Monday, July 20, 2009

McBride: I've Never Attacked Anyone

I heard most of Damian McBride's interview on 5 Live earlier. What a shame it wasn't live, as I am sure 5 Live callers would have told him what they thought of him. Which was no doubt why he insisted on it being pre recorded. Alex Smith of LabourList called it "nauseating". Michael White was a little kinder and clearly wants to think the best of Mr McBride. But you get the sense that he can't quite bring himself to.

McBride put in a less than convincing performance, I thought. When he said that you could talk to any journalist in the lobby and they would tell you that he never threatened or indulged in attack dog politics I just laughed out loud. Virtually every lobby journalist I know, apart from his pets, would tell you that's exactly what he did. Yes, he also had another charming side. I wrote at the time about his kindness to my editor at Total Politics when he arranged for her to interview Gordon Brown for our launch issue. Indeed, I wrote a note to him thanking him for the professional way he had handled the whole thing. But that dies not excuse his other, darker side.

17 comments:

  1. Now come on Iain, no need for knee jerk reactions.

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  2. I think a knee jerk reaction is exactly what is needed - a knee jerk right in McPoison's nuts.

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  3. Oh come on peeps...he`s NuLiebour....its always someone else`s fault..if your NuLiebour your perfick.....didnt you all know???????????

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  4. The full interview is now on Victoria Derbeyshire's blog:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/victoriaderbyshire/

    What an absolute shower this McBride person is. If he had any honour (or indeed shame) he would do a Profumo by taking a vow of silence and dedicate himself to a charity for the rest of his life. Rather he now chooses to go back on the airwaves trying desperately to convey the message that what he did was all unintentional, almost unconscious, trying to make us feel sorry for him. Get a life McBride. Smell the coffee - you are a waste of space.

    I guess if he has any redeeming feature is that he seems a bit more intelligent than his 'mate' Draper who comes across as a complete buffoon.

    But they both have the most annoying habit of using the phrases 'you know' and 'if you see what I mean' with wilful abandon. A sure sign of a mind that has not really thought things through, simply making it up as they go along. But then again totally symptomatic of this NuLabour government.

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  5. Damian McBride is unlamented history, as is his Draper minion. If he wants to rehabilitate himself, fine, but don't take the public for fools. Do some real repentence, like Profumo.

    Do I hear hollow laughs that any Labour figure would understand that??

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  6. "If he had any honour (or indeed shame)" Do you see the problem now?

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  7. McBride wants to have some "afters" with Guido: big mistake imho. I hope Guido crushes him like a worm.

    By the way, even though someone has already pointed this out, it should be "does" not "dies".

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  8. I don't want to be a pedant here, but Alex Smith calls McBride's return nauseauting, not the interview itself.

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  9. Did anyone elect McBride? If not, then why did have have such influence? With a posse of non elcted people in the cabinet, and a mob of non elected advisors, and quango operators, can we call our system a democracy in any way?

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  10. I find it interesting your choice on things to blog about.

    i look forward to tomorrows blogs unless of course you have another all day conference to attend.

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  11. Sea Shanty Irish here:

    Question for Anne Widdecombe

    >>> What is your reaction to William Hague's hue and cry at the "Horse and Hounds"?

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  12. Golden_balls

    Stop picking on Iain. Bully boy.

    Golden_Balls in Spiderman y-fronts!

    If you can do better start your own blog.

    God, some people!

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  13. Golden Balls, please collect your refund on the way out. And please shut the door behind you, there's a good lad.

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  14. Why should we believe Mandelson or Brown?

    No reason at all, I think... Especially when they are associates of McBride and his ilk.

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  15. Love the McPoison hagiography in the Gruniad. Apparently Gordon only employs Saints and Choirboys in No 10 and gets very very very cross if they transgress. Bless

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  16. LOL @ ian dale you do make me smile

    at least you didn't resort to petty name calling so i should be pleased about that.

    See you bright and early for the coulson interrogation

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