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**Maggy** · 25-04-2012, 20:46

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...iry?CMP=twt_fd

Quote:

The plan clearly was for Castle Murdoch to be defended with well-constructed walls of obdurate denial, reinforced by occasional bouts of forgetfulness. Certainly, the denials never shifted – and these were big, tough denials: "I've never asked a prime minister for anything in my life … We have never pushed our commercial interests in our papers … I don't know many politicians."

Quote:

In the case of Murdoch's relationship with Blair, Jay quoted Murdoch's former editor, Andrew Neil, that there had been "an implicit understanding – never openly talked about between the two men – but an understanding nevertheless".
Murdoch duly put up his well-rehearsed denial – "I never asked Mr Blair for anything, nor did I receive any favour" – and then proceeded to volunteer that he had been in the habit of seeing Blair two or three times a year, as though that were an annual average for most voters to see a national leader. He described how he had once spent an afternoon at Chequers, telling Blair how much he opposed Britain joining the euro, as though the prime minister had nothing better to do than to listen to the opinions of a passing Australian.

Yes he did slip up on more than one occasion and I found myself holding my breath..

---------- Post added at 20:46 ---------- Previous post was at 20:08 ----------

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17843752

Quote:

Ex-Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has denied News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch's claim that he threatened to "make war" on the media company.
Mr Murdoch told the Leveson Inquiry Mr Brown had phoned him in 2009 after the Sun moved to back the Conservatives.
He quoted Mr Brown as saying: "Well, your company has declared war on my government and we have no alternative but to make war on your company."
But later, Mr Brown responded by saying the allegation was "wholly wrong".
Mr Murdoch had claimed that Mr Brown had not been in a "balanced state of mind" when he made the phone call.
Mr Brown said he did not phone, meet, or write to Mr Murdoch about the Sun's decision to support the Conservatives.

How does anyone prove or disprove this?

It's just the sort of thing that The Sun might claim and of course it's just hearsay.