LOL's Dilemma: Godson Investigation or Huhne Mystery?

Now then, now then. Let's see. Something about Dean Godson's propaganda operation at Policy Exchange? And its precursors? Or begin with a follow up on the mysterious case of Chris Huhne and the anonymous blogger? Can't decide. But while I'm thinking on this what follows is the full and unabridged contents of a Word file which reached me today:

CHRIS HUHNE – AND HIS GREATEST FANS…
(Private Eye was first to report on this - back in 1983!!!)

Liberal-Democrats who wish to avoid having a leader who has a denouement similar to Charles Kennedy and Ming Campbell - in which his ostensible friends come at him with daggers drawn - might be wise to bear in mind the deep esteem in which Chris Huhne was held by his former colleagues.

When Huhne was a young economics columnist on The Guardian in the early '80's, he decided to run for parliament in Reading East as the SDP candidate during the 1983 general election. This was in the early days of the Liberal-SDP pact and a battle was raging during the campaign as to whether an electorally-successful Alliance should be led by the Liberal Party’s David Steel or the SDP’s Roy Jenkins. A large stir was caused on the Sunday before the election when Huhne became the first Alliance candidate to publicly call for the Liberal Party leader to declare in advance that he would defer to the SDP's Jenkins. A clear breach of the unity that the Alliance had been striving for. Repercussions carried on all day in Alliance circles until it was finally discovered that Huhne had NOT called for Steel to defer. It was a hoax press release and Huhne had been the victim of a dirty trick - designed to embarrass him with both Liberal and SDP leaders.

At first the dirty trick was thought to be the work of Conservatives trying to make mischief within the Alliance – and who had picked on Huhne as the patsy because of his reputation as a glib opportunist. Others thought that it was the work of SDP Party activists who disliked Huhne’s smarter-than-thou smugness. But it was the Eye that revealed that it was actually the work of the people who knew Huhne best - his colleagues at the Guardian.

As the Eye reported in its next issue (Eye 561 - 17th June 1983) - what gave the game away was the way the national dailies covered the story and its embarrassing details. Most of the papers gave the hoax scant reportage. The one paper that gave the story sizable coverage - and caused Huhne great embarrassment - was his own paper. The deep love and affection felt for Huhne by his Guardian colleagues - who cherished his modesty and humility was such that they alone of the nationals pumped the story up to large dimensions. When the unsuccessful Huhne (he was routed in the election) returned to the Guardian it was to a paper where he knew he was surrounded by enemies. The dislike for Huhne continue unabated until he finally took the hint and left to work for the Independent.