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.

Boris French is passable, probably better than he lets on. He comes across as a bumbling Brit, part of his charm, and I suspect he understands and speaks better than he does on TV (they love our accent)

Boris speaks good French

Can't find Campbell on youtube. Is there a French type equivalent for youtube? Is it dailymotion or something where I can search for Campbell on French TV?

Yes, he understands well, but his accent could use some work

'Go beyond the banter with Boris and there's nothing left'

I agree. I know you don't like Farage, but Farage knocks spots off him because Farage has that crucial ingredient that Boris lacks - conviction.

Yes, Farage is a good speaker and does believe in what he says.

I can't find a video of Campbell on Le Grand Journal, sorry.

I hadn't seen that interview. Youtube won't load but i assume he said the same as he had said on every other news show that day :o

Apparently Brummer has done an interview to be broadcast on tonight's C4 news saying that the Mail got it wrong in some way.

Some of you might be interested in this - Alistair Campbell has a petition on change.org challenging Paul Dacre:' Debate with me, or a professional broadcast interviewer, on TV, the attack on Ed Miliband's father and the role of the Daily Mail in the UK’s national debate' - rather than hiding behind delegating to underlings.

Tory councillor and businessman turns down the chance to advertise in the Heil.

Petite, that line that I quoted was from the weird-vile editorial the next day, hence not written by Levy and signed off by the Bigot-in-Chief.

Found Campbell speaking French.

Bravo, he is very good - better than Blair and Boris

www.dailymotion.com/video/xifb8g_alastair-campbell-donne-des-conseils-a-la-gauche-francaise_news

I guess Campbell is gambling that Dacre's widely reported, er, anger management/verbal abuse issues... will come to the fore on live TV. And what a Youtube video that will make for us all

Apart from that, would be interesting watching him try to defend this one. Am loving, 'The headline has to be read in conjunction with the article'; translated as 'Our headlines are always complete bollocks, what are you complaining about?'

\link{http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/content/after-daily-mails-attack-writings-young-ralph-miliband-heres-what-teenage-paul-dacre-thought\here are some fascinating quotes from Paul Dacre's early journalistic career as a leftie at Leeds University}

'In 1968 as a 19-year-old student, the future Daily Mail editor took over the Leeds University newspaper Union News and immediately instituted radical change.
Dacre championed unemployed immigrants while encouraging people to join the union. He even praised Jack Straw.'

(Clearly, what you think & write as a teenager bears ABSOLUTELY NO RELATION to how you think & behave as a mature citizen )

Well my opinions have changed over the last few years. People develop, change. Chirac, the French right wing president was a Communist as a student.

oh, mine too, PR

but for Paul Dacre, obviously, what he thinks at any given moment is the only acceptable way to think (regardless of what he may have thought & said last week)

but this does not apply to eg Ralph Miliband

I don't think Miliband's opinions changed all that much. The extract from his diary was a what if.. He never subscribed to communism, but his criticism of the British mentality, as seen by an outsider at the time was valid. As an expat, hate the word as I am actually an immigrant, I feel able to criticise aspects of France that would be seen as anti French. But would I, in war, fight for French values? Yes, absolutely. But as an outsider I do have the privilege of being able to say I love France but...

claig yes, Campbell's French is excellent. From memory he is able to hold his own in a real debate. He has even written articles for the French press, but they were no doubt rewritten by a translator - they always are.

Yes, I am very impressed. I think he lived in the South of France for a while in his earlier days. Did he study French at University or did he just pick it up over there? It is good to see some of our political figures well educated and able to converse in other languages. Good on Boris and Blair too, but Campbell is very good.

He studied French and German at Cambridge. Very good.

Mehdi Hazan, what an idiot:

order-order.com/2013/10/04/dear-mr-dacre/

Oh my God. You couldn't make this stuff up.

Did he change his mind when "Dear Mr Dacre" turned him down?

Was that leaked today ? By whom?
I assume it is an old letter. Written when? Did Dacre refuse his request? Why?
It doesn't, in itself, invalidate the points he made yesterday. Just shows him up to be a (nother) hack wanting work. Cover letters for job applications are always full of arselicking bs. Why should journalists be different?

Saw his abortion views linked on another thread. Ugh.
But still, not sure this invalidates his comments from yesterday.

'Why should journalists be different?'

Daily Mail journalists are diferent. They adhere to the core values of the Daily Mail - integrity, fairness and honour.