The real problem is Rupert Murdoch, not Andy Coulson
It was revealed last night that Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator at the centre of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal, was told by a high court judge to name and shame those who gave him the order.
This is riveting stuff indeed, if – like me – you’ve been itching to know the level of complicity in News International’s upper echelons.
But as Coulson performs the seductive dance of denial, and as we eagerly speculate over whether he’s lying, I feel we miss the biggest issue of all: the one element of the whole saga that is resolutely undeniable..
…that the Met was too afraid of damaging its relationship with News International to investigate the case properly.
Rupert Murdoch has entwined his tentacles so tightly around the necks of our police force and MPs that we can no longer expect them to act in the public’s best interests.
Until now, standard practice for all sides of the political spectrum has been futile acceptance of News International’s ever-growing dominance. And, bit by bit, the same attitude is beginning to creep in to the phone-hacking scandal, as commentators increasingly focus upon Coulson’s involvement to the detriment of the bigger, more important picture.
So I implore you lefties, righties, and anyone reading this who values democracy: stop focusing on Coulson. No doubt if he does get sacked he’ll be replaced by someone with equally negligible levels of integrity.
Instead, use the cast-iron evidence of Murdoch’s meddling to put up a proper fight against the BskyB bid, and to end the dysfunctional relationship between your government and News International.
See, that’s the thing about Murdoch; he’s like Cameron’s bad boyfriend. Our Prime Minister may profess to have an equal stake in the relationship, but like all abusive partners, Murdoch is only ever happy when he’s calling the shots.
Perhaps if we had the guts to stand up for ourselves, and think about what’s best for us as a country, we could finally emancipate ourselves from News International’s dominance, and realise how much healthier, how much more rewarding it is, to be free.
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Ellie Mae is an occasional contributor. She is co-editor of New Left Project. She is on Twitter and blogs here.
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You’re probably going to get harangued over the “abusive partner” analogy, but good article in any case.
“Instead, use the cast-iron evidence of Murdoch’s meddling to put up a proper fight against the BskyB bid, and to end the dysfunctional relationship between your government and News International.
Perhaps if we had the guts to stand up for ourselves, and think about what’s best for us as a country, we could finally emancipate ourselves from News International’s dominance, and realise how much healthier, how much more rewarding it is, to be free.”
Entirely agree. Back Vince Cable’s referal of the bid to Ofcom
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11691728
Ops: that doesn’t fit the sterotype people are trying to build up.
1
thanks & yes you’re right re the analogy but only because ppl will assume I mean physical. I meant Murdoch is unhealthily self interested & domineering, which can also be abusive.
Glad I got to clear that up early & apols for bad typing – on my phone!
Coulson is a convenient hook on which the press can hang this story, but you are absolutely right that there is a much bigger picture. The police did not investigate the story fully because of their relationship with the press, and because some of information that allowed hacking probably came out through the police or ex-policemen. This kind of (illegal) behaviour is so central to the business models of some sections of the press that the press made it worthwhile for the police to look the other way.
Hacking was happening on a large scale at NOTW, so it must have been authorised from the very top. The whole company is rotten.
What is interesting would be the number of now not so “secret dossiers” which must be out there somewhere (if not shredded) and to what extent these have impinged on all levels of society. According to Bob Bird the Scottish editor of NOTW in the Sheridan trial now underway 6 months of emails have been “lost” by outsourcing their records to Mumbai (one wonders why they should have done that in the first place?).
What with ex police officers being taken on the payroll by Murdoch not to mention the unholy relationship between ex-employee (?) AC and no 10, one wonders if a lot of business of high office is now transacted either by coercion or by the use of “funny” handshakes.
I would agree the answer mostly lies at (or behind) the door of Murdoch but Coulson might be the conduit to start bringing matters out in the open.
Hacking was happening on a large scale at NOTW, so it must have been authorised from the very top. The whole company is rotten.
It was a feature of the entire media. The chap who was convicted of listening to voicemail messages received some 13,000 requests from newspapers – the largest coming from the Mail, but also from the Mirror and the Observer as well as the Sun and NOTW.
@6 TimJ
But aren’t you conflating “requests for info” with “requests to hack”? Mulcaire and the other private dicks did supply a range of perfectly lawful services to their clients too!
NOTW is a scum organisation run by the vilest sleaze merchants one could imagine. They are the detritus of society, constantly pecking away at the foundation and degrading all of us.
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