A few bungs down police trousers and an extraordinary two way relationship that made New Scotland Yard an annex of the Murdoch empire, have done for Sir Paul Stephenson. A moment’s reflection that the callous killing of an innocent Brazilian man was not considered worth the resignation of anybody. And on the phone hacking scandal, while Stephenson was as enthusiastic an establishment schmoozer as any, it was his predecessor Blair with whom most of the guilt lies. Like Brooks, at the most charitable possible interpretation Blair was a lousy manager who had no idea what was happening.
I am however rather suspicious that Brooks’ arrest comes just in time to avoid any questions about her relationship with Cameron and others at the select committee – or indeed why she was a facebook friend of the committee chairman.
I am still rather puzzled by why the police have not informed approximately 3,750 of the over 4,000 potential phone hacking victims that their names are on the list. By not informing the victims, of course, the police have so far limited the number of civil suits against News International.
It is hard to recall, (and nowadays I try not to recall it) but there was a period of a few weeks back in 2003 and 2004 when I was front page news, and there were a good few tabloid stories about Nadira’s belly dancing past. Now I wonder….
`Now I wonder`
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Get in touch and ask, there are duty bound to tell you, are they not ?.
Can’t keep up! Who next? There must be many £thousands going out in golden goodbyes. Will they all be going to each other’s leaving dos?
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Stephenson is seething with a cold anger that he has been blown away. Resignations are all very well but why are there no charges being made or at any rate, so far?
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As DAC Akers said this, could there not be more than 3870 ‘victims’?
‘Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers said that there were 11,000 pages of evidence in the force’s possession, including 3,870 names, 5,000 landline telephone numbers and 4,000 mobile numbers, but only 170 people had been told that they were potential victims.’ D Telegraph
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Cameron’s out of it anyway. He is off to see Zuma to attempt to rope SA in on the NATO atrocities on Libya. Like Blair he is spending more and more time in aeroplanes.
One think that still I don’t get is what information did they expect to get from peoples phone messages. If I get it right they couldn’t listen into conversations since the phones went digital but with Millie Dowler they were deleting messages.
I would never leave a mesage with more information than “contact me” if I had something important to say.
Following people to see whose bedrooms they sleep in could result in a headline splash but a “on the train darling” message seems a waste of energy to me.
Just wondering if it was really hubris rather than intelligence gathering?
Statement from Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick. April 2009
http://content.met.police.uk/News/Statement-from-AC-Bob-Quick/1260267543094/1257246745756
Stephenson then appoints Yates in his place.
Paul,
I think almost certainly they were looking primarily for sexual assignations or content
Before that it was Ian Blair resigning as Commissioner.October 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7648664.stm
Dear Craig,
The Augean stable metaphor is exhausted in the face of incest in station and House and No 10. You raise the horror of the most violent homicide of Jean Charles de Menezes. I should like to publish a 2 page letter on your site. I was very troubled by an important fact which I brought to key people – Wistricht, Mansfield, the Public Solicitor, Simon Israel of C4 and the Home Office earlier. Silence was there. I am assuming my recorded delivery letters got home.
The letter starts :-
Dear Ms Wistricht,
I wrote to you about a year ago. I was sorry not to have received an acknowledgement then. I am persisting because it is very obvious that justice in the UK is now a very patchy business.
“Dear Ms Wistricht,
I am a qualified medical practitioner and a retired trauma and orthopaedic surgeon. I write as an informed citizen regarding the inquest into the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes. I humbly ask that you bring this letter to the attention of the Coroner, Sir Michael Wright. I have previously brought it to the notice of the Justice4Jean campaign, but again without response.
My central concern is that Dr Kenneth Shorrock, who was the Home Office pathologist called to carry out the autopsy on this man, was possibly ‘under the cloud’ of a charge of unfitness to practice by the General Medical Council……………………….
The pillars of the establishment are hollow. Inside there dwell all manner of rodent, parasite & woodworm.
Is this, in its grubby Ukanian way, now worse than Watergate? Apparent institutional damage certainly is. Police & Press as well as politics. And worse yet to come. A measure of Murdoch’s power to corrupt. His secret? He always had an ever-sharpening eye for suckers.
When it comes to competence Stephenson’s replacement is likely to be better. When it comes to honesty: worse.
David Davies on BBC R5 Live just now: ‘The counter-terrorist unit is supposed to the best there is. Last week’s select committee hearing showed that it was pretty much of a shambles.
With this resignation, isn’t there even more of a spotlight on Cameron appointing Coulson? As Stephenson said, he didn’t appoint Neil Wallis, and Neil Wallis hadn’t resigned under a cloud.
So where does that leave Cameron??
Disregard the pokerwork pro-forma tributes. Britain’s top cop clearly very angry—incandescent— that he’s been sacked. All bets & gloves now off.
“Now I wonder….”
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Craig, don’t wonder out loud. All sorts of jokes on Twitter about “celebs” who are cheesed off that they’re *not* on the list. 🙂
Seriously, I hope you’re feeling better by now.
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And best of luck with the wrist, Mary. Sounds nasty.
Hackgate core & Yard corruption more gruesome by far: Rusbridger, Ashdown et al warned Cameron of Coulson’s connections—before he hired him—to a South London murder involving private detectives on his payroll.
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What exactly was Scotland Yard’s role in covering up the true nature of that murder?
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A word on his sponsor:
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http://t.co/dBd5XJu
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His most important sponsor. Her – in truth – nihilism, & her pioneering pay-offs to Murdoch laid the foundations for this now sprawling swamp of corruption.
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‘This is like an onion being peeled.’
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An onion called Blatcherism.
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“The integrity of operation Weeting can be judged by the fact that they arrested Rebekah Brooks two days before she is due to be questioned by the Select Committee . . . thus severely impairing its activities.” — Geoff Robertson QC on BBC R4’s Westminster Hour just now.
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Weeting officer-in-charge Sue Akers had every appearance, to me, last Tuesday of being Dodgy Geezers Ltd’s token woman. Timing of Rebekah’s arrest confirms me in that view.
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Does FOI legislation make it possible to identify who exactly took decision to arrest Brooks today rather than, say, Wednesday?
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Select committee members are said be furious.
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Bilge here from Nick Robinson or Bo’ Selecta Bear as the commenters refer to him on Media Lens.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14180609
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He would like us to believe that he is on the inside of all the manoeuvring. At the end he goes all hush hush on Cameron’s destination. I read elsewhere it is South Africa. So?
{http://enemiesofreason.co.uk/2010/09/28/heres-to-you-mr-robinson/}
I keep wondering if Rebekah Brooks was an intelligence asset whose remit was to bring down the empire so that the Establishment could grab the booty.
Craig,
You say:-
” I am however rather suspicious that Brooks’ arrest comes just in time to avoid any questions about her relationship with Cameron…”
Surely Craig – you full well know that it goes all the way to the top – don’t you think that the press was an very influential part of the election process? ( don’t answer that question – it is oh so obvious).
As regards the other maneuverings – it is pretty obvious that a hell of a lot of civil law suits will follow – and – the whole organisation might just end up bankrupt. Bankrupt they were of integrity before the disclosures – and with a little justice – hopefully – bankrupt they will be of money after the disclosures.
P.S. Correction – Bankrupt they should be only after the victims are paid.
Ruth – come to think of it – you just might be right.
Brooks was arrested two days before she is due to be questioned by the Select Committee – so can’t you plainly see that there is much that needs to be hidden.
Come on – do you want to question the integrity of the government and bring the whole house of cards down – surely not.
The people who make greetings cards, plaques and merchandise carrying this WWII Ministry of Information slogan will be doing a roaring trade.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On_Poster.svg
Where’s John Yates in all this? Why hasn’t he gone with Sir Paul?
Who now thinks it was a good idea of Blair, when Straw was Home Secretary, to change the accountability of the Met from the government to the newly created MPA, a large committee?
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‘The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) is the police authority responsible for supervising the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force for Greater London (excluding the City of London Police area).
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It consists of 23 members: 12 London Assembly members, appointed by the Mayor of London in accordance with the political balance on the Assembly, four magistrates and seven independents. The MPA was set up in 2000 as a functional body of the Greater London Authority, by the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Previously control of the Metropolitan Police had vested entirely in the Home Secretary.’ Wikipedia
@Jonangus:
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> Does FOI legislation make it possible to identify who exactly took decision to arrest
> Brooks today rather than, say, Wednesday?
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I would doubt it. I believe there is a wide exception in FoI for the prevention and detection of crime. Or is that Data Protection? Still, regardless of the law, I wonder if a FoI request would be pointless in discovering corruption at this sort of level.
Wikipedia on that murder:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Morgan_(private_investigator)
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Check this out:
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“Former Fox News executive Dan Cooper has claimed that a special bunker, requiring security clearance for access was created at the company’s headquarters to conduct “counterintelligence” including snooping on phone records”
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Read the whole piece here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/17/995568/-Fmr-Fox-News-Executive:-Americans-Phones-Were-Hacked
Well, it looks like a web of lies is unraveling. We’d best be careful. If I were the “perception management” brigade, I’d be releasing a lot of disinformation right now.