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.

Do you think so. I don't. The media is the mouthpiece for him and his ilk. The thing he won't approve of is the fact that this attack on Ed has laid bare this fact.

'Famous people do'

True, but Saddam Hussein is famous and we wouldn't want to use him to publicise it. Use actors of footballers or decent people, not people who have bad reputations with the public.

But that's a whole other debate? Who's decent? We all have our murky secrets after all.

Yes, but some figures are admittedly controversial and they should not be used to promote good causes. Oborne will publish his notes on Campbell next week. Imagine seeing him on TV promoting his novel and talking about alcoholism after that.

When Blair launched his book, he needed guards when he went to Ireland as people were protesting against him. It's unfortunate, but he doesn't have a good image with lots of people and therefore it would be crazy to use him to promote certain good causes, because just the sight of him is offensive to some of these protestors.

i dismissed it because it was written by a Guardian journalist Oh, bless you, Claig! Glad to hear you had a re-think.

I thought Alastair Campbell was very good on mental health stigma last week. Since MH patients and our HCPs find it so hard to get heard - unless we've gone on a murder spree - it's good to have a PR master on our side.

I wish this Ralph Miliband thing had died down already. It's distracted attention from Ed's remarkably strong speeches. Funny, that: what unlucky timing

claig, the think about Campbell and mental health is that it was hugely positive for someone who had been in an incredibly high-pressured job to say, yes, I suffer from depression. Someone who had been extraordinarily powerful. Whether you like what he did or not.

Shame his own mental health issues didn't stop him playing a part in hounding poor David Kelly, though...

Yes, that is a good point. I think it also came out on the day that Cameron made a not very good speech, so the contrast between Ed's speech and Caneron's speech was less evident.

True. Not much in the press about how awful Cameron's speech was. (Very awful)

edam, I am a Daily Mail reader, so I am a bit of a cynic and don't have full trust in some politicians. I don't like to read about Blair's alcohol problem and how he needed to drink so much per day etc because it can be used by Blair to gain sympathy for his hard job and how the stress of it may have caused him to be more dependent on drink.

I know Blair had a hard job, but I am cynical of some politicians' motives in trying to gain public sympathy by talking about it. I think they should keep it to themselves.

I am sure that Thatcher had lots of stress etc but she didn't tell us about it.

To be honest, I also wonder if some politicians are telling the truth or if they have been advised by a spin doctor to talk about it and write books about it, just like they are when they tell us that their favourite band is the Arctic Monkeys etc.

Alos, I happen to like Mcbride unlike most of the Labour establishment it seems.

I bet the BBC would not give McBride publicity to talk about his alcohol problems and his work (if any) for charities or give him airtime to discuss a book about his alcoholism, because my guess is that the Labour establishment do not wish to rehabilitate McBride. Also I believe that McBride does have integrity and he therefore wouldn't do it, but I may be wrong about that.

Put it this way Claig, he tried to offer royalties from his book to a well-known national charity, but they've turned him down. Clearly they don't think it would be a good idea to be seen to take his money.

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

My partners two work colleagues go by the job title of "IT specialist" but they're both infamous for their utter ineptitude. Job title doesn't necessarily = competence... And as we all know, every self-professed woman on mumsnet could be a hairy arsed trucker. You could employed as a cat herder for all I know.

As I said earlier, campbell has a painfully short memory. He endorsed (possibly even "sexed up") the Iraq dossier.. which, as we know, lead to the inevitable deaths of countless civilians and servicemen... Oh and an illegal war. Also he and Cherrie Blair showed gross insensitivity by autographing and auctioning a copy of Hutton's inquiry report into Dr Kelly's death... In essence, profiting from the death of a man. These transgressions are far more deserving of contempt that Dacre's speculative piece.

I will concede that I understand Ed milliband's defensiveness though (it being his fathers reputation at stake) ... But Campbell, the rank hypocrite? No, he has no right to wage any moral crusade.

Exactly, they are a good cause and they don't want to touch him with a bargepole because of his reputation and I think that is right.

However, I do believe that McBride is a decent bloke who was hired to do a job to protect Brown and that is what he did, even though he used dirty tactics to do it. McBride was an attack dog but that is what he was hired to do, just as limitedperiodonly says that she has monstered people on their doorsteps because that is what she was in part hired to do.

I am in favour of McBride giving money to charity and I believe the charity should take it, but I would object to hearing about it on the BBC and McBride being asked to tell us all about it. It should be done in secret because then it is real.

To be honest, I also wonder if some politicians are telling the truth or if they have been advised by a spin doctor to talk about it and write books about it, just like they are when they tell us that their favourite band is the Arctic Monkeys etc.

Cynical but I think there is an element of truth there at times.. Campbell's most recent book was released recently so I guess this drums up a good bit of publicity for him.

Sorry badly articulated.. Meant to say - there's an element of truth to what you say..

Exactly. Mostenedbint1, and the BBC are giving him lots of publicity and they would not give good publicity for someone like McBride who the entire Labour establishment seem to want to distance themselves from.

Ed is on BBC Breakfast at 8.10

Would disagree. McBride, for someone who most of us had forgotten about until a couple of weeks ago, has had lots of coverage on the Beeb. Not for his charity stuff... Yet... But plenty of coverage and I al sure we haven't heard the last of him. I hope he does some good.

Yep, McBride's been all over the news recently what with his book being launched.

Thanks for the tip Petite will try to wash today.

Agree he has had loads of coverage but so far it has been about his revelations of what went on and that is a legitimate political story that could no longer be covered up from the public.

I have just remembered that he said he has worked or is working for the charity CAFOD. But at least he has had the decency not to go into detail about it on our TV screens. And working for a charity or in a publicly funded role seems to be par for the course for so many of these former Labour people, so it didn't come as a great surprise. What would have been a surprise is if if he had worked in industry.

Apparently it seems that he is the "communications director" for CAFOD. You couldn't make this stuff up.

www.civilsociety.co.uk/governance/news/content/16184/cafod_bows_to_pressure_to_reject_mcbride_book_royalties

Still sniggering at Gordon claiming he liked the Arctic Monkeys.

Do they think we're stupid or something? Oh, wait....

Agree, HesterShaw.

One of my favourite politicians is Jacob Rees-Mogg. He doesn't hide what he is. He is genuine and doesn't stoop to spin to present a false image to the public. The public doesn't care what their background is as long as they are genuine.

They should take Ed off our screens now. He is smiling too much while speaking. They should quit while they are ahead.

I think he looks like he has had enough of it himself. Wouldn't blame him.