Tim Ireland tells lies shock!

NOTE: The title of this post is a sarcastic replication of Tim's own post about Iain Dale linked below.

This is a very short post. Tim Ireland has just posted claiming Iain Dale has lied. This morning Tim said the following on Twitter,

@IainDale thinks I'm trying to chase him off Twitter, and that I cost him his chance to be an MP

@iaindale If you would care to deny implying if not claiming that I cost you your shot at a certain seat, then let's have it.

So, privately, @IainDale claims I cost him a shot at becoming an MP. When I reveal this, he cries 'nutter'. But he can't deny it.

Tim has since quoted from a confidential and not-for-publication email thread that was started by me, and sent to Tim, Iain Dale, Sunny Hundal, Justin McKeating, Shane Greer and Richard Barthlomew.

The quote forms part of a wider very adult discussion about how there were clearly cross-wired and that whilst Tim felt his actions were justified, the nature of them could have make someone feel harassed. During that time Iain said,

I didn’t apply for several parliamentary nominations in the wider Guildford area because I was convinced Tim would turn up at them and ruin my chances (Woking being the main one, I remember). You may think that is preposterous, but when you are feeling stalked or harassed, that’s how you think.

This does not equate to Iain saying Tim has "cost him his chance to be an MP", it simply equates to Iain deciding not to apply for one of a few hundreds seats up for selection near Tim, although this is, of course, "spin" in Tim's eyes bu the only one spinning what was said to something else is Tim.

Anyhow, this post is not about that really. It's about something else Tim has said in that post, and I'm sick to the back teeth of hearing it repeatedly from him because it is a lie. Tim has stated in his post,

A police investigation is in progress. Iain Dale refuses to cooperate with this investigation

This is not true. Tim Ireland is a liar.

You see, in that same confidential email discussion, and I have asked Iain permission to publish these words, Iain said,

[Excerpt 1] If there is a police inquiry underway I will happily talk to the relevant officer if I am given his name. I have never, contrary to what Tim alleges, refused to cooperate with the police. I have never been contacted by them.

[Excerpt 2] If it is indeed the case that the Police will not take this seriously because of anything I have said or written, then I am perfectly happy to have a conversation with Guildford Police. I have never refused to take part in an investigation (which has in the past been alleged). All I need to know is who to talk to. Or Tim is perfectly at liberty to give them my numner[sic]. I know he has it. That was a lame attempt at humour.

So you see, Tim Ireland is lying when he says Iain refuses to cooperates with a Police inquiry. He offered, more than once, in that email discussion to speak directly with the Police involved, but Tim would not give him any details and insisted that Iain deal only with him. That is the truth.

Disclaimer: Yes Iain is a mate. If Tim wants to attack him with statements that are true then so be it, but if he's going to lie and use an email I started to try and help his situation then I'm not going to stay quiet.

Comments will be posted, but may not appear instantly as I have more important things to do on a Friday night. Am logging of "teh Interwebs" now! (17:13)


UPDATE (to the soap opera): Tim has now posted an update to his post calling me "hostile". It's fair to say that yes, this post has been hostile because Tim has taken a part of an email discussion that was started in entirely good faith to help him, and use it as ammunition against Iain to suggest malign intent and other assorted falsehoods.

Yes, this is naval gazing by bloggers, but frankly, that email was only ever sent because it seemed things were now getting completely out of hand. Tim was publicly accusing all manner of people of being directly or indirectly involved with what was happening to him, although its worth noting privately that the discussion was much more tempered than the vitriol displayed in public.

Someone in the comments has asked for a run-down of what has happened because it now seems so convoluted it doesn't make sense, I may try to give it a go one day, but even I struggle with it.

The bottom line in my view is that it's one massive vicious circle that has been made worse by external events. Tim objects to being called obsessed or a stalker, but in the pursuit of trying to correct such characterisations has basically created a perception amongst his targets and some wider public audience that is exactly what he is.

The private email discussion that has been alluded to did go over this somewhat, but didn't get anywhere. There was a moment early on where it seemed it might, and that some sort of hatchet burying statement could be achieved. A joint statement that acknowledged that Tim wasn't a stalker because of what he was trying to do, but also acknowledged that his actions could lead to that sort of perception being created by Iain, but it didn't happen.