[Update] The News Corp scandal

[denphone]

l have just seen this news online and its just another disgraceful and sickening bit of behavior by NOTW.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011...ng-sarah-payne

There really were not any depths they were prepared to descend too for a story was there absolutely sickening it really is and thats as polite as i can be without causing a mod some work.

As for the whole political aspect of this can i just ask beyond friendships that cameron had (and it seems very prominent labour politicians before him had) is there absolutely anything to suggest that the current tory part of this coalition has more to worry about then the previous goverments under labour.

Apart from the coulson thing which has now been admitted as a mistake by cameron and was a poor judgement call at worst unless something new comes up. There isn't anything to say they are worse unless we take Flyboys accusation of them profiting from phone hacking during the election something else i would like to see some proof of as the only thing i had vaguely heard about was a labour chappie getting info on tory central office or somesuch.

Anything at all or is it just wishful thinking on the part of some ?.

[devilincarnate]

Originally Posted by denphone

Yes l have read your update and while the previous administration cannot pretend to wash their hands of this l still think the current administration has many more skeletons in its cupboard and has considerably more to lose.

Den you need to look a-lot further back and also to the present day in regards to this?

Political activities in Britain
In Britain, in the 1980s, Murdoch formed a close alliance with Margaret Thatcher, and The Sun credited itself with helping John Major to win an unexpected election victory in the 1992 general election.[45] In the general elections of 1997, 2001 and 2005, Murdoch's papers were either neutral or supported Labour under Tony Blair. This has led some critics to argue that Murdoch simply supports the incumbent parties (or those who seem most likely to win an upcoming election) in the hope of influencing government decisions that may affect his businesses. The Labour Party, under Blair, had moved from the Left to a more central position on many economic issues prior to 1997. Murdoch identifies himself as a libertarian, saying "What does libertarian mean? As much individual responsibility as possible, as little government as possible, as few rules as possible. But I'm not saying it should be taken to the absolute limit."[46]
In a speech delivered in New York, Rupert Murdoch said that the British Prime Minister Tony Blair described the BBC coverage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster as being full of hatred of America.[47]
In 1998, Rupert Murdoch failed in his attempt to buy the football club Manchester United F.C.[48] with an offer of £625 million. It was the largest amount ever offered for a sports club. It was blocked by the United Kingdom's Competition Commission, which stated that the acquisition would have "hurt competition in the broadcast industry and the quality of British football".
On 28 June 2006 the BBC reported that Murdoch and News Corporation were flirting with the idea of backing Conservative leader David Cameron at the next General Election.[49] In a later interview in July 2006, when he was asked what he thought of the Conservative leader, Murdoch replied "Not much".[50] In a 2009 blog, it was suggested that in the aftermath of the News of the World phone hacking scandal which is still ongoing in 2011 and might yet have Transatlantic implications[51] Murdoch and News Corporation might have decided to back Cameron.[52] Despite this, there had already been a convergence of interests between the two men over the muting of Britain's communications regulator Ofcom.[53]
In 2006, Britain's Independent newspaper reported that Murdoch would offer Tony Blair a senior role in his global media company News Corporation when the prime minister stood down from office.[54]
He is accused by former Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan of having a personal vendetta against him and of conspiring with MI5 to produce a video of him confessing to having affairs – allegations over which Sheridan had previously sued News International and won.[55] On being arrested for perjury following the case, Sheridan claimed that the charges were "orchestrated and influenced by the powerful reach of the Murdoch empire".[56]
In August 2008 British Conservative leader and future Prime Minister David Cameron accepted free flights to hold private talks and attend private parties with Murdoch on his yacht, the Rosehearty.[57] Cameron has declared in the Commons register of interests he accepted a private plane provided by Murdoch's son-in-law, public relations guru Matthew Freud; Cameron has not revealed his talks with Murdoch. The gift of travel in Freud's Gulfstream IV private jet was valued at around £30,000. Other guests attending the "social events" included the then EU trade commissioner Lord Mandelson, the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and co-chairman of NBC Universal Ben Silverman. The Conservatives have not disclosed what was discussed.[58]

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

[denphone]

Originally Posted by devilincarnate

Den you need to look a-lot further back and also to the present day in regards to this?



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

Thank you for your helpful information and yes the Labour party cannot pretend that it was not close to Murdoch for quite a few years and this in my mind is something that is very regretable and yes Murdoch has had his tentacles in british politics for at least 30 years and hopefully this nefarious character's influence will now disappear for good and about time too.

[devilincarnate]

Originally Posted by denphone

Thank you for your helpful information and yes the Labour party cannot pretend that it was not close to Murdoch for quite a few years and this in my mind is something that is very regretable and yes Murdoch has had his tentacles in british politics for at least 30 years and hopefully this nefarious character's influence will now disappear for good and about time too.

You are welcome Den. Just been thinking about the House Of Lords debate a while ago and someone mentioned it? They said that Tony Blair had flown over to Australia to meet Murdoch, But when it was Thatcher she made hime come to her

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/wo...ef=global-home

Britain was awash in a new surge of outrage over the phone hacking scandal on Thursday as news emerged that Scotland Yard had added to the list of probable victims a woman whose 8-year-old daughter was murdered by a repeat sex offender in 2000.
The tabloid at the center of the scandal, The News of the World, aggressively championed the campaign of the grieving mother, Sara Payne, for a law warning parents if child sex offenders lived nearby. Mrs. Payne had written warmly of the paper in its final issue, calling it “an old friend.”
A statement released on behalf of Mrs. Payne by the Phoenix Foundation, a children’s charity she founded, described her as devastated and disappointed.

It is becoming more and more apparent that no one and nothing was sacrosanct.

Originally Posted by Maggy J

It is becoming more and more apparent that no one and nothing was sacrosanct.

Welcome to the world of British newspapers.

[Sirius]

Phone hacking row: PCC head Buscombe 'stepping down'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14342217

The head of the Press Complaints Commission is to resign after growing criticism of its handling of the phone hacking scandal, the BBC understands.

Baroness Peta Buscombe has chaired the watchdog since April 2009 but has faced a backlash over the saga, which led to the closure of the News of the World.

Another one bites the dust

[devilincarnate]

The private investigator at the centre of the News of the World phone-hacking claims "acted on the instructions of others", his lawyers have said.

In a statement Glenn Mulcaire's legal team said any suggestion he acted unilaterally was "untrue".

It comes after the mother of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne was told she may have been phone hacked by Mulcaire.

The investigator was jailed in 2007 after admitting to phone hacking while he was working for the paper.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14346083

[denphone]

Originally Posted by devilincarnate

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14346083

Be interesting what he will reveal.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/07/...ef=global-home

Seems the bounce back has started..

British Sky Broadcasting, the satellite television company partly owned by Rupert Murdoch, said on Friday it would buy back some of its own shares and increase the dividend to compensate investors.BSkyB, as the company is also known, said it planned a share buyback worth £750 million, or $1.2 billion, and would return another £253 million to shareholders through a final dividend of 14.54 pence a share.

BSkyB also said its board unanimously voted in favor of keeping James R. Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch’s son and a senior executive at News Corporation, in his job as chairman of BskyB’s board. It was the board’s first meeting since News Corporation was forced to abandon its BSkyB bid.

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/07/...ef=global-home

Seems the bounce back has started..

Well l still think that James Murdoch is not out of the woods yet though.

[devilincarnate]

Originally Posted by denphone

Well l still think that James Murdoch is not out of the woods yet though.

Very true he is still at the centre trying to find his way out at this moment in time?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14342674

Hmm! I wonder whom is at the bottom of this attempt at blagging and why?

Conservative MP Louise Mensch has admitted she "probably" took drugs with violinist Nigel Kennedy when she was working for record company EMI.
The MP for Corby said she had been contacted by journalists who said they knew she had taken drugs at a nightclub.
The journalists claimed to have photographs of the night in question.

Mrs Mensch, who also writes romantic novels under her maiden name Louise Bagshawe, has published an e-mail from investigative journalists accusing her of taking drugs and dancing, while drunk, with the musician during her time as a press officer for EMI a number of years ago.
She has also made public her reply to the journalists, which stated: "Although I do not remember the specific incident, this sounds highly probable... since I was in my twenties, I'm sure it was not the only incident of the kind; we all do idiotic things when young."

A Labour member of the committee, West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson, said: "It seems that someone has been digging into the youth of Louise Mensch.
"I admire her for what she has done. The fact that they would go back 20 years and try to dig up into her private life is frankly disgusting.

Feel the love between Watson and Mensch. .

Good on her though, and hahahahahaha to the **** from whatever paper that was. I hope her decision to beat them to it cost them a hefty amount in lost fees.