pod people

Guido and Recess Monkey might have been pissed when they made their podcast but they must be on something else if they think that the News of the World took up his insinuations, used them to find and contact the relevant rent boy*, agree payment, front Oaten with the story and get it firmed up and past the lawyers between Thursday morning and Saturday afternoon.

Guido refers to it going to the Screws via Popbitch. I don’t know if it appeared on the board, but the story we got with the popbitch mailout was about a practice of an altogether different stripe, which would have offered no clues to the actual story the Screws ran with. It’s also a very old bit of gossip that’s been circulating for at least a decade: Nick Davies referred to it in a Guardian feature back in early Blair time. It also had nothing to do with the insinuations that Guido and Recess Monkey were making.

Now the podcast. Oh, Jesus fucking wept. Political Gossip Websites! If you want people to trust you with information don’t broadcast when pissed in the tone of deeply unhappy, dirty minded thirteen year old virgins at a Catholic Grammar school! It’ll alienate serious people prepared to deal you dangerous information and make you serious enemies amongst dangerous people!

ITEM. You’ve just claimed that the country’s best read, nastiest newspaper ripped your story off. They'll love that.

ITEM: You made a drunken broadcast insinuating that homosexuality and paedophila are fundamentally indistinguishable. Since nobody gay works either in media or politics in any significant position then nobody in a position to do you harm will be offended. I jest.

ITEM: You've pissed off the Lib Dem caucus, and those who depend upon it for a career. Of course, the Lib Dems are all vegan yoghurt farmers who wouldn’t dream of bearing a grudge. We’ll see, shall we?

ITEM: Media and politics, as well as becoming increasingly indistinguishable have always had something in common, namely a well developed revenge ethic.

ITEM: I have some genuine, damaging information about a public figure, which if made public would have a material effect on the nation’s politics. I know, I’ll give it to those jokers who like making podcasts while drunk. I jest again.

And incidentally, if I was a Labour person doing oppo research on the theme “have the Tories changed” I’d be pleased and surprised at some of the commentators Guido’s drawn.

*yes “rent boy”. No, it isn’t a way of insinuating “paedophile” and since there were plenty of those insinuations anyway, the argument looks like overkill. Non-relevantly, I can recommend Gary Indiana’s novel of the same name unreservedly.

Comments

[St Andrew]

Pissed off the LibDem caucus eh? Terrifying.

I don't think Guido gives a monkey's arse.

[Andy]

> I don't think Guido gives a monkey's arse.

That's very evident. And also very foolish.

[Recess Monkey]

Notwithstanding the good advice and pertinent comments above, did you listen to the rest of the drunken podcast - there was some funny shit in there.

Recess Monkey