Murdoch: Ouf! Is this meltdown?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

struth what a Sunday! .... Brooks is still being questioned in the nick 11 hours after her arrest at noon .... the Plod lost the boss and Boris got on the news!

George Osborne is very very quiet .... the dog that did not bark .... he and Letwin are the brains of the outfit did they help pick Coulson?

by Thursday the world could be in financial meltdown so it will run until at least Wednesday

[Stunsworth]

Well, it was apparently the Guardian's 'fantasy' that Brown swallowed, and they were the ones who had to apologise to The Sun :sadface:

Indeed, in his interview to the BBC and in his speech to the Commons he wondered how the details had been 'leaked' to the Sun, but I can't recall him actually saying that his son's medical records had been hacked.

As for Cameron, he's been keeping far to low a profile IMHO, missing parliamentary debates and letting others answer specific questions. If I were a betting man I'd put 10p on Murdoch Jnr, then Murdoch Snr, and then Cameron being gone before the summer is over.

[Stunsworth]

George Osborne is very very quiet .... the dog that did not bark .... he and Letwin are the brains of the outfit did they help pick Coulson?

The story I've heard is that Coulson was recommended by Osborne. If you've seen any video of the government front bench over the last couple of weeks Osborne looks increasingly detached - to the extent that I wondered if he was on some kind of medication.

[Anna]

Indeed, in his interview to the BBC and in his speech to the Commons he wondered how the details had been 'leaked' to the Sun, but I can't recall him actually saying that his son's medical records had been hacked..

Evidently, according to all latest Press reports, it was another parent, whose child had also been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the same hospital who overhead a conversation and leaked it to the press to raise awareness of the disease.

[johnb]

Evidently, according to all latest Press reports, it was another parent, whose child had also been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the same hospital who overhead a conversation and leaked it to the press to raise awareness of the disease.

Pretty loathsome behaviour - but no doubt he received a nice cheque.

[Lateralthinking1]

Every time I wake up, everything has changed again. If this is a witch hunt, it is different from the McCarthyite eras in that it is being led by the electorate and was not precipitated top down. In essence, it is not a war on right-wing forces. Major had no truck with Murdoch. Blair was all over him. It is about democratic accountability and decent human treatment.

The silent ones - I have asked on the BBC site why no questions have been raised about any possible connections between NI and other parts of the establishment. Could we have a statement from Gus O'Donnell about the extent of his dinners etc, if any, and any meetings between the Permanent Secretaries and NI? Statements too please from Mervyn King and whoever is currently in charge of RBS etc. Also, what of the heads of the Local Authorities, some of whom originally worked in Government Departments, and the managers of PPPs? This isn't the US. It is little Britain so it wouldn't be that difficult to do comprehensively. If ever there was a time to review the lot constitutionally, it has to be now.

Stephenson - I'm not convinced by his statement. The "I didn't know". Huh? Knowing is partially why large salaries are paid! In fairness, he has stepped down but his willing entry into an arena known for its politicism looks more than naive. Acceptance of hospitality, having not just a business relationship but a matey one - these must have been assessed from a cross-institutional point of view surely? Hard not to see it as a part of a highly coordinated reconfiguration of the establishment's machinery.

Brooks arrest - No current view. Is she a shield for the institutional arrangements or highly influential? There may always be some mystery. An ambitious young woman could find herself with more power than she could ever have imagined, and had difficulties with measure, particularly given powerful employers. Equally, she could feasibly be a part of the broader framework with some sort of agent role, if I might put it like that. She seems to have had more contacts than even Mandelson ever did!

Assange - Does anyone know the extent to which Assange had investigated the Murdoch empire and what any documents released by him have had to say? If the journos view developments on him with a silo mentality, I just fear that there could be some very interesting and useful information disappearing with him. At least questions could be asked.

Osborne - Yes, quiet! Parliamentary appearances bizarre. It could be overload. Coping with the economy and all of this too. Many have said he was highly influential in the Coulson appointment. There may not be another Minister who was closer to NI. The occasional patting of Cameron on the back - arguably the only non-peculiar aspect of his Commons demeanour - might suggest some feeling of responsibility. Neither can risk a Blair-Brown type fallout. I have read with astonishment that some journalists think he could ultimately replace Cameron by being silent. It may be the wheels turning in his mind that we are seeing. I should have thought that the person who comes through the strongest for future leadership is Boris. These really are his lucky days.

Labour - I keep changing my mind about the intervention by Gordon Brown. Hasn't this partially right and partially wrong thing been the big problem? Miliband was at it when not marching with the students and in attempting to find a middle way on public sector strikes. Has anyone had a big look at "Middle England" recently? Manifestos would best be drawn up without thinking just of warm beer and cricket greens. I mention this ambivalent tendency in Labour because it is happening again over Tom Baldwin. Quite what is the point of holding onto him? Miliband was decent on expenses. His quiet, persistent, managerial, style is starting to counteract his mannerisms to look more appealing to voters. He does though need to break all associations with the NI albatross.

[scottycelt]

As quite a few former police officers have already pointed out on TV and Radio, if any of them had accepted as much as a free hamburger from the local takeaway they might have found themselves in deep trouble from their senior bosses.

Stephenson's constant boasting that his 'integrity is intact' may well be true, but if that is indeed the case he has then only demonstrated his quite incredible naivety and stupidity for someone in his job. Did he seriously believe he received a £12,000 'freebie' because he was 'a friend' and not because of the vitally important (and highly-paid) public post he held? Yet another mind-boggling example of the often poor current standards of senior managers in both the public and private sector in the UK, I fear.

As for Cameron, he has one heck of a lot to explain. Why give a 'second chance' and a job to someone with a sleazy past when there must have been hundreds with a clean record who were apparently never even given the privilege of 'a first chance' ?

The whole thing stinks to high heaven ... or alternatively, and being slightly more charitable, the country currently appears to be run by a quite extraordinary cabal of village idiots. :sadface:

[MrGongGong]

talking of which
isn't that Boris on r4 at the moment ?

which probably means that we need more investigative journalism not less !:sadface:

[Lateralthinking1]

Yes - indeed it is Boris on 4 and he had some interesting thoughts about Yates. There could be another "development" by the end of today.

I would assume that many people on this site are between the ages of 40 and 70.

Can I just issue a wholehearted and sincere apology on behalf of our generations for tolerating the principal levers of power in this country being held by individuals who have effectively smashed it to smithereens. This is very obviously a matter of the deepest regret.

(Incidentally, the same person who is waiting on the FOI website whatdotheyknow.com for a delayed response on the ToR for Operation Weeting - NOT me under a different name - has now asked DWP for all documentation on any meetings since 2006 between civil servants there and News International.)

[mangerton]

As quite a few former police officers have already pointed out on TV and Radio, if any of them had accepted as much as a free hamburger from the local takeaway they might have found themselves in deep trouble from their senior bosses.

Yes. and exactly the same thing goes for civil servants - except of course for those at the top.

Stephenson's constant boasting that his 'integrity is intact' may well be true, but if that is indeed the case he has then only demonstrated his quite incredible naivety and stupidity for someone in his job. Did he seriously believe he received a £12,000 'freebie' because he was 'a friend' and not because of the vitally important (and highly-paid) public post he held?

Integrity intact? The self-delusion of these characters is frightening. There was a novel defence of Stephenson's behaviour on the R4 news at lunchtime yesterday. The person being interviewed said the freebie was a Good Thing, especially just now, because it saved the public purse.

[scottycelt]

Yes. and exactly the same thing goes for civil servants - except of course for those at the top.



Integrity intact? The self-delusion of these characters is frightening. There was a novel defence of Stephenson's behaviour on the R4 news at lunchtime yesterday. The person being interviewed said the freebie was a Good Thing, especially just now, because it saved the public purse.

Yes, mangerton, I've heard similar stuff to that as well.

As to accepting free gifts at work from outsiders, even lowly shop workers are often not allowed to accept as much as a box of chocolates from a satisfied customer as it is deemed to be an 'unhealthy' practice leading to favouritism and even corruption.

Some retailers are very strict about these rules and many low-paid workers have been disciplined and even sacked for breaching them.

If Stephenson didn't realise he was in glaringly obvious danger of compromising his prestigious and already highly-paid position (in the 'premier' police force at that!) surely he should never have been in the job in the first place ... ?

[amateur51]

In my work doing grant assessments for various organisations I tried to be scrupulous about not letting applicants pay for my lunch, etc but I'd accept coffee & biscuits (natch!).

This led to an amusing incident where I was taken to a Balti house in Birmingham and the applicant & I rowed gently all the way through our hearty lunch about who was going to pay. Eventually I emerged triumphant with a bill for .... £3.60! :biggrin:

It's da principle, stoopid! :smiley:

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

...late last night on Sky news there was a columnist from the New Statesman [her name escapes me] who pointed out that the NI HACK was only one area that questions might be asked of Sir P S; Ian Tomlinson, policing of demonstrations, and a few other issues we have all lost track of [me at least, though i recall posting a month or so back that the plod were either out of control or under control and very nasty] ... so losing him might be a plus if the culture and policies of the Met can get a move in the right direction ...


a younger Murdoch would fight back from all this but unless he really is on a secret chinese medical plan his age will tell, and Lachlan and Lizzie are not up to it ... at some point other directors and shareholders will act as the USA scene unravels ...

the bankers are loving it!
the MPs are loving it!

let us not forget that our leaders are as deeply in bed with BIG in the defence, food, pharma and IT sectors where no doubt the same high standards of public life that we have always enjoyed in Her Brit Maj's realm will continue to prevail ...

[Lateralthinking1]

In view of the success of Mr Cameron's previous trade missions, could the Deputy Prime Minister please advise the House on which day this week Britain will be declaring war on South Africa?

[Sydney Grew]

Stephenson - I'm not convinced by his statement. . . .

Stephenson said the rozzers should concentrate on "getting London ready for the Olympics rather than be distracted."

We will not comment on this particular case, but in general it is our experience that an invocation of athletics or "sport" (as they are often called) by politicians or by any one in the public eye is usually the last resort of a scoundrel.