[Update] The News Corp scandal

You want the Prime Minister to resign because someone he hired lied to him and to a Select Committee, and who had not been charged with any crime at the time - talk about passing on the sins of the fathers to the sons.....

I have 127 staff working for me - am I responsible for all the things all of them had been accused of doing in the past (but never charged or put on trial), if it is found out that they lied about them to me?

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Hugh

You want the Prime Minister to resign because someone he hired lied to him and to a Select Committee, and who had not been charged with any crime at the time - talk about passing on the sins of the fathers to the sons.....

I have 127 staff working for me - am I responsible for things they had been accused of doing in the past (but never charged or put on trial), if it is found out that they lied about them to me?

Its called a very poor lack of judgement and sorry Hugh as much as you maybe would like to be in high office sadly David Cameron is there and you tell me if it was the leader of another party don't tell me that the Media and public would not be calling for his or hers head.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by denphone

Its called a very poor lack of judgement and sorry Hugh as much as you maybe would like to be in high office sadly David Cameron is there and you tell me if it was the leader of another party don't tell me that the Media and public would not be calling for his or hers head.

His resignation would be nice

[Osem]

Originally Posted by denphone

Its called a very poor lack of judgement and sorry Hugh as much as you maybe would like to be in high office sadly David Cameron is there and you tell me if it was the leader of another party don't tell me that the Media and public would not be calling for his or hers head.

If poor judgement on such an issue* were a reason for resignation Bliar, Brown, Milliband, Balls and numerous others shouldn't have lasted 5 minutes.

* trivial when compared to say??.... ermm..... lying about WMDs to drag us into a war, selling vast amounts of gold at the bottom of the market, cash for questions, cash for honours etc., etc., etc., etc.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Osem

If poor judgement on such an issue* were a reason for resignation Bliar, Brown, Milliband, Balls and numerous others wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes.

* trivial when compared to say??.... ermm..... lying about WMDs to drag us into a war, selling vast amounts of gold at the bottom of the market, cash for questions, cash for honours etc., etc., etc., etc.

But the issue is now and not then and involves David Cameron, Andy Coulson and News Corp players and is not trivial in the vast majority of the publics minds as they still believe he is not telling the full truth but is giving some very vague answers when he is questioned.

Originally Posted by Osem

If poor judgement on such an issue* were a reason for resignation Bliar, Brown, Milliband, Balls and numerous others shouldn't have lasted 5 minutes.

* trivial when compared to say??.... ermm..... lying about WMDs to drag us into a war, selling vast amounts of gold at the bottom of the market, cash for questions, cash for honours etc., etc., etc., etc.

Ah, that's not "poor judgement" - that's "acting on the information available at the time"....

Oh.......

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Ah, that's not "poor judgement" - that's "acting on the information available at the time"....

Oh.......

Well l suppose that depends on your political point of view.

Originally Posted by denphone

But the issue is now and not then and involves David Cameron, Andy Coulson and News Corp players and is not trivial in the vast majority of the publics minds as they still believe he is not telling the full truth but is giving some very vague answers when he is questioned.

But you are doing an Ed Milliband - "the past is not important (cos we were involved), only the present"; but at the same time Cameron was hiring Coulson, the Labour Government was being very cosy with News International - so do alleged inappropriate actions in the recent past only apply to the Conservatives?

---------- Post added at 14:41 ---------- Previous post was at 14:40 ----------

Originally Posted by denphone

Well l suppose that depends on your political point of view.

You said it!

[Osem]

Originally Posted by denphone

But the issue is now and not then and involves David Cameron, Andy Coulson and News Corp players and is not trivial in the vast majority of the publics minds as they still believe he is not telling the full truth but is giving some very vague answers when he is questioned.

Hiring Coulson not trivial when compared to WMDs, £billions wasted and countless thousands of lives lost. Do me a favour!

On what basis do you conclude and apparently speak for the 'vast majority of the public' when considering what's more or less trivial?

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Hugh

But you are doing an Ed Milliband - "the past is not important (cos we were involved), only the present"; but at the same time Cameron was hiring Coulson, the Labour Government was being very cosy with News International - so do alleged inappropriate actions in the recent past only apply to the Conservatives?

---------- Post added at 14:41 ---------- Previous post was at 14:40 ----------


You said it!

If inappropriate actions are found to be done by Labour politicians then they should face the same consequences just like David Cameron should.

---------- Post added at 14:47 ---------- Previous post was at 14:44 ----------

Originally Posted by Osem

Hiring Coulson not trivial when compared to WMDs, £billions wasted and countless thousands of lives lost. Do me a favour!

On what basis do you conclude and apparently speak for the 'vast majority of the public' when considering what's more or less trivial?

But the issue is now and those issues have nothing to do with it.

That's a "convenient" position to take - things that happened in the past concerning the Conservatives are relevant (because the Coulson hiring happened in 2007, not now, but is being raised now due to the NI scandal), but things that Labour did in the past aren't relevant.....

As this is all about alleged influence, how come no one is raising this, which was reported in The Independent in 2007 (the same time Coulson was hired)

How Murdoch had a hotline to the PM in the run-up to Iraq war...


...
In Alastair Campbell's diaries, published last week, the former spin doctor described a Downing Street dinner for Mr Murdoch and his sons, James and Lachlan, in 2002. "Murdoch pointed out that his were the only papers that gave us support when the going got tough. 'I've noticed,' said TB," Mr Campbell wrote.

Lance Price, Mr Campbell's deputy, called Mr Murdoch "the 24th member of the [Blair] Cabinet". He added: "His presence was always felt. No big decision could ever be made inside No10 without taking account of the likely reaction of three men, Gordon Brown, John Prescott and Rupert Murdoch. On all the really big decisions, anybody else could safely be ignored."

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Hugh

That's a "convenient" position to take - things that happened in the past concerning the Conservatives are relevant (because the Coulson hiring happened in 2007, not now, but is being raised now due to the NI scandal), but things that Labour did in the past aren't relevant.....

Only if they are found to have done some wrongdoing in this whole News Corp scandal and if they have then they should be brought to book as well.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Hugh

That's a "convenient" position to take - things that happened in the past concerning the Conservatives are relevant (because the Coulson hiring happened in 2007, not now, but is being raised now due to the NI scandal), but things that Labour did in the past aren't relevant.....

Actually our resident newsfeed has a good point. I mean it's not as though we're still dealing with the legacy of New Labour's 'trivial' errors of judgement is it. Not as though our children, their children and their children's children are going to be paying for all their lies and mistakes is it? I mean that's all done and dusted now, all in the past, nothing to worry about at all......

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Osem

Actually our resident newsfeed has a good point. I mean it's not as though we're still dealing with the legacy of New Labour's trivial errors of judgement is it. Not as though our children, their children and their children's children are going to be paying for all their lies and mistakes is it? I mean that's all done and dusted now, all in the past, nothing to worry about at all......

You are trying to bring other political issues into it Osem when they have nothing to do with the present scandal.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by denphone

Only if they are found to have done some wrongdoing in this whole News Corp scandal and if they have then they should be brought to book as well.

So what wrongdoing has Cameron (and even Coulson) been proved to have engaged in at this point to justify his resignation or is he just guilty because you and the 'vast majority of the public' for whom you clearly speak think so?