I just received a phone call from a very nice lady. concerned that the obstacles being placed in my way as a candidate may be getting me down. On the contrary, I haven’t had so much fun in ages.
We sit down to dinner about 10pm every evening after the day’s campaigning, usually about 16 of us, guitars come out, someone strikes up on the piano and we have enormous fun, except for my singing, for which the politest word is loud.
If we didn’t scare the political establishment, they would not react so fiercely to us. We get abuse from party hacks on the street, while the parties are tellingly polite to each other and connive to keep me out of broadcast events. Lots of flak now coming on the internet from Tories, Lib Dems (see the immensely dull Norfolk Blogger) and Greens, and lots of trolls on this website. I might start a flyposting storm to wind them up further.
A prize of twenty pounds is offered to anyone who spots Chloe Smith in public with less than six minders.
Reaction on the doorsteps can only be described as extremely warm – and we have witnessed many instances of outright hostility in public reaction to the political parties. So despite the efforts of overpaid BBC execs to bolster the political parties, something really interesting is happening with real people here in Norwich North. The challenge is to turn that in to action at the ballot box.
Get yourselves to Norwich now – you are missing a lot of fun!
Eddie, what do you call constructive? There’s no need for you to point to your norms, because you had nothing to do with it, thats fine with me and those voters who watch it.
They do not ask for a polished clone of what is available currently, they are perfectly happy with a person looking normally.
So eddie, do tell us, given your vast knowledge, what you think the total number of votes will be for Craig Murray?
You’ve been banging on and on about how YOU think Craig stands ‘no chance’, so it would be interesting to see how accurate your predictions are.
Go on, give us a number…
@Ingo
Many thanks for the report from Norwich. It sounds as though you are doing very well. Producing a DVD in 12 days and getting it to 50,000 addresses in less is quite an achievement. My knees are not up to marathon walks, but no doubt you will keep going steadily all the way to election night and victory!
He won’t win, that’s all you need to know. Perhaps 1,500? Look, Craig is one of a long line of whistleblowers or establishment defectors – Clive Ponting, Cathy Massiter, David Icke, David Shayler – his money is running out and he wants a public profile. All of them disappeared without trace or beca figures of fun. Why do you think he should be any different? Martin Bell was lucky because he hit the zeitgeist at the right time. Craig has no backing, no public profile and no organisation. He may be nice-ish bloke but he is not a serious political figure. Moreover, most of the posters on these boards have views that he does not agree with. Sending a rambling dvd to voters is a silly idea, a) because very few people will bother to view it and b) because modern politics is all about short sharp messages and image. You may not like that analysis but it is the truth. Why do you think The Sun is so successful? Because it keeps things simple. Whether or not you despise its politics you have to admit that it is a brilliantly conceived and executed newspaper. Read Rod Liddle in today’s Sunday Times. You are wasting your time.
I wonder, am I in the majority here to conclude that the obvious trolls are obvious and need to either be banned or starved of comment?
Some openly admit their troll credentials as per eddie who siad:
“…you fruitcakes in your sad bedsits. Luckily in the real world people are mostly sane. Still, a certain amount of vicarious fun is to be had in winding you up”
rather than contributing.
Who needs to see this garbage? (other than pathetic attention seeking trolls that is).
The sad thing is, many here are allowing these observably certifiable idiots basically take over the whole comment section.
One can see the amusing aspect of watching a troll antagonise themselves endlessly, knowing they will one day have their moment of truth, however this does greatly despoil an otherwise highly important and intelligent man’s serious prospects of defeating troll-like cuckoos.
Trolls do this for exactly this reason. Being a paid troll is a good business for merciless morans to get into. Ruin genuine human communications forever – gov – pay $80 p/h.. here’s a list of forums/blogs to abuse for the party line – now go at it you little weasel …
It serves nobody to feed trolls, even if you believe they are real, or you are of the misguided opinion that you are dishing out some kind of final moral judgements for all humanity against said trolls (which may one day occur to the troll).
Trolls simply take away the forum from those who are interested and concerned with the substance, creating irrelevancies and roadblocks to fruitful discussion.
THEY know this – THAT is why they do it.
Nobody wants to read rebuttals to endless trolling except OTHER trolls.
You all deserve real people to represent you – NOT trolls.
Believe it can happen and only then, it will, despite the paid government jokes and trolls.
Ignore the trolls and continue to talk as real people of the issues at hand, ESPECIALLY local issues – CM’s other higher and more serious credentials are evident.
Craig, represent your local people – I think the smart ones know that you meta-represent them via your previous real experiences.
Good luck Mr Murray and best wishes that real thinking people will one day understand that they can have a REAL alternative. God forbid you all get another troll.
The Sun. How risible. Such a literate journal. Their ‘travel correspondent’ was on the BBC this morning (placed there no doubt by the travel industry lobby to attempt a rise in their bookings) and she said ‘There is (sic) lots of bargains out there….
There is a prediction that thirty airlines are going to go out of business by the end of the year so if I were you Eddie I would get your booking in now. We will even club together to pay for you to have an extended holiday. Try the US – your views would go down well in some quarters there.
Quite a fair weather forecast for Norwich next Thursday. Good day for getting out to vote.
http://tiny.cc/1sBjC
Why is it with you people there is always someone oppressing you in some way? Trolls, those dastardly ‘BBC execs’, the world in general.
The thought of you with your 16 followers /voters sitting round singing together is classic.
No further trolls or detractors are required on board thanks Davos. (Have you any connection to the World Economic Forum, located in Davos and haunt of Bliar, Mandelslime et al?)
This on medialens –
________________________________________
Email to Jane Merrick of Independent – coverage of Norwich North
Posted by fugazi (fugazi2) on July 19, 2009, 10:29 am
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/norwich-north-not-your-o
Hi Jane,
Why no mention of Craig Murray and other independent candidates in your Independent newspaper (!!!!!) article? He is the bookies’ 3rd favourite.
How are we supposed to move away from a corrupted two party state if you fail in your responsibility to provide the public with all of the information for them to decide for themselves?
Kind regards
________________________________________
The reality, evident from the reports of activists in Norwich, is that Craig’s team are getting a better reception from the public there than the major parties. The reason is that the major parties have a bad reputation, for good reasons. That is why Craig may well win. The DVD will have an impact that could crucially contribute to victory. So keep at it!
If Craig and his team keep at it full tilt until polling day, there is a real chance that he will win. This could prove to be as historic a by-election as Tatton and Crewe.
Trolls are not oppressive, they’re a hoot! Rather like two-year-olds interrupting the adults at a social occasion.
————————-
More power to your elbows – and legs – on the ground in Norwich North. I’m looking forward enormously to an upset apple cart!
———————–
Excerpt from the Sunday Express
http://tinyurl.com/mhudbs
“The Lib Dems have been accused of dirty tricks after branding the Green candidate, philosophy lecturer Rupert Read, an “extremist” and a “nutter” for saying Britain had the July 7 terror attacks “coming to us”.
While the improbably named Lib Dem candidate, April Pond, has been irritated after revelations she lives in a house with a large moat. Unsurprisingly, voters have been turned off.
At a hustings organised by Age Concern last Thursday, fewer than 20 turned up.
Of those who did, the thumbs up went not to Tory Ms Smith, but to Norfolk-born Craig Murray, the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, who is standing as an independent anti-sleaze candidate.
To many, he stood head and shoulders above the others, answering questions thoughtfully instead of trotting out party-approved mantras.
But despite spending £35,000 delivering a promotional DVD, he has struggled to attract media attention.
He has not even invited to tomorrow’s BBC hustings event, which has room only for the three main parties and the Greens.
“It’s a travesty of democracy,” he said. “This is an election caused by a breakdown in the system and a lack of faith in MPs and the more people hear me, the more impressed they are.”
The cynicism of mainstream politicians was summed up last Thursday by Jan Edwards, a maternity unit manager at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
As she showed Nick Clegg around her ward, she told the Sunday Express: “I’m not sure you can trust any of them. They make lots of promises, but never keep them.”
Labour said Gordon Brown had “no plans” to visit Norwich North.”
So the fact that the media have now covered Craig should stop his loyal trolls from crying conspiracy? No more imaginary plots from the ZaNuLieBour-controlled BBC and the evil media?
No more deals behind closed doors between the evil political parties to shut out our brave independent Craig? If Craig is so independent, and hates parties, why has he started his own party called “Put an honest man in parliament”? Surely there is an irony in the fact that this party exists purely to serve the ego of one man? Not much of a party really is it? How is that being honest?
Also, why is Craig any different or any better than the other independent candidate?
I suspect none of these questions will get answers: like Eddie, they will only receive abuse from Craig’s loyal trolls.
If you think I am a troll the solution is simple, ignore me. But it is hardly as if I am interrupting anything intelligent. It’s more a case of children unable to answer difficult questions and throwing tantrums. Diddums. If Craig wins I will eat my metaphorical hat.
“I’m not sure you can trust any of them. They make lots of promises, but never keep them.” – what, you mean like the promises Craig made to his first wife? They are indeed all the same! Claiming the moral high ground in the honesty department is tempting fate I would have thought.
I see that David Shayler is now a woman. He clearly needs help. But of course his friends are blaming all the usual dark forces for his plight, indeed everyone but Shayler himself. A bit like Craig in that respect, setting up straw men now (the BBC,UCU etc) so that his defeat can be laid on others.
The only straw man we know of is Jack ex Blackburn Crooked Elections ‘R Us. Condoner of Torture. War criminal. NuLabour Stooge.
Did you get through to the travel agents?
OK, so eddie’s bet is 1,500 votes for Craig.
We’ll see.
Can we assume you’ll piss off when he gets substantially more than that? Oh no, of course not, you’re only here to troll.
Hope the team will be knocking on doors and collecting pledges between now and polling day.
In my neck of the woods we haven’t seen a peep of a Labour or Tory candidate at any of the last three of four local and parliamentary elections.
Seems they can’t get footsloggers to do the job for them any more.
eddie,
your last comment was distasteful even by your standards.
I always thought that you should be given a fair hearing. I was wrong.
I second that. I used to think eddie had an element of decency about him, but he has proved otherwise.
We should all ignore him from now on.
Who gives a flying fish what he thinks, anyway?
Dear eddie
“George you still haven’t told us what human rights are being compromised at Glasgow University and what your official position is there. Do tell. Are they making you work for a change?”
This isn’t my blog and I know that you are just trolling.
I noticed that you took the time to do some research and came up empty.
Let me help, a blog is in process of being set up which will address your concerns.
With scanned in university documents for veracity.
Then it will go online.
And some people will be very unhappy.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
George can’t wait. Yes, I could find no trace of you at Glasgow, so that is suspicious isn’t it? Chris sorry you found my comment distasteful but Shayler has said some very nasty things in his time but I feel sorry for him now. He clearly needs help.
eddie, you aren’t worth talking to but you clearly need help too. Your attacks on Craig over his private life and marital arrangements are below the belt and quite despicable. You have evidently been taking a slaggers course from McBride and Draper. You are disgusting.
Sad and bitter old man. You know that any politiciam manque will have his private life under scrutiny. It’s par for the course and if you want to be in the public eye then you had better get used to it. If you can’t stand the heat etc.
Cut out the personal insults. I’m neither sad nor bitter – but I’m older and wiser than you, and have been involved in politics one way and another for 60 years, since the days when standards of debate were better than they are now and most politicians had more self-respect, substance and integrity than the present lot of dimwitted troughers – some of whom, we were told on Channel Four News tonight, are returning to their constituencies for the recess from the safe haven of Westminster in near-suicidal mood. Boo-hoo for them.
Have you ever taken any part in an election as a canvasser or active worker? I very much doubt it.
You are a waste of time here and anywhere else, and if you think you are doing your party any good by posting this scurrilous stuff you’d better think again.
Eddie, I suggest you find somewhere else to fling your bile. You’ve already sickened everyone here. Now go “out” again and get rat faced. It will be far more productive than anything you do here.
“if you think you are doing your party any good by posting this scurrilous stuff you’d better think again.”
Well said.
Hi all
Am sitting in the campaign office, having come along yesterday to assist with leafletting. The constituency does seem to be getting quite tired of the election – almost certainly due to the several leaflets per each of the main parties! There is a (quite justifiable) sense from people in their front gardens that Norwich North is aware that the by-election will be used as a national barometer after the expenses scandal – not the mention the deregulatory causes of the financial meltdown.
Incidentally, whilst we saw a few Conservative and Lib Dem posters, we saw very few Labour ones – perhaps two or three. It’s not wholly scientific but this suggests a substantial lack of appetite for endorsing New Labour at this point in time! The only kind words I heard about them were for Ian Gibson personally, with unkind comment passed on how he was treated by the party.
There has been a fantastic enthusiasm amongst the volunteer team and I’m chuffed to have been part of it. Meanwhile my view is that detractors and disparagers here should be ignored – I have tried to reason with them, and suggesting a gentler approach from them, to no avail.
I came from just 160 miles away for this weekend, but some have come as far away as Sweden and California! My effort has been eclipsed 😉
Anticant – I’ve had plenty of experience of election work thanks. Nothing I say here is going to persuade any of you to vote Labour, in fact if you did I think it could be harmful – our appeal has to be to the centre – that is why Blair was so successful. We don’t want the support of nutters and troofers like you (you clearly are sad and bitter, no shame in admitting it)- as it scares decent people away.
Big girl – how is the diet going?
@ Jon
Many thanks for the campaign reports, they illustrate wlel that Craig’s campaign is going like a house on fire. Carrying on burning, all the way to the victory torch parade!
@ Jon
Many thanks for the campaign reports, they illustrate well that Craig’s campaign is going like a house on fire. Carrying on burning, all the way to the victory torch parade!