By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982
On Monday night, half an hour into the the ciritcal PLP meeting to discuss the leadership crisis, Guido Fawkes published an "exclusive" bombshell that could have reversed the direction of this fateful week.
Had it been true.
The post said that James Purnell, the former Work and Pensions Secretary who'd resigned over Gordon Brown's leadership just three days earlier, would stand against the PM if no other candidate came forward by noon on Tuesday.
But, as I was instantly made aware by sources close to Purnell, the story was "complete boll---s".
Of course, Purnell's resignation letter had categorically stated "I am not seeking the leadership" and Fawkes' double update and eventual redaction of his supposed scalp showed that he had never been certain of the reliability of his source.
It was good to get one over the self-confessed trouble-maker, but why did Guido get it so wrong?
Is he losing his touch? Did someone give him a taste of his own medicine?
Or was his "source" the patsy in a wider counter-plot of unsubstantiated behind-the-scenes forces trying to smear and discredit Purnell and others who had been bold enough to criticise Brown's leadership?
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You are so predictable and boring.
ooo I just read my signature - how very apt. Does a liar support the liars?
I've asked Jonty Pryor whether Guido Fawkes' post today is true, and whether he would like to respond with a post on LabourList, so I await his response.
If the accusation is true, I will allow him to post on why he did it, but after that I think it's right that he doesn't post here again.
Until then, I don't really want to say any more, until Jonty has had the chance to defend himself or say why he would have done this.
So Peter, your a fan of dirty tricks eh? No doubt you where a fan of this site under the last guy who thought that dirty tricks and smears where "absolutely brilliant".
It seems that LL, once a conduit for smear and dirty tricks always a conduit for smear and dirty tricks. Only last week I was lavishing praise on Alex, I hope he comes down on Jonty like a ton of bricks to preserve what reputation he has managed to build up for this site.
I look forward to his apology to LL readers.
Jonty has either been trying to do over Guido or is part of an operation to smear James Purnell - neither of which are particularly pleasant.
It will be interesting now to see if Labour List ban Jonty from contributing.
If nothing else the National Committee of Labour Students are going to have to decide if they want to condone someone involved in a dirty tricks campaign at a time when the PLP are trying to clean up politics after Smeargate and the expenses outrage.
Ok, so it turns out that it was a LL contributor that punked Guido: http://www.labourlist.org/jonty_pryor
Then they run an article over it, shame on you Alex. This is real Dolly Draper style blogging. Don't set someone up only to gloat over it.
But glad Guido saw straight through it and slammed you back!
Mandelson is a walking, talking, breathing nightmare and should never be let near the levers of power. Good as a machiavellian backroom boy, but actually making decisions that affect people's lives? With that lack of empathy? Scary indeed.
Unlike Labour list which is a propaganda rag that often regurgitates the most bland and risible nonsense from the Party, Great Leader and Acolytes. Admittedly Alex you have vastly improved it from the Draper era but, to be fair, it wouldn't have been hard to do that
It didn't happen. Guido retracts story.
That's pretty big of him!!!!
Guido retracted his story, however, you in true Derek-Draper-Pravda style published that horse shit about Tory cuts the other day and retracted nothing, despite the budget report which sets out Labour's plans to cut spending.
That makes you look like a bit of an ars*hole.
I was going on the radio that night so made a quick phone call to verify the story. It was categorically untrue. One or two others did the same- including the editor of this website. It's fine being anti-political and media establishment but some of the discipline is quite useful as Mr Staines has discovered: double-sourcing for example......
Do you think that the closer we are to hubris the more bizzare our notions become?
I wish you well.
In public life we have 3 outstanding figures.
Lord Mandelson is strategic.
Vince is wise. and Clarke (Ken).
Pulling society together,
and as part of the constitutional change
I would like to see them in a non exec role. containing, advising and monitoring the government.
I do recall a statement in this context of extreme (well justified) confidence by Guido stating that - "Guido is not in the business of getting things wrong" or words to that effect.
Guido was stuffed by a person of significance. He has peaked, and it is downhill all the way....and possibly very rapidly. I hope that in his personal life he is able to invest in healthy nuturing outlets.
Possibly meditation would help him connect to his "higher" self.
Sadly he is going to need it quite badly.....as we see the end of this phase of his public personna.
I've no idea, and since you don't seem to either, what's the point of this post? It happened almost a week ago.
It was hardly a hard and fast 45 minute claim.
"It will be ok if Miliband gets in - he has as much electability as IDS. Johnson is the dangerous man. Miliband of course may be the sacrificial lamb for Johnson. Wonder what games Mandelson is playing.
Why do people have to use american slang? Will Gordon be taught to use it when he calls a meeting of his Labour "homies" in the Whitehall "hood" or just when he's on the phone to his homeboy in America?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/12/dav...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politic...
I guess Mandy sees "Moribund" as moldable and the patsy he wants in. I would really like to see "Milli" in the man has the face to the school dweeb and in our media driven society thats exactley what we need to drive the Labour share of the vote down.
What is Labour? Dwell on Peter Mandelsons face for 5 mins and the reality will descend over you like a Dementor’s kiss.
Hat Tip to JK Rowling for basing the Dementors on Mandy
But of course, if I was approached, I would, very reluctantly consider it, was, I suspect, the subtext.
My personal view is that he was hoping - perhaps it had even been intimated to him, that Miliband would also resign and they would become the David and Jonathon or perhaps the David Cameron and George Osborne of New Labour and have a sort of joint leadership. Vain, greedy and slightly disreputable though he may be, Purnell is not a fool, and I suspect he knew that no real Labour supporter would WANT him as leader if he pushed for it, but that it might be imposed on him.
Look at Brown and Mandy: very, very few Labour supporters would want Mandy as leader, but that is what we more or less have now.