Tears and dissembling on Marr

Quite a remarkable Andrew Marr show this morning.

Everybody is talking about the Alistair Campbell moment when the great man,that's Campbell appeared to break down over Marr's questioning over the dodgy dossier.

Having been already grilled about the similarities in his book to the relationship with Blair,he seemed genuinely upset about the whole affair and the way the media are continously on the back of his "friend"

People are asking whether this was genuine emotion or pure theatre,the cynics pointing to Gordon Brown's disembling in front of Piers Morgan as part of the soft heart stratgey to the party.

I don't agree in the theatre,I think he was genuinely upset by the continous relentive pressure of the media over this subject.He clearly feels that the Blair government took the right decisions in 2002-3

Whilst Marr was back to his best as an incisive political interviewer,an opportunity he has missed on numerous occassions recently,in some ways I agree with Campbell

"I don’t think the media is interested in truth now... (it's) interested in settling scores, settling agenda,"

It wasn't the only bit of incisive bit of political interviewing as Marr put William Hague under pressure over Lord Ashcroft.

Hague described him as a close friend but failing,despite repeated opportunities to answer the golden question.Does he pay UK tax.

Nevertheless putting up a dramatic riposte to the Ashcroft controversy by comparing it to the Trade Union funding of the Labour party,hardly to my mind a fair comparison

"A peaceful solution was his motivation right through".

Some interesting things coming out of Alistair Campbell appearance at the Iraq inquiry.

His importance in the discussions is obvious.He was close to the security services and Tony Blair wanted him close and hand.He also describes his role as being unprecendented.

However it seems that certainly up until March 2003,Tony Blair was looking at a peaceful solution and there was a fundemental difference between his and George Bush's views on regime change.

According to Campbell,Blair was clear that "if the diplomatic route fails Britain would see it's responsibility" to pursure a military solution but added that "a peaceful solution was his motivation right through".

Stop Balls says the FT

The voice of the business community seems to be backing Alistair Darling in more evidence that the community does not want Ed Balls as Chancellor.

In its editorial this morning the paper praises the Chancellor

Major reshuffles should be avoided; few portfolios benefit from inexperience at the helm. At this stage in the parliament, with only a year left until an election is required, the only reason to change ministers is if they lack the authority required to do their job. Jacqui Smith, the hapless home secretary, is rightly being replaced. But Alistair Darling, the chancellor of the exchequer, should stay.

and reminds us that

The UK was the first country in this crisis to recapitalise its banks. He pushed for a reasonable, but not excessive, dose of fiscal stimulus. Under his lead, the Treasury has become a more honest institution than it was under his predecessor, Mr Brown.

A neccessary evil explains Alastair on the 50p tax rate

Alastair Campbell has attempted to put some spin behind the 50p tax rate over on his blog this morning

Politicians, contrary to what some may think of them, do not like to break promises. Also, the maintenance of Labour's promises on income tax has been a very important part of our success, politically and economically.

The measure he says

is a long long way from Denis Healey's threatened squeeze till the pips squeak. This is a global financial crisis, in which all countries, all businesses, all families are having to deal with some of the fall out in different ways. As part of the national response, everyone helping out must be part of a call to arms to help Britain through the crisis.

A setback but Brown should still apologise says Campbell

The Damian McBride affair is a setback, a problem, an unwanted if not entirely unexpected event which temporarily at least gets in the way of the strategic direction of the government.

writes Alastair Campbell on his blog today but he also hints that Brown should consider apologising

there is the question of Cameron's call for an apology. There may be politics attached to it, but it is worth asking the question - if a Tory spin doctor had been found to be planning smears against the families of Labour politicians, would we have asked for, and expected, an apology? I think the answer is yes.

Whilst at Labour List,Mike Ion beleives that

So tomorrow morning he should come out onto the steps of Downing Street and look into the eyes of the assembled media and state clearly and categorically that he is sorry for the hurt that has been caused to all concerned, sorry for the embarrassment and shame that has been heaped upon our party and sorry for the damage done to politics in general. He should even consider writing to the likes of Samantha Cameron and Francis Osborne expressing his personal regret at what happened. Without any of this I think it will be very difficult to draw a line underneath this sad, tawdry and rather ugly incident.

And an apology from Derek Draper

So I am sorry. I am particularly sorry to the individuals mentioned in those juvenile emails, and especially sorry to Nadine Dorries, George and Frances Osborne and David and Samantha Cameron. I can understand why they – and others – may be sceptical but all I can do is absolutely promise that these stories were just daft ideas that never – and would never have - got off the drawing board.

Tony on why we should all do God

This week's New Statesman is guest edited by Alistair Campbell and features a very special columnist by the name of T Blair on why we should do God

He recognised that in office

it was best, in my view, not to shout that too loudly from the rooftops

but

Out of office, seeking to make a contribution to important public and policy debates in a different way, I feel no such restraints. Indeed, as the years of my premiership passed, one fact struck me with increasing force: that failure to understand the power of religion meant failure to understand the modern world.

and according to the former PM

Religious faith and how it develops could be of the same significance to the 21st century as political ideology was to the 20th.

Campbell wants your help

Want to get some input into an edition of the New Statesman?

Alastair Campbell is guest editing and over at Labour List is asking for your help.

The former spin doctor it turns out has not always been a fan of the magazine

when I was in frontline politics, I found it sometimes interesting, occasionally irritating, often irrelevant.

Nevertheless he is taking on the job and it seems will use the addition to re launch a Labour manifesto.Just for starters he is proposing

compulsory voting for general and local elections. And an end to charitable status for private schools.

Welcome Alistair Campbell

Thanks to Chris Paul who brings my attention to Alistair Campbell's brand new contribution to the digital age.

Alistair tells us that

I am a late convert http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifto all this online malarkey but now the conversion has happened, I've decided to make a real go of it.

and adds that

I will blog when I feel like it, vlog at least once a week, give Dave Cameron the odd whack, and hopefully engage in a bit of lively debate. Tories welcome.

What would Labour give for a Campbell comeback?

Is Alistair Campbell planning a comeback.

Probably not but his interview in this weeks New Statesman makes a number of sensible points and makes you wonder whether Labour would have sunk to the depths it has with him being at the helm of communications.

"I believe passionately that the Labour Party still has the right values for today and the right agenda.I cannot stand the sight of the Tories getting smugger and smugger, thinking they can waltz back into power when they have done nothing to deserve it

and

"With modern politics surrounded by so much cynicism, mainly but not entirely media-driven, the only effective communications is authenticity. We are now seeing the authentic Gordon Brown - the serious man for serious times, the man who understands the world economy and can build the world alliances. And we are seeing the authentic Cameron - good at spin, crap on substance; good at pictures, crap on policy. He's not up to it on the stuff that really matters."

The wolf in sheeps clothing (Part 2)

Alistair Darling's relaxed interview in the Guardian weekend magazine has had the opposite effect that I believe he desired.

By trying to portray himself as a genuine and all round politician,the words that he believes that this recession has some way to go has got all the headlines.Is he trying to usurp his old friend Gordon Brown? I wrote yesterday that he may well be the person to deliver the coup de grace to Gordon and one wonders whether this interview was intended to stifle next weeks new economic announcement on fuel prices and housing.A process that by all accounts he has been excluded from.

Some commentators certainly believe this to be the case.Mike Smithson says that

But are the messages that are coming from the PM and Chancellor about the economy compatible each other? Could Darling’s “gloom” warning be seen as a way of undermining Brown who clearly has a lot of his personal political capital invested in things being less worse than might appear?

Peter Hoskin meanwhile asks whether Alistair Darling just earned himself the chop and adds that as the views

depart completely from Gordon Brown's alleged belief that the economic storm clouds will start dispersing in a couple of months - No.10 may read them personal affront to the Prime Minister, and another supposed sign that the Chancellor is a dangerous livewire who needs to be dealt with in the forthcoming reshuffle.

Latest Populus Poll

This morning's papers keep the pressure on Gordon Brown with the Times carrying a Populus poll in which 55% of Labour voters want hime to go
These are the key findings of the poll :

— Support for Labour has fallen by four points in a month to 29 per cent. The Tories have gained one point to 40 per cent; their lead of 11 points is the largest in the five years of Populus polls. The Liberal Democrats are two points up at 19 per cent, with other parties one point ahead at 12 per cent.

— The number who trust Mr Brown and Alistair Darling most to deal with economic problems has fallen to 30 per cent, down from 43 per cent in mid-March and 61 per cent in early September.

— The poll suggested that Mr Brown could not solve his problems by bringing in fresh faces with a big Cabinet reshuffle. Only 36 per cent think a reshuffle would make Labour more likely to win the next election. Only Labour voters, by a 51 to 41 per cent margin, support a reshuffle.

— More than two thirds of all voters, and nearly four fifths of Labour supporters, think that significant policy changes in areas such as the NHS, crime and tax would make Labour more likely to win the next election.

It is according to James Forsyth,

still extremely unlikely that Brown will be forced out. But the slew of bad news for Brown is going to lead to ever more vocal dissent within the Labour party

Meanwhile John Craig reports that

Earlier, in a TV interview, Alastair Campbell was asked to name his favourite song and chose Labour's 1997 election ditty "Things Can Only Get Better".

Say no more

Strange goings on in the race to be London mayor

Rather a strange story appearing this morning about the London mayoral elections.According to the Guardian

Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell have both been giving advice to the campaign working for London mayor Ken Livingstone's re-election, the Guardian can reveal.
The former prime minister and his media strategist had been among Livingstone's most trenchant critics in the past, and he had derided them for being the architects of the New Labour project. However, with the race against the Tory candidate Boris Johnson on a knife-edge, Livingstone's team has sought their expertise, and also the advice of Philip Gould, New Labour's pollster and focus group adviser.

Meanwhile both of the leading candidates are under sleaze pressures.

Boris faces a possible enquiry into share holdings,the Independent reports

The Labour MP Karen Buck, called on the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to investigate after it emerged that Mr Johnson did not register shares in Finland Station, for more than 18 months. Aides to the Tory candidate for London mayor said he had not declared his 33 per cent shareholding because of an "oversight" and they had now ensured the shareholding was registered

And Ken has owned up to having according to BBC news

"ensnared" ministers over the bid to host the 2012 Olympics in an effort to get money for East End redevelopment.
He said he was not interested in "three weeks of sport" but wanted to get "the billions of pounds" from government.