Hacking scandal pt 194...
As various sometime News Corp employees are getting arrested - although not charged - in connection with police corruption, as well as phone hacking, has anyone else wondered if the Metropolitan Police isn't getting into conducting an investigation into themselves..?
We are assured that the judge led inquiry will look into police corruption, as will an MP's Select Committee and quite possibly the Police Complaint Commission for that matter, but any actual prosecutions will come from the same police force as any likely suspects.
Meanwhile there are now a growing number of inquiries set to be launched into the whole affair, 6 according to the BBC News, but an hour later Channel Four news was claiming it was 10! the term 'inquiry spaghetti' is already being bandied about and with good reason.
Meanwhile there are now a growing number of inquiries set to be launched into the whole affair, 6 according to the BBC News, but an hour later Channel Four news was claiming it was 10! the term 'inquiry spaghetti' is already being bandied about and with good reason.
So, as the top Met Police bosses are resigning, while claiming to have done nothing wrong, I was thinking it might be worth bringing in an outside police force.
At least until I heard an interview on the radio with a former Detective Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, who was so dismissive of the phone hacking at News International (and by extension the alleged bribery of police officers) that I thought he was an News Corp spokesperson.
Oh dear, they still don't get it, or is it just they don't want to?
Meanwhile, it has now been claimed that both Sir Paul Stephenson & John Yates had told the Guardian there was nothing to their investigations into the hacking story and they were 'barking up the wrong tree'.
Admittedly that's according to David Mellor, although it has also been confirmed by the Guardian. But in this case Mellor did make one very pertinent point when he traced the root of Murdoch's political influence to the decision to waive through the deal that originally gave a broadcasting license to a man holding 40% of the British press. A deal approved by one Margaret Thatcher.
Another short sighted decision just like the selling off of our national utilities that is coming back to haunt us. If only the cost of heating and lighting our homes could go down as well as up, like the markets that are always blamed for price rises of up to 20%.
Meanwhile, Stephenson and Yates will be appearing before the Home Affairs Select Committee today as are Rupert & James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks who are due to face the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee.
The hype is up there with with a European Cup semi-final, but like some over-hyped games, prepare to be disappointed. Don't be surprised if the main players struggle to remember anything much and it dwindles out into a first leg goalless draw. This one looks set to go all the way to extra time and penalties.
At least until I heard an interview on the radio with a former Detective Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, who was so dismissive of the phone hacking at News International (and by extension the alleged bribery of police officers) that I thought he was an News Corp spokesperson.
Oh dear, they still don't get it, or is it just they don't want to?
Meanwhile, it has now been claimed that both Sir Paul Stephenson & John Yates had told the Guardian there was nothing to their investigations into the hacking story and they were 'barking up the wrong tree'.
Admittedly that's according to David Mellor, although it has also been confirmed by the Guardian. But in this case Mellor did make one very pertinent point when he traced the root of Murdoch's political influence to the decision to waive through the deal that originally gave a broadcasting license to a man holding 40% of the British press. A deal approved by one Margaret Thatcher.
Another short sighted decision just like the selling off of our national utilities that is coming back to haunt us. If only the cost of heating and lighting our homes could go down as well as up, like the markets that are always blamed for price rises of up to 20%.
Meanwhile, Stephenson and Yates will be appearing before the Home Affairs Select Committee today as are Rupert & James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks who are due to face the Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee.
The hype is up there with with a European Cup semi-final, but like some over-hyped games, prepare to be disappointed. Don't be surprised if the main players struggle to remember anything much and it dwindles out into a first leg goalless draw. This one looks set to go all the way to extra time and penalties.
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