Pickles: Key role for Tory bloggers in rebutting Labour

I was invited, but couldn’t go but I’ve not received my briefing >:

I don’t know what speech your”Tory friend” was listening to, but it wasn’t the one Eric made last night!

I’m not sure an anonymous tip off counts as “evidence” based blogging. The “this is where you come in” line was a well timed joke. An 7am briefings from CCHQ? Ha we had to argue to get press releases ffs?!

Eric mainly talked about donuts and gave away prizes.

Sorry to blow your story but think this might be your “MacIntyre moment” Will.

Gotta hand it to you – you’re quick to swallow a story!

Evidence based blogging? You’re ‘avin a giraffe!

The old “move along now, nothing to see here” line of defence! And what brilliant co-ordination!!

Note to self – Will Straw doesn’t verify tip-offs.

This could be *very* useful..!

Dear gods – did you not read further down the Hyena post?

Like the third paragraph, where after quoting Pickles (as you cite above), it says:

“- Oh, whoops, Hyena was in James Macintyre’s dreams again. For the record, there weren’t any nibbles, but the wine was free-flowing.”

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by leftfootfwd: Pickles: Key role for Tory bloggers in rebutting Labour: http://is.gd/7BYVS...

I was there. What a load of shite you have been fed. The only thing Eric asked us to do was to rebut Labour lies in what he said would be a very dirty Labour campaign.

Fact fail.

Good work, Will. Keep it up and I’m sure you can look forward to a bright future with the New Statesman. They don’t verify stories either.

Better get your facts right, Will. As you should know, Tories are free-minded people who make their own decisions and no matter of drink plied on us will influence our blogs.

Not only is your story completely false but it borders on the ridiculous. Eric Pickles would hardly be giving us orders on what to say or do – we’re not like Labour.

What absolute nonsense!

This is exactley the king of thing as talking about, Labour spin. All he said is we need to rebut the Labour lies. I think you should sack your secret researcher.

I was standing only a few feet away from Eric, and not a word was said about 7am emails.

Of course as Tory bloggers we don’t need to be told what to think or how to explain the betrayal of the country with Lisbon, the destruction of our industry and banking system, the debasing of our education system and the record future destroying levels of debt that have fuelled the selfish naked reckless ambition of just one man, Gordon Brown.

But perhaps Labour bloggers might need a little help there…

Big deal? Blogs will bat for their home side. For example LFF is pro-Labour/anti-Tory, at times it’s reactionary. Genuine progressives would be more nuanced in their support for Labour.

Did this story come off the Downing Street Bloomberg wire?

I would comment but I’m still hungover and slept through the 7am briefing

Extract from this morning’s email (not at 7am, Eric had a sore head):

Remember to rebut stories based on your own tweets and blogs and rss emails. They’ll say “methinks the contweeters protest too much” but don’t be deflected from your bounden duty”.

So #carryouts, #cchqlig, #carryoutoke, #loosearsegravy, #wakeuplate, #rebutyourownshadows

What a ridiculous article. I was there and whoever you claim to be quoting clearly wasn’t.

a) no briefing or memo was promised. Quite the opposite.

b) despite your oh so clever editing, Pickles’ comments about the fithy campaign were telling us that LABOUR will be dirty and bloggers must be prepared to rebut false, Labour rubbish. Like your article.

Well I wasn’t there as I’ve had a bad cold all week but I’ve been told all about it by people who were and no one mentions this, funny that! I’ve also not received any briefing, at 7am or otherwise, so I think we can file this report under Macintyre! Journalism is so much more fun when you just make it all up.

I think even calling last night’s meeting a “briefing” is a bit of a stretch. From what I hear it was mainly kareoke!

Psst…. Eric promised me a night with Holly Willobooby and as many unicorn ears as I could eat. Scantily clad Elves where handing out gold flecked champagne in glasses shaped like David Cameron’s face. Elvis was singing songs from the Beatles and Liberace was on the piano.

Mums the word!

Your story is as accurate as most Labour claims, completely untrue that is. Eric said no such thing. Evidence based bwahaha.

LOL @ Steve Green. You can’t eat unicorn ears Labour have made them a protected species.

Considering this is supposed to be a duff story, all the usual Tory suspects are rushing in in full ‘rebuttal’ mode whether Eric has instructed them to or not. How sweet.

[...] Interesting to note that as soon as Left Foot Forward, who presumably also got the email, they were almost instantly attacked by many on the [...]

“This is going to be one of the nastiest, most brutal campaigns in recent history. And that’s where you come in…” that is a most horrific misrepresentation. It completly inverts the meaning of what he was saying. He said the bloggers role would be to rebuff a nasty attack and you are making it seem like he wants the bloggers to play dirty.

Nast, nasty politics.
Very bad reporting.
Shame on you.

I had a dog called Toby, he used to bum skate up the garden path, unfortunately this left him with pink patches an his black balls, they looked like 8 balls. I never had the urge to write the number 8 on them.

I can’t help but think of that line from the first episode of the Thick of It:

“And they pasted onto them a porn picture of a girl sucking a big cock and they wrote “Angela Heaney swallows anything””

I’m not too sure if the Tory bloggers are aware of the irony in their instant rebuttals about the events of the last night’s evening with portly Pickles.

RT @KerryMP: More on @EricPickles briefing the sockpuppets on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/cMqe2c

A classic example of sloppy reporting Will. When you peddle tosh like this, you’re only damaging the Labour brand further.

Are the Tories extending the party whip to cover all its members? http://bit.ly/cMqe2c @EricPickles

LOL Will, you really got the Tory bloggers out here! Nice work, rattling their cages like that. Respect!

This may be a very timely meeting then…!

What Diff Does Political Blogging Really Make? http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184279739537&ref=mf

So is this what the Labour and Tory blogosphere’s are going to be like from now on? Consider me inspired.

Sorry Left Foot Forward. Everyone was still sober at that point of the event, and Eric Pickles didn’t say anything about 7AM and neither did anyone else. Quite the opposite in fact.

Golden quote from @ByrneTofferings at the end of this post. "not sure what was meant to be said". http://bit.ly/cMqe2c

I was aimed here by someone on twitter. I am amused. Both by the mad tories and the concept of Labour being considered left wing…
Labour and Tory are two sides of the same awful coin, a vote for either is a vote for continued oppression at the hands of big business. Don’t vote, it only encourages them. Go do something to help your neighbours instead

RT: @SamuelCoates "Evidence-based" @LeftFootFwd has published made-up claims from an anonymous email: http://j.mp/co8c5V

How deliciously ironic @BevaniteEllie RT @KerryMP: More on @EricPickles briefing the sockpuppets on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/cMqe2c

They do not like it up ‘em!

@Sean Lever: “Quite the opposite…” so was Pickles telling Tory bloggers to do sod all and carry on as if a General Election wasn’t happening?

RT @leftfootfwd: Pickles: Key role for Tory bloggers in rebutting Labour: http://is.gd/7BYVS – Wrong he didn't say anything about 7AM .

LOL! Shamik! Now ask ToryBear to define “benchmark” and see him spin!

Or rather the quote was along the lines of ‘This is te first sort of invite only events I’ve been to, so I’m not sure what sort of things are meant to be said or commented about to those not invited’ me being ineexperienced to this lark and whatnot. (I even have a baby tshirt to prove it).

RT @KerryMP: More on @EricPickles briefing the sockpuppets on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/cMqe2c

Funny how this post gets scores of outraged comments from right-wing bloggers, but none of them have anything to say on the previous story about Grayling’s deceitful use of crime figures.

Obviously it’s of critical importance that left-wing bloggers be held to much higher standards of proof and accuracy than people who only want to be the next Home Secretary…

Hey! I would have spread lies about lefties with relish but wasn’t invited. No fair!!

wonder if any of the twitter stream from these characters has been edited this morning? and whether it was rss’d as it emerged steaming from these asses? remaining twitpics aren’t all that ;-(

Mr E,

When have you ever been on message enough to get an invite from the top brass

Thanks for all these hilarious comments, I think we have proved our point about the coordinated rebuttal of Tory bloggers. A few points:

1) We didn’t say the 7am emails were true we just reported what the source said. Note the headline which makes no mention of 7am emails.

2) We got separate accounts direct from Tory Bear and Shane Greer, two of whom mentioned Pickles and rebuttal. Unless Bear and Greer were both lying to us, Pickles clearly sees the Tory blogosphere as part of the “rebuttal operation”.

3) We corrobarated Harry Cole’s account with the quote from Lazy Hyena which she describes later in her article as “accurate”.

I’m not a Tory but I absolutely guarantee that I am going to make this election campaign absolutely filthy.

Will,

I’m the Tory PPC for Corby & East Northants. I was there because I blog a bit on ConHome and tweet a lot. Indeed I won a prize from Pickles for Tweeting.

Take it from me, as a candidate in a marginal seat I would be ill-advised to lie; there was nothing at all mentioned about 7am briefing lines. Actually, in contrast, Eric said as part of his speech that central control of bloggers wasn’t desirable. He gave the example of how you guys on the left always seem to be blogging from Labour’s press release of the moment, no dissent, no constructive criticism, and how Tory independence was better.

Then he joked about the nature of Labour’s dirty tricks. How they lie. Example; how they try to scare the elderly into believing we will take away their bus passes. “It will be a dirty campaign,” he predicted. We learned that from Damian McBride, senior Brown and Balls adviser, of course. He looked round the room at the various bloggers. “That’s where you come in,” he then said to great laughter. Man’s got some comic timing. He asked bloggers to be watchful for Labour untruths and to refute them. No more; no less. Central control eschewed and ridiculed. Now, as a PPC I have to follow the whip, but the blogosphere doesn’t and Eric didn’t ask them to. That’s about the size of his remarks. There was a girl that looked a bit like Fran Drescher there who recorded his whole speech on her voice memo. Maybe she could email it to you so you could get yourself out of that twist.

Labour blogs evidently shouldn’t report on Tory blogger gatherings, embarrassing yourself over what you wish had been said rather than what was said is turning into a tradition.

Thanks for the suckophantics Louise. What an independent minded MP you would be, not. This has been a great thread so far for revealing that Tory blogger mindsets are even worse than we imagined. Keep it up Will.

FYI http://is.gd/7CAhI

“This is going to be one of the nastiest, most brutal campaigns in recent history" – Eric Pickles, Tory chairman. http://bit.ly/cvAmzn

RT @BevaniteEllie: RT @KerryMP: More on @EricPickles briefing the sockpuppets on @leftfootfwd http://bit.ly/cMqe2c

I think there are three things we can establish from this post:

1. There was indeed a strategy meeting and Pickles made it quite clear that he wanted Tory bloggers to be on the front line in the election campaign, either in a defensive or offensive capacity (the two become blurred on the campaign trail).

2. That there is some kind of system, either formal or informal, where by which Tory bloggers are quick to rebut any unfavourable or potentially embarrassing stories. (I’m sure it will become clearer as to how centralised and well-managed this system actually is).

3. Eric Pickles likes to award prizes for good behaviour.

@Luke This “…system…where by which Tory bloggers are quick to rebut…” is called Will Straw’s official LFF twitter account. If people read his tweets, follow the links, and then rebutt once they stop laughing, that’s more his fault than that of any Tory system.

Will,

Loving your work. The Tories seem a bit rattled by this.

As a general rule, you know you’ve done something right when you have loads of confused Tories posting in the comments section.

@Matthew Taylor Wouldn’t that be the point of a Tory rapid-rebuttal system? To keep tabs of left-of-centre/Labour-leaning bloggers who might end up striking a nerve or two?

Louise B is a star turn, and clearly Pickles prize to her was to disable her irony chip!

Matthew – I think the fact that Samuel Coates of CCHQ tweeted this at 12.45 (ie after just 4 comments) rather proves Chris’ point:

“”Evidence-based” @LeftFootForward has published made-up claims from an anonymous email: http://j.mp/co8c5V”

Also, you were wrong with your comment at 12.48 to suggest we hadn’t read the entirety of the Lazy Hyena quote. We had which is why we only reproduced the quote which was, according to Lazy Hyena in the 4th paragraph, “accurate”.

The fact remains that (i) our headline is accurate and corroborated by several Tory bloggers, and (ii) we outlined in the piece that Shane Greer denied the 7am email allegation. I would call that “evidence-based” in putting all the information available to us in the public domain.

Will

Will, your defence of your piece (both here and on Tory Bear – “http://www.torybear.com/2010/02/when-is-briefing-not-briefing.html”) seems to be that you were just quoting someone else.

In which case you’ve been a bit daft, and damaged your credibility, rather than actually tried to deceive anyone. That’s not my opinion; I’m quoting from an anonymous email I received.

All the Tory bloggers seem to be in a right pickle!! (sorry just couldn’t resist posting this….)

Evidence based journalism is not just reprinting any old anonymous email you get, even if you do allow a right of reply, as your publishing of it and the context you created for it implies it is true when it isn’t. Ever heard of checking your sources?

The reason there has been such a rapid reaction by bloggers such as myself is that your conspiracy theory is an attemp to undermine our independence by suggesting we just repeat party line as instructed. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The right-wing blogging ‘echo chamber’ certainly are a touchy lot, judging by their response to Will’s original piece.

They’re also pretty worked up over our article on the “Global Poverty Promise” campaign:

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/02/campaign-launched-to-commit-britain-to-spending-0-point-7-per-cent-of-national-income-on-development-aid/#comments

Nice new Tories? Pull the other one!

Can I just say…. FIRST!

Sorry, didn’t mean to lower the tone, but I’m a NetNerd, couldn’t help myself and I forgot to do it earlier.

Please carry on with the futile discussion, just ignore me.

When you are up against the Mcbrides/drapers/simons/campbells/browns of this world you have to learn to fight scum with fire. (is there a mixed something or other there?)

[...] Tsar” Kerry McCarthy. Alongside even more ridiculous claims, such as bloggers will be getting 7am briefing emails and be expected to parrot them – despite nothing of the sort ever being mentioned. In fact, [...]

Well out of all this i have some new blogs to follow. Danke lff.

Due to birthday celebrations yesterday missed this excellent piece on Tory Bloggers http://bit.ly/d59xUt

[...] Foot Forward were among a number of sites covering Tory blogger’s boozy hospitality on the Ashcroft dollar. Within minutes of publication, a piece on Eric Pickles’ briefing to [...]

[...] a fan of Left Foot Forward.  It is amongst the list of ‘must read’ blogs.  But in an article a few days ago, they completely misunderstood the nature of the Tory [...]

@BenCooper86 For me the credibility of @leftfootfwd was shot when they ran this story http://bit.ly/co8c5V . I was there – total rubbish!