Many people warned me that as soon as I announced I would be standing for the leadership of the Labour Party the New Labour spin doctors would do everything they could to undermine our campaign from the outset.
I've been around long enough to have witnessed their behaviour so I suppose by now I shouldn't be shocked. I don't mind New Labour disagreeing with and criticising my policies. In fact I really welcome debate of this kind but I just cannot come to terms with downright lies.
Most of the media reported our launch statement fairly accurately. There was extensive almost wall to wall coverage on radio and TV, with follow up reports in many of this morning's newspapers. Even where a TV, radio or newspaper journalist had a pop at me it was at least from a genuine political perspective.
However within hours of our launch it is clear that New Labour was briefing against our campaign. The result was a disgraceful tissue of untruths and distortions in today's Independent.
I have to say the Independent is usually pretty balanced and its political reporters like Colin Brown always do their best to check their facts and give us a fair opportunity to have our say.
Colin was on leave yesterday so a reporter named Andy McSmith covered our launch. His report smacked of a New Labour private press briefing. It was a pack of dishonest, untruths and fabrications clearly based upon the spin technique perfected over the last decade by New Labour. At no stage did Mr McSmith speak to me to check any of the elements of his story.
McSmith entitled his article "Stalking Horse Challenge Falls at the First Hurdle." The article alleges that I had called a press conference at Millbank Tower to launch an immediate "stalking horse " challenge against the Prime Minister but only backed down and cancelled the press conference because I had been warned by fellow Left wingers that I hadn't got the support.
Let's get the facts straight.
First, I have for some time now ensured that supporters and the media were aware that I did not back a "stalking horse" challenge to the Prime Minister and that if I were to run it would only be when the PM decided to stand down and would only be as a serious challenger to win the election. We have confirmed that Mr McSmith's colleagues on his own paper were fully aware that this was the case. In fact this was what was contained in my campaign launch statement and in everything I have said to the media on this issue.
Second, there was no plan to hold a press conference at Millbank Tower, a ghastly place. Initially I wanted to hold my press launch in the park next to Parliament beside the statue of Mrs Pankhurst, to celebrate the role of women in the fight for democracy, but the TV crews asked if we could use the Green opposite as they have live feed connections available there. No fellow left wingers advised us against this strategy. In fact many urged us on and applauded our approach. We went ahead then with a launch of the campaign in exactly the way we had planned and it was an overwhelming success.
I have demanded the right of reply in the Independent and will be taking Mr McSmith's behaviour up with the NUJ and the Press Complaints Commission.
But let me make it extremely clear to the New Labour spin doctors.
You can throw at us all you want. You can lie, smear, fabricate and invent all the untruths that you wish.
We will respond by telling the truth and sticking to the policies not personalities.
I suppose you have really done us a favour from the outset. In this first attempt to spin against us in this patently dishonest and underhand way you have exposed the role you play in politics. You bring disgrace upon what should be a noble cause, the Labour party and indeed British politics. You are dragging our party into the gutter with your spin and sleaze. With your lies and slick dishonesty you have undermined the trust the British public placed in a Labour government. People may not have agreed with all of our policies but at least they believed the Labour Party was honest. You have destroyed that faith in the party in the eyes of so many of even our supporters. Thanks to you the latest polls now show that people have more trust in the Tories.
You are one of the reasons why I am standing in this election. I want to clean up Labour party politics once and for all. My aim is to end the spin and scrap the sleaze and to clear out from all sections of our party and government those elements that are undermining the trust in the honesty and decency of our party.
I warn again all those that have supported my challenge for the leadership of our party. Elements in New Labour will stoop even lower to attack our campaign but we will stand ready and reply to every falsehood with the truth and will be strengthened as a result.
They will not and cannot halt this flowering of democratic debate in our movement.
35 Comments:
John, good luck with your campaign! I hope you won't face troubles with Mme Dominatrix and her yellow cards.
I wish you all the luck in your quest to return democracy to the Labour Party. Keep it up. You'd be my choice over Brown no matter what. Here's one part of West London thats behind you.
good luck. Many more will support you than people think. you have the heart of the labour movement with you.
watch your back, as new labour, I am sure already have someone ready to take hayes from you. dont play into your critics hands.
John, when that leadership election comes I can pretty much guarantee that I won't be voting for you. I am glad you're running, though, because the party does need a debate, not a coronation. But wouldn't it be advisable to rein it in a bit? You say that you're being smeared by new Labour, but then you turn around yourself and throw accusations of "lies and sick dishonesty". That's not "sticking to the policies not personalities". That's mudslinging.
Its about time true labour stood up to new labour! I'm behind you and offer my help in way possible.
good fightback john - you are true labour. the new labour spin machine will stop at nothing to smear you and obscure this crucial debate. we must not let them! best of luck with the campaign, i pledge to help you in any way possible. i've just joined the party for the first time so i can vote for you!
The more I hear from both John and the New Labour spin doctors, the more I know who I want to vote for come a leadership change. The way John has handled the untrue New Labour attacks against him have been admirable. I believe John will never stoop to dirty and dishonest personality politics like New Labour and the Tories! Keep it up John!
Jonathan Millins
Equalities Officer
Kent Labour Students
as a journalist myself, I also thought the andy mcsmith piece a disgrace and downright distortion - couldn't believeit had been passed by newsdesk. note no coverage at all of your campaign in the Sundays. that was to be of course expected - in their dying days, New labour's increasingly desperate aparatchiks still have powerful friends in the media.
andy mcsmith's piece was a disgrace- as an NUJ member, could not believe its clear bias and New Labour "spin." nothing either in the Sundays - there will be a news blackout and widespread derision from the media. That's how it used to be before Blair/Brown cosied up to ilk of Rupert Murdoch - but let's take it as a sign that many of the usual Blairite suspects are deeply worried - there IS support out there. Let's go for it
It's ironic that the Indie carried this silly smear on the same day that their Leader was calling for an amnesty for (so-called) illegal migrants. How do they hope to get sensible progressive policies agreed if we don't have sensible progressive candidates like John around???
Although I'm grateful to learn of the response to this no doubt (no doubt the first of many) don't let it distract you from the issues.
Blair faithfully followed the CIA line at the G8 today. That is what we should be focusing on. Appeasement of Israel in our name has happened for far too long. It needs to stop, but unless we build an argument against our current leadership it won't happen.
There are plenty of areas of weakness to attack the opposition right now. Let's fight on them and not worry about a low-circulation daily might say.
Andy McSmith is an appalling reporter, and his little book on New Labour revealed him as a terrific Blairite sycophant. I'm sure he used to work for the Observer which would seem to be a much more convivial place for him to be these days.
John
I'm very much in support of your challenge to Brown et al, however I'm very disappointed in your decision to appease the media and not hold your press conference next to Mrs Pankhurst's statue. I applaud your claim that this will
"celebrate the role of women in the fight for democracy"
yet your decision to move across the Green in order to 'service' the media makes a mockery of this claim. I would expect a more independent (sic) and politically astute approach from you (just who are these left-wingers that (mis-)advised you?). This would have have been an all too rare acknowledgement of the historical (and I trust you are aware) ongoing struggle for unity within left-wing feminism and left-wing politics per se.
I believe you need to be less considerate of the media because you know that on the whole your press will not be that positive. Better to concentrate on those you wish to reach (via all media) safe in the knowledge that those who care will read between the lines and search further for pertinent information.
Genuine (rather than liberal lip service) recognition of, and towards, feminism and feminist aims is pathetically and insulting rare and you've missed an opportunity. Please don't fall into the trap of many leftists of just paying lip service to feminism. You clearly have much to gain from women (and men like myself) by possessing a genuine engagement with feminism.
Good luck!!
John
I'm very much in support of your challenge to Brown et al, however I'm very disappointed in your decision to appease the media and not hold your press conference next to Mrs Pankhurst's statue. I applaud your claim that this will
"celebrate the role of women in the fight for democracy"
yet your decision to move across the Green in order to 'service' the media makes a mockery of this claim. I would expect a more independent (sic) and politically astute approach from you (just who are these left-wingers that (mis-)advised you?). This would have have been an all too rare acknowledgement of the historical (and I trust you are aware) ongoing struggle for unity within left-wing feminism and left-wing politics per se.
I believe you need to be less considerate of the media because you know that on the whole your press will not be that positive. Better to concentrate on those you wish to reach (via all media) safe in the knowledge that those who care will read between the lines and search further for pertinent information.
Genuine (rather than liberal lip service) recognition of, and towards, feminism and feminist aims is pathetically and insulting rare and you've missed an opportunity. Please don't fall into the trap of many leftists of just paying lip service to feminism. You clearly have much to gain from women (and men like myself) by possessing a genuine engagement with feminism.
Good luck!!
John, I won't neccesarily vote for you or be one of your most vocal supporters but thanks for standing.
This is the debate we've been after. A debate surrounding policy.
I came into labour because of the mining tradition within my wider family and because I believed in socialism.
All the best with your campaign and take care.
Andy McSmith got it wrong. Less "stalking horse" than a case of flogging a dead one.
Here is someone in the Hatfield and Welwyn Labour Party rooting for you. Good luck in the campaign. It is good to think there will be at least one candidate for the leadership who has decency and integrity. I will be at Saturday's conference, too.
By co-incidence, I joined the Labour Party the day before you announced your intention to stand for the leadership. You are spot on. I have never been a member of a political party before- mainly precluded by occupation & circumstance. I have joined Labour now, because that historic name belongs to a people and an ideal. Not to the Blairtories who have hijacked it. People know,and will identify with the real Labour name & ideology. They will not be attracted by a disparate groups of scary-sounding socialist. Real socialists should fight back to win back the party. Now is the time. Congratulations John.
Well John, they're obviously worried if they're spinning against you already! Take it as a compliment, I guess...
Well John, they're obviously worried if they're spinning against you already! Take it as a compliment, I guess...
As a youth who has lost confidence in the british political system, where the parties are too willing to compromise their own policies to get elected only to rip the country apart...
I welcome the return of a decent politician to the forefront, hopefully you will not just win the leadership election, but you will see the return of the labour movement as an influencial force in politics....
All Power To The People
Whilst I may not agree with all your policies or politics on the left I do admire and salute your integrity and principles.
ASothers have noted, there now seems to be a press blackout on the issue. let's get this back to the top of the agenda where it belongs.
Give them hell John, give NL real hell...
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