[Update] The News Corp scandal

[devilincarnate]

Should be a very interesting week?

David Cameron, Nick Clegg, George Osborne and Gordon Brown will appear before the Leveson Inquiry next week, it has been announced.
The inquiry into press ethics is currently examining the relationship between politicians and the media.
The prime minister will be the sole witness on Thursday, the inquiry's witness list shows.
Mr Osborne and Mr Brown will give evidence on Monday, with Mr Clegg appearing on Wednesday.
Labour leader Ed Miliband, former Prime Minister Sir John Major and Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman will give evidence to the inquiry at London's Royal Courts of Justice on Tuesday.
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond will also give evidence on Wednesday.
The prime minister has backed Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt amid calls for him to resign over his department's relationship with News Corp during its bid to take full control of BSkyB.
At the last hearing before a week's adjournment on 31 May, Mr Hunt faced six hours of questions on his handling of the bid.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18366983

[devilincarnate]

HMMMMMMMMMMMM?

George Osborne has said he asked ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson about phone hacking before hiring him as Conservative communications chief.

The chancellor said he knew the appointment would be controversial, but he was reassured the scandal was over.

He told the Leveson Inquiry because there had been a criminal court case, he assumed there was "nothing else".

Mr Coulson resigned in January 2007 after the conviction of the paper's royal editor for hacking.

At the time he said coverage of the News of the World (NoW) phone hacking scandal had "made it difficult to give the 110% needed in this role".

Mr Osborne told the inquiry: "I was aware and we'd discussed it beforehand internally that hiring him would attract some controversy...

"It's also worth noting that the Press Complaints Commission, subsequently before we had appointed him said there was no evidence...

"I guess I also had assumed that because there had been a criminal court case... that there was nothing else. But I asked him."

Earlier, Mr Osborne told the inquiry he did not know what Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt or PM David Cameron's views were on News Corp's £8bn bid for BSkyB.

He said there had been no specific conversations with Mr Hunt and he did not have strong views about it.

What about the texts?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18398951

Major finished with..Now It's Ed's turn

Mr Clegg today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18422299

And Chris's favourite politician later, Mr Salmond

Cannae wait

He has already got my hackles up..

[Itshim]

What really puzzles me is why people are surprised by all of this. Study your history.None of this is new.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely" John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902).
Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887:

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."


So nothing changes then.

Originally Posted by Itshim

What really puzzles me is why people are surprised by all of this. Study your history.None of this is new.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely" John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902).
Lord Acton, expressed this opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887:

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."


So nothing changes then.

well the fact of the matter is that Murdoch would never have had such power if the politicians had been more worthy of our faith in them to protect us and the country's interests instead of their own interests.

It rather depends upon the definition of "Great". They're all a product of an education that taught them that they are a cut above the rest. I went to an independent boarding school, fees paid by the company that my Dad worked for at the time. I didn't grow up believing that I was somehow better than anyone else. Their arrogance and lack of understanding is the something that I will not and cannot accept.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

And Chris's favourite politician later, Mr Salmond

So he is possibly the only person in the UK who appears not to be have been hacked by News International and has dropped the Guardian / Observer in it.

I'm sure Mr Murdoch will reward him in the upcoming referendum campaign.

David Cameron's turn at the Leveson Inquiry today.

I shall miss most of it as I'll a short term guest of the NHS today.

[Itshim]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

David Cameron's turn at the Leveson Inquiry today.

I shall miss most of it as I'll a short term guest of the NHS today.

Hope it all goes well for you.

I am still surprised ,that what we hear at Leveson surprises people.
I do not agree with what, has clearly been happening but surprised or shocked no.

Originally Posted by Itshim

Hope it all goes well for you.

I am still surprised ,that what we hear at Leveson surprises people.
I do not agree with what, has clearly been happening but surprised or shocked no.

Well shocked or not surely you are angry about it..which IMHO is the more important emotion.

Good luck and God bless Maggy. We'll be praying that all goes well

[Itshim]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Well shocked or not surely you are angry about it..which IMHO is the more important emotion.

Honesty no. For as long as papers/tv/ or any other "media" has been reporting they have used "dirty tricks"
I do not think there can be many people that at some time have not enjoyed the result of this thought of thing.

Long range cameras/phone tapping/ going in to dust bins.Its the technology that has changed not the act. The media will spy on people anyway it can.
Politicians have always "cosied" up to the media . When it bites back they fain surprise/shock
At the end of the day how many millions of £ `s will this have cost & to what avail. So no I am not angry just sad at a great waste of money.