Bad e-mails

Damian McBride, an advisor to the prime minister, has been forced to quit his job after e-mails he sent to Derek Draper who runs Labour List, got into the public domain and caused a furore. Mc Bride had suggested creating salacious stories about Conservative politicians. There is no harm in exposing people’s bad behaviour – providing that the stories are true - that is the bedrock of journalism. But printing blatant lies about people is totally stupid. The lies could cause a great deal of distress for the victims and their families. The incident has also made Draper and McBride look like a couple of idiots. What puzzles me is how something that may have been meant as a bit of silly fun between friends, has ended up splashed across the media, in which case, why did it not stay as a private matter. Or if it was intended to be a serious proposition, then one has to worry about the scruples and behaviour of people in positions of power.
Also who is leaking all this stuff to the press?

Who is to be trusted?

Are people's on-line communications safe?

Are we just steps away from the Orwellian nightmare of the (e-mail )'thought police?'
It seems that people need to be careful about the content of e-mails and blogs, - some people are obviously unscrupulous about respecting the confidentiality of their friends.

P.S Please could politicians and their entourage concentrate on creating a better society, not this sort of nonsense!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/apr/15/derek-draper-labourlist-mcbride-brown

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/5141314/Gordon-Brown-aide-Damian-McBride-resigns-over-smear-campaign-emails.html

The blogosphere is deadly

I have just found another link on this subject which suggests that blogging is the new political weapon, and information that is of dubious veracity can be disseminated rapidly. The news reporter in this extract described the blogosphere as deadly.

http://www.truveo.com/New-Labour-spinner-resigns-over-email-smear/id/2875893136