Will Rupert Murdoch sink Cameron at the Inquiry?

[malaise]

I'm up early because I don't intend to miss this.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/25/questions-rupert-murdoch-leveson-inquiry
<snip>
All of the questions are directed to testing key allegations. References to the activities of Rupert Murdoch should be taken to cover those acting on his behalf.

• Allegation that Rupert Murdoch attempted to influence the government's decision on whether to approve News Corp's bid to take over all of BSkyB.

Although your son was running the bid from London, he was reporting to your deputy chairman, Chase Carey, in New York on what would have been the biggest transaction in the history of your company. Was either your son or Carey providing you with updates? Specifically, were you made aware of occasions when Ofcom indicated opposition to the deal?

Did you ever mention the bid to anybody in the Conservative leadership before it was announced in June 2010? Were you ever given any kind of indication about a future Tory government's attitude to the bid?

In 1981 the Thatcher government allowed you to buy the Times and Sunday Times without referring the deal to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the grounds that both papers were on the verge of bankruptcy. Were you aware at the time that the Sunday Times had made a profit in 15 of the previous 17 years, and that it had made a loss only in the two years when an industrial dispute meant that for long periods the paper was not being produced?

How do you explain the recollection of your then close associate Woodrow Wyatt who said of you in his published diaries that "I had all the rules bent for him over the Sunday Times and the Times when he bought them."

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Meanwhile looks lkike Jeremy Hunt is down for the count

Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, has begged the Leveson inquiry to give him a chance to salvage his reputation after emails released by News Corp appeared to show that Hunt and his office passed confidential and market-sensitive information to the Murdoch empire to support its takeover of BSkyB.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/24/news-corp-leveson-inquiry-jeremy-hunt

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2012/apr/24/jamesmurdoch-evidence-leveson-inquiry-video
James Murdoch from yesterday
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The scale of this corruption is breathtaking
Live coverage at the Guardian web site.

[malaise]

1. Here we go

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/25/rupert-murdoch-live-blog

[goclark]

10. Question ~ was Piers Morgan

involved in this in some way?

I continue to wonder why CNN had to go all the way to England to get Piers to fill Larry King's spot. Couldn't CNN find a home grown American that could do the job?

[malaise]

12. Yes indeed - he defended Murdoch last year

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/19/piers-morgan-defends-former-boss-rupert-murdoch-on-his-cnn-talk-show.html
<snip>
Not since Eliot Spitzer found himself awkwardly anchoring a segment on Rep. Anthony Weiner’s sexting has a CNN host been so compromised and conflicted.

But that didn’t stop former News of the World editor Piers Morgan—who until now has kept eerily silent concerning the phone-hacking and police-bribery scandal that has rocked the British body politic—from giving a full-throated defense of Fleet Street and his embattled former boss, Rupert Murdoch, on Monday’s installment of Piers Morgan Tonight.

Watching the grim-faced talk-show host defend his erstwhile benefactor against all comers, it was even possible to believe that chutzpah is a Britishism.

The 80-year-old Murdoch, Morgan maintained, is the victim of “this huge witch hunt going on to bring him down personally.” Morgan added: “I don’t accept that he himself would be party to illegal activity.”

[Whisp]

22. Piers Morgan is a shittyassed dirtbag.

that was probably paid to use his show to defend Murdoch.

that's okay, there's only about 174 people watching anyway.

[goclark]

23. Hope his ratings are in the tank

Can't stand him and yet he is on way to often for my eyes and ears.

[malaise]

13. When asked if he always backs the winning candidate he just said

he opposed Obama vehemently - James reminded him he was speaking about the UK - said he has one policy everywhere!!

Oops!!

[goclark]

21. Thanks malaise ~ I've always

wondered how he got that important timeslot in America but CNN sure has taken care of him.

They are all playing with a dirty deck of cards IMO.

Murdoch is still holding the Ace it seems .

[pacalo]

2. This is going to be good. I'll have to look for the video later.

Meanwhile, if something juicy comes up, please post it!

[malaise]

3. Live video is at link

and at BBC International.

Oops for the Thatcher lunch with Rupert

[pacalo]

5. I just started watching -- went to get a snack. :)

[malaise]

9. Having coffee here

This is great - by the time the inquiries are finished Reagan, Thatcher and Murdoch should be thoroughly and completely discredited.

What a fugging corrupt scumbag - remember he forgot about the lunch and it was covered up until last year.

[malaise]

4. Reagan, Thatcher and Murdoch were all on the same page

We're talking 1981 here.
Main purpose of the meeting was to explain his bid to Thatcher.
Some great questions here.

[malaise]

6. The union crushing was part of the reason given by Rupert

for taking over the Times et al

[pacalo]

7. That's exactly where I thought he was going.

[malaise]

8. The selling of neo-liberalism, the new world order

and the rest of the anti-union agenda.

[malaise]

11. Two important admissions

He did control editorial decision-making re which party to back and
he was part of the Hitler diaries scandal - a major regret in his life

From the Guardian blog
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/25/rupert-murdoch-live-blog
11.10am: Did he have any role in the publication of the Hitler diaries in 1983? "I'm sorry to say, yes," says Murdoch.

Was Lord Dacre beginning to express doubts about authenticity and you overruled him?

"A very small part of the story," says Murdoch. "When it got very closer to publication people were debating it, Lord Dacre did show doubts. A majority of us felt we should go ahead, I take full responsibility for it, it was a major mistake and one I shall have to live with for the rest of my life."

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/scams/hitler_diaries/index.html

[malaise]

17. Lunchtime summary

1.10pm: A quick lunchtime summary of Rupert Murdoch's evidence so far:

• Rupert Murdoch has claimed that Gordon Brown wilfully misled parliament over a Sun story about the former prime minister's son

• Murdoch said that Brown was "unbalanced" and had declared war on News Corporation

• The News Corp chairman admits he made a mistake over blocking publication of Lord Patten's book on Hong Kong

• Murdoch denies trading favours with Tony Blair, including in tunup to Iraq war in March 2003

• The Times should have bought MPs' expenses details and should not have published NightJack story, says Murdoch

• Jeremy Hunt's special adviser Adam Smith has resigned over emails to News Corp over BSkyB deal
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/25/rupert-murdoch-live-blog

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Jeremy Hunt's adviser Adam Smith quits over BSkyB row

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt's special adviser is quitting, amid a row over contacts between his office and News Corporation over the BSkyB bid.

Adam Smith said the contact "went too far" and gave an impression that the relationship was "too close".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17835770

It's getting closer and closer to Cameron...

[malaise]

15. Is Hunt next?

Today's hearing is delish!!

I notice that BBC switched to Cameron's question time - thank you Guardian

[malaise]

16. Cameron defending Hunt after

Miliband calls for his resignation - again.
Damn it's hard to watch both.

[malaise]

18. The inquiry has resumed after lunch

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/apr/25/rupert-murdoch-live-blog

and on BBC live and on the net

[GoCubsGo]

19. You know he will.

Guys like Murdoch aren't about to go down alone. They take as many people as they can with them.

[malaise]

20. What I do know is that Rupert has a memory like Gonsalves

What he can't recall is oh so convenient.
This guy Ray asks great questions. I can't wait for the climax today because there is a paper trail with Cameron and the boys.