Carter and the unstoppable spin machine

Trade magazine PR Week is used to discussing the story behind the nation's biggest media events, but even it would have a job explaining the fuss around a news analysis piece it put out looking at Gordon Brown's new comms chief and the team he's building - and, more to the point - supplanting.

The furore was caused by Stephen Carter - of JWT, NTL and Ofcom fame and now GB's principal political adviser - and the pride of place he enjoyed in PR Week's Downing Street press office organogram. Much was made of the 'demotion' of established flacks Damian McBride, Ian Austin and Sue Nye, old-school Labour folk and long time treasury muckas of the former Chancellor.

"New strategy chief blamed as No 10 infighting goes public" cried the Times. "Cracks begin to show among Downing St inner circle" sneered the Independent. The Sunday Telegraph had a field day, talking up the 'blue on blue' friendly fire. It gleefully mocked head of political strategy David Muir's "Basil Brush laugh" and pointed out that "hardman" McBride resembled "a young Winston Churchill...in looks".

Several people, including friends in Downing Street, have pointed to Stephen Carter's lack of experience in Westminster and Whitehall. "He's not political," said one. Like it was a problem.

I worked for Stephen Carter for a couple of years. He was - to coin the phrase - a "pretty straight kind of guy". Don't get me wrong - he's a hard taskmaster, and not one to suffer fools gladly. I've seen people fall short of his sky high expectations and never fully recover from the experience. He demands a lot from himself and expects excellence and perspiration from those around him. He has an 1000-watt stare and when you get caught in the beam you'd better have something useful to say or get out the room quick.

He's also the best leader of men I've ever come across. He has an uncanny mastery over both high level strategy and the minute detail of policy and can switch attention between the two with frightening speed and regularity.

As many have pointed out, he gets the job done. Andrew Rawnsley said this week "I'm now receiving reports from ministers that Number 10 is getting its act together. While Mr Carter is gripping the political dimension of the operation, Jeremy Heywood is sorting out the Civil Service side of things."

I agree. GB's lucky to have him. He is politically engaged and has been a card-carrying Labour supporter for years (except during his time at Ofcom, for job reasons). Yet he is also not political, in the sense that he sees past and rises above the partisan strife and inter-ministerial sniping that has plagued the New Labour experiment. If Labour does win a fourth term, he'll be a major reason behind the success.

So PR Week, enjoy your time in the sun. Spin Bunny, a blog for flacks, often poked fun at its mainstream rival, calling it PR Weak. Not any more it's not. Now, can we please call a moratorium on all those "Get Carter" headlines...