Oh he is in it up to his conkers, no doubt. And Dancin’ Dave will be tearing his hair out trying to sidestep the embarrassment. To be honest though, I think the attachment to the PM is something that Labour will try to capitalise on but it really isn’t the main focus of the public’s anger, and anyway…how clean are Labour’s hands?
Thesunonsunday registered two days ago,
http://webwhois.nic.uk/cgi-bin/whois.cgi?query=thesunonsunday.co.uk.
He has been being questioned for a day or so. In these situations a formal notification of arrest is often made. He will then turn himself in at a pre arranged time. He is one of the social elite. We don’t do perp walks for them.
I’ve no idea, he could maybe try? Wouldn’t look good if he did.
NI leaks force the police’s hand. Coulson definitely to be arrested tomorrow, along with another unnamed former senior journalist at the NotW. Sun sub-editors have come out on strike in support of their sacked NotW colleagues and how they were treated. NotW staff go apeshit at Brooks, apparently has to be escorted out of the building, in tears, with bodyguards for her own protection.
It’s a whole other thread but, no. Just no. It’s a complete furphy that irritates me every time I see it.
That may be just the publishers of the already existing Sun on Sunday pre-empting any other registrations from the Murdoch Sun that happens to publish on a Sunday.
Maybe things could change a bit. We all expect underhand tactics from tabloids, but this was so underhand that it reached right round to their arses. The media is changing a lot in terms of who we expect to write the stories and how we expect to read them; there’s no reason to expect a status quo about how those writers go about getting those stories.
I was sceptical that the treatment of the royal family would become less intrusive after Diana’s death, but I was wrong.
Guys, just a reminder, posting on a message board about how enraged you are is cathartic, but ultimately useless in the scheme of things. Writing to your MP, the PMs office and Nick Clegg may actually get something done. The Conservatives are extremely vulnerable here. Further, you may also like to consider why we, as a nation, allow individuals who are not even allowed to vote in this country such influence over our democratic processes via ownership of tabloid newspapers. Murdoch’s a naturalised American for a reason.
Chortle tee hee. Good one.
Why? He’s pushing for a judge-led inquiry that the Conservatives are resisting. Further, the Lib Dems are the only party that appear to not be infested with MPs compromised by NI (largely because until recently they were an irrelevance). The Cons are extremely vulnerable. Coulson’s links with Cameron, and his friendship with Brooks, mean an election is up in the air if the Lib Dems threaten to walk out.
Rebekah Brooks will only be thrown under the bus if shutting down the NotW still causes the NewsCorp/BSkyB acquisition to be stopped.
Which I don’t think is a good thing.
I’d prefer a degree of stability for the next few years and considering that Labour are a shambles (and were equally as cosy in bed with the Murdoch press) A new election now wouldn’t leave the country in a better position.
Anyhow, seeking to use this issue as a political lever seems a little off. The most important thing is to focus on the ensuring Murdoch gets what coming to him (and Rebecca Brooks as well).
And consider, Cameron will have to be seen to be cutting links with NI in order to retain credibility. That increases the probablity of firm action and Cameron’s announcement this morning of a inquiry led by a judge seems to point to this. To quote the Guardian.
I did think that the decision to close the NOTW doesn’t fool anyone for a second. The current crop of journalists don’t deserve that, the public knows exactly where the blame and the responsibility lies…Murdoch, Murdoch, Coulson and Brooks.
I agree - but we shouldn’t be fooled for a moment by the ‘this was all in the past’ line, so the entire ‘current crop’ isn’t in the clear at all. It’s obvious that the Murdoch’s condone what’s been going on, but the continuing exclusive scoops aren’t coming from above board investigative journalism, but from stings and surrepticious dealing. The only way this can be stopped effectively is by the public ceasing to buy sleazy tabloids, especially the NoTW replacement and the People.
Skip’s point about the BSkyB acquisition, is, I think, spot on. That’s why Brooks is being held back - should that go under, which Miliband this morning was saying should be questioned, then she’ll go, without a doubt.
The thing about Rebekah Brooks is, it seems to me, that whilst she holds onto her job she can draw any fire from James Murdoch. He seems to be the heir apparent, and whilst she is in a senior exec position and drawing all the ire, he can appear to keep his hands clean.
If she goes (and according to Cameron’s press conference this morning she seems to have offered her resignation and had it refused) and it doesn’t quiet the criticism, some of it may head Junior Murdoch’s way.
BBC has confirmed Coulson arrested. The usual “Man aged blah blah in custody …”.
According to the business pages, the “arbitrageurs” are betting that Jeremy [del]C[/del]Hunt will find an excuse to delay making a decision on the BSkyB deal until December but will ultimately approve it. Keep pushing…
A joke going the rounds is that Murdoch has got rid of the wrong red-top.
Very true, I do mean that the current NOTW journalist don’t deserve the blame for *this *issue. Though they still worked for an organisation and a paper that has questionable standards of ethics.
Everyone who buys a tabloid is tacitly approving of these standards of journalism.
You don’t buy, they don’t survive.
Someone did that one on Question Time last night.
One of the posters on here asked about the licensing of private investigators. I think the position is that you don’t have to have a licence to be a PI in the UK. Perhaps that can be looked at in one of those public enquiries being set up.