Transport resignations: Were they right to go?

Controversial spin doctor Jo Moore and transport media director Martin Sixsmith have both resigned after a fierce Whitehall row.

The row began as two newspapers reported that Mr Sixsmith had sent an e-mail implying Ms Moore had proposed poor rail statistics be released on Friday, the same day as Princess Margaret's funeral.

Some MPs had asked for Ms Moore to resign, saying her position was "untenable".

Ms Moore was previously caught in a storm after she e-mailed colleagues on 11 September suggesting it was a good day to "bury" news.

Were they two right to resign their positions? Is political spin now out of control? Do you think the position of spin doctors and civil servants has been damaged by the row? Or does it all simply distract from the workings of government?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

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Your reaction

Jo Moore made a sensible choice to resign now, as she will walk into a higher paying job in the private sector. Any canny PR advisor knows to issue damaging stories on heavy news days, and to save positive stories for when they are more likely to be covered. As far as I can tell she was only doing what she was paid to do, and for some reason the public seem to have taken offence.
Jon Hawkins, Oxford, UK

For those people who are defending the September 11 email, just imagine if at your workplace, when you heard of the disaster, you capitalised on it by saying it was a "very good day" (sic) for anything (sending a fax?) You would have offended many shocked colleagues and could expect to be disciplined. It was not the sort of "work mistake" anyone can make (such as forgetting to do something), it was a remark of incredible callousness. That someone could even think about work while people were jumping to their deaths in the worst atrocity in most of our lifetimes shows a disturbing lack of humanity. And on the same subject, perhaps if the government actually did something about our awful transport system, then they wouldn't need to spend vast sums of money on employing people to think up ways of hiding their dreadful record in this area.
James Warwick, UK

Jo Moore was paid by the taxpayers of the UK. She had no right to be looking for ways of burying news. She was plainly not attempting to act in the interests of her ultimate employers and should have been dismissed immediately in September.
Dudley Hammond, UK

Jo Moore rides a bike to work thereby helping to reduce traffic congestion in central London at some personal risk to herself. Frankly, I think her actions in the real world are worth far more than all the self-righteous twaddle spoken by her critics.
John M Johnson, England

There are no great parliamentarians anymore in this country. It seems that it is increasingly acceptable for the government (irrespective of political colour or leaning)of this country to hide behind spin doctors without morals. Where are the people with the backbone to make the right decisions for the country and stand by them, rather than letting some nameless, faceless political appointee do it. Who pays for these spin doctors anyway? Is it the tax payer? If so then this outrage must stop and the politicians should get off their backsides and take some decisions themselves instead of relying on dubious advice as to whether it is a politically correct moment or not.
Ian, England

Whether Ms Moore should go or not really depends on whether she was just doing her job or going beyond that. Her comments around September 11th last year were particularly insensitive and cynical, but showed clearly the mentality of either herself or her employer. If all she was doing was her job then her boss, and anyone covering up afterwards, should have been sacked months ago.
Gary Dale, England

The real culprit here is whoever leaked these confidential memos

Kulu, UK

Although many people seem to find Jo Moore's actions distasteful it would seem to me that she was doing a pretty effective job. I would have been amazed to discover that people in her position did NOT use events such as 11/9 to mask unpalatable news. The real culprit here is whoever leaked these confidential memos.....they were clearly not for general consumption. Maybe Jo Moore is not so clever as she obviously has enemies within her own team.
Kulu, UK

How naive people are who write on this? Jo Moore was probably very good at her job and was doing exactly what press officers have to do in this media driven age. Anyone who thinks what she said is shocking frankly needs to get out a bit more
Ian Bartlett, UK

Jo Moore was right to resign but not because she was wrong but because she is better off not working in an environment where there is no trust or any sign of confidentiality. Not knowing who is going to stab you in back is no way to have to work. Until the civil service can enforce some sort of control on media leaks then there is little chance that situations like this can be resolved. Any civil servant who issues information without permission should be sacked without recourse.
Andy Girvan, Scotland

Yes, They should have resigned. The fact that they are special advisers is neither here nor there. It is of great concern that these people are being paid from the public purse and not from the Labour Party coffers. If Labour are so worried that they present a poor image if unmanaged they should pay for the PR and not expect the public to do so. At the end of the day less than 50% of the eligible population voted for them.
Hadrian, England

Byers needed Jo Moore to make him look good at his job

Mike, UK

This episode is a symptom of a government controlled by Tony Blair, who does not have the people to put in ministerial posts who can do the job. They have had no experience in office at this high level, either in industry or unions. He needs to put in place spin-doctors to control them. The Labour Party puts gloss on its inadequacies by recruiting these spin doctors. If this were the government doing a half-decent job on services and the economy then the media would be praising it for doing a decent job. As Stephen Byers has shown he needed Jo Moore to make him look good at his job. There should be no need for spin-doctors, therefore saving the public money. If spin doctors are needed, then the Labour Party should pay for them and not say they are part of the civil service.
Mike, UK

Silly me, I thought that civil servants were apolitical and were there to serve the taxpayer. Apparently their job is to deceive the public and protect their minister or political party at all costs, be it on legal ethical, or moral grounds.
Alex, UK

She should have gone after 11 September. Yes, spin is out of control. It doesn't distract from government - in NL's case spin is the government! And why? Because their policies don't work - that's why they need to spend so much time spinning!
Simon Edwards, England

The lot should go. In this government there are too many unaccountable influences within the Government machine. We elect MPs and pay for impartial civil servants to carry out the will of the people - not spin.
Peter, UK

Whilst it's tempting to celebrate, we must not forget that they were actually employed by the government to 'manage' news in this way. This just adds a nail into coffin of the so-called democratic government of the UK. Politics isn't working; it's about time for a new system that is fair to the people of this great nation.
Tim Booth, UK

What does the recent chaos say of his judgement?

Robert, England

Jo Moore's departure was like the trains. Late. It should have happened on 12 September 2001. It is a shame that she stayed long enough to take Martin Sixsmith with her. One point to remember was that Stephen Byers supported her in September. What does the recent chaos say of his judgement?
Robert, England

Why is it the 'honourable' thing for Jo Moore to resign? Never mind what comments she may have made regarding 11th September. She was being employed as a civil servant to do a job. Compassion might be a virtue, but it's almost certainly not in the job description she was given.
William, UK

Jo Moore typifies what this government is all about! If the government put as much effort into running the country as they do covering up their incompetence maybe they would get somewhere. It's proof that their only interest is in keeping their jobs on their way to the EU Commission gravy train!
Maurice, England

People hire people like Jo Moore for their expertise and advice

Robert Harper, Canada

Absolutely not. People hire people like Jo Moore for their expertise and advice. In this case, she was correct. I would recommend the same actions to any of my PR clients if the intention was to bury the story. I have been a PR consultant for 42 years and have seen many of the world's largest companies do precisely what she is being forced to resign over.
Robert Harper, Canada

The truth will out in the end. There is no need for spin doctors. Sack the lot, they are mischief makers. The civil service is there to provide the facts. The MPs should do their own homework
David, UK

That Jo Moore was not immediately sacked indicates, I think, that her behaviour was acceptable. Her sin was to be found out. There were aspects of financial corruption with the last Conservative government. New Labour is morally corrupt to the core.
Simon J. Brown, UK

I thought that they did this sort of thing all the time. That's what politics is about isn't it? Show me a politician who is not devious.
Phil T, Oman

Jo Moore deserves no sympathy. One wonders how good she really was at her job. She failed dismally at an attempt to defuse the 11 September memo row, the forced insincerity only making more people find her conduct distasteful.
Barry B, UK

There still seems to be an elitist element within the civil service

Neil Small, Scotland

Yes, it's about time they went. Both forgot that they are civil servants who serve the country, not a political party. Unfortunately, there still seems to be an elitist element within the civil service. They have both displayed arrogance and deserve what they got.
Neil Small, Scotland

I have no idea whether they were right to go or not. What I do know is that this country is rotten to the core and has been for a century or more.
Ellen Harty, England

Poor Jo has been victimised for being realistic. Tactless yes, but an honest appraisal of the situation. People should grow up.
Andrew, UK

Jo Moore was not supposed to be a politically neutral civil servant. She was a "special adviser". These exist in every department. They are not civil servants but are political appointees who work for a particular minister and often move between departments when he or she moves on. Civil servants on the other hand are supposed to be politically neutral. Clearly at least one in DTLR was not. Somebody leaked the email to the press. That somebody (almost certainly a senior civil servant) broke the Official Secrets Act and should also be without a job.
Alcuin, UK

To the sort of people who call on others to resign every time they make a mistake: I hope your boss treats you the same.
Brendan Fernandes, UK

I think it was wise for Jo Moore to go, I am quite glad to see the back of her. However, I do not feel that it was necessary for Martin Sixsmith to resign. Although I think he may have been pushed in that direction by the government as revenge for bringing Jo Moore to book for her actions. A scapegoat to take some of the public's glare away from a very New Labour spin doctor? I think so.
Steve, UK

I am delighted to hear that Jo Moore has resigned. Anyone who can react as she did to the heartbreaking events of 11 September is beneath contempt.
Linda, UK

She is (or was) a spin doctor. The aim of her job was to make the best out of bad news. The amount of companies who use the same practices she was sacked for is incredibly high - the only thing she did which was wrong was allow her comments to be put in a medium where they could be leaked. Byers' and Blair's biggest problem with this is that there is someone in the department who is willing to leak all this to the press. They should be fired, too.
Tim, UK/US

The way Jo Moore has been treated is appalling

Paul, England

Yes, they had to go. But the way Jo Moore has been treated by the media is frankly appalling. She has been vilified more than the average violent criminal, purely for sending an ill-judged e-mail message. However, Martin Sixsmith has been damaged the most by his disgraceful behaviour. He appears to have had a distinguished career until now.
Paul, England

Jo Moore was never sorry for the controversy over her September 11 e-mail. Her "apology" showed she is no actress - she was smiling and smirking as she walked away. I am glad she has finally gone. I'm sure she was pushed as she is not the type to resign.
Steve Bassett, England

They should not have gone. They are just victims of the money barons who have not forgiven Byers for his splendid action with Railtrack. Does anyone else think they have been made scapegoats?
George Brown, UK

This episode clearly shows the difference between civil servants and political advisors. Although Martin Sixsmith may have done "wrong" he was acting in the longer term interests of government and the state in trying to bring Jo Moore's tawdry actions to an end. Jo Moore, in contrast, was showing the worst side of political advisors by showing no respect to anyone other than herself and her minister. This is a minister after all who has as a gift a non advertised, non competed for job with a salary vastly above that of regular civil servants with comparable duties.
Stuart Astill, UK

As a British citizen who has lived and worked in New York I admit to letting out an almighty cheer at the news of Jo Moore's departure. She typifies all that is wrong with the current government: spin and gloss.
Mark, USA

I'm surprised it's taken her so long

Russ, Canada

I'm surprised it's taken her so long. She should have resigned on 12 September 2001. If she had done the honourable thing, Sixsmith would still have his job.
Russ, Canada

Perhaps Tony Blair could arrange for another peacekeeping force to be sent in - to the Department of Transport.
Brian Holding, UK

I think politicians have to remember that they and their staff are there to represent us, not to attempt to mislead or manipulate us. Resignation was the only way out.
Will Parker, UK

Either the policies are working or they are not. In either case we need to know the truth, not spin.
Caron, England

You're missing the point if you think Jo Moore is just another lying government member. She has not done what she was trained to do. She's supposed to be a politically neutral civil servant, and is paid for by the taxpayer. If she spends her time doing absolutely nothing but promoting the Labour party, it should be the Labour party that pays for her and her kind. It's not naive to be shocked by her actions on 11 September, or to expect her to resign.
Patrick, England

The failings are higher in the chain of command and ultimately the responsibility should be borne up there

Chris Street, UK

Jo Moore should not have resigned. She was only doing the job that she was hired for. If the government feel that the job is no longer required, then it should make her position redundant and pay her the redundancy that she is entitled to. No one should be forced to resign because of public dictation over the work they do - it's like asking the aircrew who bombed the convoy in Kosovo to resign. The failings are higher in the chain of command, and ultimately the responsibility and resignations should be borne up there.
Chris Street, UK

Jo Moore is paying for her serious error of judgement on the 11 September issue. The knives have been out ever since. It was just a matter of time, whether it was contrived or not, that she would have to go.
Tracy, UK

Typical. They made the announcement of the resignation as Princess Margaret was being buried, forcing the story from the lead in tomorrow's papers. The government has no shame and no sense of irony.
Rupert RG, UK

Did they jump or were they pushed? I reckon the latter. This was an embarrassment, which I hope gets raked up come the next election.
Antony, UK

Jo Moore was right to go. She gave her last apology as if it was from a memorised memo, rather than having any sincerity.
Terry Smith, England

I think Stephen Byers and Tony Blair should follow hot on their heels. This government shows little enough respect for Parliament without this type of nonsense. It tends to bring a formidable truth to the old joke: How can you tell when a politician is lying? His lips move.
Dougie Lawson, UK

Her resignation I understand, but why did Sixsmith have to go? I thought he was rebuking her for inappropriate timing! Someone please explain this to me like I'm an idiot (or as the spin doctors call my type "the electorate").
Andrew Coleman, UK

I'd be interested in hearing from Tony Blair and Stephen Byers what it is that Martin Sixsmith actually did wrong.
Chris Shaw, England

The timing of the announcement won't stop the delays

Matt Everet, UK

We know from travelling on the railways that the statistics will be poor. The timing of the announcement won't stop the delays, so who cares? Just get rid of all the spin doctors and let us hear it like it is.
Matt Everet, UK

Yes, they were right to resign. The vast majority of the electorate are sick and tired of these people dribbling a little bit of information here and a little bit there, choosing good and bad times to tell us what they think we have the right to know. We elect a government to be honest and truthful with us, to tell it how it really is and not to play their silly little mind games. It is time we had complete honesty from these people and anything less than that should be totally unacceptable.
Fred, Spain

I'm surprised she didn't have the honour to resign after the outrageous way she acted on 11 September. The government should be giving people information. However using spin doctors and spending £143m in advertising isn't going to make the government popular with Mr Taxpayer. These spin doctors with their private press briefings and downright lies should be roped in and quickly. They have eroded the police service by calling them work shy malingerers, demoralised teachers calling them unprofessional and injured nurses for wanting fair pay. This government needs to do something to improve our nation's infrastructure rather than thinking of different ways of saying "everything is fine", when clearly it is not.
Rob Anderson, UK

I think they were right to resign. They held an important role and could not be seen to behave like kids blaming each other. I wish it could be used as a lesson by the government and Whitehall but it won't. While I agree partly with Railtrack re-nationalisation, I also wish to see Stephen Byers gone. There is a need to start afresh.
Pascal Jacquemain, UK/France

It's like blaming the executioner for the death penalty

Terry Amis, UK

This woman has been trained to do exactly what she has done. It's like blaming the executioner for the death penalty. We have to face up to the fact that all governments lie to their electorate as a matter of course. They also manipulate information to best suit their own ends which can be simply summed up as a lust for power. Jo is just a tool of this deceit. If you want rid of these disgusting acts then get rid of her employer, that's if you can find him, he doesn't have much time for this country these days.
Terry Amis, UK

Replace Jo's employer with what, Terry Amis? The Tories, with their "we always tell the truth and wouldn't dream of trying to spin" attitude? Just because they are incompetent in terms of their own PR doesn't mean they wouldn't attempt to manipulate the media as any government does. I am not sticking up for Jo Moore, and I think it is right she has resigned as she is a distraction, taking attention away from the government in its long overdue attempts to reverse twenty years of under funding in transport. And as for Tony Blair's so-called absence - he has been doing a great job overseas, and if you could be in anyway politically objective you would see that too.
Richard, UK/USA

I am glad to see Jo Moore go after the burying news episodes and the treatment of Bob Kiley. She will not be missed. However, as Terry Amis points out, it will change little as this government constantly manipulates news and undermines people it does not agree with. Jo Moore will just be replaced by someone with the same knack for spin.
Alan, England

"If you want rid of these disgusting acts then get rid of her employer..." so says Terry Amis, missing the point completely. Is it not obvious that whoever is in Jo's position will do exactly the same thing?
John Litherland, UK

I think Jo Moore should immediately apologise to Princess Margaret's family.
Andy Gemmell, UK

To force someone like Jo Moore to resign is blatant hypocrisy

Tim Mapston, UK

To force someone like Jo Moore to resign is blatant hypocrisy. She was brought on board as a spin adviser to expressly work on the sort of problems that, when they are leaked, give rise to a vision of cold hard politicians who are dealing with real situations in a real world. To pretend that these advisers shouldn't say such or such, is a basic denial of how all these people we may or may not have voted for, work. I think that Jo Moore was doing her job and was absolutely right to say the things that she was EMPLOYED to say within the remit of her job. Good for her, bad for leaks.
Tim Mapston, UK

She got beaten at her own game! Game over! I wonder what Anne Robinson would say?
Patrick Lee, UK

This story is yet more utter nonsense - after September 11 are we honestly supposed to believe that Jo Moore would be so stupid as to try this on again? At best it's a row between officials that should have been sorted out by Stephen Byers, but it's been blown out of all proportion by a media constantly looking for scandals. It is naive to expect politicians not to try and influence the news agenda. If they didn't spin, they would spend all their time being portrayed as incapable or dishonest. Both the media and the politicians should take a good look at themselves if there's to be any hope of a rational and productive policy debate.
Chris Goldsmith, UK

Unfortunately we live in a world where the package is more important than the product. Time and energy spent on packaging is wasteful and in the main unnecessary. Those who work for others are judged on the service they deliver. All politicians, national and local, have forgotten that a good product or service speaks for itself and it's how most people in the real world survive. They should all get off their high horses and live in the real world. Parliament based in Grimsby without any frills and distractions and no win, no pay, might make many see sense. Resign! They should not have been needed in the first place.
William J M King, England

Don't tell me that the Tories don't have exactly the same kind of advice... it's a storm in a teacup. The words pot, kettle and black come to mind.
Clare, UK

It all strikes me as great deal of fuss over absolutely nothing. But civil servants/spin doctors or whatever shouldn't be seen to be bickering in full view of the media, and the thing was clearly going to drag on and undermine public confidence in government even more. But that's the problem, the crime in these sort of instances is not what you do, it's whether or not you get caught doing it. Jo Moore and Martin Sixsmith are supposed to be masters at back-room scheming and plotting, on the strength of this, I wouldn't ask either of them to organise a village fete raffle.
Neil Halliday, UK

The government has to be different and has to be open

Mike Kelly, UK

The problems with the MMR vaccine show what a mess we get into now all government announcements assumed to be spun. We can accept that the Labour party has a product to sell, and will use PR techniques to sell it. The government has to be different and has to be open. It's about time the Labour Party stopped acting like the natural party of opposition.
Mike Kelly, UK

Jo Moore is bad news, and like what she wants buried, she has been buried.
Craig, UK

It's about time Jo Moore went: after all, for someone paid to manipulate the news inconspicuously, she's made a terrible job of it. She's not just devious - she's incompetent to boot.
Rob, UK

Jo Moore should have gone after her deplorable comments in the aftermath of September 11. Her latest attempt to "bury" bad news shows just how desperate politicians are to mislead the public. It's time all spin doctors were removed, or paid for solely by the parties not the taxpayers.
Paul Dymond, England

I am in complete concordance with Terry Amis on this point. I would also add that this fiasco together with Number 10's refusal to publish the text of all correspondence with the British Ambassador in Bucharest in order to reveal the full truth of the Mittal affair is dragging the reputation of British politics and politicians through the gutter. New Labour promised to be whiter than white. Instead of this we see the government of the UK is prepared to destroy any remaining credibility which politics had enjoyed, in an attempt brush aside justified criticism of its methods and the people involved.

Until we have transparency of governmental methods forced via the imposition of a genuine Freedom of Information Act, rather than the half-baked, self-interested compromise we currently rely on, the public's cynicism of political debate will continue to deepen and spread throughout the electorate. Mr Sixsmith and Jo Moore are victims of the spin-machine which now governs the United Kingdom and a parliament which continues to refuse to submit itself to independent scrutiny.
Edwin, Britain

People like these two have too much influence

John Hunt, England

People like these two have too much influence. They should have been sacked for bringing the government into disrepute. Having said that, maybe some of the members of the government could have the same charge brought against them.
John Hunt, England

All this does is expose the myth that democracy works. The government does not listen to the ordinary man, or ever has done. Instead it hides the politician's own lust for power by using slick advertising and razzamatazz and buzzwords. Jo Moore happened to get caught whilst trying to pursue her governments and not the electorate's agenda.
Vhora, UK

Jo Moore and Martin Sixsmith have just been sacrificed. While it looks like the government is trying to rid itself of spin to the typical, apathetic, disillusioned, voter, there are over 70 people like this still left. This current government is infatuated with spin over substance, and that will not change until the ineffective control freakery of Blair and Campbell no longer constitute No. 10 Downing Street.
Rugby League Lover, UK

I think Jo Moore should have done the decent thing last year. But not this time. This department patently suffers from poor leadership. Hopefully we will not have to wait too much longer for the Prime Minister to grasp this and take the appropriate action - bye bye Byers.
Chris Pring, UK

Feel sorry for Martin Sixsmith. He was right to bring what is obviously very much a public concern, into the open. Ms Moore was doing her job, as ever, very badly. Don't know of a minister with a worse profile than her boss, My Byers.
Rafez Noorullah, Northants, UK

This is all too funny! This woman has been forced to resign from her job, in order to make other people feel better about themselves! The concept of "bad taste" is one of the great frauds of the modern day world. It's a fraud perpetrated by ourselves, upon ourselves, in order to maintain an illusion of what we believe to be a correct moral code of conduct. Frankly, this woman should not be too disturbed at losing her job, as she will walk into a better position right away. She's clearly a smart woman who was good at achieving her objectives.

Some people might question her wisdom at not anticipating this kind of hysterical outcry, but to work within the bonds of anticipating public opinion and media campaigns would probably have made her ineffective in the very work she was employed to do. Is it wrong that our governments feel the need to "spin" their information to the masses? That's democracy, you can't have democracy without spin, and you're fooling yourself if you think otherwise.

The really successful spin doctors are those who are not recognised as such. That's the true art of the spin doctor -to be perceived as "honest Joe" while practicing the simple art of politics. Politics IS spin. Who are we trying to fool? We are all spin doctors. We all tell our stories in the way we choose. There are no moral conclusions to draw from this story, only amusement at what it tells us about our constant search for "standards of acceptable behaviour and opinion."
Stephen Minton, USA

Jo Moore should apologise not just to the Royal Family, but also to the public as a whole

Adrian Challinior, UK

Jo Moore should apologise not just to the Royal Family, but also to the public as a whole. It is because of unelected people like her that the act of government has been devalued and debased. The presentation has become more important than the message.
Adrian Challinior, UK

The resignation of Jo Moore I can understand, but what has Martin Sixsmith actually done wrong that was worth resigning for?
Jack Wilson, UK

I am mystified as to why either have resigned. Martin Sixsmith sent an email to two colleagues, copied to Ms Moore, saying that they shouldn't be accused of releasing poor rail statistics on Friday. What's wrong with that? The email wasn't to Ms Moore, as the Downing Street official said originally.
Alex Leach, UK

I cheered when I heard the news that Jo Moore has gone. She was a symbol of everything that is wrong with the spin side of this administration.
Jim Mason, UK

In view of the way this government orders its priorities, where image is everything and substance matters little if at all, I would be very surprised if Jo Moore was the only one in the spin machine who made that suggestion on September 11. But she has committed the one and only error for which you can be forced to resign by this and all recent governments - she got caught. Her sacking is nothing to do with honour, just Party expediency.
Paul, UK

As a spin doctor, Jo Moore was doing her job. However she has shown how inept she is by putting everything in an email that was traceable back to her. The other person that should resign/be fired is the one that leaked the email(s).
Tony, UK