Words Dept.: entry

I’ve got a question. How is it that people who are expressly employed to advise very senior politicians on “political” matters haven’t got the gumption to realise that by typing offensive words into an e-mail, there’s a risk that those words might be made public?

Damian McBride, a “special adviser” to the Prime Minister has been caught sending e-mails to Derek Draper (of Labour List fame) apparently suggesting some things that could be used to slur David Cameron and George Osborne. Somehow or other these got into the hands of Tory blogger Paul Staines (aka Guido Fawkes). They have also been touted around the Sunday tabloids.

McBride has said nothing publicly but this morning someone unnamed at Number 10 claimed he had apologised:

Neither the Prime Minister nor anybody else in Downing Street, except the author, knew anything about any of these private emails. The author of these emails has apologised for their juvenile and inappropriate nature and for the embarrassment caused. All staff will be reminded of the appropriate use of Number 10 resources.

It’s a slightly silly story with nothing much to commend it except for the similarity to a storyline in The Thick of It (see below), which in turn was based on the Jo Moore incident of 2001. (If you recall, she was the remarkably talented government “adviser” who issued an e-mail on the day 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks suggesting it was

a very good day to get out anything we want to bury.)

The bloggers’ spat between rugby shirt-wearing “mystery man” Staines (check out his appearance on Newsnight if you are unfamilar with the man) and the unfortunate Twitter-spammer Draper (“a former regular on ITV1′s Kyle’s Academy”, according to his biog) is also tedious in the extreme.

But the question remains: How is it that people like McBride and Moore are employed to give out advice about political matters, and yet can’t figure out that by putting stuff in e-mails they might as well fax it directly to the offices of the News of the World?

UPDATE 10.35pm, Saturday: The Sunday Times has revealed the contents of McBride’s idiotic e-mail, which includes a plan to force David Cameron to reveal his medical records on account of an alleged sexually transmitted disease (?). What’s startling is the way Draper commends McBride’s suggestions as

Absolutely totally brilliant Damian.

McBride has resigned. If these two pillocks are the best of the attack dogs then Gordon Brown surely has much more to worry about than the minor problem of a massive recession come the next General Election campaign.