The Andy Coulson affair raises the question – who runs Britain?

[CHIMO]

Westminster stories have a simple arc – the scandal; the uncovering; the refusal to resign; the resignation; and closure. Sometimes the period from the first intimation of scandal to the resignation can be a matter of hours. Sometimes it drags on for months. But it usually ends in resignation, which is a form of cleansing, and then the caravan moves on.

So the Andy Coulson story seems on the surface to have a typical shape. The former tabloid editor and Cameron spin doctor denies any involvement in phone-hacking. David Cameron insists he is staying. But the story won't die. So Coulson goes, to a chorus of remarkably benign political obituaries. And we have closure. This newspaper, above all, can warmly congratulate itself; job done.

Yet this is a mistaken way of seeing what has happened, and still is happening. There should be no closure, no business as usual, no letting up. Because the practice of often illegal surveillance by hacking into phones, using eavesdropping technologies and stealing documents continues. This isn't just about Coulson, or the News of the World, or even News International. Many other newspapers have been doing the same.

It is not just a historical problem. One of the earlier targets, currently engaged in legal action, told me: "If you think all this stopped some time ago, you have to be bloody joking." She was told only last month that there had been yet another attempt to hack into her voice messages. The practice is endemic. Shrewd editors have passed the really dirty stuff "offshore" – to self-employed dirt diggers – but they are happy to buy and publish the results. The list of targets is apparently much wider than the investigations so far have shown, and is unlikely to be kept under wraps for much longer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/23/newspapers-hack-illegal-surveillance-coulson

[DeSwiss]

1. K&R

[DCKit]

2. Who needs the NSA when you've got the "free press" on your side? nt

[sabrina 1]

3. 'The Murdoch Empire'

That is only one example of the close ties woven between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, when they were prime ministers, and Cameron now, and the Murdoch camp – the private meetings and dinners, the calls (no hacking there) and the mutual interest. We once used to think of the establishment as being cabinet ministers, archbishops, BBC panjandrums, leaders of industry and royalty. No longer. It's the links between the government and the Murdoch empire that count today – a shadowy influence-mart.

Interesting. Murdoch's power in so many countries has always puzzled me. Despite how Fox went after Clinton eg, I remember being shocked to find out that Murdoch had thrown a party for Hillary.

An interesting comment following the article says that Murdoch's Empire is a 'CIA Creation'.

His despicable employees, Beck, Hannity et al, seem to have some kind of protection that progressives do not have.

I don't know if that comment is based on kind of proof they have over there in Britain, but for someone as sleazy as Murdoch to have gained the kind of media control over so many countries is certainly odd. His media 'empire' has been a blight on this country and apparently Britain. Not to mention that he is all over the world pushing the Global Corporate message.

What self respecting Global Enterprise wouldn't have their own propaganda machine operating in every country where they do business?

Wikileaks claims to have dirt on Murdoch and his Empire. I wonder is this could be what they meant? Murdoch is a Global Propaganda machine supported by the Financial and Intelligence agencies ~

It sure would explain a lot that seemed hard to explain, that's for sure.

[glinda]

4. It would. Wonder why Wikileaks is sitting on info rather than letting it go out.

[sabrina 1]

7. He is being threatened with death.

His family have been threatened. I have a feeling it is very explosive stuff and releasing it now would be a death sentence for him, or worse.

[CHIMO]

5. It Does Raise

Questions.

If one might extrapolate to North America, how does this method of operation work?

Murdoch's backing from middle east money.

Corporations!

Is there a watchdog over rulers? Are there underhanded things going on? If so, then who is there to ferret them out?

[sabrina 1]

6. Those are all good questions and questions the reporter

is asking too. Who will ferret them out when they all work for Corporations, and those who don't will be silenced?

I guess now it's up to the people, and there are signs that the people have had enough and that they are learning more about what is going on. They've had decades to work on grabbing all this power and money. We knew something wasn't right, but didn't know what. I think we are beginning to see at least some of the reasons why, eg, the U.S. Government always supports the worst dictators in the world. Why we do not prosecute war criminals.

We were asleep. And we have people who don't want to face the reality that eg, both parties have been coopted so that slows down anything that can be done about it.

[katty]

8. kill the messengers

[LeftishBrit]

9. The tabloids do, of course

The mere fact that an ex-editor of the News of the World (possibly our sleaziest tabloid against plenty of competition) was given an important government position just shows their importance in our culture and politics.

It's bad when, as in some countries, government controls the press. But it also isn't good for the press to control the government, especially when the papers are owned by super-rich individuals with their own agendas, who may not even live in Britain. E.g. three guesses as to who owns the News of the Screws; yes, you've guessed it - the one and only Rupert Murdoch!