Guido Fawkes has noted that on the day No.10 confirms the appointment of their new web guru, they sent out an email linking to an unfinished Downing Street online discussion forum called Promoting Prosperity, ahead of tomorrow's Progressive Governance Summit.
It's not a good day for whoever they paid a no doubt considerable sum to design the logo either....
11pm: The heavily-promoted website has now been password-protected.
1pm next day: Website finally back up with new logo. Guido rightly questioning why the taxpayer is paying for a self-described centre-left summit.
Methinks they are too distracted with briefing against eachother to have noticed!
Posted by: Ay Up | April 03, 2008 at 19:39
At least a swastika fits the British jobs for British workers message!!
Posted by: Alan S | April 03, 2008 at 19:45
Haha, another government web initiative bites the dust even before they manage to get it off the ground!
Posted by: Jules | April 03, 2008 at 19:49
Finally Brown's 4th Reich vision starts to to take shape!
Posted by: John Leonard | April 03, 2008 at 19:49
A mixture of swastika and total chaos I'd say, just about fits this ----- government, however, having read the blogs on Guido, I did get quite a few laughs out of it, and I suppose we shall be paying a fair (well NOT fair, in fact) amount for it all!
Posted by: Patsy Sergeant | April 03, 2008 at 19:58
An art critic might conclude that the fact the pointers face two different ways is a subconscious manifestation of the two contradictory strands of thought within the Labour party?
Posted by: Tony Makara | April 03, 2008 at 20:05
It's Browns moral compass - hence the dithering
Posted by: Deborah | April 03, 2008 at 20:29
It is ridiculas to sugest that Gordon Brown is anything like Adolf Hitler.
Hitler was elected.
Posted by: Alex Agius. | April 03, 2008 at 21:08
hahaha, great stuff. Of course it was national SOCIALISM, so I'm not sure if the current Labour party really counts....
Posted by: Will Stobart | April 03, 2008 at 21:35
Hahaha, dear oh dear. You'd have thought someone would have picked up on that. Actually, with this government, no you wouldn't.
Posted by: Ash Faulkner | April 03, 2008 at 22:12
The LOGO has a vaguely Vorticist look to it, although the shadow bit looks a bit like a piece of barbed wire - overall it looks like it would make a good icon on the toolbar on an office or graphics suite, doesn't convey a sense of having anything to do with the economy.
Posted by: Yet Another Anon | April 03, 2008 at 22:54
They seem to have pulled the website now! Good job!
Posted by: Matt Kellett | April 03, 2008 at 23:06
I don't understand how so many people can say that this DOESN'T resemble a swastika. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it does.
Posted by: Matthew Jones | April 04, 2008 at 00:55
"The heavily-promoted website has now been password-protected."
I've been rooting around in it quite happily. Just close the security prompt pop-up & carry on browsing. I presume it's like one of those empty boxes that look like CCTV cameras. Security for those who can't manage the real thing.
Posted by: jus' askin' | April 04, 2008 at 01:10
Mr Bean Becomes Herr Flick
Posted by: Tapestry | April 04, 2008 at 01:37
The state controls everything, thinking outsid of party guidelines is forbidden, the leaders believe they have a divine mission, everything thing we do is under scrutiny, countries are invaded to protect minorities, all of the problems are blamed on conspiracy by a small powerful group (Tories) who are parasites, supporters are given money out of public funds......
The only thing that surprises me is how long it took Labour to realise what they were.
Posted by: Serf | April 04, 2008 at 08:40
The link is now password protected (at least on Safari) - what does that say?!
Posted by: Deborah Thomas, PPC Twickenham | April 04, 2008 at 08:51
Brown & his fellow vermin are another bunch of despots, like the Nazis, and the logo is the right one for them. My guess is that whoever designed it, sees them for what they are.
Posted by: Robbed by a Sub-Prime Minister | April 04, 2008 at 09:23
A remarkable Freudian slip by The Clunking Feet.
Posted by: timolin | April 04, 2008 at 09:39
Actually it looks more like the plughole the country's going down.
Posted by: Don Hoyle | April 04, 2008 at 10:25
We can all now legitimately call McStalins minions; "Brown-shirts".
Posted by: albion | April 04, 2008 at 10:25
First 'we are going to do ...' and then 'we' are not!!!
Posted by: Patsy Sergeant | April 04, 2008 at 10:55
In the NuLab Orwellian style that we have become used to - the logo never existed - visit the site again and it is as if nothing had happened!
Posted by: f0ul | April 04, 2008 at 12:25
Is the logo shown at the top of this article the real thing, or has it been Photoshopped to give the swastika a bit of emphasis? It's hard to believe that anyone would be daft/ignorant enough to use such a logo, let alone on a government website. On the other hand, given the record of this lot.....
Posted by: Mike H | April 04, 2008 at 12:28
They've half-obscured the logo, good thing we have a copy of it here.
Posted by: Will Stobart | April 04, 2008 at 12:30
"In the NuLab Orwellian style that we have become used to - the logo never existed - visit the site again and it is as if nothing had happened!
...especially within the BBC.
Posted by: Mike H | April 04, 2008 at 12:32
I've been saying for years that NuLabour is a neo-fascist movement. Now we have the proof.
Posted by: The Laughing Cavalier | April 04, 2008 at 13:29
Looks like a piece of screwed up paper.
Probably came out of Gordo's bin and contains the latest lash up to prop his failing popularity and scribblings for more stealth taxes.
How much did it cost?
Posted by: George Hinton | April 04, 2008 at 14:14
Do not scoff. The way this country is going - Fascism may be the only alternative !!
Posted by: Rod Sellers | April 04, 2008 at 18:55
You Limies use to be a respectable lot. But now you are pathetic.
Jason
from Amerika
Posted by: Jason | April 04, 2008 at 20:14
I took the liberty of sending it to Fox. It will be interesting to see if it shows up on their network. I can't believe anyone with half-a-brain missed the obvious shape in the middle.
Posted by: Andrew Ian Dodge | April 05, 2008 at 10:10
It may be that this new logo of user-friendliness and empowerment was designed by James Purnell, the up and coming young Turk who thinks he is going to be the 'new leader' of the deadly and dying New Labour and also, it seems, fondly imagines he looks like the late Steve McQueen.
No doubt coming off his political motorbike and ending up in the barbed wire at a town near you soon.
'Every follower of Tony Blair should have a catchy slogan and here is James Purnell's. "Work makes you happy," he keeps saying. Of course, this would not be connected in any way with the old Nazi slogan, displayed in wrought-iron above the concentration camp gates "Arbeit macht Frei" or "Work sets you free".'
see article at wuhudo
Posted by: John Stevens | April 05, 2008 at 16:07