John Ward July 12, 2011 Newscorpse

16.05 BST ON HACKGATE DAY 181: on the BSkyB bid, it’s….

VICTORY!

Government agrees to back Labour motion:

‘This House believes that it is in the public interest for Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation to withdraw their bid for BSkyB’

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Vaz unconvinced by Yates testimony

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Murdoch forced to buy Newscorp shares to stop freefall in price

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US media in ecstasy as Murdoch brought down to size

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Aussie Government to investigate Murdoch’s News Limited

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Sue Akers at the Yard now says 4,000 victims have been hacked

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Slog knackered but happy. More analysis anon.

One last word, however:

In this its darkest hour, the UK media has had its finest hour. Congratulations to all those people – huge numbers of whom have politics nowhere near mine – whose guts, good heart and great journalism have combined to deal an unprecedented blow to Big & Nasty.

29Comments

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1

Floydian Slip on July 13, 2011 at 3:36 pm

That she’s Rupe’s love child maybe?

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2

John Ward on July 13, 2011 at 12:01 pm

TG
Thanks for that. Another Buddhist truism:
All things must pass, everything is in transition, nothing lasts forever. Not even Rupe.

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3

Kit Green on July 13, 2011 at 8:31 am

I look forward to a debate on that!

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4

Morningstar on July 13, 2011 at 8:12 am

Just to add my voice to the congratulations John !

2 Good results in about a month ! Keep it up !
Could it be time to start investigating the windmills empire – after all 160pa (for everyone) increase to pay for Huhne’s wet dream (having just donated another 9+Bn to the EU fantasy) ?
Another load of b*llocks to deconstruct there I would imagine !

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5

Mike Gibbins on July 13, 2011 at 1:23 am

John, I followed a link to your slog on a comment page where you had posted. I can’t remember the paper or what you had posted now, but it obviously made an impression on me as I don’t usually follow links. If I could only read one blog it would be yours. Always insightful and entertaining no matter what bollocks your de-constructing. Your in a class of your own. Thanks

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6

Theresa Green on July 13, 2011 at 12:45 am

As an Australian I feel mortified to think that Evil Murdoch came from here- the good news is that he renounced his Australian citizenship. We are lumbered with Murdoch papers here and politicians too gutless to take him and his vile family on. I just hope that it is the end of the Evil Empire. There is a Buddhist saying that if one sits and meditates by the river, eventually one will see the bodies of one’s enemies float past. I cant wait to see the bodies of Murdoch his vile family and the stupidly named ‘Rebeka’ go floating past.

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7

Gerard CC on July 12, 2011 at 11:12 pm

Hi John.
Excellent, relentless, thorough work.
A+ with star!
But…
beware – hubris, nemesis etc – I am with you on the lead-lined coffin.
As I live off-shore, can you tell me about the history and track record on the Competitions Authority.
Who sits on it? Past decisions?
Are their terms of reference so restricted that we might get the hand-wringing “within the powers at our disposal we are unable to recommend other than we find no reason, within blah, blah, blah to
stop the organisation Newscorp
(now that it does not own any newspapers in UK)
buying up the balance of BSkyB.”
This will not be announced for 6 months/180+ days,
we – never mind the general public – have short memories.
Fox is still the least trusted/believed of the US tv channels.
Minority shareholders in Newscorp are unhappy but they control only 1% of shares.
The price of peace is eternal vigilance!
Great work John, well done.
Regards
Gerard
PS: What does Rebecca know about Rupert and James and Elisabeth?
What dirt/hold does she have?

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8

India! on July 12, 2011 at 8:50 pm

There is just so much resting on this for all those in power- in whatever field they ply their trade- I simply cannot see it going anywhere apart from the long grass..

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9

old dog on July 12, 2011 at 8:32 pm

the US angle is under reported here, the combination could be lethal for the family. Well done.

duncan donuts yup well put, & nikki that site is mental, as a leftish graun reader i did wonder why he didnt keep schtum & wait for the fun, but maybe he no friend of new labour and believed in parliamentary plurality, not unreasonable.

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10

rob on July 12, 2011 at 7:44 pm

There will always be someone else to fill the void – it’s depressing isn’t it? (last bit a quote from Marvin the Paranoid Android).

PS. Good work – so far!

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11

John Ward on July 12, 2011 at 7:01 pm

I hope it’s not self-congratulation. But it is certainly worth a celebration.
And my view remains the same….only the lead-lined casket at the bottom of the Atlantic will mean the real end.

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12

Mark on July 12, 2011 at 6:39 pm

Isn’t all this self congratulation a little premature? I’m sure Uncle Rupert may yet have a few ace cards in his pocket yet to play. What for instance has he got on the Metropolitan Police that caused them to take such a narrow view on the original disgrace of an investigation in 2006 and then throw a bucket of whitewash over it in the 2009 review despite the overwhelming stink. Are we really expected to believe these great detectives and Assistant Commissioners were that hopelessly incompetent or were other dynamics in play? It’s not over till the fat lady sings! More to come yet.

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13

Miss B Having on July 12, 2011 at 6:29 pm

I feel like the woman who runs in at the end to say nice work!.

Seriously, It is the easiest thing in the world to *point finger – do nothing* Thank you for your work John (I did read back). You Sir, along with many others have, given me back my belief that “it will out eventually”!…. The truth that is.
I am going to lobby my MP to resist voting for another quango! We can’t aford the ones we have. Am I being a real cynic by thinking MP’s will now have a “mandate” to bring in, new laws – new quango’s, to protect THEIR interests…

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14

DaninSpain on July 12, 2011 at 6:15 pm

Brilliant coverage, John. Hopefully we really have got him this time. As long as he doesn’t ever get the BskyB deal through.
I think all of us would gladly chip in for whatever “Chateau….” you should choose to crack tonight. We may even run to a case!

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15

Bankrupt Taxpayer on July 12, 2011 at 6:09 pm

Congratulations John for the not small part you have played in bashing away at this NewsCorp scandal.

All we need to see now are some serious criminal charges brought against those up to their necks in it, including NI employees and Met Police.

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16

Richard G on July 12, 2011 at 5:48 pm

Although as pointed out even though we are in it we can do little about the outcome of it in respect of having to cough up large sums of money one way or the other

There is no little real fact, most seems to be guesswork (very educated in some cases) as to how various actions and reactions will affect the confidence of those few people around the world that really do have influence on where the money flows to

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17

David on July 12, 2011 at 5:47 pm

Heartfelt congratulations John. I know grown men probably shouldn’t have hero’s, but in this messed up world you are mine, (in an entirely brotherly fashion of course!).

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18

Sussexwino on July 12, 2011 at 5:32 pm

Go have a nice bottle and send me the bill !

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19

Jon Allen on July 12, 2011 at 5:32 pm

The job is partly done. Now let’s get Murdoch and the rest of his family out of all UK media.

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20

SICK OF CROOKS AND MURDERERS AND COWARDS on July 12, 2011 at 5:02 pm

It isnt just the press that are guilty of hacking ordinary folk. MI5 do a pretty good job of it as well, as some of us have discovered to our annoyance. Tom Watsons RTV pals have no right to go hacking child abuse survivors, its wrong, and the police have a duty of care to investigate when it happens, as, despite what the James Bond books assert, MI5 agents are publicly funded civil servants and as such do not have a licence to do what the hell they like, particulary if it involves child abuse!

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21

SICK OF CROOKS AND MURDERERS AND COWARDS on July 12, 2011 at 4:57 pm

Big thumbs up John, you are the best. Don’t forget about Tom Watson though, and his Jon Snow interview. Snow ought to have asked him where he got his information from, in fact the police should be rat-a-tat-tat on his door if there is any moral fibre left in the force.

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22

sandysview on July 12, 2011 at 4:54 pm

NIce work bum face ! Get the beers in. What am I saying? Its hours past the sound of a pop cap being popped. chin chin

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23

John Ward on July 12, 2011 at 4:53 pm

Rasta
You are so right about the EU mess being hidden…..

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24

The Inspector on July 12, 2011 at 4:50 pm

Compliments on your tenacity JW.
First class work – ongoing.
Thank you.

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25

oldasiahand on July 12, 2011 at 4:29 pm

Congratulations John, although I have concerns that we will end up with further censorship.

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26

gemmalaming on July 12, 2011 at 4:27 pm

Ah! Do I hear sighs of relief? Or just contentment from being vindicated? Well done for keeping your pecker up all this time – it is a full six months after all.

Now sir, tip your lance at … MPs?

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27

Rastaman on July 12, 2011 at 4:27 pm

Good riddance to ALL the tabloid trash we get fed on, let’s have some real honest journalism, since we have no real honest politicians…

Tyrants will always use a crisis as an excuse for more power grabbing, just like our pols and even worse the EUinstas (which REALLY bad story is being buried by this comparative sideshow).

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28

Duncan Donuts on July 12, 2011 at 4:20 pm

And what abot the “afters”.
George Eusless, Cameroon’s one time press secretary, according to his interview on last night’s Newsnight, wants to introduce “a proper regulatory press framework”.
He wants what??
He wants to regulate the press?
What the hell has the press done wrong?
Oh yes – all that phone hacking stuff and bribing police and people who hold confidential information? Well here’s news. That sort of stuff is already regulated. It’s illegal.
Bad taste, cultivation of absurd celebrity, gossip, tittle-tattle, rubbish journalism, banal/shallow/contradictary features on fashion/dietary/health – they’ve always been part of the press since Caxton. If we buy that poop they’ll sell us that poop. That’s life. If, in the creation of that poop members of the press break the law then they should go to prison. If they break whatever codes of practice to which the press wants to subscribe, then they should be appropriately censured.
But “a proper regulatory press framework” sounds very much like press censorship. And that’s the last thing we need right now. With so many super injunctions we should be more concerned with freedom of speech. We need an equivalent to the USA’s First Amendment.
Mr George Eusless is, as ever, talking out of completely the wrong orifice: out of the wrong end of his alimentary canal. What is needed is a proper regulatory framework for the behaviour of MPs and Ministers.
That they think it’s OK to be bought drinks, meals, flights and holidays by journalists, editors or press barons just shows how out of line they are and how much regulation they need.

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29

Niki on July 12, 2011 at 4:14 pm

http://johnhilley.blogspot.com/2011/07/rusbridgers-alert-to-cameron-guardian.html

The Guardians Alan Rusbridger warning Cameron…John Hilley raises a good point. So glad you are happy John, me too.

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