Screws International

Hold your nose and read on. This is a story you will not read in any national paper other than the Guardian. It is easy to see why the Murdoch stable (Sun, Times, Screws of the World) will not cover it. There seems to be a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ among the rest (Mail, Express etc) not to cover the wrongdoings of a rival. Probably because they all have skeletons hidden away. A mud-throwing contest would be bad for business. The story is the one about the phone tapping of celebrities, royals and other notables. This was portrayed as the work of a ‘rogue element’ who was sent to jail, yet still received a very generous payoff from News International, which in no way could be construed as hush money.

In court papers obtained by the Guardian a disturbing picture of the influence and corrosive power of News International emerges, including what appears to be the corruption of the police.

“While Scotland Yard's public position remains that it did all that its resources and the law permitted, some police sources admit privately that they failed to fully investigate the case, that decisions may have been distorted by a fear of upsetting Rupert Murdoch's newspapers, and that it was "unfortunate" that the officer in charge of the inquiry, assistant commissioner Andy Hayman, subsequently left the police to work for News International  as a columnist.

The emerging picture of the scale of Mulcaire's criminal activities is also potentially embarrassing for Conservative leader David Cameron's media adviser, Andy Coulson, who edited the paper at the time of the offences and who says he does not remember any illegal act.” The Guardian 05/04/2010

What a co-incidence! The officer in charge of the investigation offers up a handful of further incidents and with the apparent collusion of others, ‘ring-fences’ hundreds of cases of phone tapping. A classic example of a damage limitation exercise. He then gets a job with News International.

Pass the sick bag.

And these buggers will lecture us on the probity or otherwise of our prospective leaders over the next few weeks. Should the Tories win, they have promised to abolish OFCOM who intend reducing BSKY B’s profits from their sports coverage.

And who owns BSKY B?

And who has come out for the Tories? 

Make that a very big sick bag.