......To be serious again for a moment, and actually the second para of my last was entirely serious, what about national security? If the police were so closely connected to NI, and to the parts of Government Departments managing security, notwithstanding any meetings there might have been between NI and those Departments, how sure can we be that national security has not been compromised by those connections?
Murdoch: Ouf! Is this meltdown?
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Lateralthinking1
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Mahlerei
Guardian reporting that one of Coulson's original accusers has been found dead. Also, IPCC investigating claims that Yates secured a job for Neil Wallis's daughter.
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Originally posted by Mahlerei View PostGuardian reporting that one of Coulson's original accusers has been found dead. Also, IPCC investigating claims that Yates secured a job for Neil Wallis's daughter.It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.
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hackneyvi
Originally posted by french frank View PostI missed the point that Yates was suspended earlier this morning and his resignation came after that.
I wondered if he'd been given PR advice to look straight at the camera. If he was, it was ill-advised. He looked very much to me like a man giving a performance, not a man concerned about making a dignified exit from the stage.
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amateur51
Originally posted by Mahlerei View PostGuardian reporting that one of Coulson's original accusers has been found dead. Also, IPCC investigating claims that Yates secured a job for Neil Wallis's daughter.
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Lateralthinking1
QUOTE=Mahlerei : Guardian reporting that one of Coulson's original accusers has been found dead.
Oh yes. Another peculiar "not suspicious" death. Must be something to do with the marquee pole his relative accidentally used to break his nose the weekend before last.
I absolutely detest Francis Maude - the worst of the lot imho - but this shows that Cameron went above his head in 2007 with the appointment of Coulson (actually as it was in The Times I have removed it but you get my drift.)
And I also found this on ConservativeHome - http://conservativehome.blogs.com/in...cis-maude.html. A pretty damning article on Maude, the comments below it from people generally saying they too think he is awful. Then scroll down to comment 8 from 1 June 2011 and oh my word -
"Christopher Shale said...
I couldn't disagree more with most of the previous comments. This is a good man: hard working, talented, energetic. Years before others did he understood the scale of change we needed".
I bet no one has checked that one since Glastonbury and would be surprised that it is there!
Not only was this possibly his last comment on any forum. It also places him firmly in the non-Murdoch, some might even say the anti-Murdoch, camp!
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hackneyvi
I've just heard Alan Johnson (Home Secretary 2009) on Channel 4 news. He's asked by Jon Snow about John Yates and expresses doubt about him because Yates, he says, was responsible for making the decision not to reopen the hacking business in 2009. Yates arrived at his decision in 8 hours and a ministerial statement was then made.
Snow: Did you know he'd only taken 8 hours?
Johnson: Well, I knew he hadn't taken very long about it.
Johnson then says, 'we' didn't know about the Dowler family, the 7th July etc - if 'we' had - if the story had been in more than one paper - if it hadn't been before an election when he (Johnson) could have been accused of making political decisions in the matter - then he might have made a different decisions.
The officer he feels is culpable doesn't look at the evidence, Johnson knows this and 2 years later he dares to itemise what 'we' didn't know. How could 'we' know if the police didn't look at the evidence? How could 'we' even begin to know?
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Mahlerei
And while all this bubbles on Greece is about to run out of money and the US needs political consensus very soon if it's to avoid economic meltdown. Stocks fell sharply and now estate agents are saying the bottom is about to fall out of the property market.
'We're doomed, I tell you, doo-'
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Lateralthinking1
Yes. hackneyvi - Thanks for this info. Very interesting. Thought I would check that timeline again. Alan Johnson - the sudden stepping down has never been explained - ceased being Shadow Chancellor on 20 Jan 2011. And Andy Coulson stepped down because of renewed phone hacking allegations on - oh what a coincidence - the morning of 21 Jan 2011.
For the record, the CPS had decided to reopen the hacking investigations on 14 Jan 2011 after which the non-Murdoch press were pouncing.
I asked this morning about Julian Assange. Tonight I have had a go at answering my own question. Before he is shunted away, never to be heard of again, I bring you this from his interview with John Pilger in the New Statesman on would you believe 12 Jan 2011. That would be a whole two days before the CPS decided to do something again!
Assange says - "If something happens to me or to WikiLeaks, 'insurance' files will be released."
Pilger comments - "The contents of these files are unknown, but, according to Assange, "They speak more of the same truth to power." It is not just government that should be worried about the content of these files, however. "There are 504 US embassy cables on one broadcasting organisation and there are cables on Murdoch and News Corp," he says."
(Incidentally, why was a guy who had significant knowledge of Home Affairs and knew zilch about economics made Shadow Chancellor by Ed Miliband? One reason is that he didn't want Ed Balls there although when Johnson went the switch to Balls did not appear to involve qualms. The other reason could be...............oh well, to quote Frankie Howerd, please yourselves"). :smiley:Last edited by Guest; 18-07-11, 18:58.
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hackneyvi
Originally posted by Lateralthinking1 View PostYes. hackneyvi - Thanks for this info. Very interesting. Thought I would check that timeline again. Alan Johnson - the sudden stepping down has never been explained - ceased being Shadow Chancellor on 20 Jan 2011. And Andy Coulson stepped down because of renewed phone hacking allegations on - oh what a coincidence - the morning of 21 Jan 2011.
Murdoch talking about his mum and dad.
James Murdoch declaring his personal feelings about what's happened.
Brooks' solicitor in his statement today.
But look at John Yates 'trusty sword of British justice' resignation performance, straight to the camera. Not a speech, a performance. Was that his idea? Or some other genius. "You must look directly at the camera, otherwise you'll look guilty. Whatever you do, perform. Whatever you do, look sincere." And of course he looks guilty as hell.
John Yates has said that his "conscience is clear", as he explained why he was resigning his post as Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner, in the latest development in the phone hacking row.
I believe what we're watching is a co-ordinated effort to humanise News Corps and to redirect the spotlight on the police because throwing mud and getting it to stick is what News International are about.
I think it'll work if we let it.
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hackneyvi
Originally posted by hackneyvi View PostI believe what we're watching is a co-ordinated effort to humanise News Corps and to redirect the spotlight on the police because throwing mud and getting it to stick is what News International are about.
No-one could have held his head in his hands more.
No-one? No-one could have held his head in his hands more? How much do you need to hold your head in your hands? How much do you need to talk about your mother's and father's values to quietly suggest to the parents of a murdered girl that you, too, are a child. PR. And what happened as a result of this?
The Dowlers felt pity.
Where are you looking if you have your head in your hands? Are you looking in the eyes of the people you're with?
And afterwards, Murdoch says nothing and lets the Dowlers do the talking. PR.
Meanwhile, the cops and politicians have still got it all to come and by then Murdoch will have disappeared behind a self-cleansing creed.Last edited by Guest; 18-07-11, 21:51.
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Originally posted by hackneyvi View PostMeanwhile, the cops and politicians have still got it all to come and by then Murdoch will have disappeared behind a self-cleansing creed.
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Originally posted by hackneyvi View PostThe Dowlers were Murdoch's PR. He's rebranding.
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