Game changing or more of the same?

Alex Hilton and David Prescott's new PR firm

Game Changer

has certainly got some attention this weekend. Perhaps they are going for the all-publicity-is-good-publicity route, or perhaps their tactics have been called out very early on. Will this really be a game changer for Labour online or will it just be more of the same old New Labour spin and dark arts?

Today's

Mail

makes for a very different read from last week's glowing report in

PR Week

. Essentially the Mail accuses Game Changer of honey trapping the already accident prone Andrew Lansley with the classic pretty lady stitches up politician and then runs back to the enemy camp with the dirt tactic.

Now while Donal Blaney goes further than the Mail and notices

a pattern emerging here

, Alistair Campbell has

gone on the denial

and has attempted to bat the issue away with awkward laughter. While TB thinks the Mail might have over hyped the story some what, a quick look at the the personalities and histories of those at Game Changer will show that they are not as fluffy and glossy as they would make out.

Firstly Alex Hilton, as charming as he is, has previous. Recess Monkey, which has conveniently gone offline in time for GC's launch, used to savagely attack the Tories and it is well known that Hilton is a leading light in the online fight against the Conservatives. He would have jumped at the chance to do over Lansley, it's in his blood.

And then of course there is a familiar face from Labour's darkest days online. Yes that's right sports fans, Draper minion and smear puppy Tom Miller is on the Game Changer payroll. What exactly qualifies Miller as a "consultant" has left this bear baffled - when Draper was forced out of Labourlist, his loyal servant went with him after four months doing the dirty work. This is the first time Miller has resurfaced and TB wonders how long he will be able to stay out of trouble.

There is no way that it was by some coincidence that this story emerged on Campell's blog. He has been very loud in his praise of the Game Changers and they even boast on their website about their ability to get him to pick up on stories as one of the

services they offer

. Campbell is close to both Prescott junior and senior and would not have thought twice about sticking an oar in to help his friends push a story. Putting his impartial hat on for a second or two, TB can see very little wrong with him doing so. Why the need for the big denial? It was clearly a stitch up. Hilton's girlfriend gets a scoop, phones Hilton, who phones Campell and the rest they say is history...

They are trying to create a successful spin machine so why deny it when they score a victory?