TORIES HAVE A CHEEK TO TALK ABOUT MORAL COMPASS

Here is a letter from me in the Adver about the “Smeargate” scandal involving Derek Draper and Damian McBride. There is a more substantive article by me about it here, and the background is well explained by Sunny Hundal at Liberal Conspiracy.

COUNCILLOR Colin Lovell (letters 21st April) has a tremendous cheek getting on his high horse about the so-called smeargate scandal, concerning Derek Draper and Damian McBride, and moaning about the “moral compass” of Labour Party members.

The whole story was broken by two pro-conservative bloggers, Paul Staines and Iain Dale, neither of whom would know a moral compass if it hit them on the head. These bloggers have themselves – for example – pushed the nasty innuendo about Gordon Brown being autistic.

We do need politics to be cleaner – concentrating on real issues; but sadly none of the mainstream parties has clean hands, and I find it particularly galling to be lectured by the Conservatives after the Tory press has spent decades pillorying any left of centre politician that campaigns against their wealth and privilege.