ConDemUK

Citizen Murdoch. Media control gone mad.

Surprise, surprise, Jeremy Cunt has given Murdoch the go ahead to lord it over the British media landscape.

Cunt’s links to the Murdoch empire have been well documented – he troughed at the table with News Corp within weeks of coming into office and then held a private meeting with Murdoch’s son James (chairman of BSkyB and chief executive of News Corp in Europe and Asia), at which no civil servants were present. Cosy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/03/hunt-bskyb-merger-murdoch

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/04/media-plurality-law-loopholes-editorial?INTCMP=SRCH

The Lib-Dems come SIXTH. Suck it down Clegg.

So badly beaten were the Lib-Dems that they finished behind UKIP, the BNP and an independent. And then lost their deposit to boot.

HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA
HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12645090

That was then. This is now. Petition next...

It worked for our national forests, so why not make it happen for our National Health? The 38 Degrees campaign to save our forests from privatisation bagged over 500,000 signatures and was a key factor in forcing last month’s government U-turn. Happy days.

Not one to rest on their laurels 38 Degrees are back up and at ’em with a new petition to save the NHS from the excesses of Lansley’s proposed Health and Social Care Bill. In less than one week they’ve already achieved over 128,303 signatures.

And this amid growing political momentum against the bill across all quarters. The Lib Dem grass roots kicked off against Clegg & Co at the weekend. The BMA  yesterday held an emergency meeting at which nearly 400 leading doctors voted to oppose the shake-up. And in today’s PMQs Ed Miliband even made a decent fist of facing down Cameron on the planned changes to his beloved NHS.

Change is once again in the air. Click here to make it so:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Protect_our_NHS_Petition#petition

And it was all going so well...

Having spent her entire journalistic career dishing the dirt and turning up the heat, it can only be a matter of time before Rebekah Wade / Brooks’ meteoric star collapses into a shame-faced black hole. Wade (as was) joined News International as a secretary on News of the Screws in 1989, and within 20 years flat had climbed Murdoch’s corporate ladder to become CEO of the company. Impressive stuff.

Along the way she edited both The News of the Screws and Murdoch’s flagship red-top The Sun. It’s long been known that under her watch (and that of her successor Andy Coulson) phones were hacked, coppers were bribed and gutter-press journalists took their trade deep into the sewer. The Guardian has spent years campaigning for the truth to out, while News International and The Met have done their damnedest to keep everything under wraps.

At last it seems that the past is catching up with Brooks and all those involved. First a line of celebs and out-of-favour politicians were found to have been hacked… Now it’s Milly Dowler, the parents of Soham murder victims Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, and friends and family of ‘Our Boys’ lost to the war in Afghanistan. The cosy (read predictably corrupt) relationship between the press, the police and select politicians is being blown further out of the water by the hour. So it’s no great surprise that the public consciousness has finally been pricked.

Advertisers are bailing by the day – first Ford, then NPower, Halifax, O2, Sainsbury’s, and Boots… and now even the British Government is pulling the plug; The Royal British Legion has walked as a campaigning partner of the paper ; Cameron, having been forced to accept the need for at least one public enquiry, must be squirming at his decision to take on Coulson, and at the thought of all those Sundays spent horse riding with bezzy-mate Brooks; Brooks in an email to staff is still insisting she’s the right woman for the job and the ‘truth’ will out; and all along Murdoch continues to back his CEO to the hilt.

It’s fascinating stuff. Hats off to The Guardian. And with any luck… Good riddance to bad rubbish.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/phone-hacking

A right pair

With over 100,000 submissions to his consultation exercise in less than a week, Hulture Secretary Jeremy Cunt has been forced to put back his decision, due to be made this Friday, which would have allowed Murdoch to take full ownership of BSkyB.

Probably a blessing in disguise for Cunt as it means he can wait for some of the political heat to fade before making his announcement. But with any luck public momentum will be such that Murdoch will now fail in his bid.

Murdoch must be spitting teeth. His cherished CEO’s redhead on the block, advertisers pulling out in droves, readers boycotting The News of the Screws and beyond; and his media empire pulled up at the last. There is a God.

James Murdoch has just announced that this Sunday will see the last ever issue of the News of The Screws. Incredible arrogance of Brooks to close the paper and lay off all her staff before doing the decent thing herself. But hey.

How long now before the sword finally falls?

In the words of Jack Regan - "Get yer trousers on, you're nicked!"

The Guardian is now reporting that Andy Coulson has been told by police that he faces arrest tomorrow morning on suspicion that he had direct knowledge / involvement in the hacking of mobile phones while editor at News of the Screws. Shame he’s had prior warning though – can’t The Met just kick down the door and frog-march him to the nick? Either way it’s no great surprise given that he threw in the towel with Cameron early this year, and hilarious nonetheless.

You have to feel for the journos and the rest of the staff on the shop floor who are now receiving redundancy notices. But all in all a brilliant day. And it’s not over yet as calls for Rebekah Brooks’ red head on the block continue unabated. Brilliant…

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/07/andy-coulson-arrest-phone-hacking

That Murdoch might want to replace the News of the Screws with a Sunday Sun might be cynical, but in management terms it’s not exactly rocket science (and it appears likely given that SundaySun domain names have been registered in the last few days).

Workers at Wapping are obviously none too impressed though and the NUJ is now reporting that Sub-Editors from The Sun have just walked out in sympathy for colleagues and in protest against suspected plans to restructure.

Wapping walls come tumbling down…

http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=2153

• Police have now officially arrested Andy Coulson on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section1(1) Criminal Law Act 1977 and on suspicion of corruption allegations contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906. He could be looking at a seven year stretch.
• In an emergency press conference Cameron declares that if it was him he would have accepted Rebekah Brooks’ resignation. “It’s been reported that she had offered her resignation in this situation, and I would have taken it.”
• Two new inquiries to be held – one with full judicial independence.
• Plans announced for a new independent regulatory body to oversee the press.
• Cameron under intense questioning having hired Coulson as Communications chief.

Another good day at the orifice.

Murdoch Junior delivers a lesson in damage limitation gone bad

James Murdoch’s statement to staff could well bring the heir apparent to the Murdoch empire directly into the dock. In explaining the actions of News International senior management Murdoch Junior wrote:

“The Company paid out-of-court settlements approved by me. I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so. This was wrong and is a matter of serious regret.”

Serious stuff, that takes the crisis into the very heart of the Murdoch family. Indeed when asked his views on the statement the PM replied “I think it raises lots of questions that need to be answered and these processes that are under way are going to have to answer those questions.”