Comments on: Iain Dale, Guido Fawkes and the Smith Institute

By: Katherine

Katherine — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:21:46 +0000

I got no response. At all. Let alone a decent one.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:20:56 +0000

I did.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:09:15 +0000

Investigate away.
That is what Guido and (if you say so) Iain have been doing to the Smith Inst.
Now go and do the same with the rest – that’s absolutely fine by me.
When you find evidence, give it to the Charity Commission, just as Guido has.
Excellent. Go for it.
Over to you.

Katherine – if you want to question Iain’s bona fides and seek your “decent explanation” why not do so via his blog?

By: Katherine

Katherine — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 14:59:56 +0000

Chris – who was the question to? If it was to me, then the question was entirely irrelevant to what I was saying – which was that the charity status of the Smith Institute may or may not be being used incorrectly (I take no view on that) but that the failure to disclose his own part in the Policy Exchange puts Iain Dale’s bona fides in question. I have stated this is a number of places where this issue is being discussed, and not once has any decent explanation been offered.

Before I make my second point again, I would just like to point out that I am, personally, nothing to do with Labour or New Labour. I am not a supporter of their policies or their personnel.

My second point was that, from a non-partisan point of view, it has been extremely telling to see the attempts of some to smear those asking questions about the Smith Institute/Policy Exchange as “Brownites” when anyone who reads the blogs of those involved (which I do, as well as many of other political persuasions) would know that that is utter rubbish. This makes me suspect that the people who try to use such smears are either (a) unaware, in which case they are ignorant and should be ignored or (b) aware, in which case they are disingenous and should be ignored.

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 14:24:07 +0000

There is though a big difference between Policy Exchange and Smith Institute.
The latter appears to be an exclusive vehicle for Brown and his particular faction, not much more.

You’re misrepresenting again. It’s not about which has more influence it’s about whether think tanks are truly independent and therefore deserve their charitable status.

Any investigation into one should be an investigation into all [I'm assuming you want to open, accountable and transparent democracy]…

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 14:07:46 +0000

Maybe so.
Anyway I’ll repeat my question : I wonder what research did Ed Balls undertake to justify his â€œcharitableâ€ Â£100,000 salary??

By: Katherine

Katherine — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 13:57:25 +0000

Leon – thank you, that was precisely what I was going to say. There was an 18DS story on the Smith Institute which was presented by Iain Dale. That, to my mind, makes his involvement in another party-aligned think tank very relevant and worthy of a declaration of interest at the very least.

I’m afraid, Chris, that you are the one who has his wires crossed.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 13:56:06 +0000

Fair enough.
There is though a big difference between Policy Exchange and Smith Institute.
The latter appears to be an exclusive vehicle for Brown and his particular faction, not much more.
What research did Ed Balls undertake to justify his “charitable” Â£100,000 salary??

By: Leon

Leon — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 13:17:21 +0000

Chris, 18Doughty Street did a piece about it which (according to Guido) Guido wrote the script for but Iain Dale presented and endorsed.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 12:40:44 +0000

Katherine – I think your wires may be crossed.
It is Guido (real name Staines) who has been pursuing the Smith Institute.
He is not associated with any ‘think tank’.
Dale’s blog has only made occasional references to the story.
Tim Ireland (hope this doesn’t count as flaming) simply seems a bit barmy.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 12:21:32 +0000

To try to stop the trickle of attacks on Tim Ireland turning into a nasty all out flame, which won’t help anyone, I would like to say that my problem with Iain Dale’s investigation into the Smith Institute was not that it was done – fine, probably a good idea, might be something in it – but (a) that his own part of the Policy Exchange were not, which makes me doubt the bona fides of the investigation and (b) people’s subsequent attempts to smear that criticism as “Brownite” (witness the comment of “The Truth Will Out above). That is ignorant mudslinging at best, and looks more like disingenous dissembling.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 08:52:34 +0000

Tim Ireland – are you as deranged as you seem to be?
Are you some kind of internet stalker?
Why the obsession with Guido?

I suppose it’s easier than attacking any real targets though, right?

By: Leon

Leon — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 23:20:34 +0000

Seemed like he spent most of the time talking about Iain Dale….would be interested in hearing the unedited version of this conversation…

By: julie

julie — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 22:36:24 +0000

Any chance of a transcript of the full interview being published? I’d have thought it’d be rather a scoop, the first interview (as far as I know) with the UK’s most infamous blogger. And the audio tape is rather unintelligible in parts.

By: Tim Ireland

Tim Ireland — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 18:25:29 +0000

So, The Truth Will Out, better that we focus on the Smith Institute (and not ‘Guido’), yes? Especially because every criticism of Paul Staines is part of a Sith plot, right? Just making sure I’m digesting the spin properly.

By: Jagdeep

Jagdeep — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:36:39 +0000

The symbolism was not lost.

By: Jagdeep

Jagdeep — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:35:13 +0000

hahaha I’m just listening to the part where he orders onion bhajis and can’t make up his mind whether to have idli as well! Classic.

By: The Truth Will Out

The Truth Will Out — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:50:29 +0000

Sunny – you make me despair. Why are you so keen to keep in the good books of (almost) every camp? You’re like Nick Robinson – throw a bit of stick about but then do a ‘patsy’ piece to keep said party onside.

There is NO comparison between the Policy Exchange/Cameron relationship and the Smith Institute/Brown relationship. The worst anyone has been able to come up with on PE is that Nick Boles used his office email account to register a personal website – WOW!

On the other hand, Government (ie – taxpayer-funded) facilities (11 Downing Street) have been abused to help advance the Smith Institute, a registered charity. The SI has commissioned and paid for papers on how to beat Brown’s opponents. It has also assisted Brown’s top aide (Balls) to make ends meet between jobs by paying him a whacking salary for doing very little.

It’s pretty naked abuse. Brown’s people can’t deny it so they have resorted to the hoariest strategem of all – “everyone else does it too” – and you, to your eternal shame, have taken up the cry.

Why?

By: Vladimir

Vladimir — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:21:05 +0000

Hey Inderjeet, you may just be right, but then again before spewing you may just like to read this.

By: Inderjeet

Inderjeet — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 09:52:09 +0000

Well done for getting the interview Sunny but you seem to have bottled out of asking Guido about the 1980′s grauniad piece – was it difficult to go there sitting in an Indian restaurant with Guido’s Indian dad then? Maybe you realised the reality of the situation beyond the left-wing spin? Guido, not guilty!