The BBC, dependent on politicians good will when it comes to the franchise process, are effectivley promoting voter apathy and despondency by their stance on covering the sleaze parties.

In their desperation to make out that all is OK and best forgotten, they have not reconed with the voter, whi I suspect will 'do different'.

It is quiet sad to see the BBC commandeering poor ol' Michael crick around, telling him who to interview and who not, poor chap might loose his job if he dare talks to Craig and he looks very confused by the orders from above.

Dear Craig

I would make an offical complaint to the BBC, if they are not going to act fairly then burn up their cash.

I would also say to other bloggers to do likewise.

If they won't give you time then use up their time.

Keep going mate; I hope you win.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

"Like the need to end the war in Afghanistan, where our troops are dying to protect a government of corrupt warlords and heroin dealers, in the interests of the right of US companies to build oil and gas pipelines over Afghanistan from Central Asia."

"I have of course been Ambassador to neighbouring Uzbekistan and know what I am talking about. Much better to exclude me therefore."...

http://tinyurl.com/av3tcd

and here...

tinyurl.com/loqeo4

Dear Craig

If you get elected then don't do a BBC interview.

Say sorry but the real press comes first then walk away.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Wot? Use the armed forces to defend Britain and no more neo-colonial invasions to pinch other nations' wealth?

The grey suits will be splitting and morphing into green nintendos, intent only on destroying the voice of SENSE and TRUTH coming from Norwich North.

Wishing you well, Craig.

This is just so stupid, why bother even having a by election when the media wish for someone to win anyway. There is clearly a public interest in view of corruption and cleaning up politics. There is nothing to police the executive, that is what the legislature is supposed to do.

Jack Straw visits Brickmakers, whatever for? William Hague goes to Hellesdon, why bother? There appears to be clearly a frustration where no-one gives a monkies about what Norwich North wishes which is simple policies and utilising taxes. Simple an MP's dinner or an operation for someone possibly a few weeks early.

Since the British media won't talk to you, why not hold a little demonstration outside the venue where the four government-approved candidates are being interviewed, and invite foreign media to hear your side of things? If the authorities are foolish enough to try to arrest your supporters, that might bring even more welcome publicity. So be equipped with small fly posters suitable for showing to live cameras if the opportunity arises.

No problem. According to Paddy Power and Ladbrokes you are in the top 4.

You've been found out. I wasn't in Norwich yesterday. Or the day before. You make it up as you go along, don't you?

I was out all day yesterday with the Conservative campaign and can vouch for the fact that Iain Dale was not there.

It seems to be one conspiracy theory after another with our friend Mr. Murray.

Am I the only one that is starting to tire of it now?!

"The Guardian 13 July 2009. Poll shows rise in support for troops in Afghanistan - ICM poll shows growing support for UK presence in Afghanistan" - because most people know and accept that the Taleban is an evil bunch of misogynistic bastards who need to be put in their place.

Iain Dale

Do you think 'our' adventures in Afghanistan have nothing to do with protecting a "government of corrupt warlords and heroin dealers, in the interests of the right of US companies to build oil and gas pipelines over Afghanistan from Central Asia." ?

Iain Dale slags off Craig Murray on his own blog and here states...

"You've been found out. I wasn't in Norwich yesterday. Or the day before. You make it up as you go along, don't you?"

But then goes on to admit

"And when I was with Chloe on Friday and Saturday she had no minders (apart from Angela Browning), we didn't canvas a main road"

Well that's hardly mass deception on Craig Murray's part is it?

All he has to do is edit the word yesterday and add that you didn't dare even show your faces in a main road?

What was the problem? Surely not too many Norfolk Mawther's throwing rotten tomatoes?

Tony

Good luck Craig, I hope your victory will be the start of something positive in UK politics, it's badly needed!

It's not just Crick!

I caught the Daily Politics today & they had brief interviews with 5 of the Norwich North candidates - Cons, Lab, Lib Dem, UKIP and Greens. With some of the comments along the lines of (iirc):
- 'independently minded' from Lab;
- 'against sleaze' from Greens;
I couldn't help but feel that, with comments like these begging a response and given Craig's interesting candidacy, the Daily Politics seemed to be going out of their way NOT to mention Craig at all.

It's getting to the point where I'm seriously considering not paying the BBC licence fee; just de-tune the tv, spend the money on DVDs, get my news from t'internet and say goodbye to a bunch of near-hysterical overpaid jobsworths.

"most people know and accept that the Taleban is an evil bunch of misogynistic bastards who need to be put in their place"

Afghanistan is their place and they're already there. The point is that most people do not know - and if they did would not accept - the real reason for our presence in Afghanistan.

eddie

The Taliban. You might be interested in this report:http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/talkingtothetaliban/

@eddie:

"The Guardian 13 July 2009. Poll shows rise in support for troops in Afghanistan - ICM poll shows growing support for UK presence in Afghanistan"

The poll showed absolutely nothing of the kind. Despite the spin the paper's front page tried to put on the figures, the accompanying graphic showed that most people are OPPOSED to continued UK involvement in Afghanistan's civil war.

http://iaindale.blogspot.com/ writes:

"After a long whine about how the BBC has excluded him from a live TV debate (they clearly see him as the joke candidate he is)"

*they clearly see him as the joke candidate he is*

Can you explain this "they"?

Who are "they"!

And why do "they" "clearly see" ?

Iain Dale.

So apart from the fact Iain wasn't there yesterday, the fact Chloe wasn't surrounded by minders and the fact they didn't canvas a main road even when Iain was there Craig's telling the truth?

What a joker.

Mrs Dale does not appear to know where she is, or when...

http://twitter.com/iaindale/statuses/2629331518

James Manning - you might want to define the word "truth", I suspect that Craig's idea as to the meaning of the word differs from that of the rest of the population.

"And when I was with Chloe on Friday and Saturday"

That explains it then. Craig must have wrote it on Sunday meaning to put it on his blog...he was so busy he didn`t get around to doing it until today...Understandable really.

Iain Dale

You said..."I wasn't in Norwich yesterday. Or the day before"...What happened?. Did Chloe Smith think you were useless and gave you the sack?. Do tell us.

"And when I was with Chloe on Friday and Saturday she had no minders (apart from Angela Browning)"

I wonder if Angela Browning was given Chloe some tips on how to claim expenses?...

http://tinyurl.com/kwfplo

Man this Ian dale sounds more hysterical, by the minute; "you have been found out" he exclaims!!

Well slap my thigh, has he found the smoking gun that outs Craig as the sixth man after Anthony Blunt, supplying nuclear secrets to USSR?

Nope!

Has dale found out that Craig wrote up the Iraq Dossier; injecting forty five minutes until Saddam's mushroom clouds?

Nope!

Well what has dale found out?

Oh, well, Craig has mixed up the days!!!!!

Now that is some getting found out, boy what a debagging awaits Craig, only Lord knows!!!

These conservatives are an excitable lot, aren't they? Excitable enough to appoint; Grammar Police, Hall Monitors, Poster Prefects, and now Time Sheet Attendants.

Never mind running around door to door begging and pleading with the occupants for cooperation and a couple of kind words on the Telly for that nice tv man; "yes my dog always prefers to bite the conservative candidates, rather than the labor candidates, and he is ever so particular about who he bites".

Nope, dale is happy he has found out the mix up in the time sheet!!!!

Pitiful, just pitiful, even more pitiful the anonymous post that dale thought he can shove in just to register his disdain even more.

Back on the subject; did the Tories really think they can shove the left overs of Ipswich down the Norwich throat, and get away with it too?

Man lies. Other man says: "You lied."

Friends of man say: "Yeah, well, so what if he lied? It might have been true. And then... BOY! You'd have been so very, very sorry, if it had been true!"

Other man says: "Great supporters you have."

OK, Here's your follow up leaflet:

Chloe Smith
so bad
even
Ipswich
rejected her!

Regards
Stuart

Gosh, Craig Murray might (or might not) have mis-remembered on which day Iain Dale was in Norwich trying to be Chloe Smith's minder. What an evil liar that man Murray is!

You've been found out, Iain Dale. You are resorting to hysterical, petty quibbling. You're getting pretty scared and wobbly, aren't you?

Mrs Dale always finds a lot to be shrill about when there is something to hide. In this case the inconvenient fact is that her candidate is not "a Norfolk girl through and through". That is a misrepresentation. She wasn't born there.

These things tend to matter in Norfolk.

@Derek P -

This might interest you:

http://www.bbctvlicence.com/index.htm

If enough people switch off and stop paying for a licence the BBC will no longer be the propaganda mouthpiece of the government. Hit them where it hurts.

Quote: "ICM poll shows growing support for UK presence in Afghanistan" - you don't believe those people do you? This reeks of fraud. Don't you listen to the people around you.

Quote:".....the Taleban is an evil bunch of misogynistic bastards who need to be put in their place."

eddie, I'm sure your heart bleeds for the women of Afghanistan. The Taleban are Pashtuns who want their country back. Evil.....?...well, they eradicated the opium crop in 2001, which saved the lives of countless Brits and Americans by ballooning the price of heroin.

And here's another thing....Why do the US pay Taliban to attack their own troops in Iraq? Do you understand the meaning of the word evil, you soppy sod?

http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/this-man-claims-us-sent-taliban-into-iraq/20288297

I can't wait for an honest man to be put in parliament so he can ask if the UK's role in Afghanistan is to promote the production of opium in the Helmand province

Slightly off topic, but I can't help myself.

George Laird, are there serious human rights abuses going on at Glasgow University that we don't know about?

None of the other candidates have anything interesting to say - would that include Rupert Read, of the Greens, of whom you have said this previously:

"I would vote for Rupert Read in the Eastern Region of England...He sees the need for a society not motivated solely by greed. He is that rare thing in modern politics - somebody who wants to serve, not to rule."
Craig Murray, Former British Ambassador

I used to have some respect for you Craig - not any more.

ANGELA BROWNING'S EXPENSES

SHE'S A GREEDY TROUGHER AND NOT A PRETTY SIGHT EITHER.

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/news/Browning-s-expenses-claims-laid-bare/article-1018810-detail/article.html

Iain

Oops, I got the day wrong. Nobody should ever belive anything I say again.

Rob,

Rupert is indeed a good man. I fear he is being a bit reined in though - he isn't saying anything interesting in this campaign so far, certainly not on Afghanistan

Man says "put an honest man into Westminster".

Gets found out in a very obvious lie, told to try to gain power.

Supporters say "Well so what if he lies? He's honest, he will expose the lies of those in power."

Spot the flaw in this reasoning.

Rob Speare,

Quote:
"I used to have some respect for you Craig - not any more."

F*ck off with your enlightenment (masonic) name.

You came to this site specifically to show disrespect, you dissembling creep.

No mention of Craig on the Radio 4 'Today' report from Norwich North this morning though the less fancied Lib Dems got coverage.

one must understand Ian Dale, he is in overdrive to promote his candidate because they are clearly rattled by the response from voters, just as Labour, Lib Dems and the Greens.

Ruper Read is an academic, a philosopher at UEA and a member of the UCU. Instead of playing their game, he should have reminded himself of the fighting clean and fair agreement he signed with Cloe Smith, or at least give a rector of another university and fellow UCU member a break, he knew and choose to go along with the BBC's choice, Machiavellian style and he will have to live with it.

"Oops I got the day wrong" - Craig

Yeah, apart from all the facts, your post was completely 100% accurate. I'm sure you just forgot. You're back on track. Good luck with that whole "honest man" thing.

"George Laird, are there serious human rights abuses going on at Glasgow University that we don't know about?"

Some of the lecturers are probably being asked to do some work for a change. Never mind Gaza, protect our lecturers!

Iain
Unlike you, I have actually lived and worked in Afghanistan ... Craig is right, a lot of the ex warlords responsible for human rights abuses and drug running are actually members of the exising government and are continuing to export raw opium through Iran in vast quantities.
Ask yourself why British forces are there..War On Terror, don't think so..most of the Taliban are in Pakistan.
Sorry pal, might be appropriate for you to comment on something you know about first hand than rant and rave about Craig.
Scardey Cat !!!

So this guy cannot accurately report the presence of Dale in the right town, at the right time and on the right day and he gets it wrong about the Conservative candidate having 'minders'.

And the buffoon thinks he can pass comment about complex politics and Afghanistan?

Give it a rest, I can see why you lost your job as an ambassador and spend your time at that renowned seat of learning Lancaster 'University'.

Crumbs, what a lot of silly hot air is being blown over the this-day-that-day thing. It wouldn't be important if Iain Dale made the mistake, and it's not important that Craig made it. I hope, but can't prove, that if Iain made the mistake, that Craig's supporters would not be going into overdrive on various blogs jeering about it!

It's this kind of schoolboy pettiness that helps turn people off politics. Parliamentary freeloading doesn't help either, which is why the Conservative candidate - whatever her own personal strengths - will justifiably have a lot of work at the doorsteps.

I shall be interested to see how Norwich respond to the current political environment, and not just because I support Craig's candidacy. Will they go for more of the same regular oscillations between the main parties, or will they beat a new path? We'll see...

@George Laird - I'd say complaining the Beeb is a waste of time, unless you can get a lot of like-minded people to complain as well. If you do complain, write them an email in a few sentences, since it will - in my experience - get a cursory glance, a cursory reply, and that will generally be the end of it.

@John - it would be great if you could engage in the real issues, rather than this silliness. My post above was precisely complaining about this sort of thing.

The "buffoon" justifiably thinks he can pass comment about complex politics and Afghanistan, since he has been an ambassador, and judging from his two books, a highly effective one at that. He is, in my view, a small piece of the establishment willing to look at the hypocrisy of the system, even if at the end of the day, he is still part of the establishment.

You clearly cannot see correctly why Craig lost his job. It is the provable case that Craig lost his job because he objected to the dishonesty and torture around the 'war on terror' policy in Uzbekistan; he was harassed, then essentially forced out.

So that your cards are on the table, who are you supporting for this by-election, and - if I may be so bold - why do you support them? We can't have armchair critics pouring water on an excellent candidacy without at least asking them about their motives :-)

No offence, but your attacks on Chloe Smith make you look desperate and nasty.

Ipswich reject? Do you really think anyone will care that she applied to other associations as well as Norwich North. Most people who want to get into parliament have to try more than once before they get selected.

What's the point of an independent candidate when you just resort to the same negative campaigning techniques? You could be a Lib Dem...

Dear All

I have read Iain Dale's blog.

He seems to have a big chip on shoulder a mile wide.

His pathetic grudge against Craig has some amusement value but he should seek professional help.

He seems to me to be a very unhappy member of the gay community.

If he wants to stop his petty antics and make up then Craig should be big enough shake his hand but don't let him kiss you Craig!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

George - you still haven't explained what Human Rights are being compromised at Glasgow University.

How is Tommy's trial going? Will he be sent down this time? Appearing on celeb BB was crime enough I would have thought.

Dear eddie

Tommy Sheridan trial starts in january next year.

I am not sure what will happen to him but he is standing for election in Glasgow North East, if you want to help out then contact the campaign team.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

I was going to request you fix the rss feed for http://www.putanhonestman.org/ and ask for a contact page but it seems to out of service now - let the conspiracies begin :)

You see the point Jon I hope, if one cannot report simple actions in a by-election happening a few days ago and its pretty clear he was as wrong as wrong can be, one surely can doubt very much the reporting of other things.

Now go along and ‘engage’ with that. I could not care less who wins the by-election but please, Craig gets 2000 votes in his attempts, he has about as much chance as George of winning the seat.

"He seems to have a big chip on shoulder a mile wide."

Oh the side splitting Irony of Mr. Laird!

Dear All

Could it be that down in Toryland there is panic?

Why is John acting like a little bitch on here?

Is he a tory scout?

I hope that Smith gets stuffed at Norwich North.

Tory revival, no chance!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Isn't Iain Dale a known vote loser in Norfolk?

I think it's called the Iain Dale factor.

Even with the collapse of the Labour vote it's clear that Chloe Smith isn't picking many of those votes up. I expect that she'll not hold the seat at the GE even if she wins the bye election.

You should be encouraging him, Craig.

Dear All

The Tories seemed rattled about Craig standing and that is probably why they steam in here.

Looking for information.

I say no to the London Carpetbagger Tory Smith.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

@Bob - I don't agree with the suggestion that Craig looks "desperate and nasty". I think it is relevant that the Conservative candidate tried to stand elsewhere, and that her doing so is something that Norwich voters should bear in mind.

That said, I am not from the area and I don't understand the Ipswich/Norwich rivalry, and I don't think voters should regard that as important compared to the sleaze in Westminister or the careerist/second-job attitudes that most of our MPs (on all sides) seem to have been taking.

I am in complete agreement with you that campaigns should be free of negative broadcasting and slanging matches, and I guess that would be an area where I would differ with Craig. He is of the "rough and tumble" school of politics, I think, which I don't subscribe to! I also don't agree with him on some policy areas - I think low taxation gives rise to social inequality. But even with these differences in mind, I think he is still the best candidate on balance. Aside from the corruption in the Commons, there is a supine uselessness about the whole forum, and it has largely descended into slanging matches and polite support for the militaristic and neo-conservative status quo.

We desperately need someone to shake that up, and I think Craig would do that. So, despite your misgivings about his style - which is not everyone's cup of tea - if you are pissed off with Westminster I would urge you to support him.

@John - I see your point insofar as I understand what you mean. But I don't think you see my point, which is that if an honest and trivial mistake is made, then let's not get hung up about it. If the Tory candidate made the same mistake, I would certainly not be getting worked up about it, even though I oppose the Tories generally.

The govt has lied about Iraq - let's talk about that. There is not much mainstream honesty about the reasons for the invasion and occupation, such as the re-denomination of Iraqi oil from euros to dollars (a "mistake" the Americans corrected immediately). Only a handful of left-wing groups appear to have grabbed that one, and it isn't a story that the media will run with.

Let's talk about why our soldiers are in Afghanistan, too - whose interests are they protecting? Why is the govt insistent that our foreign adventures save us from terrorism when even our secret services emerge from the dark to say it ain't so?

Let's talk about govt dissembling on ID cards - £6bn spent thus far, and most of the costs hidden in other budgets or behind commercial secrecy agreements. Let's talk about the dishonesty around Trident - £75bn of public money to be gifted to the military industrial complex on a white elephant. Let's agitate to abolish new public/private sector deals, which are a *massive* waste of money just to get debt off the public finances balance sheet.

Let's ensure that the expenses saga and the second jobs are sorted once and for all. Craig is 100% right that expenses are necessary but should be tightly controlled, and that second jobs are incompatible with serving as an MP. If you get £60K for the job, you're on more than twice the national average, and undertaking a public service that should be regarded as an honour not an inconvenience.

So, that's where the engagement should be - on issues that people care about. Incidentally, I respectfully suggest you *should* care about who wins this contest. The very fact you do not demonstrates, perhaps, the widespread civic disenfranchisement that most of the country is mired in, and we need to change that. Only radical candidates willing to be blunt in Parliament and rude to the right people can offer that, in my view.

Tom says "I was going to request you fix the rss feed for http://www.putanhonestman.org/ and ask for a contact page but it seems to out of service now - let the conspiracies begin :)"

No mystery - My hosting provider was down this afternoon. It affected all their users. Nothing to do with any sinister attack.All is working again now.

What is wrong with the RSS feed?
Works for me in both Opera and Firefox.

Any problems you notice feel free to email me at
webmaster@you_can_guess_the_rest.

"The Tories seemed rattled about Craig standing and that is probably why they steam in here."

We'll see how "rattled" they are when they win, next Thursday!

Anyone fancy a wager Mr Murray doesn't get his deposit back?

Dear All

The Tory cyber patrol steams in and snoops.

Seems Mr. Manning was about to spew but this came out.

"We'll see how "rattled" they are when they win, next Thursday!"

Let us just hope that London Carpetbagger gets roundly stuffed at the polls.

Then the poor little rich girl with nothing in common with people of Norwich North can disappear back to her cushy London existence.

She can go back to cake eating!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

"No offence, but your attacks on Chloe Smith make you look desperate and nasty.

Ipswich reject? Do you really think anyone will care that she applied to other associations as well as Norwich North?"

No, not as such.

But why did she try to hide the facts?

Why did she describe herself as "Norfolk through and through" when she was born in Kent, works in London, and wanted to stand in Ipswich?

Why couldn't she give a straight answer to Michael Crick on Newsnight tonight, when he asked whether the Tories would close a Surestart centre?

Why vote for a party robot?

"if you want to help out then contact the campaign team"

George Laird

Stuff that, eddie costs New Labour votes every time he comes on here. We DON`T want eddie,try and push him on to the Tories that would be nice.

eddie is a vote wrecking machine.

@George - I support Craig's candidacy, and do not support Chloe Smith's, but let me offer the following. I don't know much about her, and am a touch suspicious of the opportunism reflected in her having tried to stand elsewhere recently. But, I think that is the opportunism of Conservative central office, not hers. From what I hear she is a decent individual and I am prepared to believe she intends to represent the people of NN honestly. However, I do think we should not make this battle excessively personal, and that there are very good grounds to oppose her candidacy.

Firstly, on ideology: anyone who can make it up the ranks of the Tory party (or any of the big three) will have had to make compromises along the way. Knowing when to toe the line, knowing when to keep quiet, knowing who to be deferential to. It is not a secret that Ms Smith is not out to shake up the lazy thinking and intellectual corruption of the Commons in any meaningful way.

Second, since she has been selected by a member of the big two parties, she comes under a heavy whip. So, if she unexpectedly has an outbreak of independent thinking, she will be forced to choose between her principles and her career. Maybe she will "do the right thing" but this nevertheless makes her compromised from the start.

Third, the flip-flop between Labour and Conservative in this country has been regular and boring, and what substantial and lasting good has come of that? Where are we in the battle on climate change? - doing very badly. What is Tory policy on curbing the excesses of corporations? Non-existent. How do the Tories fair on international law (Iraq) - bloody awful. How about human rights? Ah yes, they want to repeal the HRA. Are Tories in favour of more and deeper privatisation? The answer is yes; how could they be otherwise, in the party of big business?

Anyway, I don't sense a great deal of local enthusiasm on the web for her being the "replacement MP". All the content on her blog appears carefully controlled, and there is zero debate on her blog - actually, as it happens, zero comments.

George Laird, sorry I confused you with George Dutton, but you still haven't explained what human rights are under attack at Glasgow University. I checked your name and there is no mention of you at the university - are you an impostor?

"I checked your name and there is no mention of you at the university - are you an impostor?"

eddie is checking up on us...VERY sinister. A New Labour supporter and no mistake.