Murdoch hacking scandal latest

[Lateralthinking1]

She can't be his love child unless he was having an affair when he left his wife, got married again, and had a child with the new one in 1968.

All these people. The people involved. The lot of them. They are totally insane, aren't they? They must be.

Ed needs to leave the greenhouse quickly and get rid of his Murdoch munster. Doesn't want to spoil his saintly status gained justifiably in regard to his expenses.

The NOTW was always a misnomer. There was hardly any world news in it.

Yates looks like someone who wouldn't even sign a leaving card. If you are reading this, you know who you are.

[french frank]

Yates, as in AC John?

He and the recently mentioned Andy Hayman are apparently to appear before the PSC for Home Affairs this week.

The link should work if you're a registered FT subscriber. If not, google: Murdoch Yates

Top hit has links to The Telegraph and the Guardian too.

[Anna]

She can't be his love child unless he was having an affair when he left his wife, got married again, and had a child with her in 1968.

Well, you might think that. I couldn't possibly comment. However, The Dail Maul certainly can:

"Grinning from ear-to-ear, the pair emerged from Murdoch's multi-million pound central London flat for a public walkabout in front of the cameras.
At one point the 80-year-old media tycoon - who has previously said he regards Brooks as a daughter - put a supportive hand on her back.
They then headed off to The Stafford hotel, in Mayfair, for dinner. Neither uttered a word about the closure of the NotW or the loss of 200 jobs"

Hmm.......

[johnb]

This from 18 months ago. So the police acknowledge that it was "unfortunate" that Hayman went to work for NI - even if only as a columnist. Leaving Hayman aside, it will be interesting to discover what the current duties were of the police officers who accepted money from NoW i.e. was the money simply for information ...

Never mind police officers - Kenneth Macdonald, who was head of the CPP during the initial hacking enquiries in 2005, rejoined Matrix Chambers in 2008 and is now acting for the board of News International over allegations that the NotW made inappropriate payments to Metropolitan Police Service officers.

I realise this might be totally above board - but something about it doesn't quite seem 'right'.

And it's worth remembering this - not to change the subject, however.

[Frances_iom]

.
I realise this might be totally above board - but something about it doesn't quite seem 'right'.

I could joke they are all in the funny handshake brigade - basically a small group who can move between jobs - maybe not corrupt in a criminal sense (at least no claims as yet) but all friends/colleagues who may well feel divided loyalties between official roles and personal friendship - too cozy a relationship.

[french frank]

I realise this might be totally above board - but something about it doesn't quite seem 'right'.

I suppose Murdoch can afford to buy the services of whomever he likes. Whether he can 'buy' them otherwise is another matter. Matrix Chambers are said to specialise particularly in human rights. I'm not sure that hacking people's phones amounts to an abuse of human rights but it sounds a rather odd partnership.

[johnb]

Perhaps the ex DPP is pursuing the human rights of News International to be able to bribe the police.

Seems OK to me.

[french frank]

I don't want to sidetrack from the issue, but this did slightly cheer me.

[Bryn]

Surely it is clear that only the mean spirited will have not bought a copy. After all, the profits go to charadee.

[Stunsworth]

It seems to have moved another step nearer to Murdoch...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/10/phone-hacking-investigation-les-hinton

[Russ]

If the new allegations of 9/11 victims being hacked by NoTW have any foundation, the US will react against NI with deep fury. CBS is on the case. Fox will be compromised, and the future of The Wall Street Journal could be uncertain.

Russ

[scottycelt]

The NOTW was always a misnoma. There was hardly any world news in it.

Funny, I've always thought that ... its unofficial (yet possibly more commonly-used) title, 'News of the Screws', was much more accurate ...

[Sydney Grew]

. . . The NOTW was always a misnoma. There was hardly any world news in it. . . .

Misnomer dear. From the old French mes- mistake and nommer to name. So what about the "man of the world"? Is there really much "man" in him? And - not off the topic - it would somewhat assist our analysis would it not were we able to discover whether the "Carry On" moving pictures remain quite as tremendously popular in Britain to-day as they once were.

[Dave2002]

Funny, I've always thought that ... its unofficial (yet possibly more commonly-used) title, 'News of the Screws', was much more accurate ...

Maybe not quite, but this front page might almost give you that impression - http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/notw/public/home/

[Lateralthinking1]

Anna - The proper journalists have now tried to fill in some of the gaps. She is the only child of Robert Wade who was a friend of someone working for Eddie Shah in Warrington. He helped her to get started there as a secretary. Previously, she had completed a six month course at the Sorbonne. Not a degree but, as french frank suggested earlier, in something like a finishing school. Her macabre absence of voice in public continues. By all accounts, she had plenty to say in the office. I couldn't comment on her contributions to writing. I doubt that I have ever read one of her sentences. It would be interesting to know if this is the style of those in her position at other Murdoch papers. It is a bit like a parent who says "I can contact you by whatever method whenever I like but if you want to hear from me I am generally unavailable".

Sydney - You are quite right about "misnomer". I had a Grauniad moment and have now corrected it. I did know the spelling but my mind just went a bit blank. I am not changing "NOTW" to "NOW" just as I write "FOTE" instead of "FOE" for Friends of the Earth. "The" is as good a word as any and it is one of my many irritating sticking points. I saw that someone had said "they think it's all over.....it is "NOW"." Quite where that leaves Radio 4's "The Now Show" is anyone's guess. You mention the "Carry On" films". I have not taken part in the discussions about where a woman's place might be because I have my views and they are very different from yours. I wouldn't howl you down though as life would be a dull place if we all agreed. I try to take something positive from any comments if I can. What I can accept - and the same is true of, say, immigration - is that there are grey areas in anything, particularly in terms of economic impacts, which are best considered beyond inflexible attitudes and knee-jerk reactions.

french frank - Yes Yates as in AC Yates. I don't know him but have known the type. They tend to be at the heart of the Establishment with important and often sensitive roles, are generally eloquent networkers, and decent enough in their sphere. They are though more shadowy than they appear and personally constrained by their advocacy of all that goes on for better and for worse. Their moral compasses tend to be blunt instruments. As for Yates, himself, I am not bowled over by his latest. I react badly to responsible adults using language which might suggest juvenile emotions in their authority. So when he says that his decision in 2009 not to reopen a previous Met investigation was a “pretty crap one”, I sort of shudder because it doesn't sound, well, very mature. It also seems fake when he expresses “massive regret”. The stress there is quite different. Furthermore, there is an inference that it is the impacts on the Dowlers that has led to the volte face rather than genuine concerns about illegality.

More generally. I feel Stephenson needs to answer questions. Why did he dine with News Corp people thirteen times? What was discussed? This one will go down like a lead balloon but I think that there is some sort of argument that any investigation should be undertaken by an international team and include a review of the British police. Whatever the legal issues, I am particularly concerned that especially close ties between Murdoch and police forces could mean that the latter are not institutionally neutral politically. It would be useful to have a European perspective too on any breaches of human rights. I see that Julian Assange begins his fight against extradition today. The Murdoch people must be delighted with the timing.