John McFall MP, Chair, Treasury Select Committee
Richard Reeves, Director, Demos
Jean Eaglesham, Financial Times
Andy McSmith, Independent
http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2009/09/28/more-resignations-from-politics-home/

Alan Milburn MP
Jim Knight MP
Gisela Stuart MP
Chris McLaughlin, editor, Tribune
Stephen Twigg, chair, Progress and Labour ppc
http://www.nextleft.org/2009/09/alan-milburn-joins-politicshome-exodus.html

Chris Huhne MP
Stephen Tall, editor, LibDemVoice
Norman Lamb MP
http://www.libdemvoice.org/two-more-lib-dems-quit-politicshome-panel-16350.html

Peter Facey, Director, New Politics Network
http://www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?p=2103

Many honourable Conservatives, for instance, deplore David Cameron’s weak refusal to insist that a party official, who was granted a peerage on the understanding he pay taxes, publicly declares that he is also domiciled in Britain for tax purposes. His failure to confront Ashcroft proves that the prime minster of Belize has more backbone than the man who would be prime minister of Britain. Until Ashcroft says differently, we must assume that he expects working- and middle-class taxpayers to pick up his bills.

But even those Tories who are wary of Ashcroft admire him. They say that while many Conservative officials cannot see beyond today’s political blogs and tomorrow’s newspapers, Ashcroft can follow a long-term strategy ….
It is worth noticing that political journalism is becoming a small world of its own. It is now written for a tiny audience, but that audience includes the rulers of the country. In the fragmented media future, I doubt if anyone will be able to make money out of Westminster reporting. But dominating rich men prepared to subside websites and newspapers, as their predecessors in the 18th century oligarchy patronised political writers, will find that what they lose in profits they gain in political influence.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/27/michael-ashcroft-nick-cohen

But he wasn’t aware of any plans by others to quit as well, and his resignation hadn’t been made public.

Could you add Stryker McGuire of Newsweek, who has resigned from the panel, to the “others we have heard about” list.

(Hopi S is a mistake on there surely, as he wasn’t on it)

I have tried to be constructive, and to suggest that independent expert polling voices might scrutinise this question. And I have invited a response.

My personal view is that ploughing on with it – during a Labour conference particularly – could be difficult for the question of editorial integrity and professionalism under the new ownership.
http://www.nextleft.org/2009/09/should-politicshome-suspend-its-insider.html

Really? How so?

Or was that just a lazy, throw-away statement?

“My position is similar to Sunder’s. I only joined the panel because friends asked me. Those friends – who I assume know a lot more than I do about what is going on have now withdrawn. I have no problem about writing for Conservatives (I have just written a long piece for Crossbow). I also recently appeared at a commercial event organised by Conservative Home (it seemed interesting and I respect Tim M). But I don’t really have the inclination to spend a few minutes every day indirectly helping Michael Ashcroft make money which he can then spend trying to influence British politics. And in as much as the panel does contribute to political insight I don’t feel particularly keen to provide this to a business which now seems so closely aligned with one Party.

It’s a matter of where I want to put my energies. The panel no longer feels like a useful commitment”.

If not their resignations makes the original decision to join look very foolish, especially considering their experience.

I’m suspicious that this row may give them cover for making a chunk of cash by pretending to take a principled stance when they are really looking out for number one and I’m not prepared to make a judgement until I know the facts.

I was recruited by Martin Bright and have huge respect for him and for Andrew Rawnsley, not to mention many of the other members of the panel who have also resigned.

I dont want to spend time each day helping out a bunch of people I don’t respect. And I dont trust Lord Ashcroft as far as I can throw him. So I’m out too.

To badly stretch an analogy, Nelson Piquet Jr. had three choices: not crash, get fired and possibly blackballed; crash but admit it soon after; or crash and hide the fact for long enough to appear at least partly guilty. The first seems the superior option.