Collaboration

I hold no brief for the Evening Standard under its old regime. But compared to the new look paper... The relentless froth and puffery is plain dull. I can't think of a single reason why anyone would buy it, rather than grab one of the freesheets.

As for the paper's 'Sorry' campaign - here's what the previous editor, Veronica Wadley,. has to say:

London is laughing at this ludicrous campaign. Saying 'Sorry' for
the past smacks of a Soviet courtroom 'confession'. 'Sorry' has all the
hallmarks of a KGB-style smear campaign. It denigrates the judgment of
500,000 loyal readers who have been buying the paper in recent years.

And,
according to the dozens of emails I have received, it is utterly
humiliating for the staff and contributors. They are in despair.

The
new management seems to think that a paper should be edited by
self-serving market research - and the Pravda-style promise of good
news is an insult to the intelligence of its readers.

Under my
editorship, the award-winning Standard campaigned against corruption
and waste of taxpayers' money at City Hall. The Russian-owned Standard
now appears to want to dump Boris Johnson, one of the most popular
politicians in the country, and reinstate Ken Livingstone, the
discredited mayor who was voted out of office by London.

The
Standard, supported by the electorate, called it right and Ken's
supporters still cannot deal with that. The Russian owner, motivated by
his own political convictions, is plainly out of touch with Londoners.

The
'Sorry' campaign's suggestion that the Standard and its journalists
lost touch with London is a malicious invention. Daily, we campaigned
for better and safer public transport, a cleaner city, affordable
housing, the rights of cyclists and police accountability. We received
endless praise for championing the arts and talents of a great city.

And
we raised huge sums of money for London charities including most
recently over £200,000 for Greenhouse which provides sports facilities
for disadvantaged children.

As for Geordie Greig, well, Etonians have a history of collaborating with the KGB.