speak with you here if you can be civil from now on.
Whether Craig is (a) blaming everyone but himself for his defeat, or (b) Craig’s electoral result comes as a result of genuine difficulties that are not his fault depends on what he is blaming. Since media coverage is the key issue he points to, (1) would you agree that every candidate got the same amount of TV/press coverage, and with the same careful non-bias? (2) Would you also agree that it is right that all candidates get even-handed coverage? If not, why not?
Dear All
Sam Hunt is a loon.
That is the entire problem, we can’t solve that or should even try.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
To cheer you up, Craig:
http://antarena.blogspot.com/2009/07/politics-in-mire.html
Sam Hunt – who was the first person to point out that Craig spent £50 on his campaign for each vote he got? I think you’ll find it was Craig himself on his blog. It’s pretty obvious who’s being a twat here and it’s not Craig.
oops – now i’m being a twat – Sam didnt call Craig that. However you are still pointing out what Craig was first to point out Sam. There is no way to accurately predict what vote any candidate will get in any election. For all anyone knew spending that money could have made the difference between coming 2nd and 3rd or even losing and winning.
‘Craig/supporters: I am wondering if there is any value in pulling together a coalition of independents and smaller parties nationally (possibly including the Greens and UKIP) whose sole task would be to lobby for equal and democratic access to the media? I am not arguing for a common political platform – just a common force that could focus efforts on pointing out the innate bias of the BBC and other media institutions.
Duncan on another thread has it entirely right when he points out the circular nature of editorial reasoning, which runs thus: “Candidate X is unlikely to do well, so we won’t give him any coverage”. Needless to say the lack of coverage creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, and that the BBC and others are permitted to do this needs to be challenged.
The question is, how should smaller parties go about challenging that power?”
Very good points. Maybe some contact with Esther Rantzen right now might be an idea? She could surely use her profile to help this cause and would be glad too.
‘Craig/supporters: I am wondering if there is any value in pulling together a coalition of independents and smaller parties nationally (possibly including the Greens and UKIP) whose sole task would be to lobby for equal and democratic access to the media? I am not arguing for a common political platform – just a common force that could focus efforts on pointing out the innate bias of the BBC and other media institutions.
Duncan on another thread has it entirely right when he points out the circular nature of editorial reasoning, which runs thus: “Candidate X is unlikely to do well, so we won’t give him any coverage”. Needless to say the lack of coverage creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, and that the BBC and others are permitted to do this needs to be challenged.
The question is, how should smaller parties go about challenging that power?”
Very good points. Maybe some contact with Esther Rantzen right now might be an idea? She could surely use her profile to help this cause and would be glad too.
You don’t need to do anything, the silly fat poof is doing fine all by himself. Gees I can’t stand him. I used to follow him on twitter just to keep an ear out for the waffle, but like someone has already pointed out, his blog is pure shite these days, it has become unreadable.
I got sick of his/her twitters about its boyfriend, it got beyond repulsive. I say just leave him to it, he is doing just fine.
Craig
Stick with the people who support you (lots of them on here, and many more watching). Forget those who attack you, they are not worth a breath.
As for letting people down, it’s all your armchair supporters who didn’t get off their backsides and pitch in alongside you in NN during the campaign who have let YOU down. Great effort on your part, and pleased do keep going.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
Mohandas Gandhi
actgreen, I know I felt I let Craig down. I had all intentions of helping out until I fould it would have been a 5 hour journey to get to Norwich. I’ll build a small travelling expenses fund for myself, have a few days holidays saved I could use, and be ready to help out with the next campaign.
Those attempting to blame the lack of media coverage are deciving themselves. UKIP recieved little media coverage- and they did very well! The greens recieved great coverage- and were very disappointed with their result. It is not a self-fufiling prophecy- the media like to think they are the deciding factor but its not the case on such a local level.
Craig getting more media coverage would not have seen his vote sky rocket. Indeed, I restate my question- should the BNP have gotten all this coverage also? After all they got about the same number of votes- only they spent almost nothing, as opposed to the huge amount Craig did.
Craig performed badly because he doesn’t know anything about running election campaigns. The message he crafted did not appeal to voters, his election materials were, frankly, fairly awful, and his campaign appeared somewhat sanctimonious- something pointed out by more than one strong supporter, I note. The wise people pointing out the flaws in using posters, showing the ambassadors car, going negative, ect are all people Craig should be thinking of helping manage any future campaigns.
If Craig wants to fight another election he will have to borrow many of the major parties techniques. If he can’t do that he may as well save his money.