Guido has uploaded a leaked internal Labour Party briefing document dated 21, November 2008 which states

To be successful requires development both the party’s official capacity – and the building of a variety of “extra” party, “independent” initiatives. But this hasn’t happened naturally and needs to be encouraged.

The “independent” Red Rag site was set up only three weeks earlier on November 4, 2008, the same day that Derek Draper held a blogger’s breakfast at Labour’s Victoria Street HQ.   Funny kind of  “independence” – gives away the Labour Party top-down mindset that they employed with LabourList and the now not-so-plausibly-deniable Red Reg websites.  In fact the document shows how pathetically weak their whole catch-up strategy is to compete with ConservativeHome and Dale.  Both of whom are directly referred to in the document.  Anyway it reveals some of what Labour was thinking in November.  Have a read of Labour’s “me-too” New Media Strategy here.

UPDATE : Guido has been calling Alex Belardinelli, Ed Ball’s SpAd, all day.  Unfortunately he has been “in meetings”. Guido would like to ask him about his previous role in setting up an anonymous attack website to smear opponents.  Give Guido a call when you are out of your meeting Alex…