Paul Linford has a good summary of the Newsnight debate last night in which Michael Howard called Alastair Campbell a liar to his face. I only saw it this afternoon and it was quite a moment. Newsnight were obviously delighted as they sent out an email to their subscribers this afternoon urging people to watch it. It's now on Youtube, courtesy of Chicken Yoghurt. Watch and enjoy. Good on Michael Howard.
32 comments:
Michael Howard is one of the few political leaders that I have met. He has the courtesy to write and answer critical letters in a polite manner,even to non-constituents. A rare kind or type of man is this day and age. Is it not a pity, that he will not be in parliament after the next election.
Fair enough Anne & Jeremy have had their moments with him in the past, but I know of no-one that has or can call him mendacious & venal, which can and has been said about the present occupier's of No.10 & 11 Downing street.
Thanks to Chris Ames there might even be the outside chance of proving it in a court of law.
Go Michael. About time someone stood up to that thuggish bully.
Well Done Mr Howard. You made our weekend. What a delight to see the mendacious hypocrite Campbell named and shamed to his face in public.Lets hope he crawls back under the stone he came from
JH
Alistair Campbell, pornographer/gigolo, friend of Maxwell, bully, liar, responsible for dodgy dossier which leads to David Kelly's death, manic depressive(wants sympathy), alcoholic(reformed) is the primary cause of the debasement of politics in the UK. He introduced political porn into Westminster. He is the single most important contributor to the collapse of credibility in Govt. Michael Howard knows this. Campbell know this and so does Blair. Campbell's self loathing is the result of his evil conduct.
Just saw the FULL replay of that clip when Brown is 'locked out'.Door is hastily opened to camera crew by housewife.Brown is obviously appears too soon and paid bint hastily shuts door in his face.Brown,expecting that he will arrive at a virgin threshold,rings bell a few times in case the lady of the house (paid bint) is in the kitchen.(despite said bint having just slammed the door in his face).'Housewife' then re-opens door and exclaims 'wellcome to my house'.Then the report (channel4) goes on to claim that Brown eschews spin.Preferring to highlight the auto-cue 'cock-up'.
I am very glad Mr. Howard said that; and even more glad that he said in such a composed manner.
I wholeheartedly agree with every word; and would only have added the following sentiment:
'That if the Labour government truly believed in it's agenda and its message, it would not need to resort to such transparent sophistry and manipulation (in other words spin) to 'win' its arguments'
And I am a card carrying member of the Labour party.
The lack of integrity was only highlighted by Campbell's reaction: 'You're only saying that because you lost' which is more than transparent spin; it reveals that he does not quite understand what a serious accusation had just been made him.
A man who understood what integrity meant; would not have responded in such a fashion.
Not in that clip he didn't. Nobody used the word 'liar' at all.
confused - no one said 'liar' but Howard did say Campbell 'bullied' and 'lied'.
Now we need someone to sort out Peter 'Fighter not a quitter' Mandelson.
Alastair Campbell really is utterly pathetic when confronted by someone who can't be intimidated. He's very big when trashing the reputations of people who can't answer back, but he crumbles when he is confronted.
Michael Howard was superb and thinks on his feet far faster than Campbell, and his delivery is more composed. Game, set and match.
I missed newsnight in favour of a more balanced debate on Questiontime last night so great to see this clip.
Michael Howard finally said what so many MP's and lobby journalists in the Westminster bubble know but have never had the guts to say.
Equally interesting was the sparring session between Ken Clarke and Peter Mandelson last night. There was a real coldness between them which obviously goes back to the pre 97' period and the practices which both Mandelson and Campbell were honing with such skill. Howard and Clarke come from opposite ends of the Conservative party but both showed an inner steel and a very real dislike for Blair's two most famous lieutenants. I have always thought these two Conservative heavy weights to be men of integrity and honour and that makes their words and body language towards Campbell and Mandelson even more damning.
Campbell didnt even blink at the liar claim.any real man would have called him on it i would.
What I thought was interesting was that the camera was on Campbell as Howard said he bullied and lied, and Campbell was nodding his head - slightly, but perceptibly.
Inside he knows it's true.
Michael Howard is too good a resource to lose from public life. It's a genuine sadness he's leaving the House of Commons at the next election.
Hopefully he'll be in the House of Lords soon after and play a part in the next Conservative government, but really the Commons is the ideal place for a such a great political combatant.
Kennedy looked so pissed I thought he was going to puke!
As someone who has seen Alistair Campbell speaking live, the most surprising thing about him is just how thick he sounds.
He really is an ill-mannered oaf, utterly devoid of any charm or a sense of humour.
Seems to me that Campbell responded well and Howard is too F IN Late as the two culprits are now Laughing all the way to the Bank with their Diaries.
I never thought it possible for someone to remind me of a football hooligan and a worm simultaneously until I saw Campbell on TV for the first time. Ann Widdecombe's (wasn't it?) comment about Michael Howard having something of the night about him would have been much better applied to Campbell.
Well done Michael Howard! He said what most of us have thought for a long time, far more eloquently than most of us could have managed.
As for Alastair Campbell. He'll have to put up with a lot more of this when his "diaries" are published. They will be dissected thoroughly and painfully in public. Campbell (Gaelic for Crooked Mouth) will no longer be able to threaten to pressure editors, withhold information or claim he is merely the mouthpiece. He will be dependent upon those he once bullied and I am sure they will be less than forgiving.
Personally, I doubt he will be able to take it.
Michael Howard was utterly right in what he said on the clip. But it is democracy itself that has been undermined by ten years of lies and spin. Politics today is like buying Nike trainers on e-bay - fake as a tranny's fanny.
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May 11, 2007 7:10 PM
- Iain this surely must mean that Allistair himself posts here?
Just saw the clip on News 24.
I must say that the hair on the back of my neck rose as Mr. Howard confronted The Bully.
I could not have agreed with him more.
The most depressing thing is that the Paxo "did you override blah blah" question will be repeated ad nauseum by the BBc whilst this Classic will never be shown again outside You Tube.
Although I was surprised to see the force behind Michael Howard's comments, they were direct, and absolutely spot on. Campbell has trashed his way through the political process and politicians wonder why they are held in such contempt. Neither Major nor Thatcher would have considered such deceitful tactics as those used by Campbell.
I have always held Michael Howard in the highest possible esteem. That clip proves how right I was. Campbell looked utterly torpedoed. He had met his match.
Campbell, Blair and Mandelson have poisoned the body politic in this country. Pray God that David Cameron will restore its health after Brown's interregnum.
Spot on Michael Howard. Campbell is a degenerate known to have psychological and psychiatric problems who should never have been allowed within a million miles of Government. I have always wondered what hold he had over Tony Blair. Maybe the truth will out in forthcoming weeks.
Throughout history there has always been someone like Campbell behind every successful politician/leader who "wields the stiletto" whilst his master smiles benignly on and feigns surprise - "Oh it's just Alistair! You know what he's like etc ........"
However the person who must take the ultimate blame for allowing Campbell to operate as he did, is as Michael Howard said, Blair who either was too weak to stop it or chose to look the other way on the basis of the ends justified the means .Gordon Brown could also have stopped it at the time rather than trying to distance himself now from past events. He didn't and he can't
Michael Howard will make a fine Lord Chancellor.
He's not finished yet!
Great Stuff Michael Howard, you spoke for most of the electorate & articulated your remarks so well, have never seen AC so taken aback, almost cowed... Just what he deserved .Pity JP( thought he would fall off his chair) & others didn't give some support...but with the likes of (condescending) Polly Toynbee should we be surprised. Perhaps others may take your lead.
And Newsnight did sign off with that clip last night... be nice to keep it going somshow.
that was great. he just quietly destroyed him.
It reflects great discredit on the MSM that they did not stand up to Campbell in the days of his arrogance.
The broadsheet editors should have complained to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, loud and clear, and on the record, that their journalists were being harrassed and bullied and lied to; and they should have made it clear that they were not prepared to stand for such behaviour.
Instead, for fear of losing the inside stories that Campbell released to his favourites, they were supine.
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