The Official Newscorp/UK end of season finale/Rebekah Brooks did 9/11 thread

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/07/05/world/05britainx_cnd/05britainx_cnd-popup.jpg

she's ready

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/07/11/article-2013310-0CF697B600000578-434_634x436.jpg

he's ready

groan

lool

'i'm not afraid of heights, snakes, or red-headed women'

Is it just me or does KRM look like the unseen hand is doing a five-finger Umbro shuffle?

http://i.imgur.com/Un8rj.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/Un8rj.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/Un8rj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/M0Jlr.jpg

TRIBAL BRAH

Uh? Via the Telegraph:

14.49 Barack Obama is expected to break his silence on the phone scandal this afternoon. Stay tuned for more.

TRIBAL BRAH

When James Murdoch was a hip-hop mogul

that's lachlan tho, guessing his boutique psytrance label didn't get bought by pops

It's hard to tell these wealthy white boys apart, with all their tattoos and suits and board positions.

I wouldn't want someone jailed if they lobbed a bin at my car whilst I was driving it, but I'd definitely want some sort of punishment that would be more than a mild inconvenience to them

if someone threw a bin at a human being in a car i think it wd be naughty but in this case

Rupert Murdoch is very sad:

We are sorry.

The News of the World was in the business of holding others to account. It failed when it came to itself.

We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred.

We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected.

We regret not acting faster to sort things out.

I realise that simply apologising is not enough.

Our business was founded on the idea that a free and open press should be a positive force in society. We need to live up to this.

In the coming days, as we take further concrete steps to resolve these issues and make amends for the damage they have caused, you will hear more from us.

Sincerely,

Rupert Murdoch

Grovelling little bastard

Oh and apparently Cameron had Coulson over for tea or something two months after the latter resigned. Bros, kicking back.

Everyone deserves a third chance

hope he's got the same idea of "taking concrete steps" as me

16.14 Rupert Murdoch is meeting the family of Milly Dowler, the murdered schoolgirl whose voicemail was hacked into by the News of the World, BBC News reports.

"No, really, I insist, please take all this money."

yeah they seem quite happy to support the super soaraway lying cunt

16.20 More on that meeting between Rupert Murdoch and the Dowlers. BBC News reporting that the meeting at a central London hotel was arranged hastily this morning, with the Dowlers told: "Rupert wants to meet you".
They were said to be desperate not to be used as an instrument of spin but still agreed to the meeting. Murdoch was wearing a full suit this afternoon as he went into the hotel, a change from the tracksuits and casual wear we've seen him in this week.

Really, really wish he had gone in in the tracksuit.

And that ad as it will run:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Media/Pix/pictures/2011/7/15/1310742686365/Rupert-Murdoch-ad-001.jpg

WE ARE SORRY plzleaveusalone

they should get Morrissey to release "Suedehead '11" for this

OK, soz, thxbye.

xpost -- that would make the final lines a little...weird.

16.29 A little more detail is coming from Downing St about Andy Coulson's stay at Chequers in March. He was invited to dinner and to stay overnight as a "thank you for his work" before his resignation in January.

i smell a slash fiction genre

the most terrifying of smells

Slash *is* the genre. The term you are looking for is "pairing".

sorry K i knew it was badly worded

the most terrifying of smells

At the least, rather moist.

At Dave’s house Andy listened to the message with a smile on his face. Soon enough Dave would know all about the Game. Andy felt himself harden at the thought of what lay ahead for them both, not just tonight but over the weekend to come.

Andy’s hand slipped down inside his pants, grabbing his cock and gently pulling his hand along its engorged length. He moaned at the sensations flooding his body. Preparing for what was to come had made him so sexually charged he could have climaxed right there and then.

Stop that, he told himself, there is still so much to do before Dave gets back, everything must be perfect. Reluctantly Andy released his hand from his cock and went back to work.

Stop that

otm

xpost -- Yeah yeah, docudrama and all, but where's your slash entry?

Chancellor of the SexChequers

sb'd everyone itt, risk of contagion too great

Slowly Darragh inched his hand towards the throbbing SB button.

jesus CHRIST

He gasped...

lolling like a mf here

.. he shouted(xpost), but it was OK, now was not the time..

amazing

was anyone else old/lame enough to be reminded of this

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/5939909003_69e5d33aab_z.jpg

The perfect thing is that Murdoch's referenced two-thirds through!

17.24 Mark Lewis, Dowler family solicitor:

"It was a private meeting that had been called for by Rupert Murdoch and he was humbled to give a full and sincere apology to the Dowler family.

"We told him, the Dowler family told him, that his papers should lead the way to set the standard of honesty and decency in the field and not what had gone on before.

"At the end of the day actions are going to speak louder than words. Thank you."

He went on to say, when questioned over Rupert Murdoch: "I think he was very humbled, I think he was very shaken and sincere. I think it was something that has hit him on a very personal level that it shouldn't have happened.

"Yes, he did apologise, he apologised many times. I don't think somebody could have held their head in their hands so many times to say they were sorry.

"It was a heartfelt and what seemed to be a very sincere apology."

"Share values keep dropping, you have no idea how sorry I am!"

sepukku or he don't mean it imo

Probably saving that for Tuesday.

Would be interested to know the size and nature of Brooks' golden parachute.

i have just reached a point where i'm sick of hearing about this. yes please punish everyone who broke the law but i'm just never going to care about it as much as the ppl writing the newspapers obviously (and understandably) do

Actually thinking about Murdoch being all apologetic to the Dowlers makes me think about the opening of Snow Crash where it's clear the pizza mogul does not like having to go out and apologize for late delivery.

We've been caught.

The News of the World was in the business of catching other people. It failed when it came to not getting caught itself.

We are sorry we've been caught.

We are deeply sorry for the hurt we as individuals have suffered by getting caught.

We regret not acting faster to prevent ourselves being caught.

We realise that simply apologising won't change the fact we've been caught. But it might start to give the corrupt politicians and policemen we rely upon to look after us an excuse to start looking after us again.

Our business was founded on the idea that if we owned the press we would be immune from being caught. Your vindictive little country didn't live up to this.

In the coming days as we take further concrete steps to try to obscure the issues and limit the damage caused you will hear more bullshit from us.

Sincerely,

Rupert

I am honestly having a difficult time reconciling the amiable hippie I met in passing 15 years ago with modern-day CEO James Murdoch, lightning rod of scorn and hatred.

I mean it's not even like I KNOW know him or anything, just that apologetic rhetoric matches the person I met much more than the allegations swirling among his underlings does.

I kind of wish I'd made an actual connection/friendship there so I could dish more effectively about this

Well, we're talking two different Murdochs here, plus lawyers/PR people, so...

Meantime, so Jude Law is suing the Sun. Fun bits at the Telegraph:

18.59 The hunt is on for the four articles published in 2005 and 2006 that could be the source of the lawsuit. Do you know what they are?

19.01 The Sun website has quite a good search function. Get sleuthing, internet!

19.05 Hmmmm this is interesting - When you type Jude Law into The Sun's website it gives you a chronological archive going backwards. But get to the last page and the stories jump abruptly from 2007 to 2004 - cutting out the exact period covered in the lawsuit.

Could be that less was archived online back then. Could be something else...

19.11 We're working on a full archive search for the Jude Law stories and will hopefully have some results soon.

19.15 Worth remembering that it was Law's ex, Sienna Miller, who kept the issue of phone hacking in the public eye by suing the News of the World.

Fox finally covers the scandal. "You would think martians have landed in New Jersey"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qtC4gT-_Nj0#at=37

Murdoch better not wear a beige turtleneck: he will look even more like an old man's penis.

Also, FOX pundits are reacting and - surprise, surprise - they just don't get it:

On the Fox and Friends show, Fox journalist Steve Doocy wondered just what the fuss was all about: "The company has come forward and said: 'look, this happened a long time ago, at a tabloid, in London, somebody did something really bad,' and the company reacted. They closed that newspaper, all the people got fired, even though 99 percent of them had nothing to do with it."

Doocy's guest, public relations consultant Robert Dilenschneider, was in agreement:
"If I am not mistaken, Murdoch, who owns it, has apologised but for some reason, the public, the media keeps on going over this, again and again. It's a little bit too much."

"The bigger issue is hacking and how we as a public are going to protect outselves," said Dilenschneider, who earlier listed a number of US companies which had recently become the targets of hacking.

Doocy added later: "One of the things about the media, you look at some sites and you would think that martians had landed in New Jersey - again"

Holy shit, can someone confirm? Supposedly Hinton stepped down at the WSJ.

Guardian's just posted that as a red BREAKING headline.

This via the Times' assistant news editor so presumably on the level.

One of the things about the media - is that we're not it, obviously. xps

So if Hinton and Brooks are out...beginning to wonder if this is just some sort of outright coup.

Dear Rupert,

I have watched with sorrow from New York as the News of the World story has unfolded. I have seen hundreds of news reports of both actual and alleged misconduct during the time I was executive chairman of News International and responsible for the company. The pain caused to innocent people is unimaginable. That I was ignorant of what apparently happened is irrelevant and in the circumstances I feel it is proper for me to resign from News Corp, and apologize to those hurt by the actions of the News of the World.

When I left News International in December 2007, I believed that the rotten element at the News of the World had been eliminated; that important lessons had been learned; and that journalistic integrity was restored.

My testimonies before the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee were given honestly. When I appeared before the Committee in March 2007, I expressed the belief that Clive Goodman had acted alone, but made clear our investigation was continuing.

In September 2009, I told the Committee there had never been any evidence delivered to me that suggested the conduct had spread beyond one journalist. If others had evidence that wrongdoing went further, I was not told about it.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to you for a wonderful working life. My admiration and respect for you are unbounded. You have built a magnificent business since I first joined 52 years ago and it has been an honor making my contribution.

With my warmest best wishes,

Les

"In sum, so long and thanks for all the fish."

I mean the wording of that basically boils down to "I didn't know about it, please don't make me testify anywhere, I'm already on the plane so I won't suffer Dominique Strauss-Kahn's fate, send severance check by carrier pigeon to the South Pacific."

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/7/13/1247477381232/Rupert-Murdoch-Les-Hinton-001.jpg

"Hmm...two down..."

TS: criminal negligence vs. actively rolling in the muck

Three down surely? xp

James Murdoch hasn't sent a grovelling resignation letter yet. But I would kill to read it.

"Dear Dad, my bad, so sad."

Extra points if he raps it.

New hot mixtape:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/7/11/1310403983937/defjames-007.jpg

xp - but that's Coulson at the back next to Brooks.

It is, isn't it. There's a general short-hair-and-glasses douchebag quality around Murdoch that seems to smooth them all out.

Here one of Murdoch's mastheads published this accusing one of its competing papers of "hacking hypocrisy". Editor-in-chief of the accused paper shot it down in flames.

Anyway, Murdoch speaks:

“Les and I have been on a remarkable journey together for more than 52 years. That this passage has come to an unexpected end, professionally, not personally, is a matter of much sadness to me,” commented Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation.

“On this difficult day we should appreciate that his extraordinary work has provided a platform for the future success of Dow Jones. And his great contribution to News Corporation over more than five decades has enhanced innumerable lives, whether those of employees hired by him or of readers better informed because of him.

"News Corporation is not Rupert Murdoch. It is the collective creativity and effort of many thousands of people around the world, and few individuals have given more to this Company than Les Hinton.”

http://image1.masterfile.com/getImage/NjAwLTAxNjQ2NDEwbi4wMDAwMDAwMA=AL18-T/600-01646410n.jpg

As the Telegraph notes, "The fact that the press release carries a nice tribute from Murdoch makes you wonder how long Hinton's resignation has been in the works."

Are these resignations orchestrated to wrap up the agenda for the week? I know Murdoch would love nothing more than to start next week with an agenda that's not about him.

(and tbh I don't believe it would work anyway)

He and his son are facing that committee on Tuesday, all of Monday will be nothing but 'what will he say?' Interspersed with announcements that the Sun has been sold to Borders for immediate liquidation, the ceremonial destruction of Wapping with the people still in the buildings and Chase Carey and Roger Ailes coming over to talk about how British people suck.

"News Corporation is not Rupert Murdoch" seems a really significant quote right now

Yeah. I don't think Murdoch has a great deal of control over this particular narrative.

xp yes it does (and a lie)

Yeah, that quote's getting a lot of immediate attention, I'm noticing.

Anyway don't forget...THE REAL POWER BEHIND THE THRONE:

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/02/09/1226002/554932-dame-elisabeth-murdoch.jpg

monty burns' mother

dear old thing

I appreciate how she is not so much cutting that cake as simply outright murdering it.

is that pic of rebekah in the now-locked cleggeron thread a current one? if so, can't believe she'd pin a sarah payne badge to her dress.....

I presume it's from when the NOTW campaigned for "Sarah's Law".

Would any of you recommend a simple explanation of what this is all about? I understand that phone hacking was involved, but why is this having such long legs politically? I just don't get this story but I want to!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjzKiEs_pHI

The short version is that a lot of people had their privacy violated, including celebrities, politicians and people with close ties to famous Britain incidents like the Tube bombing.

The outrage is due to a case involving a 12?-year-old girl who was missing for days who was later found murdered; her family kept calling her phone to find her, leaving messages that filled up her voicemail, and the hackers kept deleting them to make more space so they could get more info, leading the family to believe she was alive when she wasn't.

What he said. Further:

Guardian's overview page:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/phone-hacking

But of course there's always...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_of_the_World_phone_hacking_scandal

On top of all that, the connections/collusion between various papers, London police and the major parties of government are why this thing has major legs.

It has long legs politically because almost every politician in the country has been in thrall to Murdoch for decades and they've finally broken the spell xxp

euler, i thought it was because of suggestions/rumors/evidence that the sun and perhaps other newscorp companies had been using similar, criminal techniques to shut down police investigation into them, intimidate politicians, and generally enjoy a great deal of political influence, so that the knowledge of their criminal activity in some cases has led to suspicion that they're thoroughly rotten (and can be publicly, i.e. politically, pursued for it). xxxp

Also former execs from NI being on the police payroll while the police were trying to tell the Guardian 'nothing to see here, mate'.

Yep, former NI execs on the police payroll and former police chiefs / prosecutors who were meant to be looking into the criminality on the NI payroll.

Here's a link to that: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/15/phone-hacking-met-police-guardian

aaaaaargh no Newsnight.

fuck golf

ok this helps!

the prime minister employed as communications chief the ex-editor of the 'news of the world', who had quit after two of his employees had been jailed for hacking voicemails.

the police didn't investigate the editor at the time [because of close and in common parlance corrupt links between the police and news corp/news international] but 'most people' went along with the idea that, though he was editor, he had no idea about the hacking.

the last two weeks have blown that story to smithereens and so part of the story is about the cravenness of politicians on both sides towards murdoch. cameron had been set to give murdoch an even greater share of the uk television market -- which was already controversial.

they should get Morrissey to release "Suedehead '11" for this

― she choots, she pah! (DJP), Friday, 15 July 2011 08:26 (7 hours ago) Bookmark

We had to sneak into your phone
just to hear your voicemails

Appropriately Freudian Freudian slip about a famous Freud in the newspaper famously famed for its slips:

It also quotes Matthew Freud, Elisabeth's wife, something that is unlikely to please the PR man who has been as invisible as he can the last two weeks.

has anybody done a "Will the Last One Out of News Corp Turn Out the Lights?" gif yet

long nyt article about the extent of the relaysh between scotland yard and news int

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/world/europe/17police.html?pagewanted=all

At a parliamentary committee hearing last week, three current and former officials who ran the case were openly mocked. One member of Parliament dubbed an investigator “more Clouseau than Colombo.”

At the hearing, the senior investigator in charge of the day-to- day inquiry, Peter Clarke, blamed The News of the World’s “complete lack of cooperation” for the shortcomings in the department’s initial investigation.

While editors were not sharing any information, they were frequently breaking bread with police officers. Andy Hayman, who as head of the counterterrorism unit was running the investigation, also attended four dinners, lunches and receptions with News of the World editors, including a dinner on April 25, 2006, while his officers were gathering evidence in the case, records show. He told Parliament he never discussed the investigation with editors.

Mr. Hayman left the Metropolitan Police in December 2007 and was soon hired to write a column for The Sunday Times, a News International paper. He defended the inquiry that he led, writing in his column in July 2009 that his detectives had “left no stone unturned.”

On Friday, The New York Times learned that the former editor, Neil Wallis, was reporting back to News International while he was working for the police on the hacking case.

Executives and others at the company also enjoyed close social ties to Scotland Yard’s top officials. Since the hacking scandal began in 2006, Mr. Yates and others regularly dined with editors from News International papers, records show. Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, met for lunch or dinner 18 times with company executives and editors during the investigation, including eight occasions with Mr. Wallis while he was still working at The News of the World.

just a little dining, no big deal

the hayman interview is on the youtubes apparently, it's pretty lol

since May 2010 the Prime Minister met 26 times with Rupert Murdoch, his son James Murdoch, or former News International head Rebekah Brooks. That's nearly once every two weeks. Or as The Times put it: "His meetings with the Murdoch officials exceeded all his encounters with other British media representatives put together."

p damning statistic

Oooooooooh:

@tom_watson If what I have just heard is true, there will have to be a major resignation tomorrow.

man there is such teasing going on with this! if something breaks tomorrow it'd be through the papers, wouldn't it? i don't know if it's just because of the bbc thing but things have seemed to slow down a lot over the weekend.

guy's other tweets seem sorta nonplussed by people throwing around the idea of cameron resigning at some point

sunday papers are already out so if there is something it's probably not in them

Is it this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8642818/Phone-hacking-Sir-Paul-Stephenson-faces-questions-of-health-spa-stay.html

We've been caught.
The News of the World was in the business of catching other people. It failed when it came to not getting caught itself.
We are sorry we've been caught.
We are deeply sorry for the hurt we as individuals have suffered by getting caught.
We regret not acting faster to prevent ourselves being caught.
We realise that simply apologising won't change the fact we've been caught. But it might start to give the corrupt politicians and policemen we rely upon to look after us an excuse to start looking after us again.
Our business was founded on the idea that if we owned the press we would be immune from being caught. Your vindictive little country didn't live up to this.
In the coming days as we take further concrete steps to try to obscure the issues and limit the damage caused you will hear more bullshit from us.
Sincerely,
Rupert
― frankiemachine, Friday, July 15, 2011 12:31 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

otm

No, that's not it. Or, if Stephenson goes, it won't be for that reason.

George Osborne's been MIGHTY QUIET these past few weeks.

man i wish.

i loved the 'concrete steps' part in the original text of rupert's letter, because i kinda feel like it's going to be in reference to the sun on sunday; we will launch this new shitty newspaper as part of our new approach to righteous journalism!

This is going to be an amazing Peter Morgan film.

provided that revelations keep spilling with this, it'll be interesting to see to what extent they remain partisan or agency specific; you almost feel there could be that level of fatigue that came with the expenses scandal, whereby at some point everyone implicated & it in some ways takes the heat off
xp lol

When I say this is going to be an amazing Peter Morgan film, that means I was speaking to someone who works with him today, and... XD

The MP who will lead the attack on Rebekah Brooks and Rupert and James Murdoch this week over their roles in the phone-hacking scandal has close links with the media empire, it is revealed today.

John Whittingdale, the Conservative chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport committee, admitted he was an old friend of Mr Murdoch's close aide, Les Hinton, and had been for dinner with Ms Brooks.

The Independent on Sunday has also learnt that Mr Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth, seen as the future saviour of the company, has also met Mr Whittingdale a number of times. Among her 386 "friends" on Facebook, the only MP she lists is Mr Whittingdale. He is also the only MP among 93 Facebook "friends" of Mr Hinton.

Fuck.

That was poetic, wasn't it? Just fucking exasperated.

Oh, well, that's all right then!

if nothing else there is political capital to be gained in opposing this ^^^, on account of it adding to the picture of the cosy, tory/murdoch group in control of everything. it should be opposed as a conflict of interest, surely ..?

Really worried that this whole death-of-News Corp business will be nothing more than a massive anti-climax. If there's one aspect that's guaranteed to endure it's the revelation of just how many hooks that bastard's got into govt etc. Thank christ Miliband has got some guts.

http://i.imgur.com/Idnup.jpg

TORY B

‘Wore a dog-collar for his whippings, but a nice guy’

A married man, tipped for a prime role in any future Tory government. Natalie claims she had five cocaine-fuelled sessions with Tory B, who got his kicks from being whipped while in a dog’s collar.

She said: “I really fancied him when we first met at the home of one of his friends. At first he had no idea what I did for a living, but his wife kept giving me the evil eye. Then one day his friend let slip what I actually did and he booked me for a session.

“A lot of the men I meet are cold and uninteresting, but he had a good soul. But he would soon go off on a rant as soon as anyone mentioned politics. He was very critical of William Hague, the Tory leader at the time. He said after hoovering up a line of coke ‘I’ll be Prime Minister one day’ and I joked, ‘And I’ll have all the evidence on you.’

“He paid me £360 plus pop, which means he had to pay for cocaine on top.”

http://imgur.com/4JZkx

A lot of the men I meet are cold and uninteresting, but he had a good soul.

So it wasn't Osborne then? Sounds like Dave but he wouldn't do this to the fragrant Sam...

Tories will be launching a full internal inquiry if it turns out somebody with a soul's infiltrated the party.

Yes, that's where the story breaks down

"police arrest 42 year old woman"; i wondered if that was brooks, but she's 43

oh, no, guardian says believed to be her

met has corrected its statement: 43yo. lol she lied about her age to the desk sergeant.

http://twitter.com/#!/BreakingNews/statuses/92569755323600896

"Sources tell Sky that Rebekah Brooks has been arrested as part of phone hacking investigation"

LOL xp

met has corrected its statement: 43yo. lol she lied about her age to the desk sergeant.

or they just got it wrong lol.

tweetminster

Rebekah Brooks is being held on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications & corruption allegations - Sky News #notw #phonehacking
2 minutes ago via TweetDeck

or they just got it wrong lol.

― lex pretend, Sunday, 17 July 2011 13:35 (40 seconds ago)

print the legend, it's the news int way

cover up the truth, it's the met police way

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said "At approximately 12.00 hrs a 43-year-old woman was arrested by appointment at a London police station by officers from Operation Weeting together with officers from Operation Elveden. She is currently in custody.

"She was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977 and on suspicion of corruption allegations contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906.

"It would be inappropriate to discuss any further details regarding these cases at this time."

before it gets lost under all the brooks stuff, & w/apologies for continuing to just c+p from the guardian liveblog verbatim, i thought this was interesting:

Just 24 hours before news broke that Milly Dowler's mobile had been hacked, Elisabeth Murdoch and her husband Matthew Freud hosted a gathering of the UK's political and media elite at their Costwolds mansion. According to The Mail on Sunday, Guests included Peter Mandelson, the BBC's Mark Thompson and Robert Peston, Labour MP David Miliband, Conservative education secretary Michael Gove, Tory policy guru Steve Hilton, his wife, Google communications chief Rachel Whetstone, Rebekah Brooks and James Murdoch.

like so much of what's fascinating about this (to me, dilettante) is getting a window into the texture of the whole world these people occupied, how often they lunched & fraternised. & d miliband & brooks & the murdochs hanging out just seems like such a fucking underworld, like seriously when i imagine this soiree it is happening in the batcave, it is intriguing to me.

conspiring to intercept communications

is this the same charge everyone else is under, & what phone-hacking is categorised as btw? i just wondered if it might refer to one of the other supposed offences

like so much of what's fascinating about this (to me, dilettante) is getting a window into the texture of the whole world these people occupied, how often they lunched & fraternised. & d miliband & brooks & the murdochs hanging out just seems like such a fucking underworld, like seriously when i imagine this soiree it is happening in the batcave, it is intriguing to me.

it's def something which i want to see more analysis of, because in one sense it's like - duh, of course they're friends. why wouldn't they be? it's natural to socialise with people you meet in your professional life. it's natural for networking to elide with actual friendship among people who have similar interests and personalities. that's not a grand conspiracy, everyone does it. but riven through it are all these deeply gory interpersonal details (eg brooks and the browns) and the sense of having to navigate this minefield of fake friendship even amid the real frienships...it reminds me of, like, a medieval royal court or something.

really wonder how the crisis would have been different if david milliband was the opposition leader, as ed has been so aggressive in all of this.

also wonder if rebekah has been arrested so she doesn't have to go in front of the commons committee on tuesday.

She'll be out in time to go to the HCMS committee. Coulson was out after a long day of being held.

it'll provide her with an "ongoing police matter" out for every question though :/

They all need to go under oath on Tuesday.

mps will probably use some unused powers dating back to the 14th century to drag her from jail to get her to that committee if they have to.

http://i.imgur.com/U3uc6.png

wtf

Rebekah Brhttp://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj242/donaldparsley/jumpboobs.gifks

Oh FFS. Which news outlet is that?

Yahoo! News

Yahhttp://media.photobucket.com/image/rolling%20eyes%20gif/88HAWK/GIFFs/th_EyesRolling.gif! News

Yahoo News seem to have a general problem with justification of images in their rolling news bits...decapitations are common.

oh if only

HEH

http://babysimpson.co.uk/info/arrests/8f20_sideshowbob.jpg

A+

18.20 Channel 4 is reporting that the Serious Fraud Office is now involved in the investigation of News International

Can UK folks tell me what this means in terms of ratcheting up pressure? Is this an SEC equivalent?

lol that sounds so fake

Fraud, For Serious

Some followup:

18.23 Tom Watson MP apparently wrote to the SFO to ask them investigate whether management had failed in its responsibilities to share holders. The SFO won't confirm or deny its investigation and News International are saying they've had no contact from investigators.

18.27 Channel 4 seems to be slightly back tracking now, stressing that the SFO aren't necessarily investigating but they have been asked to.

So who knows.

lol i thought the serious fraud office had been shut down

@rblandford: Mick Hucknall arrested by accident.

Sir Paul Stephenson has just resigned.

ooh, any indication why?

these girls fall like dominoes...

ooh, any indication why?

― textbook blows on the head (dowd), Sunday, July 17, 2011 7:36 PM (31 seconds ago) Bookmark

loool

Can we place bets on the next resignation?

So how long until Yates goes, at this rate...

Stephenson just now:

I have this afternoon informed the Home Secretary and the Mayor of my intention to resign as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.
I have taken this decision as a consequence of the ongoing speculation and accusations relating to the Met's links with News International at a senior level and in particular in relation to Mr Neil Wallis who as you know was arrested in connection with Operation Weeting last week.
I had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the original investigation into phone hacking in 2006 that successfully led to the conviction and imprisonment of two men. I had no reason to believe this was anything other than a successful investigation. I was unaware that there were any other documents in our possession of the nature that have now emerged.

murdoch minor then cameron please

xpost "Basically, I suck."

wow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaYHRx9-v2M

Firstly, I want to say what an enormous privilege it has been for me to lead this great organisation that is the Met. The recent example of the heroism and bravery of Met officers in chasing armed suspects, involving the shooting of one of my officers, is typical; but is in danger of being eclipsed by the ongoing debate about relationships between senior officers and the media. This can never be right.

Crime levels in the Met are at a ten year low. You have seen the Met at its glorious and unobtrusive best on the occasion of the royal wedding; the professional and restrained approach to unexpected levels of violence in recent student demonstrations; the vital ongoing work to secure the safety of the capital from terrorism; the reductions in homicide; and continuing increased levels of confidence as the jewel in our crown of Safer Neighbourhoods Teams serve the needs of Londoners.

Etc. etc. "please love me"

'Coming soon our new tough talking Sun on Sunday columnist Sir Paul Stephenson.'

'restrained approach' as in didn't actually kill anyone this time around

xpost -- "The establishment is too soft on crime and the police are clearly corrupt."

the professional and restrained approach to unexpected levels of violence in recent student demonstrations
the professional and restrained approach to unexpected levels of violence in recent student demonstrations
the professional and restrained approach to unexpected levels of violence in recent student demonstrations
the professional and restrained approach to unexpected levels of violence in recent student demonstrations
the professional and restrained approach to unexpected levels of violence in recent student demonstrations
the professional and restrained approach to unexpected levels of violence in recent student demonstrations

BAD COP NO DOUGHNUT

psyched for when they take this series to film

I'll have better Peter Morgan gossip this time, next week...

Your wonderful London mayor:

I was very sad and very reluctant to accept Sir Paul Stephenson's resignation.
Sir Paul is widely admired by men and women in the police service in London.
He felt this whole business was going to make things very very difficult for him in the months ahead in the run up to the Olympics, and he didn't want that kind of distraction.

And more from Stephenson:

"The purpose of that meeting was, as with other journalists, to represent the context of policing and to better inform the public debate carried out through the media on policing issues.

I had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the original investigation into phone hacking in 2006 that successfully led to the conviction and imprisonment of two men. I had no reason to believe this was anything other than a successful investigation. I was unaware that there were any other documents in our possession of the nature that have now emerged.

I have acknowledged the statement by John Yates that if he had known then what he knows now he would have made different decisions.

My relationship with Mr Wallis continued over the following years and the frequency of our meetings is a matter of public record. The record clearly accords with my description of the relationship as one maintained for professional purposes and an acquaintance.

In 2009 the Met entered into a contractual arrangement with Neil Wallis, terminating in 2010. I played no role in the letting or management of that contract.

I have heard suggestions that we must have suspected the alleged involvement of Mr Wallis in phone hacking. Let me say unequivocally that I did not and had no reason to have done so. I do not occupy a position in the world of journalism; I had no knowledge of the extent of this disgraceful practice and the repugnant nature of the selection of victims that is now emerging; nor of its apparent reach into senior levels."

Okay come ON dude:

--

8.10pm: Stephenson also addressed the allegation that the contractual relationship with Wallis was kept secret:

"The contracting of Mr Wallis only became of relevance when his name became linked with the new investigation into phone hacking. I recognise that the interests of transparency might have made earlier disclosure of this information desirable. However my priority, despite the embarrassment it might cause, has been to maintain the integrity of Operation Weeting. To make it public would have immediately tainted him and potentially compromised any future Operation Weeting action."

He said the reasons for not telling David Cameron and Theresa May about the relationship with Wallis were "two fold":

"Firstly, I repeat my earlier comments of having at the time no reason for considering the contractual relationship to be a matter of concern. Unlike Mr Coulson, Mr Wallis had not resigned from News of the World or, to the best of my knowledge been in any way associated with the original phone hacking investigation.

Secondly, once Mr Wallis's name did become associated with Operation Weeting, I did not want to compromise the prime minister in any way by revealing or discussing a potential suspect who clearly had a close relationship with Mr Coulson. I am aware of the many political exchanges in relation to Mr Coulson's previous employment - I believe it would
have been extraordinarily clumsy of me to have exposed the prime minister, or by association the home secretary, to any accusation, however unfair, as a consequence of them being in possession of operational information in this regard. Similarly, the mayor. Because of the individuals involved, their positions and relationships, these were
I believe unique circumstances.

Consequently, we informed the chair of the MPA, Mr Malthouse, of the Met's contractual arrangements with Mr Wallis on the morning of the latter's arrest. It is our practice not to release the names of suspects under arrest, making it difficult to make public details of the
arrangements prior to Mr Wallis's release the same day. The timing of the MPA committee that I appeared before at 2pm that day was most unfortunate."

8.16pm: Speaking about his free stay worth £12,000 at Champneys health farm where Wallis was also acting as PR agent, Stephenson again denied all allegations of impropriety:

"There has been no impropriety and I am extremely happy with what I did and the reasons for it - to do everything possible to return to running the Met full time, significantly ahead of medical, family and friends' advice. The attempt to represent this in a negative way is both cynical and disappointing.

I thought it necessary to provide this lengthy and detailed account of my position on aspects of the current media questions and speculation concerning my conduct. I do this to provide the backcloth to the main purpose of this statement."

dunno why the press are still going on about this minor insular non-story

I am extremely happy with what I did I am extremely happy with what I did I am extremely happy with what I did I am extremely happy with what I did I am extremely happy with what I did I am extremely happy with what I did I am extremely happy with what I did

On Friday, Carl Bernstein said:

it is evident to him the events of the past week "are the beginning, not the end, of the seismic event".

Dude was right.

A shame that Sir Paul has to resign on a full pension now rather than face an investigation and lose some nominal amount of his money.

You horrible cynic.

Andrew Neil says the "carnage has only just begun"

Mark S has it right:

Yog Sothoth invited into cabinet to stabilise political situation, calls for calm

Never mind phone hacking, what about these REAL problems, asks the Daily Mail?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2015004/Never-mind-phone-hacking-real-issues-facing-Britain.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2015591/Phone-hacking-buying-votes-blood-whats-worse.html

Methinks the Mail doth protest a little too much.

Except the problem is not phone hacking now, but corrupt officials.

to be fair the daily mail is actually leading on the stephenson resignation, and one of those links is a ~maverick~ opinion piece

ok, that is true. Sorry, Daily Mail.

For catchphrase frenzy, it's hard to beat this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2014981/Hacking-They-hell-handcart.html

"Hacking They hell handcart" indeed

Who knew the Daily Mail would support the Orange Order and other loyalists in the recent disturbances? I need to remember never to read more of the DM than I have to...

Interesting interview with Watson:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jul/17/tom-watson-rupert-murdoch

Even though the News of the World has been closed, the BSkyB takeover bid withdrawn, and Rupert Murdoch has promised to co-operate with the judicial inquiries, the bloodlust – orchestrated by a vastly subsidised BBC – continues.

The state records our emails, spies on our rubbish bins and uses airport X-ray machines to peer sneakily at our naked bodies.

hahahahahaha!

Apparently Watson shared a flat at uni with... Neil Codling?

The alternate universe in which Watson was playing keyboards on "Trash" while Codling went on to interrogate Murdoch is an unusual one to be in.

yeah, do you know Neil?

ah fuck d'you know i never realised he was in Suede.

Sarah Gurling was at Hull around this time too.

I don't know NC at all. The one in Suede I know best (though not well) is Brett.

Hold on, NV, you know Neil but missed the Suede connection?

i knew him vaguely, i didn't pay a lot of attention to who was in Suede, or to Suede after the first album really

altho i saw them play at Hull the week before the debut album came out? Neil joined later on tho

^^^He is Simon Gilbert's cousin.

Ah okay, I was just getting my head around the idea you and he were buds but he never mentioned his day job.

"So what do you do anyway, Mr. Eastwood?"

nah this would've been 87 to 92 ish

I don't know, there's a clear BBC link to the DMill, Mandy dinner mentioned up there somewhere.

Does this mean some of the rumoured suppressed threads surrounding the RWade/RKemp marriage will now come out?

Oh, what: affair with chef GR?

is it true rebekah smacked rkemp up because she caught him in bed with some tory boy?

That and the whole beard thing.

haha, that's the story I was thinking of.

i thought we'd decided it was Phil Mitchell

I once saw them together at a book launch and R. Kemp had the most hostile body language ever.

I kind of liked the personal time I spent with RKemp but it was at a charity dinner with a number of people much harder than him.

ah, the Loose Women presenters

looooooool

Apparently there's some hilarious Fox & Friends bit where they have the NOTW as the victims, then they finish with how this foreign news isn't important anyway and that's when their Casey Anthony bit starts? (can't search, my provider has probs with youtube at the moment)

for a sec there i was wondered wtf rainer werner fassbinder had to do with this... still am but in a different way

'i was wondered' - 2:1 degree yall

xps - I once saw them at...ahem...Daylesford Organic (yea, verily, I walked into the very heart of the Chipping Norton set and ate overpriced chocolate with them) and there was a very nasty moment over a jar of organic artichoke hearts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtC4gT-_Nj0&

"If I'm not mistaken Murdoch has apologised, but FOR SOME REASON the public, the media, keeps going over this"

loooooool

James Murdoch may be arrested?

Reading rumors about same.

wow this could be the best summer ever

Thanks, Nate! It's even better than I'd read.

Am I right in thinking that Brooks is apparently still being questioned?

i'm really suspicious about these arrests before the committee thing on tuesday.

As well you should be.

Course, if *Rupert* got arrested too...

As likely as Santa Claus getting arrested for breaking & entering.
Can't shake this feeling that the whole lot of them are going to get off scott free.

from that mail "What about the REAL problems?" post

The state records our emails, spies on our rubbish bins and uses airport X-ray machines to peer sneakily at our naked bodies.

Can't shake this feeling that the whole lot of them are going to get off scott free.

After Murdoch Jr. owned up to the payments? I think not.

it may yet happen. also no police arrested yet iirc. but the committee is a spectacle, an entertaining one sure but a spectacle. starting criminal proceedings against the guilty parties is much more important in the big scheme of things.

Course, if *Rupert* got arrested too...

Can't imagine their voters in the shires are impressed at all. The pressure must be huge.

This Iain Dale goon seems distinctly unnerved by the prospect

who have the Tories got who's far enough out of the loop to take over as PM without being in the same situation in 2 weeks time?

Was just reading comments on the Telegraph and quite a lot of the top-rated comments were variations on "he must go." And that was the Telegraph.

the telegraph doesn't live cameron though, ever. comments boxes man.

'love'

Who would become PM then though? The cabinet is useless. I guess it'd have to be David Davis.

who have the Tories got who's far enough out of the loop to take over as PM without being in the same situation in 2 weeks time?

― dave lool (Noodle Vague), Sunday, July 17, 2011 9:49 PM (24 seconds ago) Bookmark

can i just nick clegg

It's Cameron's involvement that makes me think that they're all going to get out of this relatively unscathed. Junior takes one for the team and does time in an open prison, getting let out early for 'good behaviour', but that's about it.

Anyway if Blair could survive after Iraq I'm sure Cameron will be fine.

cameron doesn't control events, no-one does. there are conspiracies, sure, but cameron is clearly not on top of this situation.

Blair was not clearly implicated in criminal activity, sorry SWP fans. Cameron, as hm says, is drowning here. Surely it's time for Ann Widdecombe to form a government of national unity.

x-post OTM. Camerons been outpaced by the story at every point.

can i just nick clegg

omg the idea of this

bring back attlee

who have the Tories got who's far enough out of the loop to take over as PM without being in the same situation in 2 weeks time?

who does labour have &c &c

i said days ago at least nobody can accuse the Lib Dems of being too close to NI. or anybody else

no lex absolutely this doesn't help the revivified corpse of the Labour party one iota. if anything, electorally this ought to play well for the LDs except you know that wd be logical or something

prolego otm and i dont see wtf shaun wright-phillips has to do with it tbh

No idea, isn't the chancellor first in line for this kind of thing? He's been very quiet recently though. Would love to know what they have on him.

I had to check the PM page on wiki for backup and found this lovely official Cameron photo on there.

there's always boris.

the chancellor was the one who recommended coulson! though that could have been a ruthless move aimed at eventually destorying cameron. he's very ambition.

xp

George has problems with escort and coke, yes?

It'll be interesting to see how much pressure there is from the Tory right / Telegraph / Mail on Cameron in the next few weeks. They only tolerated him initially because he was reasonably popular. If that starts to slip, he might have trouble within the party. On the one hand, his cuts have probably been aggressive enough for most of them, on the other, he hasn't been particularly hardline on Europe or law and order. I'm sure that the whole party had fed from the NI trough at one point but none are tied so closely or would make such a convenient sacrifice. I can't really see it happening though. Who would step in? Pickles? Davies?

Also interesting to think about what the ostensible removal of the Murdoch influence might mean for his personal politics moving forward.

problems?

It'll be interesting to see how much pressure there is from the Tory right / Telegraph / Mail on Cameron in the next few weeks.

Already kicking in:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100097264/sir-paul-stephenson-resigns-this-is-grave-news-for-david-cameron/

PIIICKLLLLLLLLLLLEEESSS

Cameron speaks:

Sir Paul Stephenson has had a long and distinguished career in the police, and I would like to thank him for his service over many, many years.
Under his leadership the Metropolitan Police made good progress in fighting crime, continued its vital work in combating terrorism, and scored notable successes such as the policing of the Royal Wedding.
While I know that today must be a very sad occasion for him, I respect and understand his decision to leave the Met, and I wish him well for the future.
What matters most of all now is that the Metropolitan Police and the Metropolitan Police Authority do everything possible to ensure the investigations into phone hacking and alleged police corruption proceed with all speed, with full public confidence and with all the necessary leadership and resources to bring them to an effective conclusion.

From Osborne's last speech three days ago!

We have discussed chocolate biscuits, Tupperware, secret treaties and what Mr Skinner said in 1971, the year in which I was born.

NADINE DORRIES FOR PM

Loving waking up atm. Every day is like xmas.

This doesn't look good for ERII either, this all happened during her reign. Can we expect a "One abdicates" speech over this too?

Maybe Liz, Charles, and Wills can all abdicate one after the other, leaving Harry as king?

I mean, a guy who wears a Nazi to a fancy dress party has got to make the government look good by comparison.

Nazi uniform
oh dear...

Let it cascade down to Beatrice, who can become queen only if she wears that hat all day.

Wearing a Nazi is the in thing, don't you know.

'ere, guvnor, I 'ad that Goebbells on me 'ead last week!

Ow man, we're gonna need a bigger boatload of popcorn if all of that happens.

It's Cameron's involvement that makes me think that they're all going to get out of this relatively unscathed. Junior takes one for the team and does time in an open prison, getting let out early for 'good behaviour', but that's about it.

― Servants of the SBankh (snoball), Sunday, July 17, 2011 9:51 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark

returning to this, if the met is like every other organization of human beings in history, those slightly lower in the hierarchy will want to fill the power vacuum left by the departure of the discredited former top brass. so some part of justice may be served by their ambition, kind of thing.

Pippa will probably end up Queen.

lol @ dorries for PM.
& i had the same holy shit! feeling at wondering if clegg could somehow become PM out of this. it would be so amazing. it would be worth how terrible it would be just for how awkward it would be.

cameron doesn't control events, no-one does. there are conspiracies, sure, but cameron is clearly not on top of this situation

yeah for the talk of osbourne being quiet i really do think it's weird that cameron's been so useless w/this - you'd have thought he'd be trying to get ahead of the story, & wonder if there's a fear of something that's stopping him from doing so.

also waking up every morning knowing more of this shit is coming OTM. there was a comment is free piece about how this 'isn't britain's worst crisis', which sort of misses the point, that it's britain's best crisis.

Surely the Tory Right would rather be in Opposition than have Clegg as PM?

they mayn't have a choice?

theresa may preparing to give a statement at 10pm on a sunday makes me feel like she might've killed bin laden?, or at least the bin laden of this story, rupert murdoch?

xp Clegg would have to be PM at least temporarily, but the TR would fight to have one of their number as PM.

NADINE DORRIES FOR PM

― prolego, Sunday, 17 July 2011 22:11 (18 minutes ago)

thought this said NANDO TORRES for a second

neither of them have scored in the last 6 months

the appraisal of telegraph blogwriters and other assorted bankrupts is rather wishfully END TIMES

cameron is ~gonna get thru this~

not without a few kickings, still

slam dunk from NV

Cameron is kind of obligated to be on the back foot with all this. every additional word he says about it reminds people of his involvement with Coulson. his hands are tied.

A roffly detail:

The prime minister is currently en route on a foreign trip. His location is being kept a secret for security reasons, according to the BBC. However he was informed about Stephenson's resignation before flying and is being kept informed in the air.

"Called Siberia, I think, don't worry, plenty of room."

he will make a new life in mexico

for Cameron to go, I think it'll take somebody senior in the Government to deal the first blow. Can't see that happening.

yah pretty sure georgie never did that

Wasn't one K. Clarke famously anti-Murdoch at one point? He's been quite quiet too.

What a day this was. Cmon Tuesday already.

So where is Cameron that he needs to be secretive, Afghanistan - surely too dangerous currently (and hasn't he just been there)? Iraq? Scotland?

Australia, obv. Murdoch's mom is already getting her knife ready.

libya?

He's en route to South Africa.

any chance if cameron cred was destroted lib dems would make common cause w labour and form new coalition?

the lib dem leadership would need to be completely removed, don't think there are any likely insurgents from outside the cabinet

triumphant return of charlie kennedy would be fun tho

"Secondly, once Mr Wallis's name did become associated with Operation Weeting, I did not want to compromise the Prime Minister in any way by revealing or discussing a potential suspect who clearly had a close relationship with Mr Coulson. I am aware of the many political exchanges in relation to Mr Coulson's previous employment — I believe it would have been extraordinarily clumsy of me to have exposed the Prime Minister, or by association the Home Secretary, to any accusation, however unfair, as a consequence of them being in possession of operational information in this regard. Similarly, the Mayor. Because of the individuals involved, their positions and relationships, these were I believe unique circumstances.

I'm still trying to get to get to grips with this bit. It's late and I'm tired, can someone re-write it for me in one sentence?

"I'm a coward and I hate myself but I hate Cameron even more."

Dunno but Cam's guys are spinning vehemently against Stephenson as we speak. Nothing so entertaining as a falling out of thieves.

have we done this bit about honest copper Paul Stephenson yet?

Ahead of a planned appearance before MPs on Tuesday, it was revealed Sir Paul enjoyed a free three-week stay earlier this year at Champney’s, a leading health spa, following surgery. Champney’s was at the time employing Mr Wallis, a former News of the World journalist, who also gave public relations advice to the Met. The New York Times has also alleged Mr Wallis reported back to News International while he worked for the police.

Wait, so if nobody in politics, the press or the police can be trusted at face value anymore, who's going to investigate all of this? Are judges the only institution not yet involved?

clearly it will be arbitrated the the britain's got talent judges

BY the

"britain's got corruption"

http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/13956-simon_cowell_really_musical_authority.jpg

"I don't mean to be rude but you all completely suck."

xps - it's ok, it was just a mate of his giving him £12k worth of bed and board for nought - no biggie...

this is by far the most entertaining political bloodbath i've seen, though more annuated ilx users will doubtless wish to have their say

w/r/t politics, if this claims tory scalps, so far i don't think labour's prospects are really better than they were a few weeks ago. miliband is doing no more than voicing public opinion; he's still a weak candidate without a convincing story about unemployment, economic restructuring, curbing the power of the banks and corporations, lowering the cost of living, etc etc etc. that isn't irrelevant to this crisis, which is partly about a conspiracy of what used openly and unironically to be called top people against everyone else.

It's basically down to the X-Factor panel, who have often been accused of vote rigging, but found to be innocent in every incident.

xpost I SAID IT FIRST!!

i was young and naive and optimistic but i think there was a moment during the Westland scandal when it really felt like Thatcher was on the way out. this is far more satisfying and far-reaching tho i think.

New Guardian piece

The Guardian has learned that Scotland Yard chiefs invited Wallis to apply for a senior communications post with the force in 2009, a decision Stephenson was aware of. Wallis was approached to apply for the two day a month contract by the Met, following discussions involving the forces's most senior figures.

A source with close knowledge of the Yard's thinking at the time said part of Wallis's attraction was his connection to former News of the World editor Coulson, who was a leading aide to Cameron, then in opposition and expected to become prime minister.

Part of the Met's thinking was that Wallis's connections would help the force's relationship with Cameron: "One (Wallis) is a lot cheaper and gives you direct access into No 10," the source added.

what would have happened with all this w/o the moral authority of the poor dead teenager's family? if it was just celebs and royals? would it have the same traction?

xxxp

The narrative that EMil is starting to develop is that once Wapping has been pulled down and the fields sown with salt, the political landscape of the country will change for the better and the Labour party will rise from its tomb and effect real social change free from the scaremongering of a Murdochite press.

This is bollocks obviously but

you'd have thought the mail could have picked a more suitable time to try and bring the bbc down but no

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2015829/Melanie-Phillips-If-Miliband-hero-wont-tackle-REAL-threat-way-life--BBC.html

this is by far the most entertaining political bloodbath i've seen, though more annuated ilx users will doubtless wish to have their say

http://enemiesofreason.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/11qhf7o.jpg

NEVER FORGET

But for years now, the BBC has instead been playing to the lowest common denominator

now i'm enough of a snob about the Beeb but nobody who's seen ITV or Sky's original programming cd write this with a straight face

what would have happened with all this w/o the moral authority of the poor dead teenager's family? if it was just celebs and royals? would it have the same traction?

Well that's kinda the point in all of this as I understand it, that HAD been happening all this time and no major traction came of it beyond Coulson's resignation a while back, though the new police investigation had been continuing. Then the news breaks about said teenager's phone and now we're here.

what would have happened with all this w/o the moral authority of the poor dead teenager's family? if it was just celebs and royals? would it have the same traction?

― by another name (amateurist), Sunday, July 17, 2011 11:16 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

answer is something like 'probably not'. notw staff were jailed for hacking royal/celeb phones years ago but the weirdly sustained fiction was that the editors knew nothing.

i was young and naive and optimistic but i think there was a moment during the Westland scandal when it really felt like Thatcher was on the way out. this is far more satisfying and far-reaching tho i think.

This is looking to be the scandal of a generation. The very fact that Rupert Murdoch is at the centre of it all and has no control whatsoever of the story speaks volumes.

The other considerable factor is the feeling that many politicians have broken loose of NI and seem incredibly excited about it.

He's en route to South Africa.

Someone else just said South America(which is a bit vague). Is is normally a secret when the PM goes abroad (to places that aren't war zones)?

xpost -- Yeah, that's the thing I'm sensing too, if only because part of the story seems to have clearly shifted to how NI in all its forms is reporting (or more to the point, not reporting or misreporting) the story. WSJ interview seen as crass defiance, Fox and Friends piece widely mocked of course, etc., and of course above all that the NotW closing -- rather than tone-setting it's all sounding like an extended flail. Ergo, if they try to attack any politician going at them, what exactly would it achieve?

I thought that when I read the Gordon Brown Is Going Mad Again piece in the STimes this morning. All a bit desperate.

you could see this as another example in a half decade full of them that there is a club at the top of society that appears to just shit on everyone for fun

^^^Apparently Ed Miliband is going to tie this into a culture of irresponsibility ie. bankers' behaviour and the like.

Miliband will use a speech in the City of London on Monday to widen his attack on Britain's "untouchables" – scandal-dogged bankers, politicians and now the media, who think they are above the law – by identifying other groups whose conduct puts them in the same category. After Sir Paul Stephenson's resignation the police too are expected to join the Labour leader's list.

^^^Guardian, just up...

that sounds promising. pretty much everyone who has worked in the_city deserves a mallet to the nuts tbqf.

Hmm seems a bit of a shit angle; this is strong enough on its own, it doesn't need a larger narrative. You dont want this to seem too big to fix; you want itbboiled down "here is a really clear and obvious crime: so sack x and y; do Z; all will be well". Not "oh woe what a massive systemic mess we are, the only answer is nothing simple or pat and leaves lots of room for argument"

Depends how he sells it, I guess. Oh.

Depends how he sells it, I guess. Oh.

haha. yerce.

If he turns up with a mallets for everyone plan I'm right behind him, tho

Miliband will use a speech in the City of London on Monday to widen his attack on Britain's "untouchables" – scandal-dogged bankers, politicians and now the media, who think they are above the law – by identifying other groups whose conduct puts them in the same category. After Sir Paul Stephenson's resignation the police too are expected to join the Labour leader's list.
^^^Guardian, just up...

― natalie imbroglio (suzy), Sunday, July 17, 2011 11:47 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

weird coincidence: the anti-corruption task force in the met that andy hayman led and john yates served in during the late 90s-early 2000s was nicknamed the "untouchables", but allegedly spent a lot of time covering up corruption, pinning the blame on a few suckers and smearing innocent officers who got in their way.

Is this the thing where they were dobbing officers of colour into disciplinaries and terrorism referrals?

From the BBC comments:

If the Met hired Wallis, did the govt hire Grommit?

I am sorry, but I lol'd

Brooks finally bailed. See you all in the morning.

Well that was quick:

12.11am: The Guardian's chief political correspondent, Nick Watt, has some more details about David Cameron being informed of Stephenson's resignation. He says the prime minister was told of the news at 7.20pm, en route from Heathrow to South Africa.

Downing Street made contact with the prime minister while he was on board his Virgin plane shortly before the commissioner's statement was released.

The prime minister spoke from his first class cabin by satellite phone to the home secretary, Theresa May, and officials before releasing his own statement at around 9.30pm.

Downing Street officials said at the time that the prime minister would press ahead with his two-day visit to South Africa and Nigeria.

12.21am: David Cameron has cancelled plans to visit Rwanda and Sudan during his visit to Africa in order to return earlier to the UK.

From a linked story:

David Cameron begins a two-day visit to Africa which has been curtailed to allow the prime minister to fly home early to finalise the terms and membership of Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into the media.

In his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as prime minister, Cameron will fly into South Africa with a message that an African free trade area could increase GDP across the continent by more than it currently receives in aid.

He will praise his generation for marching against African debt and for holding concerts to raise funds for aid to the continent.

But in article in the South African Business Day he will call for a change of approach. "They have never once had a march or a concert to call for what will in the long term save far more lives and do far more good – an African free trade area," he writes.

But Cameron's free trade message is likely to be overshadowed by events back home following the arrest of Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International, who entertained the prime minister at her Oxfordshire home over the Christmas period.

Downing Street aides, who had at one point considered cancelling the trip altogether at the height of the phone-hacking crisis last week, instead decided to cut it back from four days to two. Cameron will now just visit South Africa and Nigeriaon Tuesday. Plans to visit Rwanda and Sudan have been scrapped.

Time has been found in the diary to allow No 10 aides – and possibly the prime minister – to watch the appearance by Rupert and James Murdoch.

Charges re: Brooks:

She was arrested by appointment at a London police station on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section 1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977 and on suspicion of corruption allegations contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906.

lol hey africa we care, honest! oh wait we don't because some rich old dude has a problem.

Time has been found in the diary to allow No 10 aides – and possibly the prime minister – to watch the appearance by Rupert and James Murdoch.

jeez david this is not an opportunity to socialise

Australia, obv. Murdoch's mom is already getting her knife ready.

Ned you keep citing Dame Elis as panto eminence gris, but since all her recent treatment in Ncorp press is that she's either senile or brainwashed for going off-message in re Carboncategate, is there really any actual connection w/ Rupert at all post-Deng?

lol

What better way to exact revenge, my friend.

ONE LIZ TO ANOTHER: PM's flight to Oz leads to a trussing

Guardian reviews Stephenson statement.

so much for editorial indpendence for the wall street journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303661904576451812776293184.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

Guardian finally manages to implicate Dan Wooton:

The connections between Champneys and News International's papers, in particular the Sun and the News of the World, are extensive. They involve several promotional reader offers promising discounts and two-for-one deals at the spa, and the papers' coverage of the resort has also been generous.

In the last year, the News of the World ran a string of stories about Champneys. One, by showbiz reporter Dan Wooton, reported "a pal" of pop singer Pixie Lott and model Oliver Cheshire saying how they "wanted some quiet time so they had a four-day romantic break at Champneys in Tring in Hertfordshire".

Amanda Holden devoted most of her column one week describing a break at the spa with two friends, in particular detailing Charlie Brooks's kriotherapy centre offering "a new treatment which should blitz our cellulite!"

It did not stop there. Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding eulogised about spa's "non-surgical facelifts", and Flavia Cacace, a dancer on Strictly Come Dancing told the paper: "I like to go to Champneys Spa for a facial and a massage."

Wooton going to jail would give me more pleasure than anything

^^^^yes.

Wooton is significant, why?

Fuck, RAF Leuchars is closing as part of the defense review. I live in Leuchars, and it's really the only source of jobs - everyone I know works for the MOD or is married to someone who does. There used to be a paper mill here, but that closed a few years ago, so it's just dishwashing and bedmaking in St Andrews. Place is going to be a ghost town. Still, people in the forces will insist on voting Tory, no matter what, and Fife votes Lib Dem, until the last Scottish election, so I guess we're reaping what we sow.

Another example of the tories screwing Scotland, of course. But I guess it'll get buried by the NI story to a large degree.

Who's who by Businessweek, don't think it's been linked here before:

http://images.businessweek.com/cms/2011-07-14/004-openingremarks30_2.jpg

Crap, how do I shot it being readable?

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu216/le_bateau_ivre/004-openingremarks30_2.jpg

Sigh.. sorry guys.

Don't worry, Clive Goodman's Harry Redknapp impersonation is worth seeing twice.

Firefox users: right-click on the pic and select 'View Image'

^^ that indeed helps, thanks Snoball!

@NickB: LOL

James Murdoch, the beleagured News Corporation executive, has received a ringing endorsement from MMR manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline according to Reuters news agency on Friday. GSK who appointed him to their board in February 2009 insist Murdoch has made “a strong contribution” to the group and received share payments worth $158,000 in 2010. Murdoch was appointed to the board of the pharmaceutical manufacturer with a brief to “review…external issues that might have the potential for serious impact upon the group's business and reputation."

Within a fortnight of his appointment News International had published at least 5 articles attacking MMR researcher Andrew Wakefield’s integrity.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EptD7Iul550/SsUcRd8E0wI/AAAAAAAAAmg/d-mAlAu_E3U/s320/drudge-siren.gif

hmm that may be true but wouldn't credit anything from a site that defends Wakefield.

christ

Wakefield didn't really need a Murdoch to discredit him.

from the site that brought you The Age of Autism:
Mercury, Medicine, and a Man-Made Epidemic

i.e. it's Mercury Hat time

I keep staring at NV's judgesiren.jpg. Infuriating how it doesn't blare.

*throws Noodle Vague a http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu216/le_bateau_ivre/UEKoi.gif *

drudgesiren, even

I would rather NI had published pro-big pharma propaganda if that means they were also publishing anti-Wakefield propaganda, if you see what I mean.

i wd rather not pick a side in terms of good guys and bad guys but i guess Wakefield and co. have arguably done more harm over the short term

if we could just roll up every major news story of the last decade into this that would be fab.

Apparently there's some hilarious Fox & Friends bit where they have the NOTW as the victims,

Don't remember that bit...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PRANTGW8L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

37. Hello Goodbye Single (Points: 238, Voters: 10, Number Ones: 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLAcxCkjqJs&feature=related

haha

A little melody to help you through your day..

A comment on the short tenure of the chief of police there....

(ahem.. tiptoes away)

Inspector Gadget commenters are more upset with Stephenson for a) making them wear ties and b) not allowing them Tasers than anything, you know, substantive.

Them coppas were queueing up and fighting amongst themselves to have a go at tazering RMoat "No let me" "Gerrof, I want to" "SARGE!!!"... etc.

"But I would say that the situation in the Metropolitan police service is really quite different to the situation in government so suck on that Boris"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14182703

The Metropolitan police authority is currently holding a meeting to discuss Mr Yates' handling of the phone hacking affair and his links with Mr Wallis, a former senior executive at the News of the World.

It is understood the authority has decided to hold an investigation into the assistant commissioner. It is expected he will be asked to step down while this investigation is carried out.

A source close to the mayor told The Daily Telegraph: "If an investigation is ongoing he cannot stay in his job."

Although it's not like Boris is still in charge of the MPA, so it's not like he's trying to grab the glory for himself.

oh nononono nooo

Just thinking about annoying style journalist, initials DJ, whose fealty to Cameron caused an industry to sick up onto its taxi shoes...

Yes, excellent choice - please let him be implicated...

Yates gone now?

Soundtrack for today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEO7AtBvmgA

was going to link to this just in case anyone wanted an overview, but it has some pretty fun moments:

Nick Davies had been alerted that Brooks had told colleagues that the story was going to end with “Alan Rusbridger on his knees, begging for mercy.” “They would have destroyed us,” Davies said on a Guardian podcast last week. “If they could have done, they would have shut down The Guardian.”

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/07/17/how-the-guardian-broke-the-news-of-the-world-hacking-scandal.html#

Those evil far left Liberal Democrat supporters

“Alan Rusbridger on his knees, begging for mercy."

oh man the more i hear about this story the more i love this woman

she is the greatest villainess of all time

I mean... who in the world could you cast that would do justice to her? She is amazing.

TILDA SWINTON

that just might work!

This shot is just unbelievable

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/07/07/article-2012326-0CE9646C00000578-34_634x382.jpg

That was the day the NOTW was shut down

TILDA SWINTON

... and featuring, in his first dramatic role, as David Cameron, PM... Michael McIntyre

lol @ tilda swinton, word. tilda swinton reprising her role from the last ten minutes of michael clayton.
the bit where she was saying that the guardian 'had it in for them' to departing staff is still the thing that kills me, that you could be so mired in shit & still see it as a conspiracy.

It's weird to be able to actually enjoy the Guardian being smug about something

Scotland Yard's Assistant Commissioner John Yates says he's done "nothing wrong", amid speculation he could be suspended over the phone-hacking scandal. He tells reporters who ask if his position is untenable: "Give me a break."

LOL, what a twat

xxxxxpost
I like the way it appears there's a little mutant hand trying to get out of her chest.

i was thinking nicole kidman (botox would help, when have you ever seen our rebekah have a facial expression) but SWINTON seems perfect

or cate blanchett for full rebekah brooks/elizabeth i crossover

great opportunity for a bonnie langford comeback here

shameless wall street journal editorial: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303661904576451812776293184.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

as bad in a way as that fox & friends clip

http://images.wikia.com/chuckychildsplay/images/5/52/Chucky.jpg

Our readers can decide if we are a better publication than we were four years ago, but there is no denying that News Corp. has invested in the product. The news hole is larger. Our foreign coverage in particular is more robust, our weekend edition more substantial, and our expansion into digital delivery ahead of the pack. The measure that really matters is the market's, and on that score Mr. Hinton was at the helm when we again became America's largest daily.

Another day of chucking journalism down the news hole...

The overnight turn toward righteous independence recalls an eternal truth: Never trust a politician.

And uh, uh, I know you are, but what am I?!?

Hearing that Cameron was about to employ Coulson, the editor of the Graun let him (and, separately, Clegg) know that

in 2005 Coulson’s NotW had rehired as one of its investigators a man named Jonathan Rees, who was just out of prison having served a seven-year sentence for planting cocaine on an innocent woman. Rees was now in prison, awaiting trial for conspiracy to murder his former business partner, a man who had been found in a pub parking lot with an ax in his head.

He appeared rather dismissive of its significance and only a little rattled.

"Melanie Phillips" strikes again:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2015829/Phone-hacking-scandal-If-Ed-Miliband-hero-wont-tackle-BBC.html

cate blanchett is one of the most beautiful women in the world and rebekah brooks looks like a regla at an ayrshire magistrates court

sic, and to boot, Rees was spying on the police officers in charge of investigating him for that murder! Of course he couldn't do the spying himself since his every move was being watched so he hired.... NotW people to do the job for him! joe linked that article in the other thread, it's here -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/06/news-of-the-world-rebekah-brooks

There's a part of me that wants to spend a night with her.

nakh while i agree tbh I don't think Blanchett has the think-bones to do Brooks justice

@BBCMichaelCrick Gordon Brown was so keen on judicial inquiry into hacking that it was even an item in May 2010 Lab Lib Dem Coalition negotiations

Serve it cold, Gordon...

David Cameron tried his best to look interested during a lengthy business Q&A just now at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange; but his mind is undoubtedly elsewhere, several thousand miles to the north, where the phone hacking saga is yielding new twists and turns by the hour.

But he looked a bit more alert when Jason Groves of the Daily Mail – alluding to Ed Miliband’s comments this morning – asked whether he was considering his position as prime minister.

The answer was rather rambling and gave neither a negative or affirmative. Cameron must realise that “prime minister refuses to quit” would be a gift for the press.

James Chapman, the Mail’s political editor, has pointed out that the odds of David Cameron quitting the cabinet first are now (at 12-1) shorter than those of Caroline Spelman (at 16-1).

hahaha

ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

spelman of the forest-selling, lest we forget

More from Cameron's ramble:

The British Government, in terms of this phone-hacking scandal, has taken all of the appropriate action. ...
I feel I have been out there in Parliament and in press conferences, fully answering the questions, fully transparent, very clear about what needs to be done, making sure that Britain gets to the bottom of what has been a terrible episode in terms of what newspapers have done, hacking into private data, and also some very big questions about potential police corruption - we need to get to the bottom of those.
I've said very clearly as a politician that the relationship between politicians and media hasn't been right.
The music has stopped on my watch and I am determined to get to the bottom of it to make sure we have a better relationship in the future and to put these things right.

I’m going to make a big statement...

Because I'm a big statesman. No, really I am.

yates has resigned, sez twitter

so jaded that i can barely muster a shrug, our sights are surely on bigger fish now

"He's so nervous, avoiding all the questions"

BBC:

BREAKING NEWS:Met Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates resigns amid criticism of his investigation into phone hacking

I've said very clearly as a politician that the relationship between politicians and media hasn't been right...in fact I was only saying that to Rebekah the other day, but she told me to stop being such a worrier and once they got Rusbridger on his knees it would all be fine...

Scotland Yard's Assistant Commissioner John Yates says he's done "nothing wrong", amid speculation he could be suspended over the phone-hacking scandal. He tells reporters who ask if his position is untenable: "Give me a break. I resign"

fixed

How many resignations from people who have done absolutely nothing wrong are we on now?

It's the old get-out, used oft in the past, see Dame Shirley Porter or Jeffrey Archer:

"I have done nothing wrong" which is a matter of (someone's) opinion,

vs

"I have done nothing illegal" which is something that can be established.

Wonder if Cressida Dick will still be thinking about Jean Charles de Menezes "every day" in her new role?

great opportunity for a bonnie langford comeback here

this was a quality lol

this hacking scandal has caused such a distraction to my work that i am also resigning today

fry and laurie sketch on rubert murdoch from 1995 -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/clips/p00j5rz8/a_bit_of_fry_and_laurie_its_a_soaraway_life_the_rupert_murdoch_sketch/

uh ruPert

this hacking scandal has caused such a distraction to my work that i am also resigning today

Yes, I'm finding it really hard to concentrate today!

no we have to get work done today because tomorrow it'll be impossible what with the select committee and all

Are we getting called up, or just cited?

Don't think anyone could blame me for finding "Hostile & Generous Toleration (A New Theory of Toleration)" by George Jacob Holyoake not exactly riveting

Imagine the Manic Street Preachers are reading it alongside you.

xp

wd read tbh

Things are looking up, I'm on to "Life and Death (Part I. - Death)"

No spoilers.

Wait, part I?

part 1?
xp

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01949/boris_1949319c.jpg

Part II is yr phone gets hacked.

lol

Part III is You're Fired.

14.54 Boris Johnson appears to have lost his temper at a question from Jon Snow, answers in raised voice. Starting to look more flustered than usual; fiddles with his tie. And to another question - "Come on, be fair".

Finally, challenged again on dismissing hacking as codswallop, says: "I misunderstood the severity of the allegations." Blames poor information he was given.

This guy.

"Come on, be fair" shd be the Tory campaign slogan for 2012.

2.58pm: You just effectively sacked two of the most senior officers in London, the mayor is told.

"Yeah ... That's not an operational matter," Johnson says. And with that the press conference is over.

Jon Snow?

... and Part II is......... Life! They got that one arse over tit there.

xpost -- is this the real life, is this just fantasy, etc.

A sick masochistic part of me wants to turn on Fox News today.

Why are you bored of the scandal? You wpn't find it reported there.

ha, true. Just thought Doocey might do some more spinning, but Fox & Friends is already over today.

Death is four pages longer than Life :(

Thankfully it's mostly footnotes.

Meantime I note Sullivan's back blogging and has things to say, thus here and here. I admit to being amused:

I've lived in America for twenty-five years, and yet I can come home as a native son and personally knew at college the current Mayor of London (an Oxford Union successor), the Foreign Secretary (an Oxford Union predecessor), the editor of the Economist (Magdalen history), and from Reigate Grammar School, the director of strategy at Number 10, the director of public prosecutions and, last but not least, Fatboy Slim.

Death is four pages longer than Life :(

― R. Stornoway (Tom D.), Monday, 18 July 2011 15:26 (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Thankfully it's mostly footnotes.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 18 July 2011 15:27 (8 minutes ago) Bookmark

http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/150571/150571,1247024235,1/stock-photo-human-feet-with-toe-tag-bar-code-33300391.jpg

I love how this reads:

15.40 Theresa May says the Met is stronger today than when Sir Paul Stephenson took over. She has agreed he should leave "as swiftly as possible".

News America was led by Paul V. Carlucci [who engaged in unethical and illegal practices that eventually forced settlements exceeding $500 million], who, according to Forbes, used to show the sales staff the scene in “The Untouchables” in which Al Capone beats a man to death with a baseball bat. Mr. Emmel testified that Mr. Carlucci was clear about the guiding corporate philosophy.

According to Mr. Emmel’s testimony, Mr. Carlucci said that if there were employees uncomfortable with the company’s philosophy — “bed-wetting liberals in particular was the description he used” Mr. Emmel testified — then he could arrange to have those employees “outplaced from the company.”

…

So what became of him? Mr. Carlucci, as it happens, became the publisher of The New York Post in 2005 and continues to serve as head of News America, which doesn’t exactly square with Mr. Murdoch’s recently stated desire to “absolutely establish our integrity in the eyes of the public.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/business/media/for-news-corporation-troubles-that-money-cant-dispel.html

The Guardian's fault for the typo but even so:

May concludes by saying that many Met officers serve the public bravely. An officer was short in the course of his duties only three days ago. It is for their sake that these inquiries need to be successful.

Now, since ‘News International Associated Services’ is a News International subsidiary based in Wapping, it’s fairly clear that the GLA has paid a Murdoch company several thousand pounds for something, reasonably regularly, during 2009/2010.

Around that time, we know that the now defunct Murdoch freesheet The London Paper was running advertorials for Boris’s shiny new Story of London festival:

Publicity for the Story of London Festival was mainly through the GLA website, poster campaign and pamphlet supported by articles in the ‘londonpaper’.

Yes, if you close down your ‘Pyong-Yang style freesheet’ you effectively end up paying, well, Rupert Murdoch to print your PR.

4.23pm: PoliticalBetting is taking the prospect of David Cameron quitting quite seriously, reports Paul Owen.

The website's respected guru Mike Smithson reports that Ladbrokes has tightened the price on Cameron's being the next cabinet member to quit the government from 100/1 ten days ago to 12/1 now. Stan James offers 7/1 against Cameron not lasting the year.

Of the frontrunners to replace Cameron, David Davis represents "outstanding value" at 33/1, and Smithson has put some money down. Boris Johnson is top of the heap at 4/1, despite his not being an MP. Paul's own tip to replace Cameron would be William Hague, whose reputation and image as a statesman have steadily and markedly improved since he was last Tory leader – give or take a few embarrassing stories about his sleeping arrangements.

Ugh, Boris.

Paul's own tip to replace Cameron would be William Hague, whose reputation and image as a statesman have steadily and markedly improved since he was last Tory leader

bleeeaarrghhhhh

THOUGHT WE WERE RID OF HIM A DECADE AGO >:(

He's back and balder than ever.

does he still have his beard

Inquiries inquiries inquiries:

• IPCC oversight of Operation Elveden:
Operation Elveden, looking into corruption, is being supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. As soon as individual suspected officers have been identified, IPCC investigators will lead an independent investigation of those officers. Both of these matters will then be considered by the Leveson Inquiry, already established by the Prime Minister.
• Review of police-press relations:
Elizabeth Filkin, the former Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, has "provisionally agreed to examine the ethical considerations that should, in future, underpin the relationships between the Metropolitan Police and the media, how to ensure maximum transparency and public confidence, and provide advice".
The management board of the Met has "agreed a new set of guidelines relating to relationships with the media, including recording meetings and hospitality and publication on the internet".
• Investigation into police corruption:
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has been asked to consider "instances of undue influence, inappropriate contractual arrangements and other abuses of power in police relationships with the media and other parties".
• Review of IPCC powers:
IPCC chief executive, Jane Furniss, has told the Home Secretary she has the power she needs for now but the Home Secretary has "commissioned work to consider whether the IPCC needs further powers, including whether it should be given the power to question civilian witnesses during the course of their investigations".
Ms May said: "Given that the IPCC can at present only investigate specific allegations against individual officers, I have also asked whether the Commission needs to have a greater role in investigating allegations about institutional failings of a force or forces."

Oh and:

16.35 Breaking: David Cameron will now curtail his Africa trip - having already shortened it once and insisted earlier today he would not do so again.

At this rate he'll be refused reentry as an undesirable.

i so want one of the principles to try to flee the country while they can

Re: Hague. Let's put the (purely platonic) bed sharing with attractive pouting young (male) political "advisers" to one side then, shall we?

PRINCIPALS

godfkndamnit

The principles themselves having long since gone.

http://www.5chicago.com/theindex/jamie-principle/photo.jpg

4.38pm: My colleague Vikram Dodd tells me that the home affairs committee has Lord Macdonald, director of public prosecutions at at the time of the first phone hacking prosecution in 2007, to appear before it tomorrow in a special session. Macdonald has been criticised because he has subsequently agreed to do some work for News International.

it is seriously difficult to keep all this shit straight

Everyone is arresting everyone else before they resign during a committee appearance.

isn't it gonna be quicker to pull in everybody who hasn't been paid by News Corp?

The room would be empty.

Meanwhile, speaking of committees and things:

Paul Dacre tells draft defamation bill committee he's never encountered hacking or blagging by journalists

or anything resembling "journalism", in his newsroom.