Guido Fawkes: GuF Crashes On With His Hain Vendetta

It would I think be fair to say that Mr Paul Staines aka Mr GuF has it in for the Rt Hon Peter Hain and all who sail with him. GuF is now running one of his standard something and nothing and disingenuous stories.

In this case smearing Hain and some backing got for his leadership campaign. Some that was I think properly declared, which was not always the case.

As it happened the campaign proved Hain's chronic unpopularity within, or perhaps rather distrust by, the Labour Party and Movement at large.

Essentially - to the delight of his sock muppets and swear blogging fans - Guido points out that the CEO of Picture Financial Services plc made a personal donation of £5,000 to Hain's leadership bid. And GuF juxtaposes that with the fact Peter Hain has at some point praised the company and that this praise appears on their website.

Now as far as I recall before he became a haven for sub-prime swear blogging Mr GuF spent some time as a shitty financial adviser. So you'd think he'd have something sensible to say about these two events. But alas, No he does not.

Instead GuF suggests that:

1. A Debt Consolidation business which is a plc and has a quoted typical APR of 8.4% variable is more or less equivalent to a loan shark;
2. Mr Hain "endorses" their products in an equivalent way as say Carol Vorderman endorses the rival company FirstPlus (APR 7.9% variable) for huge sums of money;
3. Mr Hain's supposed commercial endorsement is "all over" Picture's website;
4. Picture's APR is 10.9% on "maxxed out" debtors;
5. Mr Hain made his comment in a personal capacity;
And:
6. By juxtaposition, that the comment was in return for the £5,000 donation

What a load of old GuF and twaddle from the GuFster and twaddler in chief. Hain didn't get any sort of preference from the House of Love in the leadership contest. But GuF is demeaning blogging which such a tawdry tale. The facts:

1. Picture, based in Newport, South Wales not a million miles from Hain's constituency of Neath, is not a loan shark. Any more than Firstplus which was acquired as a brand by Barclays, the UK's third largest bank when they swallowed the Woolwich;
2. There is no commercial endorsement remotely similar to Ms Vorderman's shameful whoring. Rather there is a congratulation to a Welsh company on success, employment, ambition in Wales;
3. The comment appears on the website in the "About Us" pages only. Targeted at investors and media;
4. Picture's quoted APR is 8.4% variable not 10.9%;
5. Hain's comment is clearly labelled as from the Minister of State for Wales (right). It looks like GuF has deliberately edited his graphic (above) to obscure this origin;
6. It is plainly ridiculous to suggest as GuF does that this is anything other than a routine ministerial comment about a Welsh company.

The Guardian lead today with a real story about Hain.

Not all his campaign receipts have been declared in a timely way.

Shame on his chaotic disorganisation.

But shame too on GuF for his daft vendetta.