SmearGate: Damian McBride E-mail Texts

12/04 9am Update: This is from the today’s News of the World website for those of you who haven’t bought it yet.

The Sunday Times is reporting the contents of some of the e-mails as:

‘McBride goes on to suggest that the website should spread rumours that pictures exist of Osborne “posing in a bra, knickers and suspenders” and “with his face ‘blacked up’ ”.

“He wouldn’t be the first student to do some cross-dressing at university. But . . . why would a student in the late 1980s black up his face for the amusement of friends in their private college rooms? This in the era when young Tories wore ‘Hang Mandela’ T-shirts.”

In what is perhaps the most vicious section, McBride suggests spreading rumours about the mental health of Frances, Osborne’s wife, following the furore over his discussions with a Russian oligarch during a party on a yacht last summer.

He suggests the website hint the shadow chancellor may try to use his wife’s “emotional difficulties” as an excuse if he is demoted in a Tory reshuffle.’

Whilist Coffee House airs another conversation:

On 13 Jan 2009, at 18:34, “Damian McBride” wrote:

Gents

A few ideas I’ve been working on for Red Rag. For ease, I’ve written all the below as I’d write them for the site, but obviously Andrew will want to adapt for his own house style, length, etc.

The first one is a solid investigative story, so may be a good one to use early. The other 3 are gossipy and mainly intended to destabilise the Tories.

I’m not sure how to set up easy links in the copy of the text, so I’ve stuck in the full links below each bit of relevant text.

Damian

From: Derek Draper
Sent: 13 January 2009 18:56
To: Damian McBride
Cc: Dodgshon, Andrew; Whelan, Charlie
Subject: Re: Rag [UNCLASSIFIED] [Non-Record]

These are absolutely totally brilliant Damian.

I’ll think about timing and sort out the technology with Andrew this week so we can go asap.

Do we want to tip off anyone about Red Rag having set up? Walters? I could do it and say LabouLlist had been sent the link anonymously.

PS Don’t forget LabourList Damian!

I suspect there will be more in the Sunday papers..

9 Responses to “SmearGate: Damian McBride E-mail Texts”

markdask on April 12th, 2009

McBride was certainly caught with his knickers around his ankles but what surprises me is the holierthanthou reaction generally. Why is anyone surprised and/or disgusted at the sight of real politique? Who is so naiive as to think that this sort of skullduggery aint going in all parties every day of the week? Of course its ugly but then….Clinton “did not have sex with….”, and Nixon assured us that [he is] “not a crook”.

You gotta laugh
grumpyguts on April 12th, 2009

It is reassuring to know Mr Brown knew nothing about this email. This being the same Mr Brown who assured us that Britain was in a better position than most to endure a recession. I think it fair to say that the assurances politicians give as to their moral beliefs are inversely proportional to the reality. No one should be surprised about anything that the outgoing government do, they are all doing what dying governments do. It just seems that this government is doing it rather more spectacularly than most.
Andrew Barrett on April 12th, 2009

I find it hard to believe that Brown knew nothing at all about it when the e-mails were written from the office next door, by somebody who has been his special adviser for a very long time.
Richard on April 12th, 2009

They say Brown didn’t know. Of course he did.
An advisor working in No.10 that is very close to Brown, working on Brown’s strategy to seek re-election didn’t tell Brown what the strategy was

If I was Brown and I’m working in the same building complex as my advisors working on elements of me getting re-elected, I’d ask questions, ask what ideas they’d come up with.

Brown knew, he has to know, he approved it.

The fact is, they’re putting together a dirty tricks compaign because they have nothing of any other substance on which to base the election on.

If Brown had many achievments during his time of office, they’re be promoting that and using his success as the basis of the election campaign

Brown has achieved virtually nothing and made a load of disasterous decisions whilst in power, of course they can’t use his achievements as the basis of an election campaign.
dumbasses on April 12th, 2009

It’s just speculation to say that Brown knew – do you know the content of every email that someone in the same office as you sends?
GreenGordon on April 12th, 2009

Ever heard of plausible deniability?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plausible_deniability

(I’m not suggesting Brown arranged it, but he would likely be sheltered from these sort of things, by his advisers)

I find it fairly unlikely that Gordon Brown knew anything about the emails.
workingmum on April 13th, 2009

@Andrew Barrett it is naive to deduce the Gordon Brown knew about these emails just because he’s in the next office. I doubt he has time to read all correspondence and probably trusts somebody who has been his special adviser for a very long time. Which, in the circumstances, is a pity!
MatthewCain on April 13th, 2009

I agree with @markdask. So much of the reaction to this story is dishonest and hypocritical. This story just reveals the nature of politics and society.
http://blog.matthewcain.co.uk/damian-mcbride-reaction-dishonest-hypocritical/
Rob Bryant on April 14th, 2009

Of course Gordon Brown didn’t know about the e-mails. He still doesn’t know. How can he?

Look, let’s start at the beginning – look hard at Gordon Brown and, if you bear to can do it long enough, the figure you are looking at is not Gordon Brown but Homer Simpson. Now, look slightly up and to the left and a bubble appears, in which you will see “Oooh! Expenses . . . . ” and drool begins to roll down his jowel.

How can he take in sleeze-gate any more than he can take in managing an atomic power station? GB is innocent. Leave him alone.