Recess Monkey is amused that CCHQ seems to have been rattled by my defence of MP and film star Sion Simon. I wrote this piece on the Guardian’s Comment is free website and within a day, Iain Dale, the mastermind behind the David Davis leadership campaign, has published a line-by-line “fisking” of my musings.
While Iain’s personal contribution to political debate is always accorded the attention it deserves, I am surprised he has allowed CCHQ to pull his strings quite so blatantly. His piece contains not one but two quotes from an unknown CCHQ source attacking me. However, as Iain - gently nurturing his A-List status - has allowed himself to be the glove puppet of CCHQ, I can hardly be expected to respond to un-named and shadowy spin merchants and falsehood disseminators - can I?
So Iain, if you would like to tell your cowardly CCHQ spin-boss to contact and have it out with me, please give him or her my number - or at least tell them to put their own name to their views instead of using you as a cipher.
I don’t know how you could cheapen yourself to this degree.
You must feel used
violated even.
editor[at]recessmonkey.com
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Hmmm. How can I have been used, when it was me who asked them for a comment rather than the other way round. You do have a record of getting things wrong, don’t you?!
Iain Dale said this on October 14th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
He also has a record of referring to ethnic minorities as ‘Brown people’ on this blog.
Recess Monkey: “So will the Tories have a brown candidate in Watford or not? What does Francis Maude’s Interracial Adviser Rehman Chishti have to say about this?”
Here »
Recess Monkey: “David Drew (Lab, Stroud) may not be a Tory harbouring fears of brown people taking over but … ”
Here »
There’s a fine line Alex. And you’re very close to crossing it.
uk daily pundit said this on October 14th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
What seats are you applying for, Alex?
Cllr Iain Lindley said this on October 14th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
True, according to you I was misinformed about that text message story too…
Recess Monkey said this on October 14th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
So who was your CCHQ contact Iain?
Recess Monkey said this on October 14th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
Let me get this straight. You’ve written an article having a go at Cameron for being a superficial public school educated toff who is out of touch with the ‘bloke’ in the street? Remind me who the leader of the Labour Party is again…?
I’m not a Tory party member and I’m not going to be voting for Cameron unless he produces some decent policies. But it seems to me all he’s been doing is updating the tactics Blair used as Leader of the Opposition ten years ago. If podcasts and YouTube had been around in the mid 90’s Blair would have been all over them. He’s just a little less obvious these days because he’s Prime Minister.
I’m sure Downing Street put out a podcast a few months ago where Eddie Izzard followed Blair around a European Summit. It was all about how our Prime Minister would rather be watching football on the TV instead of negotiating with other European leaders. In other words, it was all about what an ordinary bloke he is.
Leo said this on October 14th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
Leo, your comment is not without merit - however, the Labour leader engages in such activities with the ultimate aim of ending poverty and building a fairer Britain. The Eton hooray leading the Tory’s is doing so in order to screw the poor, privatise the NHS, isolate Britain from Europe and the US and take our nation back to the dark ages of Thatcher and Major.
Therefore, TB has my forgiveness. D-Cam does not.
Recess Monkey said this on October 14th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
“You do have a record of getting things wrong, don’t you?!”
That’s a bit rich coming from a man with your record of climate change denial, Iain.
Nick said this on October 14th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
Don’t throw your toys out, Alex. Next thing you know, Iain Dale won’t let you have that pretty icon saying he endorses your blog…
How WILL you cope without the endorsement of such a man?
Hamer said this on October 14th, 2006 at 11:43 pm
RM: “screw the poor, privatise the NHS, isolate Britain from Europe and the US and take our nation back to the dark ages of Thatcher”…
TB has had 10 years in which the NHS has been shafted (though costing us twice as much), the poor have been truly screwed (rich/poor divide incresed) and we are now reviled by both the US and EU member states.
If only we could return to the supposed dark agewhere we had a PM of the calibre of Thatch.
Your delusion levels are worrying.
Rog said this on October 15th, 2006 at 3:44 am
Even Sion Simon and Tom Watson ahve given up the cause now Mr. Hilton.
If you count victories in the amoount of winding up of lesser tory supporters you can achieve then I suggest your political aspirations are set somewhat low. On the otherhand you will be well-placed to a mionr labour spinmeister; what a rewarding career that may prove.
cityunslicker said this on October 15th, 2006 at 11:30 am
Rog: “TB has had 10 years in which the NHS has been shafted (though costing us twice as much), the poor have been truly screwed (rich/poor divide incresed) [sic] and we are now reviled by both the US and EU member states”
NHS shafted? Waiting lists slashed, new A&Es all over the country, quarter of a million new staff (including greater doctor/nurse recruitment than at any time since 1945)
The poor truly screwed? Highest employment levels since god knows when, highest levels of new affordable house building since 1945, surestart etc.
Reviled by the EU and US? More so than when Thatcher handbagged Europe? Blair’s congressional medal of honour might have been achieved on the back of his decision to go to war, but it certainly isn’t the kind of gong that the US gives to leaders it reviles!
There’s plenty to attack Labour on - I would have thought you could do better than this.
pmd said this on October 15th, 2006 at 2:45 pm
“I don’t know how you could cheapen yourself to this degree.”
Rather like what I said about your spirited defence of the undefensible Sion Simon vid in the first place as I recall Recess.
And let’s face it you, the Proprietor of Labourhome.com, accusing Iain Dale of being a mouthpiece is entirely a case of the pot calling the kettle black now isn’t it.
Surely it’s time to move on from thie whole tawdry and rather pointless episode and get back to some genuine iconoclastic humour on this blog which it used to be so very good at.
matt said this on October 15th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
“That’s a bit rich coming from a man with your record of climate change denial, Iain.”
I’m sure Iain can defend himself, but I remember him writing that climate change is always happening, as it is. Hardly a denial, is it bru?
climate change is natural said this on October 15th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
You’re dead right about faux outrage Alex - can you recall the Cherie Blair Hutton report saga? Iain Dale did his very best to work himself into a lather over that one, and found himself back on the A list soon after…
Northumbrian said this on October 15th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
I wouldn’t get too upset about being ‘fisked’ by a failed bookseller, who has now bought himself a camcorder. Only goes to show that the Nasty Party is back in business - they will be hoist by a myriad of petards before the year is out.
Ramon de Vergas said this on October 16th, 2006 at 9:46 am
Whilst agreeing with Ramon, I feel I must add that comment 6 by the Donkey makes me feel a bit ill.
Firstly, the phrase “building a fairer Britain” sounds like you’ve been tatooed by the Labour Party. That bloody slogan gets thrown around too much by the “New” chapel of our beloved party. “Building a fairer Britain” - by reintroducing selection in schools, limiting choice in the NHS by closing community hospitals, reducing public freedoms such as the right to protest or not be detained without charge. Sure they improved the economy, but they’re about to spend £25bn on a nuclear deterent designed to stop the Soviets from invading…
Secondly, “TB has my forgiveness” - he should feel special now. Why should party members forgive Tony Blair? I campaign on behalf of the party because it’s Labour - not because of who our leader is. Sure we won in ‘97. Sure he played his part. But lets be clear that he has done enough to distance the party leadership and their agenda in Westminster from the membership that he probably doesn’t really need forgiving - more given the sack. Partnership in power - a partnership of one more like it.
Still, got to agree with Donkey on Cameron…
Eskimo Nell said this on October 16th, 2006 at 10:55 am