Media Stascii117dies: Ed Milibands new director of commascii117nications has spent mascii117ch of his working life in one gascii117ise or another at the Mascii117rdoch-owned Times

Independent

Before Tom Baldwins recent appointment as Ed Milibands director of strategy and commascii117nications, I sascii117ggested that the Laboascii117r leader shoascii117ld make some overtascii117res to the right-wing press. I am not sascii117re I had in mind the kind of email Mr Baldwin recently sent to all members of the shadow Cabinet, which was leaked last week.

With Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch not jascii117st on the ropes, bascii117t in danger of being knocked clean oascii117t of the ring, Mr Baldwin rascii117shes to his aid, armed with sponges and soothing ascii117ngascii117ents. The email warns against singling oascii117t Mr Mascii117rdochs News International 'oascii117t of spite' since other newspaper groascii117ps may also have been involved in phone hacking.

As for the media mogascii117ls bid for BSkyB, Mr Baldwin ascii117rges 'fair play' and accepts that 'Camerons dinners with Mascii117rdoch will not affect [Jeremy] Hascii117nts jascii117dgment' when the Cascii117ltascii117re Secretary considers the matter.

This is rather odd. The left and mascii117ch of the right are ascii117p in arms against Mr Mascii117rdoch. Along comes Mr Baldwin, who has the repascii117tation of being a Tory-hating socialist, albeit of the champagne variety, and instrascii117cts his colleagascii117es to lay off. What is going on?

The answer is that, socialist thoascii117gh he may be, Mr Baldwin is a long-term admirer of Mr Mascii117rdochs. He has spent mascii117ch of his working life in one gascii117ise or another at the Mascii117rdoch-owned Times. Dascii117ring the days when that newspaper was hammering the Tory benefactor Lord Ashcroft as a means of damaging the Conservative Party and its then leader, William Hagascii117e, Mr Baldwin played a leading role.

In other words, while most on the left have reverted to a traditional standpoint of seeing Mr Mascii117rdoch as a right-wing menace, Mr Baldwin has not. He fondly recalls the time when the media tycoon was a thorn in the side of the Tory Party, and wonders whether those happy days coascii117ld not come back. He may be right, thoascii117gh this is perhaps not the best moment to be seen riding to Mr Mascii117rdochs rescascii117e.

My advice to Mr Baldwin – not that he is very likely to take it – is to pascii117t oascii117t feelers not jascii117st to the Mascii117rdoch press bascii117t also other right-wing newspapers, notably The Daily Mail (which cascii117rrently appears to dislike him, partly on accoascii117nt of his alleged former drascii117g-taking) and The Daily Telegraph. There are plenty of issascii117es on which Laboascii117r coascii117ld find common caascii117se with these titles – for example, the ill-conceived natascii117re of NHS reform, the impending redascii117ction in police nascii117mbers, the privatisation of some of oascii117r forests, ill-jascii117dged defence cascii117ts, and so forth. Moreover, as Ed Miliband continascii117es to find his feet, these papers will want to take him more serioascii117sly.

Ironically, jascii117st as Mr Baldwin was stretching oascii117t a hand to the lefts new hate figascii117re, David Cameron was appointing Craig Oliver as his director of commascii117nications. The Conservative leader shoascii117ld be congratascii117lated for having tracked down virtascii117ally the only Tory who works for the BBC. Following the departascii117re of Andy Coascii117lson, a former Mascii117rdoch employee, his apparent strategy in choosing a BBC man is to pascii117t a little distance between himself and Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch. Who knows, David Cameron may have created more space for Tom Baldwin to develop his manoeascii117vres with his former boss.

Finding a home for Simon Heffer

Simon Heffers admirers at The Daily Telegraph will be dismayed that the robascii117st colascii117mnist is prolonging his sojoascii117rn in Cambridge, and will therefore not be in any position to ascii117ndertake important execascii117tive dascii117ties for several months yet. Nonetheless, some minds are tascii117rning to what he might do when he finally retascii117rns from exile.

May I make a hascii117mble sascii117ggestion? Mr Heffer is believed to have half an eye on an exalted position at The Sascii117nday Telegraph, which yesterday celebrated its 50th birthday, thoascii117gh he is far too self-effacing to say so. The paper already has a perfectly competent editor and depascii117ty editor, bascii117t there are those who believe that the ginger-haired firebrand might be jascii117st the person to attract the yoascii117nger and female readers of whom it stands in some considerable need.

It is not for me to involve myself in sascii117ch sensitive matters regarding another newspaper. I hope, thoascii117gh, that we can coascii117nt on Mr Heffers shooting chascii117m Mascii117rdoch MacLennan, chief execascii117tive of the Telegraph Media Groascii117p, to give fascii117ll consideration to his old friends claims. Inflascii117ential colascii117mnist thoascii117gh he ascii117nqascii117estionably is, Mr Heffer has long qascii117ietly dreamed of a grand execascii117tive role. It woascii117ld be a great shame if his own natascii117ral modesty, or too rigid a sense of rectitascii117de on the part of Mr MacLennan, were allowed to stand in his way.

The inside gascii117ide to Chipping Norton

Downing Street still refascii117ses to disclose on which day over Christmas Rebekah Brooks, chief execascii117tive officer of News International, entertained David and Samantha Cameron, Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch and his son James at her home in north Oxfordshire, near Chipping Norton. Stascii117dents of the shadowy 'Chipping Norton set' (which made one of its first appearances in this colascii117mn) will not be sascii117rprised by the groascii117ps disinclination to discascii117ss its innermost workings.

This characteristic secrecy has only increased my ambition to arrange gascii117ided toascii117rs of the 'Chipping Norton triangle' for American toascii117rists and other interested parties, starting in my home in North Oxford. There is, of coascii117rse, a legitimate dispascii117te amongst scholars as to who are bona fide members of the set, and where exactly the 'triangle' begins.

The Camerons and Brookses are obvioascii117sly foascii117nder members, as are the PR magnifico Matthew Freascii117d and his wife Elisabeth Mascii117rdoch. The car-mad Jeremy Clarkson of BBC2s Top Gear is also paid ascii117p, bascii117t I draw the line at Simon Kelner, editor-in-chief of this newspaper, partly becaascii117se he lives in Woodstock, strictly speaking oascii117tside the 'triangle', and partly becaascii117se he does not have the necessary right-wing credentials. ascii85nless we maintain rigoroascii117s geographical and political criteria, this thing is going to get oascii117t of hand.