The Sunlight Centre for Libertarian Vendettas
Libertarian blogger Paul Staines (AKA Guido Fawkes) has said he’s donated £5,000 towards the £100,000 needed to bring a private prosecution against Jacqui Smith over her expenses claims.
The case is being brought by the Sunlight Centre for Open Politics – which was founded by Staines and employs Chris Galley, the former Tory council candidate and Home Office civil servant who was sacked after being arrested in connection with leaking information to the Tory Immigration spokesperson, Damian Green MP.
Despite their public confidence about electoral victory, the Tories and their "provisional wing" of arms-lengthed blog attack dogs seem to be resorting to increasingly desperate tactics. They are right not to put blind faith in the opinion polls and they know that the next election is all to play for. They are panicking and lashing out with extra-democratic measures in an effort to harm the government. Cameron has already tried to scare voters by warning of riots in the streets if Labour win the next election. His father in law, Lord Astor, has called for the Countryside Alliance to adopt civil disobedience and the editor of the Daily Telegraph has admitted that his papers’ motivation for its exposé of MPs expenses was to get “that place (Parliament) cleared out” because of the “bad laws that have been passed by what we now know to be a number of bad people”.
And now we have the adoption of US-style private prosecutions. Brought with the aim of harassing Labour, diverting it from the job in hand and ultimately discrediting it with the electorate on a "no smoke without fire" basis.
The Sunlight Centre for Open Politics is straight out of the Republican Party handbook of dirty politics. The most famous persecution of a politician through the courts in America was the Starr prosecution against the Clintons – does anyone really think that case did anything to strengthen America’s democracy? It was a massive distraction from the important issues of the day and a huge financial and emotional drain on the targets.
Of course Staines and co are off the leash enough from the Tories that they will, as with the Telegraph expenses saga, take out a few Tory politicians too - acceptable collateral damage for Cameron as it enables him to parachute in more A listers - but social democratic politicians are always going to be the primary targets for the libertarian right.
Cue foaming at the mouth comments and links from the most rabid section of the attack blog dogs.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 11:06 pm
15 Comments:
Clinton shouldn't have got himself gobbled off then, should be ?
2:19 am, July 17, 2009
hello... hapi blogging... have a nice day! just visiting here....
5:30 am, July 17, 2009
What did she used to tell us about ID cards - "if you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear".
7:16 am, July 17, 2009
Dear Luke. Your mis-reading of the Telegraph's position is at the very least,artful. A large number of Tory MP's have been compromised by the DT's revelations, and the "A" list has been consigned to history because the Tory Associations are refusing to accept A list candidates, which at the very least shows an independence of thought not easily discernable in Labours' constituency parties.
“that place (Parliament) cleared out” because of the “bad laws that have been passed by what we now know to be a number of bad people" refers to Parliament as a whole and is part of the justification by the DT of what was primarily a ploy to increase circulation - which it did by a mere 2%. It is very revealing that you consider the phrase to be directed only at Labour.
I also note that "Libertarian" has joined the lexicon of derogatory words to be deployed against the enemies of the Labour's 1000 year project. As a Libertarian Attack Dog, I welcome this sign that myself and the rest of the pack are causing you and your ilk so much unease.
7:20 am, July 17, 2009
"If they can't beat you on policy, they'll go for personal attacks" was, more or less, the warning Hilary Clinton gave to progressive governments after the tactics the Republicans used against the Democrats in the late 1990s.
It's a shame that some Labour MPs, including a couple of ministers, have, as President Clinton did, handed their opponents some easy hits by their stupid behaviour.
It's been clear for some time that many of Labour's opponents have been adopting such "professional foul"* tactics against the government. Their aim is to enduce cynicsm in the electorate, thereby reducing turnout, and hope they can rely on the habitual Conservative voters (the ones who'd vote for a wooden donkey provided it wore a blue rossette and for whom election day provides one of their few opportuntities to come out from behind the lace curtains and heavily bolted doors behind which they normally fret away their lives) to return the Tories to their God given role of governing these Sceptred Isles.
So there you are...
* for those unfamiliar with Association Football this is a euphamism for the sin of "going for the man rather than the ball" which is regarded as grievous in that sport.
8:54 am, July 17, 2009
This is the most desperate load of crap I have read in some time. BTW I'm neither a Libertarian, Tory or Labour supporter. This blog post is still bollocks though.
10:36 am, July 17, 2009
It's always someone else's fault....
Remind me again of the lump sum and pension Jacko Smith is going to get when she is booted out of the House of Commons.
No reward for failure thundered el Gordo..
Hmmm.....
11:57 am, July 17, 2009
Good to see you're worried about it Luke
12:31 pm, July 17, 2009
The left have always believed they have unique access to the "Route map to utopia " and as such have a tolerate rule breaking getting there This legacy is important in the media operation ushered in by Blair and Brown and a war footing mentality that is never far away . The movement , after all , has its origins in the extra democratic organisations , the Unions the Fabian society and revolutionary socialists still to be found in Ken Livingstone`s orbit
So we take it for granted that the Labour movement supported the mob rule of the miners against the democratic elected Government of the day as well as the Poll Tax riot. Your remarks then are “Innocent”, to put it kindly
You have not understood Cameron`s concern about Public order. You may think that our ability to sustain the 100% of GDP debt we are headed to is to do with the current bond yield of the amount of money in the economy . Not at all , it is in the stability of the country ie its ability to tax its citizens and pay back its loans . The UK is one of a handful of countries who have never defaulted , were we to do so it would be a blow from which we might never recover .
If you think of the fragility of government in the context of the two occasions I mention you can see that our ability to set the ravages of Labour rule right depends on some honesty. New Labour have abandoned this duty . It is a necessity that the opposition draws attention to yet more irresponsible government .
On the subject of Guido he is certainly not a Conservative ( and in some ways rather irritating ) but the fact Libertarians in practice often support the Conservative Party should be a source of shame for you and a demonstration of the bankrupt failure 20th century collectivism . As far as the allegation that he is a Conservative attack dog is concerned I`ll keep it short .Lets just say that after the Brown lead Red Rag scandal I`d suggest you shut up .
Pleased to see you poor health has not diminished you capacity for talking out of your hairy arse Luke , hope you recover soon, (but you are still full of it )
12:46 pm, July 17, 2009
Oh Dear! Employing Chris Galley in a Tory smear campaign.
You know if it wasn't for the fact that Conservative Front benchers are to a man decent honourable chaps I might belief Galley's winge that the Torys promised to look after him if something went wrong !
GW
9:32 pm, July 17, 2009
Smell of fear about this blog. Labour Party staring into the abyss..
10:08 am, July 18, 2009
Cue foaming at the mouth comments and links from the most rabid section of the attack blog dogs.
Whew! Looked in the mirror lately?
10:28 am, July 18, 2009
Libertarians are seriously bonkers. So, this sort of action should come as no surprise
10:17 am, July 19, 2009
Regular readers can assume this post means Luke is returning to good health - ie a return to talking utter rubbish. But personally glad if this evidence has been interpreted correctly
8:30 pm, July 20, 2009
Luke, I wonder if the Labour Party can be consistent about this: some of you are quick to write off Guido as just a Tory blogger, now it seems you think he blogs for the Libertarian Party. Or did you just mean that he has libertarian inclinations?
Either way, it's a cheap smear that 36 lost votes doesn't seem to merit. Are you worried about something?
10:31 am, July 26, 2009
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