McBride: how was it for you, darling?

I have had a few ‘phone calls from Sunday journalists about the McBride affair. ‘Can you tell us more about his operation?’ they say. Which, when you think about it, is a bit like someone saying:

‘me and my mates have for years been having a very intimate relationship with someone you might vaguely know – what was it like?’.

Er…you could start by asking each other

Newspapers writing indignant exposes about the briefing operation of someone upon whom they relied for years for stories! You couldn’t make it up.

I could have a stab at listing the journalists who most relied on Damian. But then I recall the words of someone I used to know who ran a kind of McBride-lite operation; ‘Matthew’ he said ‘rule number one, never ever try to take on the media’