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Paul Staines

Paul Staines (born 11 February 1967) is an English-born Irish right-wing political blogger. He is the writer of the pseudonymous "Guido Fawkes" blog, described by The Daily Telegraph as "one of Britain's leading political blogsites" in 2007.Staines acquired an interest in politics as a libertarian in the 1980s and promoted acid house parties in the early 1990s. He then spent several years in finance, first as a broker then as a trader. In 2001 he sued his fund's financial backer in a commercial dispute. Consequently Staines declared himself bankrupt in October 2003 after two years of litigation, and legal costs on both sides running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.In September 2004, Staines began the "Guido Fawkes Blog of plots, rumours and conspiracy" with the masthead slogan "tittle tattle, gossip and rumours about Westminster's Mother of Parliaments. Written from the perspective of the only man to enter parliament with honest intentions. The intention being to blow it up with gunpowder..."In 2006, Staines co-founded MessageSpace, a digital advertising agency which operates an advertising network representing dozens of leading political websites. MessageSpace also advises political clients on digital campaigning using social media. In 2012 it advised the successful Boris Johnson London mayoral campaign. Private Eye reported in June 2012 that MessageSpace was advising the Russian Embassy in London on using social media.St Kitts and Nevis-based Global & General Nominees Limited (GGN) publishes the Guido Fawkes Blog. Staines describes himself as an "adviser" to GGN. Global & General Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited owns 75% of MessageSpace Limited, an Irish company of which Staines is managing director.