I Take No Joy In This

[Limey]

Wait...joy is pleasure, right?  OK, then I do take joy in this.  Lots of it.

[Ron Brand]

I'd settle for lopping off Roger Ailes' head. Murdoch is a businessman. Ailes is a zealot with means.

[chuck]

That article is too long and too complicated. Can someone point me to a more digestible version in the New York Post?

[strosrays]

That article is too long and too complicated. Can someone point me to a more digestible version in the New York Post?

Yes.

To the author of the article - if your desire is less implacably unaware Americans, try getting to the fucking point.

[Guinness]

I'd settle for lopping off Roger Ailes' head. Murdoch is a businessman. Ailes is a zealot with means.

This.  Ailes is dangerous

[chuck]

This.  Ailes is dangerous

It is absolutely preposterous to claim, as many do, that CNN or MSNBC is the same as Fox News, just of a different political stripe.

[EasTexAstro]

This.  Ailes is dangerous

Wow. I'm not a fan, but this is one of the most biased pieces of reporting you will ever read.

[Lurch]

Wow. I'm not a fan, but this is one of the most biased pieces of reporting you will ever read.

RS is the same as Fox News, just of a different political stripe.

[EasTexAstro]

RS is the same as Fox News, just of a different political stripe.

That could be. I don't watch Fox News (for the most part), I was just commenting on the report.

[austro]

RS is the same as Fox News, just of a different political stripe.

Fox News has far greater reach, and is far more dangerous because of it.

[Lurch]

Joke poorly executed.

[EasTexAstro]

Joke poorly executed.

Oops. Sorry.

[austro]

Joke poorly executed.

Poor reception on my part is more likely.

[Limey]

Poor reception on my part is more likely.

There.  Perfectly fair and balanced.

[Limey]

NewsCorp's UK phone-hacking scandal takes a new, disgusting and criminal twist:  it appears they hacked the voicemail accounts of at least two missing (later found murdered) teenage girls - allegedly deleting some messages in the process, as well as the voicemail accounts of victims of the July 2005 terror attacks.

Mother.  Fuckers.

[Guinness]

NewsCorp's UK phone-hacking scandal takes a new, disgusting and criminal twist:  it appears they hacked the voicemail accounts of at least two missing (later found murdered) teenage girls - allegedly deleting some messages in the process, as well as the voicemail accounts of victims of the July 2005 terror attacks.

Mother.  Fuckers.

Apparently Scotland Yard is looking into every missing persons report since something like 2001 (IIRC) to see if phone hacking was involved.
And if it's policy for News International to do it in Old Blighty, one wonders if it's policy here...

[austro]

It gets better:

Separately, London's Metropolitan Police said Wednesday they were opening an investigation into the possible bribery of police officers by people working for the News International media group.

[Limey]

Apparently Scotland Yard is looking into every missing persons report since something like 2001 (IIRC) to see if phone hacking was involved.
And if it's policy for News International to do it in Old Blighty, one wonders if it's policy here...

Over the hacking of the phones over celebs and royals, NewsCorp claimed it to be a couple of rogue elements.  The latest revelations (more details here) point to a more systematic (systemic?) practice.

Right now, then "New of the World" Editor-in-Chief and current News International CEO Rebekah Brooks is under intense presure to resign.  Simultaneously, NewsCorps takeover of BSkyB (think NBC & Comcast) is in the hands of the monopolies commission, who are steadfastly claiming their decision will be purely based on the issue of competition, but may end up being quashed due to fervent and widespread public outcry.

Companies are already pulling advertising from both the NotW and BSkyB.  The market may kill the deal before the government gets a chance to.

[MusicMan]

The market may kill the deal before the government gets a chance to.

IOW, the invisible hand is pimp-slapping NewsCorp.

[Limey]

IOW, the invisible hand is pimp-slapping NewsCorp.

People bought the News of the World because it was full of scandal and revelations about celebrities, royals and politicians - some of which was obtained by phone hacking.  The existing scandal probably didn't hurt them very much if at all.  I think people will have a major problem with NewsCorp over them messing with the voicemails of murder and terror victims and their families.  I'll be interested to see how the circulation numbers are for this weekend.

[Limey]

The Guardian has been the Woodward & Bernstein on this story, and have more details of the hacking of Milly Dowler's voicemail here.

This is torches and pitchforks stuff.

[Limey]

Meanwhile, the NotW's big sister - The Sun - reported the story on a few lines on page 2 of today's edition.  Journalistic integrity runs strong in their family.

[MusicMan]

Getting worse by the day:

Hacking targeting families of dead soliders.

[Limey]

Getting worse by the day:

Hacking targeting families of dead soliders.

Murdoch has offered up an unqualified apology, but that may be too little too late. 

[austro]

Does anybody else think that Murdoch has started to look like the Emperor from Star Wars?

[Limey]

Does anybody else think that Murdoch has started to look like the Emperor from Star Wars?

Started to look...?

[subnuclear]

NoTW to close on Sunday.

[Mr. Happy]

It is absolutely preposterous to claim, as many do, that CNN or MSNBC is the same as Fox News, just of a different political stripe.

Bullshit, Chuck. Keith Olbermann? Rachel Maddow? Give me a fucking break.

[EasTexAstro]

Bullshit, Chuck. Keith Olbermann? Rachel Maddow? Give me a fucking break.

Chris Matthews never takes sides.

[Guinness]

Bullshit, Chuck. Keith Olbermann? Rachel Maddow? Give me a fucking break.

Please.  KO is no longer on the network, and Rachel Maddow is probably one of the few real "reporters" on tv.  And their shows are/were presented exactly as what they were: editorials.  Fox presents news with embedded editorials, it doesn't just happen on their "shows" like KO or RM.  Do a bit of research, especially on fact checking sites.  Fox lies.  It's what they do to spread their agenda.  They were never meant to be a news channel.

[Limey]

Bullshit, Chuck. Keith Olbermann? Rachel Maddow? Give me a fucking break.

They have a clear and obvious agenda and, to my knowledge, do not make shit up.  Fox News is caught lying on a regular, perhaps daily, basis.  This is the difference between Fox and its philosophical opposites.

[chuck]

Bullshit, Chuck. Keith Olbermann? Rachel Maddow? Give me a fucking break.

It took you three weeks to construct this brilliant retort?

Fox News is not a news service, it is a purely partisan political propaganda machine.

[Limey]

Take a look at this piece from the BBC, where Hugh Grant destroys one of the NotW's henchmen - who could not be a more perfect embodiment of a sleazy hack.

[Limey]

To the surprise of ones of people, the NotW's big brother, The Sun, may also have been hacking voicemail.

[Limey]

Meanwhile, in other crime-related news, former NotW editor Andy Coulson has been arrested and released on bail for charges that he bribed police officers.  Moreover, pressure mounts on Rebekah Brooks to spell her name correctly resign, as she was Coulson's successor at the paper before moving on up to News International's head offices.

Depending on how deep this rabbit hole goes, James Murdoch, son of Rupert, could also be in trouble.  The paper, allegedly, paid off victims of phone-hacking in order to keep the matter quiet.  That's being touted as a cover-up of criminal behaviour, and it was James who signed the checks (checks with 7 figures on them).

[Guinness]

Meanwhile, in other crime-related news, former NotW editor Andy Coulson has been arrested and released on bail for charges that he bribed police officers.

The Guardian is also (smugly, I'm sure) revealing that before the election Cameron that Coulson was somebody he shouldn't hire (but he did anyway).  This is a seriously ugly scandal.

[Limey]

The Guardian is also (smugly, I'm sure) revealing that before the election Cameron that Coulson was somebody he shouldn't hire (but he did anyway).  This is a seriously ugly scandal.

Ofcom - the govt. agency charged with deciding if a newly merged News Corp / BSkyB entity should be allowed a broadcasting license - has publicly stated that it is examining NewsCorp to see whether it passes the "fit and proper" test.  They have formally requested information regarding this scandal from a number of entities, including the policy. 

Also, Brooks addressed the NotW staff today and explained that they paper had to be shut down because there's much worse yet to come.  Oh, and she's not resigning, but she is no longer in charge of the internal investigation.  That's been transferred to New York.

[austro]

Also, Brooks addressed the NotW staff today and explained that they paper had to be shut down because there's much worse yet to come.  Oh, and she's not resigning, but she is no longer in charge of the internal investigation.  That's been transferred to New York.

I haven't looked: is Fox News covering this?

[Guinness]

I haven't looked: is Fox News covering this?

I'm curious if the investigation being moved to New York meant that the other shoe was eventually going to drop over here...

[austro]

I'm curious if the investigation being moved to New York meant that the other shoe was eventually going to drop over here...

It's starting to look to me that in order to be elected PM you had to be endorsed by Murdoch's various organs. I'm sure he'd like rise to kingmaker in the US, too.

[Limey]

I haven't looked: is Fox News covering this?

I believe they are now.

[Limey]

I'm curious if the investigation being moved to New York meant that the other shoe was eventually going to drop over here...

The guy now in charge is Joel Klein, a former Assistant Attorney General.  Adds an element of credibility, but it's still an internal investigation.

Brooks also said to her staff today that, when the reason for this scandal becomes known, it will be another very difficult time for the organisation.  WTF?

Oh, and they've been deleting swaths of emails going back to 2005.  And a former NotW reporter - previously convicted and jailed for corruption but now back working for the Daily Star* - was also arrested today as part of all this.  His bosses tried to hide all the contents of his desk, which the cops eventually collected from their lawyers.  Lots of "full cooperation" evident.


* The Sun's even more salacious, soft-porny, competition.

[strosrays]

Meanwhile, in other crime-related news, former NotW editor Andy Coulson has been arrested and released on bail for charges that he bribed police officers.  Moreover, pressure mounts on Rebekah Brooks to spell her name correctly resign, as she was Coulson's successor at the paper before moving on up to News International's head offices.

Depending on how deep this rabbit hole goes, James Murdoch, son of Rupert, could also be in trouble.  The paper, allegedly, paid off victims of phone-hacking in order to keep the matter quiet.  That's being touted as a cover-up of criminal behaviour, and it was James who signed the checks (checks with 7 figures on them).

Everybody knows, committing white-collar crime is one thing.  It is the subsequent attempts at a coverup that is more likely to bring you down.

[Limey]

Everybody knows, committing white-collar crime is one thing.  It is the subsequent attempts at a coverup that is more likely to bring you down.

This thing is moving really fast!  The Guardian are running a minute-by-minute blog:

9.58pm*: The Metropolitan Police has just announced that it has arrested a man in connection with Operation Elveden, the investigation into inappropriate payments to police.  The 63-year-old man was arrested at a residential address in Surrey at 8.22pm*. He is the third person to have been arrested tonight in connection with the alleged corrupt payments probe.

* CDT = BST -6

[Bench]

Ofcom?  Operation Elveden?  What the fuck does any of that mean?

[Limey]

Ofcom?  Operation Elveden?  What the fuck does any of that mean?

It means that Murdoch is getting his grumpy old bones onto a plane tonight, heading over to Limeyland presumably to break off his boney feet in many, many arses.

Methinks Brooks is done*, but he's going to can her in person and then be on hand to try to regain control of the out-of-control scandal.  He may be too late for that, and he may well be too late to save the BSkyB deal (which will hurt much more than shutting a tiny newspaper).


* Get it?

[austro]

He may be too late for that, and he may well be too late to save the BSkyB deal (which will hurt much more than shutting a tiny newspaper).

Ofcom should tell him to try again after he's kept his nose clean for 5 years.

[Bench]

It means that Murdoch is getting his grumpy old bones onto a plane tonight, heading over to Limeyland presumably to break off his boney feet in many, many arses.

Methinks Brooks is done*, but he's going to can her in person and then be on hand to try to regain control of the out-of-control scandal.  He may be too late for that, and he may well be too late to save the BSkyB deal (which will hurt much more than shutting a tiny newspaper).


* Get it?

But what do those words mean?  I assume Ofcom is some mysterious english acronym-mash (Official Commision? I don't know), but I have no idea what the word Elveden means.

[JaneDoe]

But what do those words mean?  I assume Ofcom is some mysterious english acronym-mash (Official Commision? I don't know), but I have no idea what the word Elveden means.

It is where Legolas keeps his baby bears.

[austro]

It is where Legolas keeps his baby bears.

Thank you. I was trying to figure out a decent Lord of the Rings take, but I couldn't come up with one.

[Limey]

Things still speeding along again today.  Internal memos from 2007, provided to the police in the last few days, reportedly prove that senior officers of News International knew that the hacking activity was widespread, or at least not limited to "one rogue individual", which is what the likes of Rebekah Brooks, Les Hinton and James Murdoch stated to a formal enquiry after the memos were received.

The BBC is reporting allegations that the NotW paid Royal Protection Officers (think Secret Service) for info on the royal family, including Charles and Camilla.

Forces are marshalling to prevent the BSkyB takeover by News International.

One pundit is reporting that he has heard rumours that Murdoch is now considering cutting bait on the whole News International operation.  He may have to, as shareholders are filing complaints in Delaware against NewsCorp over the matter.

Keep up with all the fun at guardian.co.uk.

[Limey]

...and now former PM Gordon Brown is accusing the News International owned Sunday Times of going after his personal information, financial and medical.  WTF?

[Limey]

Here's a handy list of publicly known hacking victims (it is reportedly that there are over 4,000 individual victims).  Oh, recently added to the list were Prince Charles and Camilla.  Off with their heads!!

[Guinness]

I think the scandal is going to get bigger and bigger,and will go international. Now there's a Guardian article saying Anonymous is reportedly going to release memos and emails culled from NI servers...
I think Murdoch can forget the BSkyB deal.

[Limey]

I think the scandal is going to get bigger and bigger,and will go international. Now there's a Guardian article saying Anonymous is reportedly going to release memos and emails culled from NI servers...
I think Murdoch can forget the BSkyB deal.

Murdoch rescinded his undertaking to spin off Sky News, so now the takeover has been referred to the Competition Commission, who will take over 6 months to render a verdict.  In the meantime, Ofcom may kibosh the whole deal over the "fit and proper" test.

More on the "blagging" of Brown's medical records:  in 2006, the Brown's son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.  Not long after that, the editor of The Sun* - a Ms Rebekah Brooks - called the Browns to tell them that they knew this and were going to publish the story.  Which they did, causing no small distress to the Brown family who had to deal with that on top of dealing with the actual diagnosis.


* I said the Sunday Times earlier, which is what I'd read but it was not them.

[OregonStrosFan]

Per Nate Silver (@fivethirtyeight via Twitter):

News Corporation lost $3.4 billion in market capitalization today. http://t.co/MZLfi1U

[Limey]

Today, Scotland yard is taking centre stage, and getting the full brunt of on-camera politician grandstanding.  It looks very bad for them - they appear to have breezed over about 3,908 of the reported 4,000 hacking victims when they closed their investigation in 2006.  Apparently, there was nothing of any note to be gleaned from the 11,000 individual pieces of evidence seized from the jailed P.I's flat.  The head of the investigation made that determination in one day.  I think someone needs to hack his bank account.

[Limey]

Correction:  Scotland Yard now admit that they have only contacted - as of now, in 2011 (this has been ongoing since 2001) - 170 of the 3,870 potential hacking victims.  W...T...F...?

[Limey]

Per Nate Silver (@fivethirtyeight via Twitter):

News Corporation lost $3.4 billion in market capitalization today. http://t.co/MZLfi1U

Not missing a beat, NewsCorp is buying back $5bn shares.  A bargain!

[subnuclear]

Per Nate Silver (@fivethirtyeight via Twitter):

Every time I read the name Nate Silver, I contemplate where I currently am on the 3-D in-game snack spectrum.

[Guinness]

NI have withdrawn their BSkyB bid...
I like this reaction:

From John Prescott

So BSkyB bid over. PCC to be abolished. Senior News International staff arrested. Inquiry into police and press on its way. Yep. I'm happy

Prescott is a real piece of work, but doesn't hold back...

[Limey]

Rupe drops his bid for BSkyB*, ahead of a sense of the house-type vote today in which all major parties had pledged to tell him to go fuck himself.


* News International will retain its 39% minority shareholding.

[Limey]

Prescott is a real piece of work, but doesn't hold back...

Nope.  He doesn't.

[Ron Brand]

Wasn't he on Top Gear? He seemed refreshingly candid and intelligent.

[Limey]

Wasn't he on Top Gear? He seemed refreshingly candid and intelligent.

He rose to prominence after I moved here, so I'm not too familiar with him.  But he does appear to be candid (and quick with a left cross if egged).

Oh, and that's Lord Prescott to you me.

[Bench]

Nope.  He doesn't.

That is an amazing mullet.

[Limey]

Meanwhile, back in Parliament...

PM Cameron had a pop at the Guardian during Question Time today.  The Guardian have been riding him all along for hiring ex-NotW editor (and recent arrestee) Andy Coulson as his press secretary (aka director of communications).  He pushed back.  The Guardian didn't take it lightly, and dropped an axe on his head*.


*  Similar to the axe found in the head of Daniel Morgan in a pub parking lot, allegedly put there by former NotW investigator Jonathan Rees, who was re-hired by Coulson after serving 7 years for perverting the course of justice.

[Guinness]

I have a suspicion that enough bricks have been shit at Number 10 this past week to repave Downing St.

[Limey]

The Commons (think Congress) invited the two Murdochs and Brooks to appear before the Culture, Media and Sport committee next Tuesday.  Brooks said she'd go, but would be limited in giving answers because of all the ongoing legal issues - which is handy.  Murdoch Sr. said no, but that he'd testify to the full commission (which would be under oath).  Murdoch Jr. said next week didn't work for him...how about the week after...over drinks?  Trader Vic's at eight?

The Murdochs were each issued a summons to appear on the original date, but there is not any expectation that such a summons is enforceable on a foreign citizen (they're not under arrest...yet).

While I fully understand why they don't want to go in front of the committee*, it's as sure a sign as any of how far Murdoch's star has fallen.


* To be the unwilling straight man for a bunch of politicos - who heretofore sucked his schlong - beating him like a VW pinata.


Oh, and another NotW former executive has been arrested by the cops of Operating Weeting**.  Moving on up the chain...


**  I don't know either.

[Limey]

Ooooh.  The FT is saying that Murdoch Jr. was born in London* and so can be compelled to attend the committee.  As for Murdoch, the sanctions for failure to adhere to a summons have fallen into desuetude.  Look it up.


* Britain retains rights over everyone it deems to be a citizen, whether you like it or not.  That's why there were tax exiles in the 70's:  they moved away to avoid high domestic taxes; so the govt levied taxes on citizens living abroad; which they refused to pay; and so could not return home for fear of arrest / wallet-hoovering.  All was later forgiven and they all** returned home.


** Except John Lennon.

[Limey]

I was confirmed that James Murdoch is a joint UK/US citizen.  Now, all three "invitees" will attend the committee on Tuesday.

An amusing sidenote is that Neil Wallis, the latest arrestee, was both deputy editor to Andy Coulson at NotW and a consultant to the Metropolitan Police.  No word yet on whether he bribed himself.

[Limey]

Rebekah Brooks - the person for whom Murdoch supposedly sacrificed the NotW to save - has resigned.

Elizabeth Murdoch - daughter of Rupert and known as "the smart one" - has been reported to have said to friends that "[Brooks] fucked the company" (she is Australian).

In case you can't tell, I'm loving this.  It's not just that Murdoch is an odious individual who makes Monty Burns look warm and fuzzy.  It's because he's made his money dragging others - who, by accident or design, became famous - through the muck.  Now he and his get the same treatment.  He's already publicly stated that "he is annoyed" by all the negative attention.  Welcome to the world you created, Mr. Murdoch!

[subnuclear]

I don't think Murdoch invented the tabloid.

[austro]

He's already publicly stated that "he is annoyed" by all the negative attention.

That's pretty rich.

[Limey]

I don't think Murdoch invented the tabloid.

Nope.  But he perfected it and profited handsomely from it.

[Limey]

Murdoch has bought space in every national newspaper on Sunday, to run this statement:

We are sorry.

The News of the World was in the business of holding others to account. It failed when it came to itself.

We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred.

We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected.

We regret not acting faster to sort things out.

I realise that simply apologising is not enough.

Our business was founded on the idea that a free and open press should be a positive force in society. We need to live up to this.

In the coming days, as we take further concrete steps to resolve these issues and make amends for the damage they have caused, you will hear more from us.

Sincerely,

Rupert Murdoch

So that's that then. Scandal over.  Everyone resume your regular lives.  Please phone a friend and tell them.  If they don't answer, don't forget to leave a message.

[sporadic]

Murdoch has bought space in every national newspaper on Sunday, to run this statement:


So that's that then. Scandal over.  Everyone resume your regular lives.  Please phone a friend and tell them.  If they don't answer, don't forget to leave a message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeP6CpUnfc0

[Bench]

Murdoch has bought space in every national newspaper on Sunday, to run this statement:


So that's that then. Scandal over.  Everyone resume your regular lives.  Please phone a friend and tell them.  If they don't answer, don't forget to leave a message.

It's similar to the ending of the statement by that lunatic who kidnapped, killed and hacked apart that little boy in Brooklyn this week: 
“I understand this may be wrong and I’m sorry for the hurt that I have caused.”

[MusicMan]

It's similar to the ending of the statement by that lunatic who kidnapped, killed and hacked apart that little boy in Brooklyn this week: 
“I understand this may be wrong and I’m sorry for the hurt that I have caused.”

At least he removed the insanity defense.

[Waldo]

So that's that then. Scandal over.  Everyone resume your regular lives.

LIFY

[Guinness]

Now Les Hinton at the WSJ has resigned...surely he just wants to spend more time with his family,nothing to do with any scandal that may or may not be happening.

[Guinness]

Murdoch has bought space in every national newspaper on Sunday, to run this statement:

And you gotta love the Guardian's response:

News International responded to our original revelations about phone-hacking in July 2009 by telling MPs that we had 'deliberately misled' the British public.

It has taken two years of subsequent reporting by the Guardian to force the truth out. We are happy to accept News International's paid-for advertisements apologising for the reality of what our journalism revealed.

The money we receive from News International will be donated to charity.

[Limey]

Now Les Hinton at the WSJ has resigned...surely he just wants to spend more time with his family,nothing to do with any scandal that may or may not be happening.

Here's a fun picture:  3 down, 1 to go.

[That's Coulson, Brooks, Hinton and Murdoch]

[Limey]

Busy weekend.  Rebekah Brooks was arrested and questioned for 12 hours before being bailed.  She thought she was showing up at the station for an interview, and had no idea an arrest was coming.

Meanwhile, the commissioner of the Met resigned and, today, his deputy is expected to go too.

The commons committee is still going to grill Brooks and the Murdochs on Tuesday.  The opposition leader is pressing for parliament to stay open instead of going to summer recess in order to debate the committee's findings on Wednesday.  

James Murdoch is being pressured to step down, at least temoorarily, as chairman of BSkyB.  James is now next in the firing line after Brooks' and Hinton's resignations.  He signed the 7-figure checks to the early settlers in the phone hacking lawsuits, sealing the record and (now) putting him under suspicion of covering up a crime.  Oops.  

Shares of NewsCorp dropped another 5% in Australia today, and Wall Street is expect to mirror that.  

[Limey]

Meanwhile, the commissioner of the Met resigned and, today, his deputy is expected to go too.

Assistant Commissioner Yates - closer to the centre of the scandal than his boss - resigned, as expected.

Meanwhile, PM David Cameron is besieged by the opposition and the other party in his coalition government as he is shown to have been very cosy with James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks.  Especially the latter who he entertained at his official country residence twice since becoming PM (the only individual to have been there more than once) and was entertained at her family home over the holidays last year.  (FTR, no one is suggesting anything lascivious, just a "too cosy for comfort" business relationship).

I wasn't old enough to know what was happening when Watergate was going down.  Was it this fast?  Heads are rolling daily now, arrests galore, an emboldened press and political opposition at the throat of the sitting PM.  Tomorrow's committee hearing will be extraordinary theatre, and there are some who believe that Rupe will make a twat of himself in such a venue.

[Ron Brand]

Watergate took a lot longer. It was like a chess game, lots of shutting off of avenues and finding people who would provide help along the way. The Saturday Night Massacre accelerated everything but it still wasn't this fast.

[Limey]

Watergate took a lot longer. It was like a chess game, lots of shutting off of avenues and finding people who would provide help along the way. The Saturday Night Massacre accelerated everything but it still wasn't this fast.

That makes sense as it was a President atop the pile of shit, who had the whole government machinery and the bully pulpit at his disposal.  Here it's an odious gazillionaire who the establishment has decided is fair game politically.  The PM is only associated by having some Murdoch stink on him, rather than being actively involved.  He has to be as vociferous as everyone else in going after NewsCorp, in order to save his own political skin.

[Guinness]

4.17pm: Back in the Commons, two Labour MPs have now said that David Cameron should resign. Sir Gerald Kaufman said Cameron should "consider his position". And Dennis Skinner said "dodgy Dave" should "do the decent thing and resign".

Limey (or Noe), what would happen if Cameron had to resign?  Clegg would be PM?  A new election would be called?

[Limey]

Limey (or Noe), what would happen if Cameron had to resign?  Clegg would be PM?  A new election would be called?

The party in power gets to choose the PM (like the majority party in the House gets to choose the Speaker).  The deputy-PM under normal circumstances would be the likely choice, but it's complicated because the "party" in power is a coalition between the Conservatives and the to-the-left-of-Labour Lib-Dems, who are the notably smaller element of the coalition.  The current deputy-PM is the Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg, and I doubt the majority Tories would allow him to be PM.  More likely, Clegg will be interim PM until the coalition elects a new one.

PS  Odds at the bookies are shortening on Cameron's resignation.  They've tightened from 100/1 ten days ago to 12/1 this afternoon.

[Guinness]

Thanks.  It's gonna be interesting to say the least!  I've thought since this started that Cameron was going to have some troubles, and it looks like that's the case.

[Limey]

Thanks.  It's gonna be interesting to say the least!  I've thought since this started that Cameron was going to have some troubles, and it looks like that's the case.

He is getting more and more of the NewsCorp stink on him as time goes on.  He may be sacrificed to save the coalition, which is rickety at the best of times, but even that might not be enough to save it.  If that happens, it'll throw parliament in chaos and could force a no confidence vote that could force a general election.  I guarantee you that Labour leader Millebrand has this very result as his ultimate goal.

[Limey]

Woah!!!!

Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbiz reporter who was the first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson was aware of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead.

The article goes on to say that his death is "unexplained, but not thought to be suspicious".  So says the Met. Police, who are up to their eyeballs in the scandal, and currently leaderless because of it.

[Guinness]

Woah!!!!

The article goes on to say that his death is "unexplained, but not thought to be suspicious".  So says the Met. Police, who are up to their eyeballs in the scandal, and currently leaderless because of it.

Crazy.  The article mentions he was injured recently, so maybe it's that.  Or the "drink and drugs" problem he was dismissed for.  Or maybe there's no such thing as coincidence....?  Very strange timing but who knows?  People die.  Sometimes conveniently.

[Mr. Happy]

Crazy.   Very strange timing but who knows?  People die.  Sometimes conveniently.

See Lay, Ken.

[Bench]

See Lay, Ken.

But this guy actually died.  Ken Lay's living it up in Paraguay. 

[strosrays]

See Lay, Ken.

Ken walks with The King now.

[Limey]

Crazy.  The article mentions he was injured recently, so maybe it's that.  Or the "drink and drugs" problem he was dismissed for.  Or maybe there's no such thing as coincidence....?  Very strange timing but who knows?  People die.  Sometimes conveniently.

The Sean Hoare backstory.

[kevwun]

Computers, the internet, email and voicemail also makes it much easier to track things down.  From reading Woodward and Bernstein's book about their investigation, they spent a ton of time running stuff down that isn't necessary anymore because of technology.  That's a big reason for the increased speed of all this.

[strosrays]

Computers, the internet, email and voicemail also makes it much easier to track things down.  From reading Woodward and Bernstein's book about their investigation, they spent a ton of time running stuff down that isn't necessary anymore because of technology.  That's a big reason for the increased speed of all this.

Are we talking about the Rupert Murdoch scandal here?  Or tracking down Ken Lay in Peru?

[Ron Brand]

I don't think the kind of shit that went on with Watergate would've been easily tracked on the internet. If anything, the evidence of the tapes would've been much more problematic.

[Limey]

Meanwhile, you can add destruction of evidence to the list of crimes Rebekah Brooks will end up facing.

Detectives are examining a computer, paperwork and a phone found in a bin near the riverside London home of Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International.

The Guardian has learned that a bag containing the items was found in an underground car park in the Design Centre at the exclusive Chelsea Harbour development on Monday afternoon.

The car park, under a shopping centre, is yards from the gated apartment block where Brooks lives with her husband, a former racehorse trainer and close friend of the prime minister David Cameron.

It is understood the bag was handed into security at around 3pm and that shortly afterwards, Brooks's husband, Charlie, arrived and tried to reclaim it. He was unable to prove the bag was his and the security guard refused to release it.

[strosrays]

BTW, at least according to what I saw yesterday, one way FOX News is going to deal with all this is by going after "CNN's Piers Morgan".  Fair and balanced.

[Limey]

This is priceless from the aforementioned article (Charlie Brooks is Rebekah's husband):

David Wilson, Charlie Brooks's official spokesman, told the Guardian that Charlie Brooks denies that the bag belonged to his wife. "Charlie has a bag which contains a laptop and papers which were private to him," said Wilson.

"They were nothing to do with Rebekah or the [phone-hacking] case."

Wilson said Charlie Brooks had left the bag with a friend who was returning it, but dropped it in the wrong part of the garage. When asked how the bag ended up in a bin he replied: "The suggestion is that a cleaner thought it was rubbish and put it in the bin."

What is he...5?

[Bench]

What is he...5?

He's a horse trainer. 

[Limey]

He's a horse trainer. 

Gotcha.  Didn't realise that horse trainers have a tendency to give bags containing laptops and "very personal" papers to friends, who then leave them lying around in parking garages next door to where they live so that cleaning staff think its garbage and toss it in the trash.

Now I understand.

I really, really hope that bag contains a smoking gun or three.

[Limey]

Hackgate: The Movie

[Limey]

Meanwhile, you can add destruction of evidence to the list of crimes Rebekah Brooks will end up facing.

Just for shits 'n' giggles, here's another bungled laptop dump.  I know some of the people involved in this hilarity, because I have worked for both Marsh and Aon in London (a long time ago), and the offshore energy insurance world is very small.

The best part is that Marsh knew all about the laptop in the pond, because they had private investigators tailing Nicholson.  They videod him lobbing the lappy, and then went and retrieved it as soon as he'd left the scene.  Classic.

ETA:  It all ended well with the companies settling the suit and no one going to jail.

[Limey]

Last update (I think) for the day:

Nick Davies, the Guardian reporter who's been running this story down since the very beginning, is quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald as saying:

There are still ways this story can expand its scope.  The story may expand to other newspapers and other techniques for getting information. And it could well expand to other countries.

[Lurch]

Meanwhile, you can add destruction of evidence to the list of crimes Rebekah Brooks will end up facing.

Is that a crime?

[Limey]

Shares of NewsCorp dropped another 5% in Australia today, and Wall Street is expect to mirror that.  

4.3%

[Limey]

Is that a crime?

Probably not.  If she wasn't under a court order to preserve evidence, she was at liberty to throw away a laptop if she wanted.

The real fun is if there's anything on it that's recoverable.  If they were trying to get rid of it on the sly, which certainly appears to be the case, then it could be it was because there's some juicy stuff on there that Brooks didn't want found in, say, a warranted search of her condo.  Papers too, in addition to the laptop.

Can't wait for tomorrow's hearings, because I guarantee you someone on the panel is going to ask about it.

[Lurch]

Probably not.  If she wasn't under a court order to preserve evidence, she was at liberty to throw away a laptop if she wanted.

The real fun is if there's anything on it that's recoverable.  If they were trying to get rid of it on the sly, which certainly appears to be the case, then it could be it was because there's some juicy stuff on there that Brooks didn't want found in, say, a warranted search of her condo.  Papers too, in addition to the laptop.

Can't wait for tomorrow's hearings, because I guarantee you someone on the panel is going to ask about it.

Don't they have the equivalent to pleading the 5th?  Seems like charging her this weekend would remind her of that right...

[Limey]

Don't they have the equivalent to pleading the 5th?  Seems like charging her this weekend would remind her of that right...

Brooks is going to hide behind the ongoing investigation - she said as much before she was fired and arrested.  "Pleading the 5th" doesn't exist, but I think anyone has the right to say nothing.

[EasTexAstro]

"Pleading the 5th" doesn't exist, but I think anyone has the right to say nothing.

That never stopped you, did it?



(j/k Limey)

[Limey]

That never stopped you, did it?

Never!

[Limey]

Big day today.  Murdochs on the mic right now.  Rupe saying very little, James taking the point.  He's very slick and polished and slippery as fuck.  Vacillating from apologising for what happened to apologising for not knowing what was going on to apologising for not being able to answer the question.

You can watch it live on ABC News' website.  Brooks due up next.

[Limey]

HOLY CRAP!!!

Someone just tried to jump Rupert in the middle of the hearing, and got slapped down by Rupe's wife Wendi before being wrestled away by security.

Coming to YouTube in 3...2...

[EasTexAstro]

HOLY CRAP!!!

Someone just tried to jump Rupert in the middle of the hearing, and got slapped down by Rupe's wife Wendi before being wrestled away by security.

It wasn't you?

[Limey]

Some bloke in a flannel shirt walked up to Rupes and hit him in the face with a foam pie.  Mrs Murdoch came flying over at least one person and landed a full hand slap on the bloke's face, that was very loud.

[EasTexAstro]

Some bloke in a flannel shirt walked up to Rupes and hit him in the face with a foam pie.  Mrs Murdoch came flying over at least one person and landed a full hand slap on the bloke's face, that was very loud.

Admit it, you wanted to be that guy.


(I'm enjoying the story, too. Just having fun)

[Bench]

Some bloke in a flannel shirt walked up to Rupes and hit him in the face with a foam pie.  Mrs Murdoch came flying over at least one person and landed a full hand slap on the bloke's face, that was very loud.

That was awesome in every way.  How the hell did that guy get all the way there sneaking a shaving cream pie? 

[Limey]

Haven't seen a video yet, but here's a still shot.  The bloke has just delivered the pie, and Murdoch's wife, in the pink jacket, is just rising from her seat and cocking her right hand for the slap.

[Limey]

Bingo!

She takes him down hard!

[chuck]

That fellow displayed an appalling lack of media awareness; the camera angles are nearly useless.

[Limey]

That fellow displayed an appalling lack of media awareness; the camera angles are nearly useless.

And let's not even mention that shirt...

[OregonStrosFan]

Bingo!

She takes him down hard!

That was impressive.  Looks like she was trying to spike a volleyball (dudes head), and did a pretty fair job of it!

[Lurch]

“@alysonfooter: As soon as I saw the towering inferno from behind Rupert Murdoch I said to myself,  "Self, this is going to be a long week."”

[Limey]

Parliament is in recess, Murdoch left the country and no one has been arrested lately, so things have slowed down a bit.

One of the new developments is that Andy Coulson - NotW editor during the phone hacking, hired as PM Cameron's press secretary before resigning under a cloud and being arrested - was never fully vetted for a security clearance.  Questions abound as it seems impossible that he could do his job properly while having to "ear muff" himself during meetings where sensitive topics were discussed.  The fact he wasn't fully vetted seems to be a deliberate decision, as someone in his position would routinely be given the full monty.

Also, (yet) another investigation is underway regarding "pinging", which relates to journalists paying circa $750 a go to have the cops track the cell phones of celebs so that they could find out where they were.  The officers of the Met. are alleged to have a raked in hundreds of thousands of pounds through this scheme alone.

[Limey]

Just in case you thought this story had reached rock bottom with Milly Dowler, think again.  The NotW hacked the voicemail of the mother of a murdered 8-year old girl. The twist?   Rebekah Brooks befriended the mother and gave her that phone.

[Guinness]

Just in case you thought this story had reached rock bottom with Milly Dowler, think again.  The NotW hacked the voicemail of the mother of a murdered 8-year old girl. The twist?   Rebekah Brooks befriended the mother and gave her that phone.

I thought this was what she meant when in her talk to NotW staff when the paper closed she said "it's going to get worse"....but apparently Tom what's-his-name in Parliament said that even this isn't the worst of it...No wonder Rupert left the country.  And News Corp is probably thrilled the debt ceiling is dominating the news!

[austro]

And News Corp is probably thrilled the debt ceiling is dominating the news!

No shit. It hardly seems fair that Murdoch should catch a break like that.

[subnuclear]

No shit. It hardly seems fair that Murdoch should catch a break like that.

To be perfectly paranoid about it, Fox News is remarkably close to the Republican party.

[austro]

To be perfectly paranoid about it, Fox News is remarkably close to the Republican party.

Fox was already doing a pretty good job of downplaying it, but the debtacle gives them nice cover for doing so.

[Lurch]

Just in case you thought this story had reached rock bottom with Milly Dowler, think again.  The NotW hacked the voicemail of the mother of a murdered 8-year old girl. The twist?   Rebekah Brooks befriended the mother and gave her that phone.

Holy shit.  Thats just evil

[Ron Brand]

Frank Rich on working for Murdoch.

[Limey]

Another former NotW editor arrested.  This slow-moving wheel of justice keeps turning.

[Limey]

The the surprise of no one:

Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and their former editor Andy Coulson all face embarrassing new allegations of dishonesty and cover-up after the publication of an explosive letter written by the News of the World's disgraced royal correspondent, Clive Goodman.

...

Labour MP Tom Watson said Goodman's letter was "absolutely devastating". He said: "Clive Goodman's letter is the most significant piece of evidence that has been revealed so far. It completely removes News International's defence. This is one of the largest cover-ups I have seen in my lifetime."

[Limey]

More on the Goodman letter.  It was written by him to News International, appealing his dismissal after being released from jail for phone hacking.  They fired him for getting busted for hacking the Royal Household phones, and he claims that's BS because he was doing it with the "full knowledge and support" of senior journalists and the editor (Andy Coulson).  He also claims that he was promised his job back if he did not implicate News International in the hacking activity - he didn't.

The real kicker is that the committee has two versions of the letter.  One, supplied by NI's law firm Harbottle and Lewis, has the names of the journalists redacted.  The other, supplied by NI itself, has the names redacted, plus all reference to knowledge of the hacking.

Bus-ted!

[Limey]

It's getting closer and closer.  Following on from the Goodman letter that puts James Murdoch in greater potential harm, the Met Police have now arrested a NotW journalist who, after a glittering career at the paper in London, was promoted to be their showbiz editor in California.  Did he bring his phone hack with him?

Also, Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who was jailed for doing the actual hacking, is suing NI because they stopped paying his legal bills after Rupe and James were pinged about it by a parliamentary committee.  Turns out they may be contractually obligated to keep paying.  Classic.  The Murdochs keep trying to run from this scandal, but it's moving faster than they are.

Recent commentary is that, at the end of the day, Rupert will be mostly unharmed by this - likely put out to pasture by NewCorp.  James, on the other hand, is in the thick of it and has a lot to worry about.  The cheque he signed for a million quid is going to be the stick he gets bludgeoned with.  He is not being allowed to feign ignorance because there's just too much evidence to the contrary, and paying hush money to cover up a crime is a crime itself, a serious one, and one that may put him in legal jeopardy on both sides of the pond.

[Limey]

The trouble with using phone hacking to get the scoop on news stories is that, if you quote hacked voicemails directly in your newspaper, there's a record of it.  The NotW printed direct quotes from Milly Dowler's (the abducted/murdered 13-year-old girl) in one edition, but dropped them from subsequent runs of the same day's paper.  I guess that's an editorial choice.  Who was editor?  Rebekah Brooks.

I'm looking forward to hearing her explain the decision to drop the voicemail quotes without having any knowledge whatsoever of how they were obtained.

[Limey]

Not unsurprisingly, James Murdoch has been recalled by the parliamentary committee to answer further questions.  And by "further questions", they mean "the same questions", but this time he may well have to tell the truth.

To recap: he said he didn't know the background as to why he had to write a $1mm check to settle a lawsuit - he just knew it was to settle a lawsuit.  Immediately after he said this, others involved in the decision produced documents showing that Murdoch knew exactly why he had to settle for a million bucks - because the lawsuit proved that people other than the "one rogue reporter" had been caught hacking phones, and if that got out he and his newspaper were toast*.


* Which is what has happened anyway: Murdoch Jr. is now toxic and almost certainly will never hold the top job at NewsCorp, and the NotW is gone.

[Limey]

Meanwhile, lawyers for Milly Dowler and 20 9/11 families who claim to have been hacked by the NotW, are investigating the possibilities of bringing a class action suit against the Murdochs and NewsCorp in the U.S.  That opens up a whole new hill of beans, including under-oath depositions of the Murdochs:

Mark Lewis of Taylor Hampton has instructed Norman Siegel, a New York-based lawyer who represents 20 9/11 families to seek witness statements from News Corp and directors including the Murdochs in relation to allegations that News of the World staff may have bribed police.

He says he intends to assess whether he can launch a class action against News Corp using American foreign corruption laws, which make it illegal for US companies to pay bribes to government officials abroad.

"There is a provision within US law, before you start an action to seek depositions from individuals, in this case, such as James Murdoch and Rupert Murdoch and other directors of News Corp," said Lewis.

[Limey]

Murdochs hit with a blizzard of new claims, including one on behalf of a young girl who survived being assaulted with a hammer while he mother and sister did not.

I doubt that there is a jury in the world who wouldn't throw the book at the Murdochs on principle at this point.

Also, Rupes is about to kill The Simpsons.

[S.P. Rodriguez]

Also, Rupes is about to kill The Simpsons.

He needs to the money to pay for his defense lawyers....

[Limey]

New evidence shows that NotW's surveillance was on an "industrial scale", and continued right up until the paper was shut down earlier this year.  Also, the number of phone hacking victims has climbed to 5,800.

[Limey]

The saga continues...and gets worse for Rupes.  A new round of arrests at the The Sun - the daily big brother publication of the closed NotW - has opened up a giant can of worms.  The Sun has previously tried to spin the investigation of it as only being related to police corruption and not the abhorrent practice of phone hacking.

True.  On the Richter Scale of shitty things, bribing police to get information is a couple of points below hacking into someone's voicemail directly.  There is one big difference between the two, though.  Hacking is not a violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act...bribing cops is.

There's now real talk that The Sun will be shuttered just like its little brother (an act which put a huge dent in NewsCorp's earnings).  Closing NotW acted as somewhat of a firewall for the Murdochs, but closing The Sun would be a minor speed bump to the U.S. Govt pursuing an FCPA investigation.  It would also take a much larger toll on NewsCorp's finances, maybe put Murdoch Jr. out of a job, leave Rupes exposed to further shareholder backlash and do nothing to head off an FCPA charge.

[Guinness]

And now James Murdoch resigns.  
James Murdoch has stepped down as chairman of News International, the publisher of the Sun and Times, in an internal News Corporation reshuffle.
Wednesday's move sees him give up responsibility for News Corp's crisis-hit British newspaper operation as he completes his relocation to New York.

[Limey]

And now James Murdoch resigns.  
James Murdoch has stepped down as chairman of News International, the publisher of the Sun and Times, in an internal News Corporation reshuffle.
Wednesday's move sees him give up responsibility for News Corp's crisis-hit British newspaper operation as he completes his relocation to New York.

Reportedly, he's been looking for a way off the newspaper fleet ever since it started to get dashed on the rocks of scandal.  No word yet whether his new job will be as a Captain on an Italian cruise ship.

Judging by what I saw of the hearings, the guy is a corporate douche whose protective coating of double-speak and bad recollection melted very quickly when exposed to the light.  He's the guy who truly hit Rupes in the face with a cream pie.  He got paid to take responsibility, but I somehow get the feeling that he's going to slither out of taking it.

[Limey]

A tweet from the UK's fabulous satirical show "Have I Got News for You":

It's reported that victims of phone-hacking may include Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, just as victims of 9/11 may include Mohammad Atta.

[Guinness]

Well.  Moving right up the ladder with the arrests...

Rebekah Brooks is among six people arrested by Scotland Yard detectives on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, as part of the investigation into phone hacking.
The Guardian

[Limey]

Well.  Moving right up the ladder with the arrests...

Rebekah Brooks is among six people arrested by Scotland Yard detectives on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, as part of the investigation into phone hacking.
The Guardian

Rampant police bribery at The Sun is putting NewsCorp on the Fed's radar as it's a violation of the FCPA.  They've been quite aggressive in their prosecution of such violations in recent times...

[Limey]

...and James "Toxic" Murdoch is now gone from his job as Chairman of BSkyB.  His fall from grace is complete.

With Brooks in the hot seat and James gone from the organisation completely, there's now a direct route to Rupert.  This is going to end badly.

[austro]

This is going to end badly.

I think that depends on one's point of view. Personally, I think it is going to end deliciously, and I eagerly await the denouement.

[Limey]

I think that depends on one's point of view. Personally, I think it is going to end deliciously, and I eagerly await the denouement.

JM's resignation comes 3 days before his latest tapdancing recital in front of the Levinson committee, and within a few days of the expected release of parliament's report into phone hacking - for which he was grilled twice.

Is this just a coincidence, or is there a lot of bad news about to come out?  Given who he is, I'm thinking he's only quitting because of the latter.

And I agree on your take on how the ending will be.  A happy one, I think.

[Limey]

And now the NewsCorp owned Sky News channel (think Euro-friendly version of Fox News) has admitted to email hacking.  The original Murdoch defense of hacking being limited to one investigator on one newspaper gets more and more laughable with each passing revelation.

[D.H.]

Murdoch actually paid gangsters to pirate the set top box access cards of his competitors so those competitors would lose so much revenue to the piracy they would sell out to Murdoch at fire sale prices. Seriously- I can't make this stuff up. The mouthpiece of the Republican Party is a criminal thru and thru.

[jbm]

But he only did it to further the public's interest.  Always thinking of others. 

[OregonStrosFan]

The mouthpiece of the Republican Party is a criminal thru and thru.

You're calling Limey a criminal?!? Shame on you!

[D.H.]

But he only did it to further the public's interest.  Always thinking of others. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNiAOSKFNR4

[Limey]

But he only did it to further the public's interest.  Always thinking of others.  

Stephen Fry and Hugh "House" Laurie sum it up.

[Limey]

James Murdoch was back in the firing line today, answering questions to the Leveson committee.  The Murdochs are changing their tune, but they are changing their tactics.  Today, they released a slew of emails that show exactly how compliant and complicit the government was in helping NewsCorp get what it wanted.  This is a huge development.

The ironically titled Culture Minister, Jeremy Hunt, who's ministry oversees the Leveson committee, has been shown to be deep in Murdoch's pocket.  So that's him done then.  Prime Minister David Cameron has already been under great scrutiny for his uber-close social ties to disgraced NotW editor Rebehah Brooks (who may have hitory's most ironically-spelled first name for an editor) - and this is not going to help very much.

The Murdoch's now seem to be embarking on a drowning man strategy, and some pudnits are starting to speculate that this could be the end of not only Cameron, but the current government.

[Limey]

The Guardian summarises and comments:

Yet as things stand, it is clearly possible that this strange affair, which began so quietly with the minor crimes of a single journalist and which has already brought acute pain and senior resignations to the Metropolitan police, the Press Complaints Commission and Murdoch's ranks in London and New York, may yet reach deep into the heart of government and do its damage there, too.

[Guinness]

The Guardian summarises and comments:

Watergate started off as a simple break in....

[Limey]

Watergate started off as a simple break in....

Exactly what I was thinking.  Also, the cover up is always worse than the crime...

[Limey]

Files now reveal that Jeremy Hunt (Culture Minister in charge of the BSkyB takeover) had meetings with Murdoch in the US.  All this coming out while Murdoch himself is claiming under oath to the Leveson committee that he has no special access.  Hunt's own special adviser resigned today, Hunt himself will not be far behind.

Once Hunt's gone, it's a short step up to PM Cameron.

[Limey]

Here's the stink on this particular turd:

Prior to the last election, Hunt meets Murdoch in the US, where they discuss NewsCorp's intention to takeover the whole of BSkyB.  Because of the overwhelming breadth of NewsCorp's ownership in UK media, this would be subject to government oversight.

Very shortly thereafter, James Murdoch meets Tory leader David Cameron, and tells him that NewsCorp will support the Tories in the upcoming election.  They do, and the Tories win.

Hunt is appointed Culture Minister.  NewsCorp launches its full takeover of BSkyB.  Hunt is set to rubber stamp the deal when the phone hacking scandal blows up in NewsCorp's face.  In retreat from torches and pitchforks, NewsCorp withdraw their bid for BSkyB.

There are very few dots to connect here.  And they have mostly been connected already.

[subnuclear]

Exactly what I was thinking.  Also, the cover up is always worse than the crime...

Most of the time the coverup is what you can catch them on, but not their worst crime (Like Al Capone and tax evasion or getting drug dealers buying big houses without obvious income).

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

This shit's worse than Billy Bragg imagined.

[Limey]

Murdoch admits to the cover up of phone hacking, says it was one or two people and he was shielded.  So, now everyone agrees there's an onion; let's start peeling.

[Limey]

Murdoch admits to the cover up of phone hacking, says it was one or two people and he was shielded.  So, now everyone agrees there's an onion; let's start peeling.

It didn't take long for one of the two people that, first James and now Rupert, Murdoch has tried to throw under the bus, to react.:

Since Rupert Murdoch's evidence today about a lawyer who had been on the News of the World for many years can only refer to me, I am issuing the following statement.

His assertion that I 'took charge of a cover-up' in relation to phone-hacking is a shameful lie. The same applies to his assertions that I misinformed senior executives about what was going on and that I forbade people from reporting to Rebekah Brooks or to James Murdoch.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the two people he has identified in relation to his cover-up allegations are the same two people who pointed out that his son's evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee last year was inaccurate.

The fact that Mr Murdoch's attack on Colin Myler and myself may have been personal as well as being wholly wrong greatly demeans him.

Pass the popcorn, please.

[Limey]

Have I Got News for You tweets:

At one point Murdoch complained about being harassed by paparazzi, no doubt reminding Lord Leveson of the famous case of Pot Vs Kettle.

[Limey]

British Parliament to Rupert Murdoch:  You Suck at Your Job

A parliamentary committee announced its findings today, that three senior NewsCorp executives are up to their eyeballs in the phone hacking scandal and that the Murdochs (Rupert and James) are either lying about their complicity or -if they are to be believed that they knew nothing of it - so crap at their jobs that they are unfit to run a major corporation.

There is an element of sticks and stones about this, as well as partisan politics, but there are real ramifications that can result.  Ofcom is charged with policing broadcasting, including the "fit and proper" requirement for those involved in it.  Parliament has now said that the Murdochs don't pass that test, which will likely force Ofcom to take action regarding NewsCorp's 39% controlling stake in BSkyB.  Such a move will also strengthen calls from NewsCorp's shareholders for Rupes to step down.

Oh, and there's still the very real prospect of criminal charges on both sides of the Atlantic.

[Limey]

Rebekah Brooks, her husband, her PA and a couple of others have been charged with perverting the course of justice.  Not for phone hacking, but for the (comedic) attempt to cover up their involvement.

People!  It's always the cover-up that gets you!