abstract:The Red Rag blogsite was at the centre of a UK political scandal that became known as smeargate. The scandal broke on 11 April 2009 when it was reported by the Daily Telegraph that Gordon Brown's special adviser, Damian McBride, had sent a series of emails to left wing political blogger Derek Draper discussing plans to set up the blog which would be used to post false rumours about the private lives of senior members of the Conservative Party and their spouses.
Margaret and I were sprawled out on the grassy bank of the Mississippi River, taking a break from the French Quarter Festival, when I noticed, a few feet away, a familiar, homeless-looking guy with an eight-inch red beard and a piratical soldier rag tied around his head.
The Conservatives have urged Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell to clarify who knew about the proposal to set up a Labour website, called Red Rag, where it was suggested the smears sent in Mr McBride's e-mails be published.