1. Gordon Brown is scheduled to make a big eduction speech.
2. His spin doctors approach journalists in five difference areas around the country giving them quotes from the speech which praise by name a local school.
3. Local newspapers around the country run positive stories (positive for both Gordon Brown and the local school).
4. Gordon gives his speech and, er…, doesn’t mention the five or use those quotes at all
Credit to David Laws for spotting this, as reported in today’s Times:
The episode began last Tuesday evening when Downing Street contacted a number of regional papers in Birmingham, Lancashire, Yeovil and Bradford with quotes from the Prime Minister, which the journalists claim they were told were going to be used in his keynote education speech the next day. But when Mr Brown actually stood up at Greenwich University he did not praise a single school by name …
Tom Bevan, a staff reporter for the Western Gazette, said: “They phoned on Tuesday and said one of your schools was going to be mentioned in a speech by the Prime Minister. They definitely said that it would be in the speech.”
A second journalist, who did not want to be identified, for fear of reprisal from No 10, said: “They told us the quotes mentioning the school would be in the speech. That is certain.”
Mr Laws said: “This looks like a quite outrageous and dishonest piece of news management from Gordon Brown – the Prime Minister who promised to end the era of spin.”
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7 Comments
There is a word for that kind of behaviour. Lying.
David Laws is very good on education. I hope he stays there.
For Brown to do this in Yeovil is either very cheeky – or very stupid.
Laws is working like a terrier, good on him. He needs to get policy heavy too and I think he could make a real mark.
Tim, I am delighted that David Laws is opposed to the further raising of the school leaving-age.
But it is more than a shade hypocritical for Michael Gove to oppose it too.
This is the same Michael Gove who favours military conscription and forced labour for 18-20 year-olds. Has he now forgotten what he said on “Question Time”?
‘A second journalist, who did not want to be identified, for fear of reprisal from No 10, said: “They told us the quotes mentioning the school would be in the speech. That is certain.”’
What kind of country do we live in now?
What kind of country do we live in now?
One that your party has hugely helped to create by splitting the anti-authoritarian vote at three elections now.