There is a heartening unanimity developing against unethical tabloidism

Bill Akass….NotW Managing Editor

The call by John Whittingdale  (chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee) for a public inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World is that rare thing, a politician insisting that some higher values are more important than politics. For Whittingdale is no Tory Wet listing over towards LibDemism. His Thatcherite credentials are impeccable: from 1982-4, Whittingdale was Head of the political section of the Conservative Research Department. He then served as Special Adviser to three successive Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, Norman Tebbit 1984-85, Leon Brittan 1985-86, and Paul Channon 1986-87. He worked on international privatisation at NM Rothschild in 1987….and in January 1988 became Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Following Thatcher’s resignation, he continued as her Political Secretary until his election to Parliament in 1992.

Like any good egg concerned for the health of his native culture, John Whittingdale raised the tone of Hackgate debate late on Wednesday afternoon when he observed

“There are some very big questions. What I find worrying is the apparent unwillingness of the police, who had the evidence and chose to do nothing with it. That’s something that needs to be looked into. It also raises some quite serious questions for the security of government. It seems pretty extraordinary that newspapers are able to listen in to the private conversations of Downing Street, royal staff and others. I’m wanting to know through the Home Office why those responsible for safeguarding security weren’t able to do anything about it.”

The thing I admire about this MP’s stand on the issue is that that Cameroonian tentacles have been unable to ensnare him: here we have a classic Blue Tory at one with the classic Red Labourite Chris Bryant in saying “This really won’t do”. Our country needs more of this.

Mr Bryant is the Ebbw Vale traditionalist MP who first pointed out to Home Secretary Theresa May that Newscorp had taken part in activities contravening the Public Bodies Corruption Act 1889. He was also the chap who trapped Rebekah Brooks (during the 2003 Select Committee session) into admitting that she was quite happy to bribe coppers. In the States, with this kind of track record, he would be touted as Presidential material. As it is, all Bryant has done is ask the law to do its job. In 2011, even doing that requires courage – and that is an appalling indictment of our culture. One wonders what, if anything, the wonks around Ed Miliband make of it all. Speaking for myself, I could never share Bryant’s politics, but were he to be put up for Home Secretary tomorrow, I would without hesitation give him my undiluted support. These are strange times indeed.

The only thing still amazing The Slog – first trailed a week last Monday – is that Andy Coulson hasn’t been pulled in and questioned under caution. But I suppose if you once worked for the Prime Minister, this is the sort of privilege you would expect to be your due.

As the Independent’s media editor Ian Burrell accurately observed yesterday, ‘The Operation Weeting team investigating phone hacking wants to speak to Ms Brooks about NI’s past behaviour. Those inseparable pals, Rebekah and Andy, both remain in the gun sights – and this time neither seems capable of pulling the other out of the line of fire.’

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Meanwhile, I’m indebted to Completely Hacko of Earls Court for pointing out this September 2010 gem from the First Post archives:

‘Bill Akass, managing editor of the News of the World, is quoted as saying: “We reject absolutely any suggestion or assertion that the activities of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire, at the time of their arrest, were part of a ‘culture’ of wrongdoing at the News of the World and were specifically sanctioned or accepted at senior level in the newspaper.”‘

Aside from the decidedly mendacious feel this flat denial has seven months on, CH asks what is the point of ‘at the time of their arrest’? Is Bill telling us that, by the time somebody at the Met had tipped off Andy Coulson that Clive and Glenn were about to have their hand-made collars felt, the culture of wrongdoing had ended…but before that it was anything goes? In which case, I think we should arrest everyone from Rupert downwards – and give Sean Hoare a medal for telling the truth very early on last September.

I did once do a brief course on spotting obvious lies – as a focus group moderator, it was a very important skill to have. The first thing you learn is that if someone denies something by saying it in more than one way, it’s a lie. For example, Lord Mandelson on Newsnight (being asked by Paxo about whether he’d also been a taxi for hire in the last Government:

“No, absolutely not, zero”.

So here we have Bill’s possible Freudian slip showing with ‘at the time of their arrest’. This too is listed by professional lie detectors as classic lying behaviour, often referred to by we interviewers as ’embroidery distraction’.

Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule. Allegedly.

Anyway, Bill was looking distinctly glum at a drinks do over the weekend. It seems he’d like to have a conversation with someone that isn’t about phone hacking. Well, he could always ring Andy Coulson.