Murdoch: Ouf! Is this meltdown?

[scottycelt]

Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator at the centre of the News of the World phone hacking, has been ordered by a court to reveal who instructed him to access the voicemails of model Elle MacPherson and five other public figures including Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes

Disgraceful!! ... ordering the poor soul? ... I just can't stand all this disgusting 'zero-tolerance' shown by the courts and judges right now to convicted phone-hackers ... way over the top ... I'm sure Lib Dem Deputy Leader Hughes will agree ... :winkeye:

[amateur51]

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson was paid by the paper's parent company while working as the Tories' spokesman, the BBC has learned. News International paid the Conservatives' former communications director a severance package worth several hundred thousand pounds. Mr Coulson, who has been arrested on suspicion of phone hacking, also had continued access to healthcare

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14627871

It appears that Mr Coulson was hired by the then opposition Conservative party in July 2007 for a reported salary of £275,000.:yikes:

And they have the nerve to moan about certain 'excessive' Local Authority salaries :doh:

This one is running .. and running ..and :ok::smiley:

[Serial_Apologist]

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson was paid by the paper's parent company while working as the Tories' spokesman, the BBC has learned. News International paid the Conservatives' former communications director a severance package worth several hundred thousand pounds. Mr Coulson, who has been arrested on suspicion of phone hacking, also had continued access to healthcare

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14627871

It appears that Mr Coulson was hired by the then opposition Conservative party in July 2007 for a reported salary of £275,000.:yikes:

And they have the nerve to moan about certain 'excessive' Local Authority salaries :doh:

This one is running .. and running ..and :ok::smiley:

And er, to suggest that those continued payments from NI were for purposes of influence on Tory policy... well, that would be outrageous!

[amateur51]

And er, to suggest that those continued payments from NI were for purposes of influence on Tory policy... well, that would be outrageous!

Dabnabbit, S_A I tried to throw you off the scent but you just had to go there ..... :ok::laugh:

[french frank]

It appears that Mr Coulson was hired by the then opposition Conservative party in July 2007 for a reported salary of £275,000.:yikes:

The interesting point about that is that there could be a sliding scale: the less you pay someone, the more likely you are to get someone honest.

[Serial_Apologist]

The interesting point about that is that there could be a sliding scale: the less you pay someone, the more likely you are to get someone honest.

If I'm not mistaken, French Frank is being ironic :biggrin:

[Flosshilde]

Originally Posted by Simon
Indeed Mr P.

Single-issue comments from single-track minds.

Well, I certainly won't pardon or overlook it either from you or from Mr Pee. To begin with, I see no problem whatsoever with single-issue comments when a single issue is being discussed and, if the minds of those addressing such issues are on track and focussed, they will be single-track ones for the duration of that focus and attention.

As to Mr Pee's predictable response (why are so many of his responses predictable?), there are plenty of other topics here in which no one necessarily quotes from any journal at all and, in any case, not all journal quotes in this and similar threads have been from the Guardian. For anyone to be a "usual suspect" there has first to be someone to do the suspecting and something that the "suspect" has done that might reasonably arouse "suspicion"; the use of that term is thus at best unhelpful in the present context and certainly adds nothing useful to the discussion.

One has to assume that Simon & Mr P approve of the extensive hacking by journalists on the NotW, & the power RM has wielded over politicians?

[ahinton]

One has to assume that Simon & Mr P approve of the extensive hacking by journalists on the NotW, & the power RM has wielded over politicians?

One could do so, I suppose, but if "common sense" (if I dare misappropriate that phrase that was once so signally misused in another now-defunct place) is to prevail it might be better not to assume anything about the views of either of these members in any context and to wait instead to see what they have to say for themselves, although at least one of the two has more than once suggested that he has no idea what all the fuss is about, which admission probably tells most of us what we'd rather not have to know, presumably...

[french frank]

If I'm not mistaken, French Frank is being ironic :biggrin:

Not really. I assume that anyone who's earning a fat wad hasn't got where they are 100% honestly (politicians and people in the media, I mean). Wanting to be rich must provide a great temptation to discard one's scruples :smiley:

[scottycelt]

Dabnabbit, S_A I tried to throw you off the scent but you just had to go there ..... :ok::laugh:

It is, of course, wholly uncharacteristic of myself to be at all picky and precise, but don't you actually mean 'dagnabbit', amateur ... ? :winkeye:

[vinteuil]

It is, of course, wholly uncharacteristic of myself to be at all picky and precise, but don't you actually mean 'dagnabbit', amateur ... ? :winkeye:

It is said that the last words of the great neoclassical critic, grammarian, and Jesuit priest Dominique Bouhours were - « Je vais ou je vas mourir, l'un et l'autre se dit ou se disent. » ["I am going to die, or I am dying - the one and the other is or are correct."]

I understand the same is true of "dagnabbit" and "dabnabbit" - both usages are reported. .:rose: . :peacedove:

[scottycelt]

Vinteuil, I have been, therefore, most badly advised by my leading search engine and therefore apologise to Amateur51, quite unreservedly ...

However, I must point out that, neoclassical critics notwithstanding, the views of both grammarians and Jesuit priests have never been known to particularly excite the imagination of, or exert any influence whatsoever on some of the more active members of this Forum. :winkeye:

Nevertheless, it would be churlish of myself not to thank you profusely for your otherwise most helpful and corrective contribution. :ok:

[vinteuil]

... mind you, I much prefer 'dagnabbit'... I s'pose it's a sort of variant of 'Gordon Bennett!!' :smiley:

[amateur51]

I confess that you were correct with your initial post, scotty - I had intended to to trype dagnabbit (in homage to the great Deputy Dawg, of course) but, suffering as I do from Phat Phinger Syndrome, I mis-typed (thank you Secretary Clinton! :smiley:).

However, I am also grateful to vinteuil for the news that dab or dag , both are valid - -YAY! :laugh:

[amateur51]

In a move designed to capitalise on the embarrassment the phone-hacking scandal has heaped on the government, Labour said there was still a possibility that Rupert Murdoch could reopen his bid and the law should be changed to allow ministers to block it. Ivan Lewis, the shadow culture secretary, will introduce a negative motion when parliament returns next week, which – if approved by all parties – could go ahead without a vote.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/aug/28/labour-law-stop-bskyb-bid