The neo-con Blair and Cameron regimes are very comfortable with each other. War criminal Alistair Campbell’s “evidence” to the Leveson inquiry is risible.
“Only a few people in number 10 knew Cherie was pregnant, so it must have been phone hacking that led the Mirror to it” is a statement that would not stand ten seconds thought, if it were not ramped by being given the status of a leak.
Campbell’s statement ignores the range of explanations as to how the Mirror could have learned from the “small number of people in No. 10” that Cherie was pregnant. These include:
a) gossip
b) No 10’s motive to get the news out to boost Tony’s popularity
c) the hospital
d) phone hacking
Phone hacking is the least possible explanation. My money is on b)
No, this is a rather pathetic attempt by the Blair camp to divert attention from Murdoch onto Piers Morgan, who the war criminals have never forgiven for his opposition to the War in Iraq. It is so blatant a ploy that it needs an extra boost to the story as a daring “leak” by the Tory neo-con PR man Paul Staines, to be a succesful diversionary tactic.
Blairites and Tories get together to manufacture an incident to take the heat off Murdoch at Leveson Inquiry. That is the real story.
So on the one hand Campbell is telling us that there’s no such thing as a leak – information obtained without being officially released must have been hacked. On the other hand he’s telling us that this (not very exciting and rather stupid) submission to Leveson must have been leaked – how shocking!
The thing about Campbell is not that he’s a pathological liar – it’s that his lies are so transparent. Like the dodgy dossier, which was never going to stand any sort of scrutiny. A pathetic little man who was given the opportunity to do great harm by the revolting Blair.
Parky
‘The grinning Blair wondering who was responsible for this mega PR stunt’.
The Holy Ghost perhaps?
ROFL; Seamen Sta….
Any attempt to spring the vile Murdoch lot out of any trap ought to be considered the lowest of the low. Campbell clearly fits that category, the evidence forwarded about “pregnancy” somehow does not entail the shock for any kind of an outrage, given the context of the Blairs the attention seeking money grabbers, why does Campbell not talk about Greenspan and the shenanigans thereof?
Hey criminal does what criminals do!
OT, sorry again. Last time.
Jives – my comment’s been pulled from the Grauniad…from this day on I’m getting the Telegraph. I’ll just have to reverse my bullshit filter, and get my daily fix of Rowson online. Free.
That’s £6 a week you’re not getting, Grauniad.
.
I guess “Comment is Free” refers only to the revenue stream, then.
Komodo, you’re going to get the Guardian into even more financial trouble pulling your 6 quid a week.
I should have said, THAT comment wasn’t free, was it?
.
The Irish Times says it all about Campbell.
It seems as though no studio discussion on the hacking scandal is considered complete without an input from Tony Blair’s former media henchman, ex-journalist Alistair Campbell. Notorious as a ruthless media manipulator when he was Blair’s director of communications, Campbell assiduously courted Rupert Murdoch’s News International for years – building particularly close relationships with reporters from the Sun and the News of the World.
Now we are led to believe that he despises everything that Murdoch has stood for. Among much else that happened on Campbell’s watch, we had the Blair government’s “dodgy dossiers” on Iraq and the subsequent suicide of media whistleblower, weapons expert Dr David Kelly, who rubbished the dossiers’ outlandish claims.
Yet all is forgotten as Campbell, a newly minted paragon of journalistic integrity, pontificates at length on how the press should behave. As I recall, neither British Labour leader Ed Miliband nor former deputy prime minister John Prescott ever complained about their party’s cosy relationship with Murdoch during Labour’s halcyon years in power. Yet both have been conspicuously to the fore in recent weeks, expressing concern that the News Corp chief may not be a “fit and proper” custodian of satellite broadcaster BSkyB.
.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0714/1224300711895.html
The mention of
Quelcrime, the thing that got me about Blair and Campbell was the campaigning and marathoning for a luekemia charity at the same time they were causing it by dropping depleted uranium in Iraq. It was just as cynical as Blair inviting a child to be treated in an English hospital for the loss of his arms and legs due to allied bombing.
sorry.. the mention of Bliar on this thread coincides with a spambot from Louis Vuitton on the previous one. Bliar does of course have this connection to LVNH – Louis Vuitton Moet Hennesey.
.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/6950815/Tony-Blairs-new-job-with-luxury-goods-firm.html
I would bet good money that that spambot has no more to do with LVMH than I have. Cheap knockoffs, for sure. Which brings us back neatly to Alastair Campbell.
That photo in your link Mary is so fitting. It cearly shows the big W God planted on Blair’s forehead to show everybody what he is. Let him know if you see him Master Bates is the half-brother to Seaman Staines!
You are bonkers.
Former Ambassador, Human Rights Activist and complete idiot.
Piers Morgan would be proud of you.
The ‘in-bred German toffs’ claim, of which I was not hitherto aware, would explain much of Staines’ inherently racist attachment to Germany-on-Sea.
And when I wrote God I meant the real one, not the retiring civil servant.
Hague is on his feet demonizing Syria and Iran. Behind him sits Keith Simpson Com Broadland, a Conservative Friend of Israel and a frequent visitor to such countries as Israel, Bahrain, UAE, etc. I note that his gut is so large that it rests on his thighs. Revolting.
Billy fourteen pints aka Hague can be as miffed as he likes, Iran has just decided to kick out the British Ambassador, and downgrade the diplomatic mission. So much for the deft handling of the foreign policy! This guy is a liability, considering; this bunch of showers were sitting on the sidelines whilst Werrity, Fox and Tel Aviv Gould were busy plotting the “British Foreign Policy”. All that is left for Hague; is to stand up and drone on about bollocks as a face saving exercise.
,
Anyone heard of Putin’s stump speech?
“Yet all is forgotten as Campbell, a newly minted paragon of journalistic integrity, pontificates at length on how the press should behave.”
This quote says it al about Campbell, unreconstructed, prone to whinging about personal afflictions to withdraw or divert arguments and/or facts.
new range of Campbell soups just out for the xmas foodies: Fake Fawkes Suppe, mit extra Erbsen und viel Wind.
What a hatchet job for the unmentionables from down under, leaves one to ask the paupers question, how much has this episode ondulated fawksies purse?
And will his readers ever find out why Guido did it? would it be heard amongst the din of hobnail boots on his blog.
Jives and Komodo
Interestingly, my comment referring to Craig’s blog hasn’t yet been pulled – this surprises me much, since I made it about six hours ago. Perhaps therir filter isn’t working very well!
But Komodo, you’re so right – Martin Rowson is the only person who keeps me looking at the Guardian. Sad death of a once-respected paper – but I must continue to wonder how it continues to publish, unless of course its backers are from the former Atlantic Bridge.
(Tongue in cheek).Is Seaman Staines related to ‘the Campbells are coming …’
“Tory neo-con PR man Paul Staines”
.
Undeservedly charitable, Craig. He’s a fucking arsehole. Did you see his blog when he was encouraging his readers to send pizza to the Israeli troops in Operation Cast Lead? Filth.
Paul, Ha! Too much ‘angel dust’ in the old days and too many flashbacks has clouded your thinking – on the other hand perhaps ‘Mrs Dale’s Diary’ has marooned you firmly ‘in the groove’ – either way you are still a twat in my book who rarely imagines or senses anything outside the box – what was the title of your forthcoming book? Oh yes “Revelations of a Nose Picker” – or am I being unkind?
Btw, has anyone else heard from the survey voice, ‘Mrs Murray’, asking for their opinions on the British Army? What an odd thing to survey. Not: “What is your opinion of the potholes in the road?” Not: “What is your opinion on the existence of God?” Perhaps, Jives, she just likes chatting to jivers!
Great article Mr Craig Murray
Vronsky,
The same applies to over 99% of people in any position of power or influence. This is mainly due to propaganda, being a psychopath, tribal group think or basically being thick.
Even someone like Paul Flynn who is very rare for an MP in actually having a conscience, and has been very anti Iraq and Afghanistan Wars…even he bought the manufactured BS about Gaddafi committing genocide in Benghazi, and supported Nato bombing Libya to hell.
I don’t like any of our Prime Ministers who have been committing mass genocide around the world since at least 1999. It doesn’t however mean that I want some “Freedom loving” nation to bomb my back garden to bits in order to free us of these tyrants.
Tony
In the debate that followed Hague’s statement, entitled North Africa and the Middle East (how much broader could they make the title?) Richard Burden spoke very movingly and vehemently about the outrage of Palestinian children being tried in Israeli military courts, having their hands tied together with plastic tags and having leg shackles fitted. Journeys of up to 9 hours were endured without lavatory facilities whilst the prison transporter went from prison to prison collecting and discharging the chid prisoners. No adult is there to protect them or to speak for them. There are 154 in prison at the moment.
.
There were just about 18 MPs in the chamber whilst Mr Burden Lab Birmingham Northfield was speaking. Jeremy Corbyn supported him. Mr Burden has recently visited Palestine.
.
Most of the ‘crimes’ committed were throwing stones.
@ Suhayl
Yeah it was strange.It felt hmmm…spooky? It just seemed to sync in with a day of clicktivism by me on this and the Grauniad’s site.
As usual they withhold their number.
Bawbags,of course,is the suitable Glesca vernacular.
Going to avoid getting involved in the guido/cm stuff but was struck by the Charlotte church statement to effect that Murdoch made the offer of a god press in lieu of 100,000 quid fee. Very striking that that was the fee for a thirteen year old but also striking that Murdoch behaves exactly like the the rag and bone/ scrappie man in the village who always entered a deal and then tried to weasel out of it by offsetting it against some other thing/stuff/future favour. He was a notoriously cheap, sly and untrustworthy individual. Interesting that Murdoch is also a similarly cheap glorified tinker chiel.
Tom Watson MP post ‘Alastair Campbell’s Evidence to the Leveson Inquiry’ has been ‘pulled’ but here is the penultimate paragraph:
.
THE HERD AND THE BULLYING CULTURE
Finally, I feel I ought to elaborate on the statement to which you drew attention in the specific context in which I made it. It was about Iraq, and the reporting of the issues which led to the Hutton Inquiry into David Kelly’s death. This was a hugely controversial issue, and remains so. The Inquiry shone a microscopic light on both the process of communication in the run-up to war, and the circumstances surrounding Dr Kelly’s death. When Lord Hutton was putting government witnesses through their paces, and ministers and officials from the Prime Minister down were being questioned and cross-examined, day in and day out, media reporting was largely slanted to show the government in a bad light, and Lord Hutton in a good light because of the rigour of his inquiry. The moment he concluded that the central charges against the government were not borne out by the evidence, and that the BBC reporting had been false, he was condemned as Lord Whitewash. Hundreds if not thousands of reports have subsequently sought to convey the sense that the BBC report alleging that we – and particularly I – inserted false intelligence into a government dossier, knowing it to be untrue and against the wishes of the intelligence agencies – was essentially true. It was not, and as Lord Hutton said at the time, even if it emerged there were no WMD in Iraq, that would not make the reporting true. But a media which thought it was going to ‘get’ Blair and his team via that inquiry simply does not and will not reflect anything that fails to fit the agenda it has on that issue.
From Peter Oborne and Simon Walters biography of Campbell
The most astonishing example of Campbell’s boldness in handling the tabloid newspapers came when the Daily Mirror secured the mouth-watering exclusive that 45-year-old Cherie Blair was pregnant. The Mirror dutifully went to Downing Street for confirmation before it ran its story. When the first editions appeared it was flabbergasted and horrified to see that The Sun had been given the story as well. New Labour’s greatest triumph had been to persuade Rupert Murdoch to dedicate The Sun to its cause. Having got it there Campbell would do whatever was necessary to keep it there. Favours flooded in and this seemed another of them.
A livid Piers Morgan, editor of the Daily Mirror, rang Campbell to protest furiously. Things became so desperate that at the other end of the line Campbell recruited Tony Blair to help cope with the furious Daily Mirror editor. An extraordinary three-way conversation followed, in which Campbell, hand on heart, explained that the whole thing was just a terrible mistake.
He explained that The Sun had got the story thanks to an extraordinary coincidence. Alastair Campbell’s explanation went as follows: Sun deputy editor Rebekah Wade had happened to have rung Cherie Blair that very day. By a still greater chance, the Downing Street switchboard put Wade straight through to the Downing Street flat. As it happened Cherie Blair was passing as the phone rang, and she picked it up. Finding it was her old friend Rebekah at the other end of the phone, Cherie stopped for a chat, and felt “that she had no choice” but to tell her the happy news as well. The Prime Minister was silent while Campbell spun an incredulous Morgan this astonishing yarn, though he muttered assent from time to time.
Two months later a seething Morgan expressed his utter outrage about the affair to Fiona Millar, Campbell’s partner and Cherie’s advisor, who told him the real story. It was nothing like the transparent fiction that Alastair Campbell had tried to fob him off with, with Tony Blair listening in without protesting. The Campbell-Millars were well aware that the Prime Minister’s wife never liked Piers Morgan, or the Daily Mirror. So they had waited till as late as possible before telling Cherie the news that the Mirror was onto the story. As they had predicted, she was furious, and started shouting at Fiona. Cherie was so angry that she promptly picked up the phone and rang Wade and told her the story as well.