tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post1704288769818168155..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: Levy Throws Grenade at "Liar" BrownIain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-18157282239208607522008-04-28T06:59:00.000+01:002008-04-28T06:59:00.000+01:00Verity is right - Levy's will sell. Where can I ge...Verity is right - Levy's will sell. Where can I get a copy, ghost written or not?James Highamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14525082702330365464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-67000550515690384882008-04-28T00:12:00.000+01:002008-04-28T00:12:00.000+01:00Chequers sometime in 2004Carole Caplin (during ano...Chequers sometime in 2004<BR/><BR/>Carole Caplin (during another 2 hour "massage" : "turn over then Tone"<BR/><BR/>Tone: "Cherie never does it like that"<BR/><BR/>Carole: "That's because she was the first person in the country to work out that there was a difference between spin and delivery"The Military Wing Of The BBChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04811519612440901811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-86725061457210096652008-04-27T19:34:00.000+01:002008-04-27T19:34:00.000+01:00Bill Quango MP said... "Yes I agree. It has sold w...Bill Quango MP said... <BR/>"Yes I agree. It has sold well. I only meant if he had put in what we wanted to know about it would have done twice as well and been the political book of the decade."<BR/><BR/>I agree with your main point. I don't know why Campbell is holding back on the full version. He doesn't have any particular loyalty to Brown. He is the one person who really knows what went on between Blair and Brown. The final book should be fascinating.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-27298339188448106122008-04-27T17:53:00.000+01:002008-04-27T17:53:00.000+01:00verity said... "And how well do current affairs bo...verity said... <BR/>"And how well do current affairs books sell?"<BR/><BR/>The Political book category is a sub-category of Current Affairs. Therefore, since "The Blair Years" was the Current Affairs best seller last year, it follows that it was the Political best seller.<BR/><BR/>Current Affairs books sell sufficiently well for the publishers to keep producing them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-38907643396574706192008-04-27T17:16:00.000+01:002008-04-27T17:16:00.000+01:00And how well do current affairs books sell? I stil...And how well do current affairs books sell? <BR/><BR/>I still think Levy's book will sell more than any of the others because he's an entrepreneur and prevailed in the real world - in other words, he made a huge success in the pop music world because he understood what people wanted nd he understood how to wheel and deal. No one cares what a bunch of stale old Trot student activists who never grew up and never had real jobs have to say. <BR/><BR/>Iain, as they're making the word verification more and more difficult and irritating, is it within your power (given Blogger) to change to Turing code?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-33945011926861778192008-04-27T17:10:00.000+01:002008-04-27T17:10:00.000+01:00verity said... "And how well do political books se...verity said... <BR/>"And how well do political books sell, 2:25?"<BR/><BR/>I don't really know. Iain, with his Policos' hat on should be able to tell us.<BR/><BR/>IAIN, CAN YOU ANSWER VERITY'S QUESTION?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-63822841242311075622008-04-27T16:55:00.000+01:002008-04-27T16:55:00.000+01:00m.hristov - welcome back, I've missed you.m.hristov - welcome back, I've missed you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-57404374116811672192008-04-27T16:42:00.000+01:002008-04-27T16:42:00.000+01:00Bill Clinton's My Life in 2004, which has sold 385...Bill Clinton's My Life in 2004, which has sold 385,000 copies -worldwide, Alastair Campbell's The Blair Years, has sold 130,000 to 11/07<BR/><BR/>Yes I agree. It has sold well. I only meant if he had put in what we wanted to know about it would have done twice as well and been the political book of the decade . I for one, an avid reader of political books, merely read the reviews and decided to wait for the finished article in 2009 /2010. I await it with some anticipation now that Gorgon has been ridiculed.It will let some 'truth'or at least Campbell's version of truth,come out. Will be gripping stuff.Bill Quango MPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14861116614665461655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-72957982001684220282008-04-27T16:08:00.000+01:002008-04-27T16:08:00.000+01:00"Tony must wake up thinking of Carole and look at ..."Tony must wake up thinking of Carole and look at Cherie and think - big mistake - I know I would."<BR/><BR/>I always thought it was the other way round, Cherie would be the one thinking about Carole when she woke up next to Tony. Was I wrong?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-84824632355137542652008-04-27T15:22:00.000+01:002008-04-27T15:22:00.000+01:00Verity - "[10:29] - You say Campbell's book was a ...Verity - "[10:29] - You say Campbell's book was a bestseller. Figures, please, and are you sure those figures have not been tampered with in the ineffable Campbell way?"<BR/><BR/>According to the Sunday Times "The Blair Years" was the bestselling current affairs book in the UK in 2007.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-84916421963049140692008-04-27T15:14:00.000+01:002008-04-27T15:14:00.000+01:00Verity:from the Bookseller, November 2007 (4 month...Verity:<BR/><BR/>from the Bookseller, November 2007 (4 months after The Blair Years was published).<BR/><BR/>"Random House set the bar high with Bill Clinton's My Life in 2004, which has sold 385,000 copies -worldwide, and this year reignited the market for political memoirs in the UK with Alastair Campbell's The Blair Years, which RH says has sold 130,000 copies in all markets."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-2137053601003846122008-04-27T14:56:00.000+01:002008-04-27T14:56:00.000+01:00And how well do political books sell, 2:25?And how well do political books sell, 2:25?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-44066760554027814682008-04-27T14:37:00.000+01:002008-04-27T14:37:00.000+01:00Dearieme, Infante is a general Spanish term for a ...Dearieme, Infante is a general Spanish term for a Royal Prince. Tsarevich (heir apparent to the Tsar) would be more appropriate. Brown behaves like a Tsar. A rather incompetent Tsar.<BR/><BR/>It is hardly surprising that Levy is so corscurating about Blair. Writers on this blog think that being targeted by the criminal justice system and the press is a joke. It is not. It is a deeply stressful situation and causes deep resentment. There is generally no compensation for such experience. Levy now hates Blair and it shows.<BR/><BR/>I have been silent for a while. That is because I decided to follow Norman Tebbit’s advice. I am having a rest from my profession and could have gone to the family estate and ‘worked’ two hours a day or less. Instead, I have taken up a traditional working class position with long hours (10 hours a day on a 6 day week) and very low pay (close to minimum wage). It is fascinating and enjoyable because I am doing something I have always loved. It would help if I knew Polish, because quite a number of my colleagues are highly educated Poles. I suppose reality will intervene in the next few months and it will be back to my profession but, in the meantime, I am getting a window into a different world.M. Hristovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13916257985347991350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-44299260826283549442008-04-27T14:25:00.000+01:002008-04-27T14:25:00.000+01:00Bill Quango MP said... "Campbell's book only faile...Bill Quango MP said... <BR/>"Campbell's book only failed to do really well because we know that it isn't complete."<BR/><BR/>It is one of the best-selling political books of recent years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-8400846668130567892008-04-27T14:13:00.000+01:002008-04-27T14:13:00.000+01:00"Amusingly enough, my partner and I spotted Lord l..."Amusingly enough, my partner and I spotted Lord levy in a hotel restaurant in Vegas..." Gosh, that is so amusing, Mersey Mike. I chuckled all through breakfast!<BR/><BR/>[7:39] Good points. I think you're right.<BR/><BR/>Javelin - Not at all. Cherie, as grotesque as she looks, is smart and I don't think he could have risen to the top - he's a ridiculous, self-regarding, wimpy little fop - without her guidance and determination.<BR/><BR/>Besides, as someone notes above, it was Cherie who wanted Caplin to stay on. Remember, they bought matching pixie boots and often used to dress alike.<BR/><BR/>[10:29] - You say Campbell's book was a bestseller. Figures, please, and are you sure those figures have not been tampered with in the ineffable Campbell way?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-34130269775825237592008-04-27T13:41:00.000+01:002008-04-27T13:41:00.000+01:00Campbell's book only failed to do really well beca...Campbell's book only failed to do really well because we know that it isn't complete.The master of spin has left out all the good bits until after the fall of Bean.<BR/>A shame really because it would be worth reading. He changed politics pretty much on his own and the Tories took years to catch on to the changed world.<BR/><BR/>Sadly, his 'current' version is a bit like an edited Joseph Goebbels book.<BR/><BR/>Chapter1.<BR/> The great leader has achieved his dreams, power at last..Even Heinrich Brown and Herman Prescott are delighted.. I will knock up a speech for the Reichstag tomorrow..something about.. we stand at the gates of destiny..today Europe, tomorrow the world..<BR/><BR/>Chapter 2.<BR/>Poland has refused every opportunity to make peace. The fools. They can't win.<BR/><BR/>Chapter 3.<BR/>The word from the suburbs of Moscow is everything is fine, but are the winter uniforms coming soon?<BR/><BR/>The End.Bill Quango MPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14861116614665461655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-39488654890720217212008-04-27T13:28:00.000+01:002008-04-27T13:28:00.000+01:00If David Miliband is the heir presumptive, shall w...If David Miliband is the heir presumptive, shall we all call him The Infante David?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-36487286762244733742008-04-27T11:30:00.000+01:002008-04-27T11:30:00.000+01:00I echo Verity's comments - You can pick up a varie...I echo Verity's comments - You can pick up a variety of books/memoirs by NuLab Ministers/Officials at quite reasonable prices usually no more than £3.99 and usually reduced to less that £2 in "Bookends". However, I suspect Levy's book will still end up there too - remaindered.<BR/><BR/>Whatever credence you put on Levy's "recollections" - including a allegedly 'red-faced Blair when Levy raised the matter of Caplin's one to one massages and that this might "not just be a problem for Cherie but for YOU too !"- it's overall contents won't do Brown's already "busted reputation" much good although of course THAT might be the intention as well as "trousering" a wad of dosh from the MailAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-41150096978099097422008-04-27T11:18:00.000+01:002008-04-27T11:18:00.000+01:00Broon's Talking Bawgie said... "I used to bump int...Broon's Talking Bawgie said... <BR/>"I used to bump into Carole Caplin at the Holmes Place in Euston occasionally. She is tiny ..."<BR/><BR/>Nonsense. I have seen her. She is about average height.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-23328438409606571972008-04-27T10:57:00.000+01:002008-04-27T10:57:00.000+01:00Javelin - this is amusing fiction. Nothing to do w...Javelin - this is amusing fiction. Nothing to do with reality at all. It was Cherie that wanted Carole to stay on - Alistair Campbell loathed her and wanted rid of her. Tony did too - but also didn't want to upset Cherie, so Carole survived. And Cherie probably got pregnant because of the health regime Carole had put her on - upped her self esteem, her libido and her nutrition levels. If there was a woman Cherie was jealous of it was Angi Hunter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-68042697493524814612008-04-27T10:55:00.000+01:002008-04-27T10:55:00.000+01:00Hilariously, Blair issued a massive rebuttal of Le...Hilariously, Blair issued a massive rebuttal of Levy's alleged comments on Brown last night and insisted he'd never said it. Bit of a crushing blow for Levy's already damaged credibility and must make the Mail question why they paid a fortune for a self-justificatory pile of rubbish. <BR/>But equally hilariously, Blair's firm rebuttal of the salacious, irrelevant but funny Caplin "massage" allegations are not rebutted.<BR/>Anyway, shouldn't the Observer's Ned Temko got the byline in the Mail as he wrote the book anyway?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-47570725199726953662008-04-27T10:38:00.000+01:002008-04-27T10:38:00.000+01:00Oscar Miller said... "What was John Prescott's phr...Oscar Miller said... <BR/>"What was John Prescott's phrase? - the tectonic plates are shifting."<BR/><BR/>Being Prescott he probably said "Teutonic plates".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-85709704142559415132008-04-27T10:35:00.000+01:002008-04-27T10:35:00.000+01:00I used to bump into Carole Caplin at the Holmes Pl...I used to bump into Carole Caplin at the Holmes Place in Euston occasionally. She is tiny and absolutely nut-brown in colour, like a conker. <BR/><BR/>What amazes me is that it took Levy so long to notice that Bliar was a self-serving, greedy liar. Many of us noticed this in about 1994, i.e. at the same time as we noticed Bliar to begin with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-36475164444329497142008-04-27T10:34:00.000+01:002008-04-27T10:34:00.000+01:00javelin said... "In peoples lives their weaknesses...javelin said... <BR/>"In peoples lives their weaknesses show in their strategic decisions and it's also true of Tony's choice of wife - ugly."<BR/><BR/>David Cameron's wife is no oil painting. What does that say about him?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-57179689926154478872008-04-27T10:32:00.000+01:002008-04-27T10:32:00.000+01:00What's happened at the BBC? They're spreading the ...What's happened at the BBC? They're spreading the Lord Levy 'Brown could never defeat Cameron at a GE' line on every news bulletin and they just finished the Andrew Marr show with a gift of a clip from Cameron's terrific, authoritative interview with AM - about Brown's great pension theft. It seems they are also trying to promote David Miliband juding by his very very soft interview with AM (Miliband came across as usual as an eager adolescent with a lot to learn). Is the beeb ditching Brown? Something certainly seems to have changed. What was John Prescott's phrase? - the tectonic plates are shifting.Oscar Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09423019456579337438noreply@blogger.com