Saturday, 16 July 2011

When will Murdoch be put in the stocks and tomatoes?

Ok, two days holiday and I turn on sky news too see the media story is still dominating the uk airwaves. Really, this is odd. It is not as if journalists rated far above estate agents and bankers in people's esteem?

The News of the World is dead. Most of what is being reported happened years ago. It would make much more sense to think up a medieval punishment for The MUrdoch's and be done with it. Even if it is the summer there are far worse things happening that are being ignored in favour of media navel gazing.


Electro-Kevin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Electro-Kevin said...

Oh, CU

Innocent child ! Can you not see it for what it really is ?

It's the last push.

The real target is not NI but the Daily Mail and the Express. The only truly renegade journals in this country.

If Murdoch were the tail wagging the Westminster dog then The Sun would be setting the political agenda, not the minority Guardian.

Once the DM and the Ex are gone there really will be no potent and independent critic of our single party state left.

We will then all exist in blissful ignorance, supping weaker and weaker beer and eating ever smaller Wagon Wheels - the messengers well and truly shot, a nation labotomised for good.

There is still much for the politicians to do. They have yet to turn these inquiries on to those hated journals.

Believe me. The well being of this country comes a poor second to exacting revenge on those papers, as is all too evident from your post.

Anonymous said...

Britain really is finished when the most venal of MPs can showboat on matters of probity.

Anonymous said...

CU, journalists have been for a long time been regarded as fairly public friendly but now they have been found to be on a level with bankers, double glazing salesmen, I am afraid it is a case of live and learn. Murdoch moved to US and became a US citizen, because he would not be allowed, as a foreigner, to hold a large section of US media which is what he wanted, also at the time, he would have access to the junk bond market, very low interest rates, a move which payed off. Murdoch's family controls the voting stock of NI so I suppose it is up to Murdoch exercise control on wayward parts of his empire,if indeed he thought that they were wayward or was it with his approval.

Steven_L said...

"It would make much more sense to think up a medieval punishment for ...

Speaking in my capacity as a law enforcement officer, I find myself thinking along these lines almost every day.

The law is an ass. I mean why can't I just present my findings on some dodgy geezer to 12 ordinary men and women (NOTW readers no doubt) instead of having to jump through all these hoops and recommend paying experts hundreds of pounds an hour to prove what anyone with a grain of common sense would walready know?

The ducking stool, the stocks, in serious cases perhaps the head crusher. It makes perfect sense to me CU.

Anonymous said...


Not doubt you like to see the punishment that was given to Edward ii's friend Hugh Despenser, mind you he was a very naughty boy

Laban said...

While no one detests Murdoch more than I, the agenda that keeps the story top of the BBC was summed up by a Polly Toynbee piece in the Guardian to the effect "Now for the Daily Mail". It's really not about phone hacking, its about not letting a good crisis go to waste.

The left, while holding the BBC, lost control of a big chunk of the media narrative when Murdoch arrived. Now it's the big push to regain territory.

(btw, I thought one of the first things Cameron was going to do on arrival was to set up a site where all central government jobs would be advertised - saving public money and taking a hit at the Guardian's income stream. What's happened to that?)

Steven_L said...

Laban, it's called the 'Civil Service Gateway' and you have to be a civil servant to gain access.

Local Authorities tend to just advertise on their website, but there's nothing there these days other than jobs for teachers, teaching assistants and nursery nurses.

After a few years in the public sector, I'm still completely baffled how you become a 'Director of Change' on £85k+, believe me, I wish I knew!

Laban said...

forgot to say - just as the BNP give cover to UKIP, taking political fire that would otherwise be directed at the more successful of the anti-Europe, anti-immigration parties, the Sun and NOTW up to now have taken a chunk of flak which would otherwise be directed at the Mail.

Anyone who thinks this is about (justified) public outrage at hacking Milly Dowler's phone is alas mistaken. It's a lot of people who were afraid of RM (and his newspapers power) turning on him when he's politically very vulnerable.

"If we don't all kick him now he's down, and keep kicking him, he might get up and start kicking us again - for God's sake keep him on the floor!"

It's like the fall of Sejanus.

Laban said...


I don't think that can be it, if it's internal recruitment only. I can understand that you try and recruit internally if you can, and they're right to do that - but where are the publicly advertised jobs being advertised these days ?


The secret is to change things, then push off, fast, before anyone find out whether the changes were any good or not (although if it's anything like private industry, it's possible that question may never be asked). Never stay in one job or one area more than two years. Onwards and upwards !

CityUnslicker said...

Laban....all projects are dumped and managers changed every couple of years n all organisatins; its why realnchange only comes through growth where more resources can be made available.

Anonymous said...

"just as the BNP give cover to UKIP"

eh? The BNP are undeniably left-wing (i.e. the appeal mainly to people on low incomes) whilst UKIP appeal mainly to the right-wing (i.e. the middle classes and beyond). I really don't see how the BNP give cover to UKIP.

Ryan said...

I guess Murdoch has a LOT of enemies - some of them rather powerful and wealthy. This is a media story anyhow - when the Beeb realise we aren't interested in clicking on their wall-to-wall "hacking" stories they will eventually realise they need to tone it down a bit. They might even realise they are in the process of screwing themselves as yet more privacy laws get enacted until journalists are left with only reporting what the government tells them they can report - privatised propaganda by the back door.

Personally I think journalists have every right to dig up every bit of dirt by any means possible - just like the Inland Revenue. The only issue is under what circumstances they should be permitted to PUBLISH.