Murdoch hacking scandal latest

[Frances_iom]

By the way, can someone explain this:

- Vince Cable says he is opposed to the Murdoch BSkyB deal going through and responsibility for the deal is taken away from him.

- Jeremy Hunt had repeatedly said (on TV, etc) that he didn't see any problems with the deal and was in favour of it going through. He was then given the "quasi-judicial" responsibility.

different parties - different criteria - the latter can be (could have been?) relied upon to exercise his correct judgement in this case

ETA - now asademic the Murdoch has withdrawn offer to dispose of Sky News thus forcing a reference to competition commision - gains a year or so delay (+ hope that all goes quiet - no doubt friends in Gov will help here) but also having disposed of NoW maybe can now claim that no longer the monopoy he was (however with the Sun + the Times not so sure as suspect the Sun + the SoS that will undoubtibly replace the NOW should see a higher % of national UK papers.
A week is a very long time!

[french frank]

Well, well, full of surprises today: Murdoch withdraws his undertaking to spin off Sky News, Hunt refers the bid to the Competition Commission, and News Corp opt for a delay rather than throw in the towel.

[Stunsworth]

Regardless of what you may think of the man's politics, I find this particularly loathsome. Surely this is enough to get the plods onto her case...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/11/phone-hacking-news-international-gordon-brown

"In October 2006, the then editor of the Sun, Rebekah Brooks, contacted the Browns to tell them that they had obtained details from the medical file of their four-month-old son, Fraser, which revealed that the boy was suffering from cystic fibrosis".

[johnb]

... and presumably Murdoch avoids any consideration of whether News Corp is a fit and proper organisation?

[Anna]

I've been a bit preoccupied today to keep up with the latest events, but that (as reported by Steve) is beyond belief.

Now, oodles of posts ago french frank posted about a petition by 38 degrees and it seems, there is (or was to be, apologies if I am not up to speed) a vote in Parliament about the SkyBsB situation and the latest petition is to email your MP. The link is here but again, apologies if the vote will no longer take place due to fast changing circumstances Edit: Oh, what the hell, I have emailed my MP!

http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2011/07/11/breaking-news-vote-on-murdochs-bskyb-power-grab/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+38DegreesBlog-PeoplePowerChange+%2838+Degrees+-+people.+power.+change.%29

[Frances_iom]

Regardless of what you may think of the man's politics, I find this particularly loathsome....

it is the action of a corporate entity that is out of control - a belief that they are above the law - leads very quickly to a fascist state(in Mussolini's definition) whereby the state is run for the benefit of such corporate entities and those few who control them - look at USA at present and the influence that lobbyists have in Washington.

[Lateralthinking1]

Yes, Anna, that's good. Several of us are already on their e-mailing list. The starting point was probably forests. And then there is this - http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...s-gordon-brown. That would be a questionable judiciary then along with the banks, the police, the media, the Government. Note how we haven't heard yet from Gus O'Donnell - GOD to his mates. Wasn't it the senior civil service that agreed to the appointment of Coulson under his watch?

It was a good day to bury bad news and those in charge did their best. PM unveils white paper that pledges to allow private providers to deliver more public services. UK terror threat down to "substantial". Search and rescue plans unveiled. Oh, there was a lot of unveiling but all of this was swamped by the events, dear boy, events. Certainly the Brown contribution puts out The Sun. Hurrah. There is something of the night about him. A blow to the Sun on Sunday? Here's hoping. And, hey, maybe Brooks is now within the remit of Operation Weeting too. Who knows? FOI reply still awaited.

By all accounts, Hunt had no option. The withdrawal of the assurances meant that the television tussle legally had to go to the Competition Competition. Murdoch wanted to kick it into the long grass. Perhaps that suits the Tories as well. Labour and the Lib Dems need to get constitutional. Just as Cameron said "only we can sort out the financial disaster", the others must present themselves as being the saviours of all the democratic institutions. The PM has already described it as "this mess". Let the quotable own goals continue as his immense irritation grows.

[StephenO]

... and presumably Murdoch avoids any consideration of whether News Corp is a fit and proper organisation?

Presumably. I find the whole sordid business totally disgusting. If I read a Murdoch paper (which I don't) or subscribed to Sky (which I don't either) I'd stop doing so immediately.

[french frank]

Presumably. I find the whole sordid business totally disgusting. If I read a Murdoch paper (which I don't) or subscribed to Sky (which I don't either) I'd stop doing so immediately.

That highlights the whole reason why Rebekah Brooks (or someone higher) should resign. It's nothing to do with whether she's 'guilty' or 'innocent' as she seems to think, whether she knew or didn't know. It's that in any company of that size when something goes so seriously wrong, someone very senior has to take full responsibility promptly for the sake of employees and others who depend for their living on the company.

With the Sunday Times now brought into the allegations, I can't help mouthing The Sun's most memorable one-word splash headline. But I suppose it's premature

[Mr Pee]

Presumably. I find the whole sordid business totally disgusting. If I read a Murdoch paper (which I don't) or subscribed to Sky (which I don't either) I'd stop doing so immediately.

A bit of a fatuous argument then. It's easy to say you'll give something up that you don't have. I,for example, intend to cut down on my consumption of Beluga caviare.

I buy the Sunday Times, and I also have a Sky subscripton; and I definitely intend to continue with both. The Sunday Times is far and away the best Sunday newspaper, and Sky TV makes the BBC look distinctly second-rate.

The self- righteous crowing from the usual quarters over this is as predictable as is it is hypocritical. There's no denying that the actions of the NOTW were reprehensible, but let's not pretend that other newspapers outside the Murdoch stable have not been guilty of similar underhand activities.

The left in general, and some MPs in particular, have been waiting to knock Murdoch off his perch for many years, and now they smell blood they're like a dog with a bone. It's almost as unpleasant to behold as the whole sorry saga itself.

[scottycelt]

Presumably. I find the whole sordid business totally disgusting. If I read a Murdoch paper (which I don't) or subscribed to Sky (which I don't either) I'd stop doing so immediately.

Yes, so would I if I were in your position, Stephen ... no loss, no problem, so no issue.

I feel exactly like you do, but only last month we had a brand new satellite dish installed and have a brand new big television stuck on the wall to complement SKY PLUS HD so the wife can watch the increasingly-awful Coronation Street in HD and, er, it also just happens to be in nice time for the new Scottish football season as well.

Naturally, we are now under contract with SKY, so telling this wretched organisation to 'get stuffed' would simply be cutting off our lovely big noses to spite our ugly and angry red faces..

We have to live in this world as we find it, unfortunately ... and sometimes some of us might have wished we never found it at all.

[Stunsworth]

...but let's not pretend that other newspapers outside the Murdoch stable have not been guilty of similar underhand activities.

I'm sure that they _have_ used similar tactics, and I hope they receive similar treatment.

[amateur51]

A bit of a fatuous argument then. It's easy to say you'll give something up that you don't have. I,for example, intend to cut down on my consumption of Beluga caviare.

I buy the Sunday Times, and I also have a Sky subscripton; and I definitely intend to continue with both. The Sunday Times is far and away the best Sunday newspaper, and Sky TV makes the BBC look distinctly second-rate.

The self- righteous crowing from the usual quarters over this is as predictable as is it is hypocritical. There's no denying that the actions of the NOTW were reprehensible, but let's not pretend that other newspapers outside the Murdoch stable have not been guilty of similar underhand activities.

The left in general, and some MPs in particular, have been waiting to knock Murdoch off his perch for many years, and now they smell blood they're like a dog with a bone. It's almost as unpleasant to behold as the whole sorry saga itself.

Oh dear! Diddums!

Unenlightened self-interest rules!

[Lateralthinking1]

Sometimes there is a bigger point that absolutely everyone misses. So it was with me until five minutes ago.

Imagine if any of us had run a small company and the kinds of things mentioned had occurred on the premises. We said we didn't know about them and genuinely didn't know. Would we still be arrested because we were the owners? I think the answer is yes. Should we therefore not be asking why it is that Murdoch hasn't been?

[Mr Pee]

Oh dear! Diddums!

Unenlightened self-interest rules!

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/guardian-readers-finally-get-excuse-to-buy-a-tabloid-201107114058/