-Caveat Lector- <http://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13324742> TUESDAY, 23 JANUARY, 2001 BILL HELPED BLAIR BEAT TORIES EXCLUSIVE By TREVOR KAVANAGH Political Editor AN astonishing new leaked Downing Street memo reveals how former U.S. President Bill Clinton gave Tony Blair lessons in how to "outwit" the media and "crush" the Tories. The memo, the fourth leaked to The Sun, urges Mr Blair to pick fights with "hostile" papers and bulldoze his way through bad Press coverage. The four-page document was written by polling guru Phillip Gould after a trip to the White House to pick the brains of Clinton's top adviser Doug Sosnik. It shows the intimacy of the Blair-Clinton administrations - and the U.S. advice has been followed to the letter by New Labour. The memo says: "There will be bad days, bad weeks. Rather than fighting this, use it as evidence of resolve. "You can keep going against a bad Press for weeks or even months, providing you consciously implement your agenda. The key is breaking clear of the Press. "Sosnik and all the other Clinton aides were certain we could do it and would crush the Tories." The memo, penned just after Blair was jeered by Women's Institute members last April, explains Sosnik's guide to outsmarting the media and establishing Labour as a "responsible Government." It calls on ministers to stop peddling endless propaganda and "turn down the volume." It also tells them to "vary the pace" and give voters a rest from politics. It adds: "There are times when Clinton-and-Blair have to pull back and give the public a break." The advice explains Mr Blair's decision to "disappear" for almost two weeks over Christmas. The memo also calls for Clinton-style long-term planning that commits ministers to a detailed and carefully-prepared agenda. The memo adds: "Every key date, every possible message opportunity, was set down a year in advance. "Sosnik said this was the key to getting a rhythm for government. He says it is absolutely the first thing we should do." This planning system is now a central part of Labour's political management. Gould's memo also advises using "hostile" journalists as sparring partners while sticking to "values and themes" that show the Government puts the nation first, not party politics. And it urges Mr Blair to follow Clinton's example and make "connections through visuals," saying: "Not Clinton as a politician in a suit, but Clinton a person with people/children." Sosnik's tactics were used by Mr Blair to cope with public anger over issues like petrol prices, the NHS and European Union. The memo was for a tiny group including Mr Blair, Mr Brown, press chief Alastair Campbell and chief of staff Jonathan Powell. It explains why the PM ordered Mr Campbell out of the spotlight in a bid to end Labour's damaging "spin doctor" image. The memo says: "All of this is about taking power away from the media and grabbing back control of the agenda. "It is neither about simply fighting the media nor feeding the media - it is basically about outwitting them and setting out our stall on our terms." The memo - titled Controlling the Agenda in Government - advises that lessons are to be learned from the problems experienced by Clinton's Democrats. It reveals how Clinton was close to despair after his early years in power because voters stopped listening to his non-stop messages - and flocked to the Republicans in 1992's mid-term Congressional elections. Gould says: "The strategy failed because the Press got bloated with announcements and discounted their importance "This contributed to the adminsitration being knocked off course and losing control of the agenda." Clinton then ordered a shake-up which powered him to re-election and a poll rating as one of the most popular U.S. Presidents ever. But it failed to save Vice President Al Gore - defeated last year by new Preseint George W Bush. Alastair Campbell last night admitted the memo was genuine. He said: "It sounds familiar. "One of the lessons we learned from the last leaks was that this stuff comes in and it goes out and it is important to keep focussed on the things we are doing." How Tony lost plot THE memo is the fourth bombshell document leaked to The Sun. The first, on July 17 last year, was a note to aides from Tony Blair. He admitted he was seen as "weak and soft" and demanded "eye-catching" action. The story, headlined "Blair: Have I Lost Plot" scored the Scoop of the Year prize for Sun political editor Trevor Kavanagh. The second leak - two days later - was a memo from aide Phillip Gould warning: "Our situation is serious." It appeared under the headline: "They don't like us. They don't trust us. They may dump us." A third leaked memo revealed Mr Blair had decided to axe the Pound - regardless of the consequences. � News Group Newspapers Ltd. TUESDAY, 23 JANUARY, 2001 ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
