268 replies to this topic

[Wilfrid]

Political Editor of the Daily Telegraph tells it like it is to the Prime Minister.

Until now it has been easy to argue that Mr Cameron was properly grounded with a decent set of values. Unfortunately, it is impossible to make that assertion any longer. He has made not one, but a long succession of chronic personal misjudgments.

That's from the Telegraph, an opinion piece plausibly described as the strongest attack ever made by that newspaper on a Conservative Prime Minister.

This ain't a molehill and it looks like there's much more to come about Brooks, Coulsen, Cameron et al.

[LML]

I'll stick up for NOTW. Although shamelessly prurient and bought almost exclusively by cretins, the editorial line did a fine job of demolishing the golden wall between the arrogance of the successful and powerful and the minions over whom these individuals sought to exercise their influence.

The UK has long been a nation peculiarly, although not entirely, free from hypocrisy and corruption. Hopefully, the death of the NOTW will not be understood as Cameron's excision of the remaining testicle of the working classes in a process initiated by his Jocasta, Thatcher. Sadly, though, I fear this is the case.

[Stone]

Political Editor of the Daily Telegraph tells it like it is to the Prime Minister.

Until now it has been easy to argue that Mr Cameron was properly grounded with a decent set of values. Unfortunately, it is impossible to make that assertion any longer. He has made not one, but a long succession of chronic personal misjudgments.

That's from the Telegraph, an opinion piece plausibly described as the strongest attack ever made by that newspaper on a Conservative Prime Minister.

This ain't a molehill and it looks like there's much more to come about Brooks, Coulsen, Cameron et al.

Golly. I wonder what Mr. Oborne would say about Mr. Murdoch's employment of the entire Republican leadership.

[Wilfrid]

Fox is fortunate that Democrats lost the chairmanship of committees, or its executives might well find themselves called up to answer whether they've ever used phone hacking techniques to get stories.

More fun today. Coulson under arrest, Goodman arrested again, and Rebeka Brooks, addressing the poor suckers who have just been thrown out of work, tells them that she sees more revelations about criminal activity coming down the road and that it will be obvious a year from now why the paper had to be closed.

Meanwhile, the minister responsible for reviewing the BSkyB bid has received over a quarter of a million objections from the public, leading him to postpone a decision which is now politically very difficult.

[Wilfrid]

I'll stick up for NOTW. Although shamelessly prurient and bought almost exclusively by cretins, the editorial line did a fine job of demolishing the golden wall between the arrogance of the successful and powerful and the minions over whom these individuals sought to exercise their influence.

And the public seems to have tolerated its dodgy tactics for years when the purpose was to expose celebrities, politicians and crooks. Plod got involved when they started hacking the Royal Family.

Spying on the parents of a murdered girl and the families of the war dead was terminally stupid though.

[g.johnson]

Spying on the parents of a murdered girl and the families of the war dead was terminally stupid though.

Although there's a lot of hypocrisy in the horror displayed by the tabloids (who have never, ever, doorstepped a grieving family), the one utterly callous thing that the NoW did was deleting saved messages on the dead girl's phone thereby giving the family and police the impression that she might be still using it.

[Wilfrid]

I agree. I think it's evident in David Cameron's remarks at the press conference that everyone has been going along with increasingly shoddy behavior and inappropriately close relationships between govt and press for years.

Then it jumped the shark.

ETA: Equally evident from Brooks's comments today that there's a whole swathe of criminal activity we don't even know about yet.

[g.johnson]

Police investigate deletion of emails.

News International originally claimed that the archive of emails did not exist. Last December, its Scottish editor, Bob Bird, told the trial of Tommy Sheridan in Glasgow that the emails had been lost en route to Mumbai

Bob Bird and Scottish judges being so au courant they believe email archives are sent in packing cases.

[Wilfrid]

Can this get any more outrageous? It seems the police know the individual responsible for the email deletion but aren't giving out the name yet. It is going to be somebody very high up. They would be well advised to travel with a toothbrush for the time being. Courts don't tolerate willful destruction of evidence.

BSkyB's shares are not doing well. John Prescott has tweeted (yes!) that this destruction of evidence should bar News Corp for taking over any new businesses. I think that deal is dead.

[Lex]

Fox is fortunate that Democrats lost the chairmanship of committees, or its executives might well find themselves called up to answer whether they've ever used phone hacking techniques to get stories.

In the House, not the Senate. That door is still open.

I may be wrong but besides outright lies and distortions the USA branch of the Murdoch empire hasn't engaged in the same illegal behavior. Earlier this week Keith Olbermann asked an author who recently wrote a book that was critical of Murdoch specifically about that type of behavior. The author didn't know of anything but thought that other news organizations will be digging for stuff now that there's blood in the water.

[Anthony Bonner]

Fox is fortunate that Democrats lost the chairmanship of committees, or its executives might well find themselves called up to answer whether they've ever used phone hacking techniques to get stories.

In the House, not the Senate. That door is still open.

I may be wrong but besides outright lies and distortions the USA branch of the Murdoch empire hasn't engaged in the same illegal behavior. Earlier this week Keith Olbermann asked an author who recently wrote a book that was critical of Murdoch specifically about that type of behavior. The author didn't know of anything but thought that other news organizations will be digging for stuff now that there's blood in the water.

most of his empire in the US is more "serious", not to mention not really in the scoop business. The tabloid business also isn't as competitive a market as the UK. I mean I'm sure the Post has paid for celeb gossip. Also the US legal system is much more open about the details of case then the UK legal system is, so less incentive to buy off cops - tho I'm sure they are happy to pick up lots of bar tabs.

already hearing stories of merger arbs getting killed on BSB.

[Lex]

What if the trail leads to Murdoch himself? He approved, at least indirectly, the huge cash settlements of previous cases. He doesn't seem like the type of laid back guy who would pay out big bucks and not want to know the details.

[Australian accent]"Is there anything else we've done that will jump out and bite me in the arse?"[/Australian accent]

The line from the Watergate scandal still applies. What did Murdoch know and when did he know it?

The other line also holds true. It's not the crime, it's the coverup.

[Anthony Bonner]

What if the trail leads to Murdoch himself? He approved, at least indirectly, the huge cash settlements of previous cases. He doesn't seem like the type of laid back guy who would pay out big bucks and not want to know the details.

[Australian accent]"Is there anything else we've done that will jump out and bite me in the arse?"[/Australian accent]

The line from the Watergate scandal still applies. What did Murdoch know and when did he know it?

The other line also holds true. It's not the crime, it's the coverup.

its an interesting question. a more interesting question is if the son/heir apparent gets sucked into it. He's chased away any other likely candidates, and Rupert is 80.

If Rupert and his son get caught I wouldn't be surprised to see a break up. Also Rupert singlehandely keeps the Post alive - its money losing. A new CEO or owner won't have the emotional attachment to it.

Good article from Ken Auletta about Rupert's reticence to do what he really needs to do to cut bait, fire Rebekah Wade.

[Wilfrid]

What if the trail leads to Murdoch himself? He approved, at least indirectly, the huge cash settlements of previous cases. He doesn't seem like the type of laid back guy who would pay out big bucks and not want to know the details.

Before we even get there, what about James? He should have known what was going on with those payments.

ETA: Cross-posted with AB. Who knows, but I don't see any reason Rupert should have been in the loop on this. The BSkyB deal is looking extremely unlikely. The public outcry would be unbelievable, and although the minister is following "procedure," he is also a politician.

[Lex]

Good article from Ken Auletta about Rupert's reticence to do what he really needs to do to cut bait, fire Rebekah Wade.

Watergate again. Nixon resisted firing Haldeman and Erlichman, his top aides, for way too long. If he had done it right away he would have spared himself lots of heat. By the time he did it he got very little benefit.

I've got to read that article.