Sunday, September 24, 2006

Sunday Times says Johnson "registered" domains

According to an article in this morning's Sunday Times, Alan Johnson "will not officially confirm" his leadership bid but "he has already registered the website names Johnson4leader.com, Johnson4leader.org and Johnson4leader.co.uk". Now, whilst that is not entirely accurate as it is not Johnson's name that appears as the registrant, the implication is blindingly obvious.

Unless the Sunday Times has made a serious editorial mistake, then David Taylor was asked to register the domains by Alan Johnson's office. Making the claim that he was "not working for Alan Johnson or working for anybody else working for Alan Johnson", an outright lie. It will also mean that he didn't make his "own decision to buy these domains", and that there was indeed a "Machiavellian plot".

Of course the Sunday Times may well have made a mistake. But I find it unlikely they would be so matter of fact without being certain. What I don't get is why the apparent lies surrounding the domains and the wider plot have been conveniently ignored. After all, if Johnson wants to be PM, then the deception surrounding this whole thing surely bring his integrity into question?

It seems that Alan Johnson will just be the continuance of New Labour spin by other means.

2 comments:

Iain Dale said...

"But I find it unlikely they would be so matter of fact without being certain."

How refreshingly naive.

dizzy said...

Perhaps "certain" is the wrong term on my part. I think though the way it was written sounds quite cocksure. Like I said they may have made a mistake.