There will be much gnashing of teeth this morning in the Leader of the Opposition's office following the Sunday Times article on emails to David Cameron from his PPS Desmond Swayne. The Sunday Times does its best to jazz them up but from my reading of them they're relatively harmless. The truth is, whatever the write-up, that they demonstrate that 'Dessie' is doing his job as a PPS - keeping his leader very well informed about what's going on in the Parliamentary Party. They also show what enormous diary pressures a Leader of the Opposition is subjected to. Yes, the emails are a tad embarrassing in the cold light of day, but so what? The more interesting question is: who leaked them? I trust the Chief Whip will be getting the Whips Office torture chamber ready...UPDATE: The Sunday Telegraph says that the emails had been printed off and went missing. Via a circuitous route they ended up with the Labour Party, who presumably gave them to the Sunday Times in a vain attempt to take the heat of Prescott. Didn't really work did it?
9 comments:
I agree with sparked, their is nothing to damaging (the nuclear stuff perhaps) unless MP's take offence.
Tone in emails is easy to get wrong and that's when the right people are reading them. As long as MP's keep a sense of perspective it will be fine.
Whoever leaked them should be dealt with very harshly. In my job (i work for a law firm) i'd get the sack. I can't see whit it should be any different in this case.
You would have thought by now the Tories had had enough time in opposition. Such behaviour is crass in the extreme, and damaging to the Party.
It sickens me that the Toty Party still tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. If I were DC, it wouldnt be the thumbscres I'd be looking for , it would be the 12 bore.
In one email, quoting from the ST article, "The e-mails also talk intriguingly of looming “colleague sackings” and “something dreadful” which happened to Swayne in Manchester, adding: “I cannot put it on paper”.
Perhaps we should get up a public reward to hear what it was? Anyone got more info?
If as suggested by the Sunday Telegraph that the mails were routed to The Sunday Times via Labour could it be that its a diversion attempt from the Prescott stories?
Except for a couple of silly comments ie "boring colleagues" looks like a true reflection of the party's views with necessary critisism/warnings.
Isn't this just what a PPS does - keep the leader infomred of backbench feelings. My only feeling is surprise that there is less bile and vitriol in them! There really isn't anything too surprising in them! David Cameron is a bit like Blair, in that most Tory MPs tolerate him because they know he can win for them at the election, but aren't really signed up to his reforms. The question is - who leaked - and why?
Seems a pathetic story to me.
Desmond Swayne has done nothing wrong here - except for being a good PPS
I was also in Manchester and with Mr Swayne at times and nothing bad happened there from I could tell with him...
A woman scorned?
Yes, Anonymous, but were you with him 24/7? In his room? Did you see who came and went?
Perhaps John Reid took a dislike to a question raised by Mr Swayne. See here for details.
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