The Outing of "David T"

Three cheers for 'Lenin' of Lenin's Tomb for managing to out one of the most obnoxious and hypocritical members of the blogosphere. "David T" used the forum of the website Harry's Place to attack in a most despicable way possible, anyone who challenged his pro-war, fascistic views. A close ally of the equally execrable and equally malicious Oliver Kamm, "David T" was a natural born bully, who delighted in trying to get people into trouble, or lose their jobs. Back in December, he wrote a disgraceful post directed against the then Guardian Comment editor Seumas Milne, a regular target. (Milne's great "crime" was running the odd article which "David T" disagreed with). "David T" and the website he runs also attacked me on numerous occasions, (most recently in August when Harry's Place urged its readers to write into the Guardian to get me sacked) and also my wife, after she wrote a piece on her childhood experiences of growing up in Hungary. Arguably David T's most disgusting effort (and there are plenty to chose from) was when he posted a highly defamatory comment about someone who had (foolishly it must be said) considered him his friend, the journalist Johann Hari. "David Ts" comment, which was removed after a threat of legal action by Hari, was clearly designed to jeopardise Hari's career. With "friends" like "David T", you certainly don't need enemies.

But while "David T" always talked tough, he was, like all bullies, a coward. While he was always happy to smear and attack those who at least had the guts to write under their own names, he himself operated under an alias, and did all he could to conceal his true identity. The reason he gave to The Guardian was that he did not want to " aggravate" his employer. But that didn't stop "David T" doing all he could to be people into trouble with their employers, as Lenin describes here.

Now, thanks to Lenin, we all know who "David T" is, and who his employer is. And where do you think this self-appointed spokesman of the "decent" left works? For a trade union? A law company that specialises in legal aid? A charity that helps the Third world?

No, David S. Toube, as "David T" is really called, works for the U.S. law firm Cleary, Gottlieb,Steen and Hamilton.

"The company, its website informs us, "is one of the leading international law firms, with 12 closely integrated offices located in major financial centers around the world. For more than 60 years, the firm has been preeminent in shaping the globalization of the legal profession. Our clients include multinational corporations and international financial institutions and sovereign governments and their agencies, as well as domestic corporations and financial institutions in the countries where our offices are located."

Wow, how left-wing can you get!!
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton are also big on privatisation:
,having won the "Privatisation of the Year" award for Latin America in 2002.

"In Cleary Gottlieb’s innovative practice that crosses borders and boundaries, the firm structures and guides the privatization of state-owned enterprises. Our lawyers regularly advise sovereign governments and private sector bidders when state-owned enterprises change hands."

Of course, the fact that his company profits from privatisation has nothing to do with David T's hostility to governments, which instead of privatising, prefer to nationalise, like that of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.

As for David S. Toube himself:

"David S.Toube is an associate based in the London office.
Mr. Toube’s practice focuses on United Kingdom and European regulatory securities law matters, anti-money laundering law and practice, and in particular the Financial Services Authority requirements to which regulated companies are subject. He advises in relation to a broad range of investment banking, fund management, corporate finance and other financial services sector matters. Mr. Toube is a co-author of “A Practitioner's Guide to the FSA Regulation of Investment Banking,” Sweet and Maxwell’s “The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, A practical legal guide” and is a contributor to Oxford University Press’ “Financial Markets and Exchanges Law.”

(I can see now why, in addition to their love of trying to destroy the careers of those who have the temerity to stand up to them, Mr Toube is such good pals with that other City "leftist" the hedge-fund trader Oliver Kamm.)

If you'd like to contact David S. Toube, perhaps for a bit of advice on "fund management", or the legal aspects concerning that $1m of shares in Citibank that you recently bought, his contact details can be found here. I'm sure he provides a very good, and reasonable service.

Or, if, like me, you'd simply like to tell him what a total and utter shit you think he is, his email is: dtoube@cgsh.com.

Do try and keep it as polite as possible.

UPDATE: Here's some more info on David S. Toube.
It seems that according to the Financial Times Style supplement of 30th October 2004, he's a bit of a peacock:

"David Toube, a city lawyer who wears "an unremarkable M &S number" to work yet transforms himself in the evenings with a wide selection of hand-finished creations, all sourced from the back street world of tailors, adds, "If you want fabulous and innovative clothes, the only option is to find a tailor. They are the only people around who really pander to the peacock in the man."

And, although he's quite keen on instigating email campaigns against those who he disagrees with, he doesn't much like being "mailbombed" himself.

The Exile has more on David S. Toube's hypocrisy here.