Tuesday, March 06, 2007

The Minging Briefer Uncovered

This is Mark Littlewood, who is Head of Press for the Liberal Democrats for the time being at least . It was he who briefed out Ming's speech to journalists on Sunday and told them that PR wouldn't be a dealbreaker in a Lib/Lab coalition. Mr Littlewood is not flavour of the month on several LibDem blogs. I, however, salute him.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

well done mr L. Sounds from Ian's remarks as if the Conservatives will have you back. It was an 'interesting' idea - appointing an ex Tory to the head of press

Anonymous said...

Surely his position is untenable if this is the case? Ed Davey has said in public that he is talking rubbish and not speaking on behlf of the party - how can anyone ever believe him again? HOw can he possibly do his job?

Rob Fenwick said...

Evidence? (other than "senior Lib Dem Press Officer" and "head of media" sounds roughly the same?)

Anonymous said...

Thanks Iain, you've now done the LDs quite a favour.

It's now quite obvious that this was a f*ck up from one man and not "chaos"

If you try and imply that his dodgy briefing reflects some major confusion amongst the Lib Dems then you're quite blatently spinning this story for your own means...

Anonymous said...

It's hardly surprising me that Littlewood dismissed a key Lib Dem policy on a whim! He is hardly know for being a Lib Dem thru and thru. Surely it's about time that the Lib Dems made sure that people in such key positions are totally commited to the Party'S principles!

As for his current position with what I heard from Ed Davey on the news the other night his position is untenable and he should fall on his sword!!

Anonymous said...

He doesn't look like a "minger" to me :¬)
In what way did you "salute him"?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Littlewood is an ex-Tory activist from Fulham. His previous claim to fame was writing Ming's disasterous first interventions at PMQs.

Anonymous said...

Previous anonymous @1:59 is quite a bit wrong about location and antecedants. Littlewood is not strategically stupid. Unfortunately this is not something that can be said for much of the LibDem Party.

This, together with unsubstantiated rumours about a Nick Clegg leadership challenge, looks like someone - successfully - trying to screw the Orange-book libertarians (with whom Littlewood, too, has been associated), and revert to the sandalwearing past when accomodation with the Tories was unthinkable.

Probably the undead were awakened by seeing so many Tories on ConservativeHome willing to shack up with them in order to save civil liberties. Look out for cozying up to Brown, and the Millipede: give us green taxes and lots of them, please...

Nothing so pointlessly brutal as "community politics". Parts of the Westcountry will shortly look like they did after the Bloody Assize, so many LibDem noses have been slit to slight their smugly gurning faces. Peasant cunning, I think you'd have to call it.

Anonymous said...

Looks an absolute Minger and a chinless wonder at the same time.

Has the man ever held down a proper job on a proper paper?

Anonymous said...

Let's cut the crap on this. Campbell's exact words, reported in the Guardian were

"If Mr Brown meets these five tests he will have changed direction ... and embraced liberal democracy," Sir Menzies told delegates.

"Are the Conservatives up to this same challenge? Of course not."

If his speech-writer didn't intend that to be a signal a preference towards coalition with Labour rather than the Tories then they should be looking for a sword themselves. The press office it strikes me accurately 'spun' what was said. That's their job and it's more than likely that Campbell's team didn't brief them correctly.

Nor is the head of press Campbell's speech-writer, for PMQs or otherwise. Campbell has his own team.

The commentator who suggested there is a move from the left of the Liberal Democrats to oust Orange Bookers is nearest to being correct, although it's rare that there is ever a head of press in any party that doesn't find themselves briefed against by malcontents.

The left of the Lib Dems though are not Tribune, they're nothing like that organised and nor are the Orange bookers. The Lib Dems tend to drift in directions by accident more than design, and that is what many of us are hoping that Campbell will change, one way or the other.

If the party though does decide to go left rather than liberal, I agree Cameron can probably expect a lot of new friends to help him pretend he's not a conservative. I'm not sure thought that this would include Mark Littlewood. Why would a life-long pro-European want to join the Tories?

Anonymous said...

With regards to Anon 8.37am. In regards to the supposing correction of the Anon 1.59pm that said Mr L wrote Mings first disasterous PMQ. At the time Ming didn't have his own team and Mr L did in fact write the first PMQ. Mr L is or was as far as I am aware close to the Ming camp as his partner worked for ming in his leadership campaign and certainly was on the team at the end of last year!

To say Mr L is not close to the Ming camp is simply untrue!!