Alastair, the public will not believe Brown means what he says

Campbell, in his latest post, calls “McBridegate” a setback, not a crisis.  Well he would say that, wouldn't he?

He says:

In ten years with Tony Blair, I think I witnessed five full blown crises - Iraq, Kosovo, September 11, fuel protests and foot and mouth disease.

Interesting that David Kelly’s death, which lead to a full public inquiry, was not a crisis.

Campbell says:

A real crisis may require new policy, structures and personnel. The response to a a setback will depend on circumstances, but two general rules should apply:

First, decide what you really believe to be the right thing, and do it.

Second, get the whole story out there as quickly as you can, however murky.

That second lesson was one we learned particularly painfully as some of the frenzies in The Blair Years showed.

Oh pull the other one!  When did Campbell ever get the full story out there.

He then goes on, rather grudgingly, to say that Cameron’s demand for an apology is justified:

But it did happen on his watch and with one of his key people involved. So, on doing the right thing, there is the question of Cameron's call for an apology. There may be politics attached to it, but it is worth asking the question - if a Tory spin doctor had been found to be planning smears against the families of Labour politicians, would we have asked for, and expected, an apology? I think the answer is yes.

However, it is Campbell’s final sentence that highlights Labour's huge problem with this scandal:

First off though, the public has to see that when GB says he condemns this type of politics, he really means it.

That is the issue Alastair, the public will not believe that Brown means what he says.