[UK] Campbell Gone

dahamsta

Alastair Campbell has resigned. I was rolling on the ground laughing a while ago when the foxy one on Sky asks an MP: "What kind of Prime Minister will Tony Blair be without Alastair Campbell do you think? Sometimes they seemed joined at the lip..."

adam

gom

Originally posted by dahamsta
Alastair Campbell has resigned. I was rolling on the ground laughing a while ago when the foxy one on Sky asks an MP: "What kind of Prime Minister will Tony Blair be without Alastair Campbell do you think? Sometimes they seemed joined at the lip..."

adam

Ah you beat me to it old boy!

gandalf

One down at least 2 more to go

Geoff "It wasn't me" Hoon

&

Tony "if its a lie I would have resigned honest guv" Blair

Gandalf.

bloggs

Boo Hoo

Campbell was one of the main people in the creation of New Labour, i guess once he is gone, Tony could blame him for everything and he would be off the hook?

The Saint

Clever way to deflect media attention away from Blairs testimony to the Hutton inquiry yesterday for the weekend. We all knew this was coming, he just picked a very convenient time, for Tony, to leave.

SkepticOne

Murdochvision News is making much of the the fact that he once made money by writing porno for Forum magazine.

I know I shouldn't use this phrase as it's tainted but...
He hasn't gone away you know..!

I'm sure Tony will keep his moby number for further "wise" counsel.
To think otherwise would be wishfull thinking.

He'll make a fortune also when he publishes his diaries.

mm

Cork

Spin and Presentation are here to stay. We are living in a media age where presentation is all important.

Campbell's resignation is no surprise. It was mentioned weeks ago.

But I personally would prefer more conviction in politics.

But I don't blame Campbell for the world of spin. Spin was there before him & will remain after him. It is practised my many political partys and organisations.

The Hutton Report will be interesting. It is stange, he did not wait for the findings of this report.

Paddy20

Let me get this straight. Are people now indicating that they think the UK and Northern Ireland?.. would really NOW be better off under a Conservative government!. God help us?..

P.

Cork

Let me point out - that the UK and our Peace Process are better off with New Labour.

I hope that the Conservatives in the UK remain in opposition for many many years.

I think Ian Duncan Smith would be a complete disaster. I would not like to see him dictating NI policy.

sceptre

Originally posted by Paddy20
Let me get this straight. Are people now indicating that they think the UK and Northern Ireland?.. would really NOW be better off under a Conservative government!.

I'm sure some people are. Most of them are members of the Conservative and Unionist Party. No-one said anything like that in the thread you posted in.


Moving back to reality, Campbell's ultimate problem was that he became the story. he wasn't supposed to be the story, he was supposed to be writing it. The minute he became part of the news rather than supplying the news his time was up.

bug

maybe it might reduce the spin...

my favorite quote of the whole Campbell resignation saga, was sky news interviewing anne witticombe (sp?). In response to a question by the presenter,roughly phrased -couldn't the conservative party do with some spin in their ranks, perhaps someone like Alastair C. she said If we had someone like him I'd strangle him.

I think that tony blair should be held responsible for giving such responsiblity to someone unelected. Lets wait and see the report.

dahamsta

For what it's worth, I'm glad to see him go and I'll be glad to see Hoon go too, but I think the two of them will be sacrificial lambs to save Blair's leadership. And of course in Campbell's case it's not sacrificial in the least, since he's worth more now than if he'd left quietly via the back door (which was happening anyway). Hoon is the real loser here, although to be honest I think he's getting what he deserves, he comes across as utterly incompetent. Stark contrast with George Robertson.

I like Blair, I think he really believes in what he's doing and I think that because of that he deserves a lot of respect. However I also think that he's a mite like Dubya, in that he's (relatively) easily led by people who only believe in what they're doing because there's money and power in it. With that in mind, I'm hoping that the British public don't fall for the dummy and keep the pressure on. The only problem, of course, is who replaces him as leader. I don't think I fancy Brown as PM.

Paddy20, you're making Fianna Fáil style conclusions there. Suggesting that everyone wants the Tories back just because Labour's in a little trouble is stretching the imagination to breaking point. Reminds me of a headline on Slashdot recently, when Microsoft sent out a press release saying that half of all Windows crashes were caused by third-party software. The headline? "Half Of All Windows Crashes Caused By Microsoft Software!"

Perhaps "you" should* apply for Campbell's!! job Paddy??

Charles Kennedy For PM!

Hang on, I live in Cork...

adam

Paddy20

Campbell had decided to leave his current position before the Dr Kelly tragedy. As of now he is in a very enviable position. No doubt he is being inundated with lucrative offers from the good ,the bad, and the ugly publishing fraternity for book rights.

The number of new media opportunities now open to him are mind boggling. He strikes me as someone who as yet has not really exploited his own potential in his own personal interest, and who knows, perhaps not even himself at this time, which road he will choose too follow in the future.

Personally, whichever he decides I wish for one can only wish him
well in his life after Number 10.

P.

Cork

I think that he had decided to go anyway. He didn't even await the final report on the Hutton enquiry.

Piliger

Originally posted by bug
maybe it might reduce the spin...

Yeah right. Tell us one government that spun less than the current one. In fact any Gov that doesn't know how to put it's case to the best effect in the modern medi doesn't deserve to be in power.

My favorite quote of the whole Campbell resignation saga, was sky news interviewing anne witticombe (sp?). In response to a question by the presenter,roughly phrased -couldn't the conservative party do with some spin in their ranks, perhaps someone like Alastair C. she said If we had someone like him I'd strangle him.

What she means is that she would strangle anyone if they could get their hands on someone as good as Campbell.

I think that tony blair should be held responsible for giving such responsiblity to someone unelected. Lets wait and see the report.

Huh ? What government anywhere has ever appointed an elected representative to handle their communications and press business ? Do you know what you're talking about ?

Campbell was a brilliant guy who had to battle every day against a whole hoard of media organisations trying to damage and exploit the Gov at any possible opportunity. If he hadn't been a tough son of a bitch he would have been chewed up and spat out by the media hounds.

Vader

Campbell was a brilliant guy who had to battle every day

Poor campbell. He built himself up from a soft #### writer to the position of the most influential unelected person in the country.
Ah, the American dream(trace of a tear visible in the corner of my eye). God save the Queen and god save Emperor Bush!!

The Saint

Huh ? What government anywhere has ever appointed an elected representative to handle their communications and press business ? Do you know what you're talking about ?

Should an enelected official be allowed to chair high level intelligence meetings way outside of his jouristiction?

sceptre

Originally posted by Paddy20
Campbell had decided to leave his current position before the Dr Kelly tragedy.

Of course he had. He's been "the story" rather than the unknown backroom puppeteer since after the 2001 election. I'm surprised Blair managed to persuade him to stay on for so long.

Piliger

Originally posted by Vader
Poor campbell. He built himself up from a soft #### writer to the position of the most influential unelected person in the country.
Ah, the American dream(trace of a tear visible in the corner of my eye). God save the Queen and god save Emperor Bush!!

What are you ? Some kind of Brit/US nationalist ?

Piliger

Originally posted by The Saint
Should an enelected official be allowed to chair high level intelligence meetings way outside of his jouristiction?

I don't believe such things happened. Such meetings were intelligence liaison meetings between the Gov and ilntelligence agencies.

And if they did then why not ? The decision making process is crystal clear in the UK and in Ireland and chairing a meeting, where executive power is absent is nothing to get your knickers in a twist about.

Piliger

Originally posted by Cork
I think that he had decided to go anyway. He didn't even await the final report on the Hutton enquiry.

Fact is that in his position no matter when he would decide to go there would be some kind o crisis or flap happening. There is no way of leaving at a 'perfect' moment.

The Saint

I don't believe such things happened.

However, the report said it was wrong for Campbell - an unelected special adviser hired outside the civil service system - to have chaired a meeting on intelligence matters, and said the practice should cease.

http://www.sacbee.com/24hour/special_reports/iraq/story/936506p-6536445c.html

sceptre

Originally posted by Piliger
What are you ? Some kind of Brit/US nationalist ?

There wouldn't be a ban on his posting if he was. Besides, plug in your sarcasm meter and watch it go off the scale when you re-read that post.

@Vader
I wouldn't criticise Campbell for his Mirror job. Everyone's got to start somewhere. It's not as though he made a living by writing anti-minority propaganda for the Sun. If the Mirror offered me a job as a journo in the morning I'd probably take it as a start.

Vader

no no. What I ment to say but was censored was before Campbell was at the mirror he was a soft p0rn writer.

dahamsta

Originally posted by Vader
no no. What I ment to say but was censored was before Campbell was at the mirror he was a soft p0rn writer.

So what if he was?

adam

Vader

i think its funny:)