Andy McSmith's Election Diary: Tories editing Wikipedia? It's happened before

We do not know the identity of ‘Contributsx’, who has been altering the Wikipedia entries on Grant Shapps and other politicians, but the story evokes memories of an occasion when someone at Conservative Central Office was caught bang to rights doctoring Wikipedia.

In February 2009, David Cameron mocked Gordon Brown for a statement that he had made at the World Economic Forum in Davros about the Venetian painter Titian. To illustrate the point that it can take a long time to learn to do things properly, Brown claimed the Titian did not really feel that he had truly learnt to paint until he reached the age of 90. In the Commons, soon afterwards, Cameron claimed, to much Tory laughter: “The Prime Minister never gets his facts right; he told us the other day that he was like Titian aged 90, but the fact is that Titian died at 86.”

That sent Brown’s researcher Theo Bertram rushing to the nearest computer. To his relief, as he logged into Wikipedia, up popped the information that Titian lived to be 90. But no sooner had he spread the word to Labour press officers, than the Wikipedia article was saying that Titian had died at 86.

As many people now know, it is easy to check the IP address of a computer used to edit Wikipedia, and so it was easily proved that the alteration was made in Conservative Central Office. David Cameron subsequently apologised.

By the way, no one knows for certain how old Titian was when he died. But you would think that professional researchers would look beyond Wikipedia to check their facts.

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I’m Name Surname, Vote for Me

“I am not a career politician. I believe in standing up for my community….For a strong and effective MP who will be accountable to you, vote Name Surname on 7th May” says a Conservative leaflet being distributed in East Ham. The Conservative candidate, Samir Jassal, blames an error by the printers.

What do you think of it so far?

For anyone who doubts that aspiring politicians are apt to talk rubbish, there was this Twitter message yesterday from wannabe Labour MP Will Straw, son of Jack: “Huge amount of rubbish at Lomas Lane community clear up organised by Cllr Annie McMahon. Let's hope it stays tidy.”

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Politicians do need to remember that even if the interview is over, the microphone might still be working. After David Cameron had appeared on the sofa on ITV’s This Morning, the presenter, Phillip Schofield, announced: ”Up next, a man who can pinch your wallet, your watch and even your tie without you noticing."

David Cameron, off camera, was heard to say: “Is that Alex Salmond?”

Did he forget the microphone? Maybe. Or maybe he wanted to be overheard.

One day, his report will come

A small anniversary has slipped by. It was two years ago to the day that Lord Hill, then leader of the Lords, told his parliamentary colleagues that the Chilcot report into the Iraq war should be complete by the summer of that year. The Chilcot enquiry ended in February 2011. One day, maybe this year, maybe some other year, we will see its conclusions.

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