McBride. . .How Come It Took So Long?

There's an interesting post on Iain Dale this evening about 'client journalism'; talking about how journalists are reliant on people like Damian McBride for their information so that he was in some way tolerated. Am I surprised, not one bit. But when you get to hear how bad McBride's behaviour has been it's all pretty staggering. Take this little scenario...

In early 2007 McBride sent a text message to Anthony Browne, the outgoing political correspondent of the Times.
'I just wish for once you'd try to get past your cynical, Tory, halfwit Harold Lloyd schtick to try and be a genuine journalist. It’s presumably cos of your inability to do so that you’re off to earn a crust at some Tory think-tank instead. Pathetic.’

Apparently Browne had asked McBride for a comment on his paper’s scoop that Gordon Brown had been warned in advance about the problems his 1997 pensions fund raid would cause. He was the Prime Minister's special adviser on press issues, working closely with the director of communications Mike Ellam. Even then McBride operated in the shadows and was perceived to be closer to the PM. He also dealt with personal PR for Sarah Brown, the PM’s wife.

According to some McBride employed Machiavellian means when it came to Brown’s obsession to succeed Tony Blair as Labour leader. According to one unnamed source ‘Anybody who was potentially a rival to Gordon would suddenly find lots of negative stories about them in the press, whether it was David Blunkett, Alan Milburn or John Reid – with all the disasters in the Home Office – and then David Miliband. A lot of people would say those stories have come from Damian.’

Now let's not forget that this man was being paid by us, the taxpayers and are we seriously to believe that Gordon Brown knew nothing of his dark arts?

Hat Tip Brand Republic