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Thursday 9 February 2012

Politics Home - A Very Sad Development

Tuesday, 22nd September 2009

It is with great sadness that I have tonight resigned as a member of the PoliticsHome panel. I was a founder associate editor of the site and I think Freddie Sayers and his team should be proud of everything they have achieved. It has become the first port of call for anyone with an interest in Westminster politics.

But following reports of the purchase of a majority stake in the site by the Conservative Party's vice-chairman Lord Ashcroft, Andrew Rawnsley resigned as Editor-in-Chief and it is no longer possible to vouch for the independence of the site or the balance of the panel.

Tom Watson MP has written about this and re-published Andrew's statement.

When the site was set up, I was responsible for recruiting the left-leaning members of the panel. As Sunder Katwala of the Fabian Society has pointed out tonight, I was clear at the time that the site was owned by the Tory-owned, but assured panel members that Andrew and I would act as left-liberal ballast.

Some of those I recruited have signed a statement on Liberal Conspiracy and I am sure others will follow overnight.

If I had known in advance of the purchase I would certainly have informed them and encouraged them to resign from the panel. i can only apologise to them for the way things have turned out.

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Patricia Shaw

September 23rd, 2009 10:36am Report this comment

That's right boyo, you just stay right here - where an objective, critical, unbias, informed world view reigns supreme, particularly regarding the Middle East where all Zionists are Heroes and all Palestinians are rats and cockroaches.

Good move.

Beer Moth

September 23rd, 2009 5:55pm Report this comment

Are you sure you've read everything 'right here' Patricia?

TrevorsDen

September 23rd, 2009 9:48pm Report this comment

Mr Dale does not agree with you. If you are so principled why are you writing here on The Spectator - which is owned by the Barclay Brothers FFS ?

Politics Home was owned by a Tory before and its still owned by a Tory.
You are just bigoted and prejudiced against Ashcroft. And by resigning you are in effect are a self fulfilling prophesy.

Jon Rosenberg

September 23rd, 2009 11:03pm Report this comment

Umm how about the concept of innocent until proven guilty, how about wait and see, how about staying and trying to keep politics home as the independent news gathering site it has been up till now? Any of those would have been a more mature, and substantive contribution to the situation than simply picking up your ball and refusing to play.

John Wightman

September 24th, 2009 11:06am Report this comment

Would you "left / liberals" have resigned if a Labour or Liberal party member had bought the site?

Is this really about the principle or the personality?

A J Scott

September 24th, 2009 7:17pm Report this comment

Sad that a man allegedly devoted to free speech and not willing to submit to editorial dictatorship couldn't even wait to see what would happen. Sounds very parti pris to me.
Think how much more significant his protest/action would be if it had some evidence behind it.

A J Scott

September 24th, 2009 7:19pm Report this comment

Actually, a very good epitaph: "I was a founder associate editor" of the website.
Almost as good as Ozymandias.

SUSAN HILL

September 24th, 2009 9:59pm Report this comment

Never run away, always stay and argue. Stand up for what you believe. I disagree with your politics absolutely but I will fight to the death for your right to hold them and express your opinion. But if you can`t stand a small bit of warmth coming out of the kitchen why should I bother ?

denverthen

September 25th, 2009 3:47am Report this comment

Disappointing. Act in haste...

Saltirethinking

September 25th, 2009 5:39pm Report this comment

I really think it's time some of you realised how corrosive Ashcroft is going to be to the political life of this country in the next few years.
New Labour, Ashcroftory Party..... you tell me.

Hawkeye

September 25th, 2009 7:56pm Report this comment

"I really think it's time some of you realised how corrosive Ashcroft is going to be to the political life of this country in the next few years."

You mean that Ashcroft could be worse than New Labour who, after 12 years in power, ran the biggest boom and bust in UK history, messed up the electoral system, created Control Orders and "guilty by presumption", put 6 million on benefits, estranged the americans, started a couple of wars, gave pensioners a 75p rise, abolished the 10p tax rate for the poor, ran an open door immigration policy, messed up the tax system, took cronyism to a new level and reduced this countries standing in the world?

You're saying that Ashcroft could be worse than that? I very much doubt it. If Ashcroft's funding gets the tories into power then I'll be happy. If Ashcroft can wipe Labour out as a political force then I'll be even happier.

Martin Bright

September 26th, 2009 10:37am Report this comment

I will clearly have to clarify my reasons for resigning. The point is that I recruited most of the lefties on the Politics Home panel. I had to do a lot of work to persuade them that the site would be independent, despite its Tory ownership. I was not informed of the Ashcroft purchase and those people would never have been persuaded to join the panel if he had been the owner from the outset. I resigned, in part, because I let them down. Without them, it is hard to see how the panel can be independent. I hope the rest of the site remains as good as it has been,

Hawkeye

September 26th, 2009 10:57am Report this comment

What I do not understand is the knee-jerk reaction. You've convicted Ashcroft of being Ashcroft. Why not stay on and see if he interferes? Maybe he will not interfere - who knows?

If he turned it in to "toryHome" then your resignation would make a lot of sense, but to resign just because he bought a big share in the site seems like a rush to judgment.

Maybe it is a lefty mindset? Our current govt. seems to have no problem passing "You're guilty until you prove your innocent" type laws. Your approach seems rather similar.

denverthen

September 26th, 2009 11:35pm Report this comment

What you 'clearly have to clarify' is whether you are a political journalist (and you are an excellent political journalist) or some sort of political activist. Your hasty, bandwagonish resignation-in-protest sends the signal that you're not at all sure yourself, which - at least to me - is a pity.

Their loss, our loss and your loss. Ergo: bad call.

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