Well done Ed Miliband for speaking out about the Daily Mail's article on his father

[claig]

The Daily Mail used a low tactic of accusing Ed miliband's father of hating Britain.

I think it was a nasty thing to do. Just because someone is a Marxist and may criticise some aspects of the country or its instiutions does not mean that they hate Britain.

Alistair campbell Limited, well I have to say your blustering diatribe above certainly doesn't exactly attest to your self-professed journalistic acumen..

Ad hominems all over the place. As on the news, so on Mumsnet, eh

Okey dokey

What makes the next steps fascinating for us the public is that I am sure that people like Oborne and Dacre and the Mail know lots of things that were done by some of these people that they have never bothered to tell us the public. If the battle intensifies, then we may get a glimpse of some of their behaviour and people may begin leaking things that have been kept secret from the public for years.

As McBride so rightly said
"The more it becomes a war the more it is corrosive because it is very difficult to restore those relationships."

and the more we will find out about what really went on.

As I said, I can't wait for the PD diaries...

I'd imagine there's a hell of a lot we don't know about what goes on. I agree with you there claig.

So in fact someone needs to tell Cambell to shut the fuck up.

Yes, McBride was right when he said that he was giving us an honest glimpse into what goes on. Most of us, the normal public, who are not Westminster journalists and don't move in these circles, had no idea. There is much more that we don't have a clue about but can just imagine.

I am sure that lots of it is unedifying, but as McBride rightly said, it is important in an open democracy to know some of it, in the hope that it may not continue to occur. When everything runs smoothly and they are all pals and are all in it together, then the public learns nothing, but when there is a battle, we sometimes catch glimpses of what really goes on behind the curtain.

This is a political storm, but it may clear the air.

Campbell seems to think that he can drive a stake through the Mail's heart and force resignations. He seems to be swinging wildly and taking crazy pot shots at the giant known as the Mail. But if he read his Greek mythology, he should take heed that those whom the gods wish to destroy ,they first make mad.

The Mail is like the Loch Ness monster, it may submerge temporarily but it will undoubtedly pop up again, and when it comes back up for air, it may be angrier than it was before and may want to continue the war.

Limited knows what she's talking about. From direct experience.

I read a book written by a GP once, but oddly enough, doctors know more than I do about how medicine works.

Limited is right about the hacks at the Mail being not exactly thrilled about Dacre's bizarre 'attack Milliband's dead Dad' stunt. Journalists often do things that maiden aunts would not approve, but this one is weird. And the MoS being slapped down by Rothermere for trying to go one better than the Mail is a twist.

I have never heard anything positive about working for the Mail other than the columnists are well paid, compared to other newspapers. I can imagine that it is a good experience to be in the newsroom for a limited period.

Alastair Campbell is rotten to the core. Hideous man.

Watched Channel4 News tonight and Toby Young said that Melanie Phillips until recently worked for the Mail. I wasn't sure I heard it right, I thought there must be some mistake, so I googled and unfortunately her regular column has ended. Apparently they are changing their lineup or something. Very sad.

Rotten to the core? Bit of an exaggeration. Bastard as a spin doctor yet but have you even glanced at what else he has done? Strong words, rotten to the core.

claig, I know I've said this to you before, but someone mentioning it upthread has reminded me - you should really consider reading Flat Earth News. It must be pretty cheap by now, it's been out for ages. And you know how you love a conspiracy..?

You should look at another thread further down the page if you think rotten to the core are strong words. Posters wishing Tories long slow painful deaths. That's what I call strong words. Pretty vile IMO.

Boulevard, you are right. People have told me that before. Several years ago, i dismissed it because it was written by a Guardian journalist and I thought it would therefore be spin. but I was wrong. Nick Davies is an excellent journalist and when the Savile scandal was revealed, many of the bestinvestiagtive journalism about it and similar scandals had been written by Nick Davies many years earlier, so he is very good and courageous.

I will definitely buy it and read it because I like to try and understand what goes on and people like Nick Davies know much more about it than I do.

Thanks for reminding me, I will put an Amazon order in for it.

Before this kicked off, Alastair Campbell was on the radio last week speaking up for those with mental health issues (after the Tesco/Asda Halloween costume debacle).

He has suffered from depression himself in the past.

IMO he is actually a decent bloke away from his spin doctor activities

Alastair Campbell is very yummy looking though actually I quite like him. He was paid to do a job, he did it.

Just as the journalists are paid to do a job, Limited's post was very interesting.

I don't understand why Ed is writing to Rothermere, waste of paper.

He has done a LOT for MH issues. Doesn't make him decent, but indicates he is not all bad.

And he speaks v good French. Always a good guest on French tv.

I would rather see mental health workers on TV speaking up about it than figures like Campbell or other political figures.

Blair does philanthropic work apparently, but Blair and Campbell have unfortunately got a bad reputation with much of the public and therefore there is a danger that the public won't take their causes seriously and even believe that they may possibly be trying to rehabilitate themselves with the public through them. They may write books and campaign and even make some money out of causes and increase their public exposure out of them, and that risks possibly turning the public off.

So many politicians seem to write books about their alcoholism or their depression or their bulimia etc etc. and sicuss how they were victims etc and there is a risk that the public will become cynical about their motives.

I like McBride and I admire his courage in taking all the brickbats and being honest about it. It is fine for him to make money out of his book which is a historical record about what he did in politics, but if he were to campaign on alcoholism and rehabilitate his profile through that then I would be less comfortable with that.

"I don't understand why Ed is writing to Rothermere, waste of paper."

Very good PR. He has put the ball in Rothermere's court and if Rothermere does not reply then the public will have more sympathy for Ed. Rothermere is now on the back foot, Ed is on the front foot.

Plus, Rothermere may tell the journalists to change their way or working.

Yes but mental health workers don't get prominent tv spots. Famous people do. Better than nothing. I don't think Blair was all bad either. There are very few people I consider as bad people. Dacre is one of them.