Remember the Labour pledge card?

This little gem from

Tory Rascal

made TB chuckle:

TB has already linked to the two biggest stories this weekend but there are some other little gems from this weekend's papers:

• The Times clears up the difference between a leak, a briefing and a smear.
• Peter Oborne gives some advice for the incoming Tory government in the Mail
• Matthew D'Ancona looks at "Labour's Watergate" in his Telegraph column.
• The Times reports of some interesting tactics by the BNP - skin heads? What skin heads?
• And finally, now that he has gone, Black Dog in the Mail has finally plucked up the courage to stick it to Damian McBride. Very funny.
  
  

It's all coming crashing down...

The Sunday Times have blown the cover on Ed Balls's

secret activities

.

Another botched rebuttal and a week of sniping could see this government out the door.

On that happy note TB is going to the pub.

Ray Collins tries to kill spectulation...

The NOTW are apparently going with a story tomorrow claiming that Labour Party head honcho Ray Collins, knew that the smears were going to happen. He apparently went to a meeting in December at Unite hq, in Whelans office, with Draper and McBride. Ray Collins has put out a statement to try kill tomorrows story.

Very easy to deny what was discussed during an off the record and non-recorded meeting but Sky are reporting that there is no smoking gun.

+++Developing+++

UPDATE 21.29: NOTW blog has a juicy taster. Always knew Maguire was a tit but,

wow

.

21:32 -

full story up.

It's not looking good. Ding ding Week II.

What are they hiding?

Ring ring.

Tory Bear: Hi there, my name is... I edit a blog called torybear.com, I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about the photos of Derek Draper on the Mirror website?

James Vallacott: No comment. 

Click.

More smoke and Mirrors

Ok allow TB to get technical for awhile. Another twist in the elusive Mirror story... Someone who is much more technically minded than TB has got in touch to shed some more light on those photos.
They wrote in the comments on the last story:

"While the story was still up there on the Mirror site I checked the EXIF data on the photos (using Opanda EXIF as a Firefox plugin). The data showed the camera used and the shooting date and time, as well as details of the exposure. Whilst I don't recall the precise date and time details, I'm sure they were consistent with Draper having returned from his Canaries vacation.
When you check the EXIF on his current story about Stavros Flatley you will find that those images were shot on April 15th 2009.
Opanda also allows you to check the IPTC data. Coincidentally (?!), it shows that the IPTC record (which tags images as being shot by Vellacott for the Mirror) was edited on 10th December 2008 - presumably the date he took delivery of the camera. Perhaps the "sources" should re-examine the EXIF data, rather than the IPTC tag?"

The Mirror really botched trying to hide this story, and indeed the pictures are still located on the Mirror servers:

https://blogs.mirror.co.uk/mirror-images/Draper10computerblog.jpg

That photo contains the full EXIF data. It shows that the image was shot at 16:15:27 on 15th April 2009 according to his camera's inbuilt clock, using 16mm focal length (from 16-35mm zoom) and a shutter speed of 1/125th at an aperture of f/6.3 and 1600 ISO

The 10th December was seemingly when Vellacott got the camera not when he took the photo, which is not what sources at The Mirror said. So now the original questions return...

What was Draper doing with that computer and why did the Mirror pull the story!?

Spot the difference:

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Which Labour supporting website is a genuine grassroots movement that casts a critical eye on their party, and which one is a foghorn for lies and spin and the party line?

LabourList will go down with Draper if it ignores shocking scandals such as

this

.

Smoke and Mirrors

What exactly is the Mirror playing at?

Though they are remaining silent officially, some information is beginning to drip out about what exactly is going on concerning disap

pearing stories on their website (click the link to read up in detail.) The story was posted on Wednesday evening. It was quickly picked up by various blogs. At 00:45 , Vellacott's picture story on the Mirror website had attracted five comments:

(Click to enlarge)

The images of Draper leaving his house with a computer was potentially front page stuff given that this was an email based scandal, yet it was pulled from the Mirror website at 15:55 on Thursday. Half an hour later, 16:30, it was still being featured on Mirror's homepage with a broken link. Soon after, Vellacott's blog was back on line - but with the Draper story airbrushed from history. Why?

According to sources within the Mirror, Draper was photographed by Vellacott on 10th December 2008. It seems that these - by now, stock images - of Draper have been cobbled together with some misleading copy - "I was sent to Derek Drapers address at 8am this morning" said Vellacott on his blog, which morning? - 10th December, perhaps? - and put out there to add to the feeding frenzy, and to disseminate false information. TB would imagine someone went mental when they realised what Vellacott was up to and pulled the plug.

Firstly Maguire and friends are so wrapped round No10's little finger that they are blind to the fact they are being made to dance a merry tune, and now this...

It seems that the Mirror has some serious explaining to do about why it lies to it's readers?

Labour anoint a new leader...

You'd think the Labour Party would have learnt their lesson with uncontested leadership elections. TB has eyes and ears at the Young Labour rally in Gillingham today, if the definition of eyes and ears is watching the

#YoungLabour Twitter feed

. Sam Tarry, a big union hack and upcoming apparatchik has been returned unopposed as the new Chairman of the organisation. It seems no one else wanted the job, much to the jubilation of his fellow New Labour hacks. Tarry has clearly learnt the art of forcing opponents not to stand against you from Gordon and it looks set to be a recurring theme for elections to the New Labour hierarchy at whatever level. There is much rejoicing and TB has acquired an image on the current Chairman of Labour Students Sarah Mulholland and the President of the NUS Wes Streeting saluting and pledging allegiances to their new leader*:

Harperson is currently calling for party unity on the stage, clearly today is not her moment.

*This may or may not be real.

Prescott to make an impact...

TB was close with his speculation.. but sadly

no cigar

:

"Today, at the Young Labour Conference in Kent, John Prescott will launch an Obama-style internet campaign, calling for voluntary donations via his blog and his Facebook page to fund a bus tour. His online supporters can follow his progress on Google Earth and via online videos, blog posts and Twitter updates and assemble, like a flash mob, to meet him on high streets across the north of England."

Ha John Prescott, the only politician visible on Google Earth!

Prescott for LabourList?

TB just spotted this on Twitter:

Given that Young Labour is currently guest editing LabourList.. could the new full time editor be revealing their identity tomorrow?

Well punching members of the public is an improvement from a smearing liar. Just.

In the Loop....? I am the f**cking loop.

TB cracked and went to the early showing of In the Loop instead of going to the cinema in the evening like a normal person would. His ribs ached by the end from laughing and it really does make the transition to the big screen effortlessly. Fans of the Thick of It won't be disappointed, and all the old faces pop up, except obviously Chris Langham. Without giving too much away, the events of the last week make the ending all the more poignant.

Though people love the character, Malcolm Tucker's tactics bear all the hallmarks of McBride. There was some moments in the film where the real power is in the hands of the spin doctors, that caused some sharp sucking of air through the teeth. In the Loop isn't just a film but a damning indictment of the political balance of power in this country but bloody hilarious at the same time.

TB would happily sit through it again... go see it this weekend.

Mirror Mirror on the wall...

Seems the Mirror have done a bit of hatchet job in hiding the story they pulled about Derek Draper and the mystery computer. An eagle eyed reader - Dr Feelgood has sent TB this screenshot of the Mirror website

blog directory

at three o'clock today:

Still there at time of publishing - 17.25.

Still no comment from the Mirror. Anyone home?

Totty Watch - Results:

The votes have been cast and counted...

Her mother has barely been out of the news all week, but it seems that Nadine isn't the only Dorries to make a stir. Jenny Dorries came out top of the lady researchers with 46% of the vote:

As for the lads, well with a percentage of the vote that most Lib Dem's can only dream of; congratulations to Alex Kendell:

Look in your MPs post for your prize... Email TB with your nominations for the next round.

A little dig...

TB isn't holding his breath for a reply:

Please get involved and ask those fine people at the Mirror what is going on for yourself...

Destroying the evidence.

TB is most grateful to an eagle eyed reader who has managed to dig out the elusive Mirror story about Draper's computer from the

deepest darkest interwebby

. Rule number one of the internet is that anything you write, even if it is deleted, lasts forever. However Draper freely admitted that he doesn't know his RSS from his elbow. As TB reported last night, the Mirror have seemingly pulled their negative story about Draper from their website and are standing on the street corner whistling...Move along people, nothing to see here. However in case you missed the original content of the story, allow TB to fill you in. Draper was doorstepped by a pack of hacks and they spotted that he was shifting his computer equipment into the back of a cab:

This story was linked to be various bloggers including TB,

Guido

and

Old Holborn

, suddenly a few hours later the whole thing has disappeared from the Mirror website.

What the hell is going on? 

What is on that hard drive that needs to be hidden away, and why is the Mirror bending over backwards to protect Draper? The tone and style of the original post was rather anti-Dolly and whoosh, like that it was gone...

TB has a feeling he might be making some phone calls today...

The Guidoisation of politics comes of age...

Guido gives the lobby two barrels

in The Times

.

Oh come on, that isn't even subtle.

It seems that Draper still has some friends left at the Mirror. Yesterday the pictures of him leaving his house with his computer were displayed on the Mirror photographer

James Vellacott's blog:

However today it seems they have, rather strangely,

disappeared

:

There are some serious questions to be answered about what was on the hard-drive of the computer that Draper seemed so keen on keeping close to him and now the plot thickens with the photo evidence vanishing.

TB smells a rat.

This is why people don't vote for the Liberal Democrats.

TB has

tears of laughter

...

Show me the money!!!

Wow...

TB does enjoy winding up the Lib Dems but it seems the Cowley St and

cyber-LibDem grassroots

went into rebuttal overdrive on that last post. TB expects the normal rebuttals in the comments and on Twitter, but the email he just received was way, way too far.

We all know why the Lib Dems are

so jumpy

about the smear-gate story:

However is it really a good idea when discussing a scandal that involved email based smears to play the McBride card and email someone threatening them with ridiculous accusastions and lies? If you don't like what TB writes then don't read his blog. Don't try threaten him. Due to the content of the email and bullshit innuendos about TB's private life, he is pretty certain he knows who you are. IP address noted. 

This is your only warning.