tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post5637175385108677069..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: Peter Watt: Why I Did ItIain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-18657813987768373332010-01-16T04:41:10.657+00:002010-01-16T04:41:10.657+00:00Treachery often involves telling the truth, just t...Treachery often involves telling the truth, just to the wrong people.Jimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542633492362670045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-59406110483983365322010-01-15T22:09:16.658+00:002010-01-15T22:09:16.658+00:00@ Jimmy
WTF are his 'protestations of virtue&...@ Jimmy<br /><br />WTF are his 'protestations of virtue'? What 'virtue'?<br /><br />So, telling the truth is treachery?<br /><br />In the NuLab world it certainly is.<br /><br />As to "neither Brown nor Campbell have sold anyone out", don't be so silly. They've done nothing but sell this country and its people out. They are traitorous scum.Unsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307116169498533047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-4565572935488325332010-01-15T17:23:14.742+00:002010-01-15T17:23:14.742+00:00@Unsworth
I would have to agree that a serving PM...@Unsworth<br /><br />I would have to agree that a serving PM should not be moonlighting as an author, but neither Brown nor Campbell have sold anyone out, indeed the latter I believe has indicated that he will be using the book to raise funds for the party. I accept that Mr. Watt is entitled to keep his thirty pieces to do with as he pleases, but I merely note that donating them would add credence to his protestations of virtue.Jimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542633492362670045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-21552800371071398912010-01-15T15:25:47.571+00:002010-01-15T15:25:47.571+00:00@ Jimmy
Why should he donate the proceeds to anyo...@ Jimmy<br /><br />Why should he donate the proceeds to anyone, charity notwithstanding? You seem to believe this to be necessary - care to explain why?<br /><br />Then again, do you think the same suggestion applies to Campbell? And to extend that, what about Brown's books on 'Courage'? After all, Brown is surely far too busy as Prime Minister to take time off to write this stuff, isn't he? And I seem to recall that we're paying Brown to run the country rather than write books.Unsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307116169498533047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-72436986775706017862010-01-15T15:11:51.280+00:002010-01-15T15:11:51.280+00:00your "About the Author" on Watt´s book´s...your "About the Author" on Watt´s book´s webpage<br /><br />http://astore.amazon.co.uk/iaindalesdiar-21/detail/1849540381<br /><br />says that he became Labour´s General Secretary in 1995. now that´s incompatible with whats said at the end of the new statesman´s article<br /><br />http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2010/01/labour-party-staff-book-story<br /><br />and with what wikipedia says<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Watt<br /><br />and it is also just implausible, since he was 26 in 1995. Also the mistaken date makes his career as summarized there look very weird.<br /><br />I hope you guys have not printed the mistake on the book! ;-)nullohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09860592616145881315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-43740292242582789282010-01-15T13:54:54.453+00:002010-01-15T13:54:54.453+00:00Well it's nice to know that his motives were p...Well it's nice to know that his motives were pure although I think it is unfortunate that, no doubt for reasons of space, he omitted the details of the charity to which he donated the proceedsJimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542633492362670045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-7398923195656733382010-01-15T13:21:49.184+00:002010-01-15T13:21:49.184+00:00Was Vilma really pregnant for 18 months?Was Vilma really pregnant for 18 months?Kenzashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07504040815052265575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-51706157545078200742010-01-15T11:58:20.054+00:002010-01-15T11:58:20.054+00:00'They were, however, reassured by the duty of ...'They were, however, reassured by the duty of care that the party showed to those in trouble. '<br /><br />Didn't the way his bosses treated Mo Mowlam suggest to Watts that the party might not be the caring, sharing organisation he seems to have imagined?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-61119872014180644522010-01-15T11:11:11.548+00:002010-01-15T11:11:11.548+00:00I was thinking about this the other day, and Peter...I was thinking about this the other day, and Peter Watt's comments bear out my thoughts.<br /><br />The 'old' support model he was used to working for was based on leadership. You expect the leaders you follow to have many virtues, including looking after their own.<br /><br />Unfortunately the current government are not leaders (imposing their will on events) but managers (responding to events). Management is great if you want people to comply but poor if you want people to engage.<br /><br />There has been a drift from leadership to management over several governments. The current government has completed that transition - its management job is to protect the political machine. It does this by sacrificing those that do not comply and rewarding those that do. They do not seem to care that the protection of the machine is not what government should be about. <br /><br />Business people will tell you that you need managers to make the business run - but you need leaders to set the direction and values for the enterprise.<br /><br />I hope a different party will worry more about leadership and values and less about managing the fine details of bin collection or ID databases?DiscoveredJoyshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05300239909689336895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-69812202799565212382010-01-15T10:59:07.346+00:002010-01-15T10:59:07.346+00:00Self-serving tosh.
He's bitter and pissed orff...Self-serving tosh.<br />He's bitter and pissed orff with the manner in which he was treated and indeed the manner in which he was cast adrift by the Party.<br />So he wants to get some revenge in and kick a few bodies and make a few points.<br />Great, super, teriff, so admit it and admit that now is a good time to distribute the book and get some of that comeback he's been looking for.<br /><br />Poor lad still doesn't get it, those that live by the sword, die by the stab in the back. It's a dirty and nasty career path that he's involved with.Penfoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16946700329323417719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-80605313089147734142010-01-15T10:52:49.340+00:002010-01-15T10:52:49.340+00:00You betray an organisation if you do not tell the ...You betray an organisation if you do <b>not</b> tell the truth (as you see it) not if you do. Thank heavens for the fact that we live in a society which has freedom of speech and of publication. The truth will always out in the end. If anyone objects to Mr Watts's book there are actions they can take.Paddy Briggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17847108655078927970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-10481083421581069352010-01-15T10:50:47.427+00:002010-01-15T10:50:47.427+00:00Well said, Alan Douglas. I, too, have grown very ...Well said, Alan Douglas. I, too, have grown very tired of the immediate personal attack when embarrassing stories come out. <br /><br />The fact that Watt is/was paid for his story does not actually make it any less true. Ghastly scum like the execrable Liam Byrne seem to think otherwise - but they would find it extraordinarily difficult to understand the concept of truth anyway.<br /><br />Watt has a story to tell, it is little different to Campbell also having his 'memoirs' published and, entertainingly, brandishing them at the Chilcot 'Inquiry'. I don't object to either and everyone will make their own judgements as to the veracity of these accounts.<br /><br />All of these books are subjective views, anyway. They could hardly be anything else. Readers will decide who to believe - and in my view Watt is more credible than most.<br /><br />I'd go further. It's true that Iain might wish to make a large amount of money from publishing, but that is not a crime. There are those who may take the view that this is a deliberate political act - but I suspect it simply to be a sound commercial decision. And it is patent that by publishing other books, where the author or subject is of the Left, there's a certain even-handedness.<br /><br />Nonethless, we can certainly expect further vilification emanating from the scalded and sordid Left Wing. I look forward with interest to see which (if any) of these 'critics' will actually address the content of the book itself. Is there the slightest chance of that?Unsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307116169498533047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-56358214497507976632010-01-15T10:03:35.678+00:002010-01-15T10:03:35.678+00:00Ferrets in a sack?Ferrets in a sack?Jabba the Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08378736389976858775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-2251913942673879452010-01-15T09:52:46.895+00:002010-01-15T09:52:46.895+00:00Its a good defense but it won't wash with many...Its a good defense but it won't wash with many Labour supporters.<br /><br />He was letdown by the Labour Party and its an interesting view of events both personal and historic.<br /><br />But why months before a election Peter. I'm afraid to say i think he was seduced by the money or thats what many people will think.<br /><br />I hope the money helps his family and he moves on with his life.golden_ballshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17002302454171212086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-28104101402425637992010-01-15T09:27:28.334+00:002010-01-15T09:27:28.334+00:00Not the money then!Not the money then!Rupert Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04114156158920754888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-68799422206152895922010-01-15T09:26:23.284+00:002010-01-15T09:26:23.284+00:00Take another view - it is not Watt who has betraye...Take another view - it is not Watt who has betrayed Labour, he merely betrayed those who DID betray Labour. BG certainly, TB one could argue either way. In the 80s we used to talk about Militant "entryism" into Labour (Derek Hatton/Liverpool etc). Perhaps we need to talk about entryism re Blair/Brown/Mandlebum/Campbell into the mainstream Labour party as well.<br /><br />Watt is right to expose this, and certainly right to expose it now. The cowards will write their similar books after the election has wiped them out. To which my first question would be "How come, if you knew all this earlier, did you allow such a person to "lead" your party AND the whole country to the dogs ?"<br /><br />Well done Watt, tho I disagree with ecery one of your principles, I think you have been (or, rather, become) true to yours.<br /><br />Alan DouglasAlan Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16071898364060640779noreply@blogger.com