Comments on: Hamiltonian conspiracy

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 05:45:00 +0000

I really feel I’ve missed out in life by never having seen Neil Hamilton imitate Hitler.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 15:15:00 +0000

What I find particularly amusing about all this is that Hamilton's great rival Mohamed Al-Fayed has also constructed some rather elaborate conspiracy theories to explain everything that's happened to him at the hands of the British Establishment.

Does this Hamilton site claim that Prince Philip is behind all this? Enquiring minds want to know!

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 13:28:00 +0000

An anti-Hamilton conspiracy run by the Guardian? Where can I join . . . ?

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 12:07:00 +0000

Actually, now I come to think of it, the guy behind that website was seen with the Hamiltons when they appeared on Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends – from what I recall, even they appeared to be somewhat embarrassed by him.

By: Gert

Gert — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:30:00 +0000

Someone I knew at University gave evidence against Hamilton in that case. At the time this chap was very big in Cheshire Young Conservatives. SO the conspiracy ought to include the Tory Party too.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:14:00 +0000

Michael – Hamilton did indeed argue that during the libel trial, in fact according to press reports he did two Hitler impersonations in the witness box to demonstrate how inoffensive they were.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:11:00 +0000

Wasn't that over the 'Maggie's Militant Tendency' edition of Panorama? Allegations of Nazi salutes and the like, IIRC

Hamilton has a genuine fondness for Hitler impersonations (this isn't remotely libellous: there's plenty of photographic evidence) but he would argue (in my view correctly) that this isn't in itself proof that he's a member of the extreme right.

After all, occasional Hitler impersonator Mel Brooks is hardly a neo-Nazi, unless he's so far undercover as to have gone native.

By: Andrew Bartlett

Andrew Bartlett — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:04:00 +0000

Hah! That’s a great story.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:02:00 +0000

Hamilton sued the BBC for libel over an episode of Panorama in 1984 called "Maggie's Militant Tendency" which he claimed unfairly associated him with the extreme right. The BBC eventually settled out of court, paying Hamilton £20,000 plus costs (which the papers suggested were about a quarter of a million pounds).

The MP who sued for being called a crook was Reggie Maudling, under particularly wonderful circumstances. It was a radio phone-in discussion programme, produced by Dennis MacShane, the present day Labour MP who, at the time, worked at the BBC. Since no one was phoning in, MacShane rang the programme pretending to be a member of the public (IIRC he called himself "John" and put on a fake cockney accent). Unfortunately "John" proceeded to call Reggie Maudling a crook.

The BBC ended up paying Maudling "substantial damages" and costs. MacShane got sacked (eventually - initially he was re-instated after BBC workers came out on strike in support of him).

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 08:43:00 +0000

Wasn’t that over the ‘Maggie’s Militant Tendency’ edition of Panorama? Allegations of Nazi salutes and the like, IIRC