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Playing Dirty Politics

Over the weekend, we saw the beginning of what could be the dirtiest election campaign of modern times.

Unless you are living on Mars, you will probably be aware that Damian McBride, one of Gordon Brown's senior officials (below with the PM) sent emails which discussed the smearing of Conservative politicians through obscene innuendo.


He was forced to resign although it remains unclear how many others within the heart of Government knew about this plan.

Those not involved in politics will wonder why individuals would resort to personal insults when it should be the policies that matter.

Having been at the receiving end of such behaviour as a political candidate, I can tell you that it is not pleasant although what I experienced was nothing compared to what was planned for David Cameron, George Osborne and their families.

During the last election campaign, I had to instigate legal action against a prominent local academic (and previously a candidate for another political party) who was spreading lies about me.

I also had unsavoury comments about my family posted on my website which were well beyond any normal political debate.

Even the Daily Post itself received a letter, ghoulishly using a local undertaker’s address, which questioned my qualifications and academic credentials.

You expect a bit of knockabout in politics but having worked so hard over so many years in my professional career, I did begin to wonder why people bother to put themselves through the election process only to receive such personal abuse from cowards who clearly would never say such things to your face.

Some would argue that the growing use of the internet has been responsible for the increase in such behaviour.

On the other hand, as the Obama presidential campaign showed last year, the internet can also be a positive tool for invigorating supporters and attracting new voters.

In Wales, there has been a growing internet presence by politicians, although the Labour Party has been slow in getting its act together.

That is probably why Labour luminaries such as Peter Hain and Eluned Morgan recently set up their own website called Aneurin Glyndwr which was allegedly inspired by the Obama campaign.
Its first communication piece was a video using the Tom Jones song Delihah to criticise Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives.

It was widely ridiculed and subsequent posts have set a largely unsavoury tone of mainly attacking political opponents rather than focusing on their own party’s policies.

What is most surprising is that they are trying to play the ‘toff’ card with regard to David Cameron after this tactic failed miserably at the Crewe and Nantwich by-election which was won by the Conservatives.

Political commentators are at a loss to understand why Labour are resurrecting such ‘class war’ politics at a time when voters are generally turned off by such comments and given that Tony Blair, their most successful leader, was himself educated privately at Fettes independent school in Edinburgh (popularly known as the Eton of Scotland).

There is a new politics emerging across the world that and in resorting to such tactics, the Labour Party is in danger of being stuck in a world of spin, innuendo and smear.

This was best demonstrated in a recent speech by the wife of the politician who supposedly inspired this new Labour website.

Speaking to schoolchildren in London, Michelle Obama said that "Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude. We are counting on you, we are counting on every single one of you to be the best that you can be."

It is not the politics of envy but the politics of opportunity that defines today’s society.

If it wants to survive in the 21st century, then the Labour Party would do well to remember that, especially on the internet.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Good post - Labour could have come up with a decent website that encouraged debate rather than a watered down version of Arsembly.
What is this revelation about another academic trying to do the dirty on you? If you took legal action, what did his employer do about it? Tell us who it was!
Anonymous said…
I think most would be surprised at what gets discussed behind closed doors in Cardiff Bay.There are may adviosrs who should be very careful what they post,there are many who would love to leak, but dont dare
Anonymous said…
all this is hypocrasy from the Tories, what McBride did was petty but its what all aides to political leaders do instead of giving real advice, only he got caught and he should have been sacked rather than allowed to resign,

But the public are being asked to believe that David Cameron's acolytes have never indulged in negative smeers against Labour Party or its Members - get real Dylan

i agree that Labour and the Conservative need to start indulding in real politics but where is the incentive for the to do that, the Tories will win the next election not because of a bold radical policy agenda but because Labour are totally hopeless at present.
Mr Garraway said…
But the public are being asked to believe that David Cameron's acolytes have never indulged in negative smeers against Labour Party or its Members.

Where's your proof anonymong?

There isn'y any because it he doesn't need to as labour are doing a good job of destroying themselves.
anon 1 - Although after a few Easter beers it is tempting to name the so called 'don', that would just give the little shit more satisfaction as he truly believed that the lies he was peddling were true. he even denied being a former member of a political party even though I had the name of the seat and the paltry number of votes in front of me at the time.

A pathetic individual who needs to get a life.

VM - can't agree more.

Anon 2 - You have got be kidding me.

Your defence of this fiasco is that the Tories must have been up to the same tricks. As Mr Garraway says, put up or shut up.
Boston Legal said…
I think the senior staff at Bangor Uni could tell us who he is, couldn't they Dylan.
Anonymous said…
But the public are being asked to believe that David Cameron's acolytes have never indulged in negative smeers against Labour Party or its Members - get real Dylan

Labour have been using smear tactics here in Wales for a long time now, as anyone who hasn't been living in a cave for the last decade can testify.

The Tories in opposition at Westminster try to wear their opponents down, as they did (and have admitted to doing) in the 70s. As far as I can recall that doesn't (and didn't) involve smear campaigns.
Anonymous said…
I notice that Marcus Warner thru his red rose tinted glasses, believes that you and other bloggers are wrong in attacking the AG website and that the PA expert Daran Hill agrees with him. Did they think that either the Arsembly or the Natwatch websites were acceptable in the way they attacked Plaid in particular? Aren't they also both pals of the author of the AG website?
Just when I was going to bed....so much for the advantages of a web-based mobile.

Marcus is a member of the Welsh Labour Party and it is up to him whether he chooses to defend his mates within the party, although I am surprised at Daran, as one who has far more insider knowledge than most about the individuals behind the Aneurin Glyndwr website.

I will reiterate what i said earlier.

According to Draper, his stuff was just a bit of fun between two mates as well but we saw how that accelerated into a completely different scenario.

It is a very thin line between 'knockabout politics' and 'smear' as I know from being on the receiving end of some of this.

Such an approach is a very slippery slope and how long would it have taken before this website would have turned nasty as we got closer to the election.

Hopefully, after this fiasco, we will thankfully never know.
p.s. does anyone know why welsh ramblings is suddenly offline. I was hoping to comment on one of the postings on the Conservative Party.

Has Plaid been caught out doing the same as Labour?
Anonymous said…
Has Plaid been caught out doing the same as Labour?You mean launching an officially endorsed attack blog and starting a smear campaign?

Hardly.
Huw said…
The crime is to be caught.

Labour are just sulking because they were stupid enough to get caught. Serves them right.

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