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Dirty tricks

Betsan Powys | 12:54 UK time, Tuesday, 5 April 2011

I blogged yesterday that the election campaign really felt like it was getting underway. Today - already - it's got very, very murky.

The story starts with a leaflet, attacking Labour and Peter Hain, which first appeared on the Blog Menai website on March 31st. Pay attention to the dates, as they'll become very important later.

The leaflet, published on the blog as a JPEG image, complete with fold through the middle of it, accused Mr Hain of plotting behind his Welsh leader Carwyn Jones' back, complete with shadowy photograph of the shadow Secretary of State for Wales. It went on to suggest that Mr Hain was planning to "sabotage our new democracy".

According to the leaflet, it was promoted by United and Welsh an "alliance of concerned citizens" who "believe that the Labour Party is not ready to govern alone at this election".

There are a couple of odd things about it - for example, it refers to Labour leader "David Milliband" (sic) and it refers to "Carwyn" on first name terms.

On April 4th, , referring to its appearance on the Blog Menai website. It focused on the leaflet's call for tactical voting against Labour in key battleground constituencies. Asked to respond, Labour said they would not comment on on anonymous allegations but they had no doubt that this was "a nationalist smear campaign".

The story quoted a spokesman for the group, whose members, it said, are "as yet unidentified", but whose intention was to take adverts in local papers in the target seats.

This afternoon, April 5th, Labour MP Chris Bryant stood up in the House of Commons and accused Plaid Cymru - and specifically the office of its leader Ieuan Wyn Jones - of being behind the "mystery" dirty tricks campaign.

His evidence? A website, , which links to an image of the leaflet.

That website, according to , is registered to 45, Stryd Y Bont, Llangefni LL77 7PN - or Ieuan Wyn Jones' constituency office. It was registered on April 1st.

Mr Bryant says this is evidence that Plaid Cymru is behind the campaign - and to take the decision to put that on the record in the House of Commons is a serious step to take. His words carry parliamentary privilege, remember.

He got short shrift from Speaker Bercow, who didn't accuse him of "grubby electioneering" but made sure he used exactly those words anyway.

Plaid Cymru issued an immediate blanket denial, within moment of Mr Bryant getting to his feet. "This has nothing to do with Ieuan Wyn Jones, his office, or the party".

As I said at the start, something very very murky indeed is going on here.

The chronology is important. The original leaflet appeared on the Blog Menai site on March 31. The United and Welsh domain was set up on April 1.

A simple copy and paste of the Blog Menai image would allow anyone, anywhere to set up a website registered to the office of the Plaid Cymru leader.

The question is who?

UPDATE 17.35

This from the Shadow Secretary of State:

"I of course accept Ieuan Wyn Jones's word that he was not personally involved in any of this.

"But it is clear there are people seeking to promote a Nationalist-Tory-Lib Dem coalition who are willing to engage in dirty tricks. Maybe they are Nationalists driven by their hatred of Labour and their opposition to the last four years of Labour-Plaid Cymru joint government. Whoever they are they are clearly cowardly and dishonest".

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    I'm very dubious about anything whch is associated with 1st April, so in answer to your question: who done it? Well my first thought would be a pesky April foolster. Nobody would want to fall for that one would they?

  • Comment number 2.

    Two guesses - a pro-Carwyn supporter who wants PH ousted while also taking an opportunity to attack Plaid. Or an attempt by a Conservative activist to drive a rift between all three parties (Carwyn's Labour, PH and Plaid). It doesn't sound like a Lib Dem tactic and as it is clearly intended to embarass Plaid hardly of their making. So Tory or "Welsh" Labour. I can think of a number in both counts who do not have hankerings for the Orange Man. Even technically advanced Labour supporting lobbyists come to mind. Say no more... just they should keep off the sherry. We still have a month to go! Calm down dear, it's only an election...

  • Comment number 3.

    If United and Welsh was Plaid I seriously doubt that they would use the term United and encourage people to vote Tory, come off it!

  • Comment number 4.

    Withdraw previous comment - Vaughan says it's Plaid Mon behind it. Idiots! Guess which story features in WM tomorrow big time? Shipton must think it's Christmas and Ieuan otherwise!

  • Comment number 5.

    On present polling which party stands to lose the most at the forthcoming elections? With support for Plaid falling away they will no longer be required to prop up a Labour Adminisration. So Plaid has a lot to lose

    So who might benefit from tactical voting? Not the Lib/Dems, after their continuing debacle in Westminster, they are a spent force. Not the Tories - does anyone believe that they could get anywhere near a majority?

    So that leaves UKIP or Plaid. I know who my money is on

  • Comment number 6.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 7.

    #4

    Have another read of Vaughan's blog. He doesn't say anywhere that Plaid Mon are behind it.

  • Comment number 8.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 9.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 10.

    how ridiculous. As blogmenai says, the image used on the fake website is taken from his blog, as is evident from the fold (blogmenai received the image in an anonymous e-mail but couldn't use it in its original pdf format so had to go the rather arduous route of printing it out and scanning it as a jpg). If the "United And Welsh" website and the leaflet were produced by the same people, surely they'd have an original and creaseless copy easily at hand.

    It's easy to set up websites using any contact details you could wish. Plaid Cymru happily come out of this as the obvious victims of grubby and rubbish tricks.

    Welsh politicking can be so strange and pathetic. I wonder whether someone somewhere is trying to emulate James O'Keefe, weirdo prank-pulling darling of the American Tea Party -

  • Comment number 11.

    It's an obvious example of a (very clumsy and idiotic attempt at a) False Flag:

  • Comment number 12.

    #10

    My #9 said much the same as you, but I added that more care was needed in establishing the facts before the use of parliamentary privilege. I don't know why it fell foul of the mods.

  • Comment number 13.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 14.

    Internet Protocol address (IP address) of computer setting up the web site, simples!

  • Comment number 15.

    #13, an opinion can be both libelous and defamatory, and clearly people are quite worked up about the topic, so I'm not surprised that house rules have been broken. As has been mentioned, a website can be set up to any address. The billing information would be more revealing. I just can't imagine someone not having the sense of using a fake address when making an anonymous website.

  • Comment number 16.

    #15

    I wasn't 'worked up' about the topic, merely repeating what the author of the blog in question had to say (in Welsh) about how he handled the said document, and how the website copy must have been copied from his blog as it had the same fold, plus what I said above about care needed when using parliamentary privilege.

    We'll have to see if the mods give any explanation. It'll probably be a general comment which won't be helpful. I'm usually very careful not to give them a reason to remove my comments.

    A storm in a teacup, in my opinion - something for the political anoraks.

  • Comment number 17.

    Don't get too excited now Betsan - I know the Beeb try very hard for viewers when elections come around. Despite what they say about Jones and Hain, Labour will have a majority this time. I find it a bit strange that Plaid Cymru are attacking Labour so much - especially after being in bed with them for so long. There will no doubt will be the odd Tory/liberal in the Assembly due to this strange electrocal list system. But there you are. If Labour do get a majority let us hope, especially with increased powers deliver a bit more - particularly in relation to the Health Service. I think also we should have an election for a new President of the Council - why don't they call him speaker? A fresh start and all that.

  • Comment number 18.

    If the poster was produced by anyone working for one of the parties, it would obviously reflect very badly on the party in question.

    It wouldn't make sense for Labour to do it - they are flying in the polls. It would make little sense for Plaid to do it, as it seems too transparent. The only sense in the Conservatives doing it would be to split Labour and Plaid. Perhaps it would make sense for the LibDems to do it, because they are desperate.

    It looks more like a senseless act than a calculating one.

  • Comment number 19.

    "You Fools".....

    "I suspect everybody....and I suspect nobody"

    With apologies to Peter Sellers/Pink Panther.

    (And of course Maria Gambreli)

    (Obviously all this being too old for a certain 大象传媒 Wales politcal correspondent)

  • Comment number 20.

    How convenient that this mini flood of publicity comes just as Hain apparently starts to promote his new autobiography...



    He's not going to pull any punches so I dare say the odd closet nationalist in Plaid Lafur might be looking over their shoulder... Some seem a little too comfortable in coalition with Plaid Cymru and maybe, just maybe, some within Plaid Lafur think they can progress their Welsh agenda better if they remain in coalition with Plaid Cymru?

    I will be much more interested in Hain's coverage of his early life in South Africa. After all, there's a time for everything...

  • Comment number 21.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 22.

    More to the point (when it comes to the election) here in Ynys Mon, Peter Rogers, (the man spat at by Plaid supporters when Eurig Wyn failed in his attempt at winning the Westminster seat) has pinned his flag to the mast.

    He is not standing for election and has urged his supporters to back Paul Williams the Tory candidate.

    The maths is not looking good for IWJ, nor is the disgruntled attitude of Plaid supporters who were annoyed that Plaid ever went into government with the hated Labour party in the first place.

  • Comment number 23.

    The Western Mail carries this, apparently from a genuine organisation called "United and Welsh";

    鈥淲e did not create the website. You know that, because we sent a corrected poster to you. [The original draft wrongly named David Miliband as Labour leader.] We would not then have used the uncorrected poster to create a website!

    鈥淵ou can say that a meeting is happening this week and an academic will be appointed after that to lead the group.鈥



    Read More

    I imagine when some names are linked to the organisation we will be able to see which party (or indeed parties) are involved.

  • Comment number 24.

    Looking again at the piece from the WM;

    "We would not then have used the uncorrected poster to create a website!"

    The statement doesn't necessarily follow. It depends when they became aware of their mistake. Quite possibly when it was picked up by commentators and after they had created a website.

  • Comment number 25.

    Frankly, anybody could have been responsible for this, whether one individual with too much time on his (I assume a 'he') hands to a murky grouping. It is being used by whoever wishes to promote their spin on contemporary Welsh politics for whatever reason.

    It is a gnat's burp in the winds of time and will be forgotten.

  • Comment number 26.

    "It is a gnat's burp in the winds of time and will be forgotten"

    Good fun though!

  • Comment number 27.

    #7 He reported it on Twitter. A rush of blood maybe!

  • Comment number 28.

    I think MP Chris Bryant was received quite appropriately (with laughter and condescension) in parliament i'n his condemning of plaid. Worth a watch for those who haven't.

  • Comment number 29.

    28

    Remembering Chris Bryant as a member of the OU Conservative Association at Oxford, 'laughter and condescention' sums it up.

  • Comment number 30.

    26

    Agreed! But there is a place for gnat's burps!

  • Comment number 31.

    Betsan, excuse me young lady my comment was free from insult , expletives and thorughly gentlemanly!

  • Comment number 32.

    #31

    Glad to hear it Rhetoric! But I'm not the one who moderates the comments on this blog.

  • Comment number 33.

    @32 Boom Boom!

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