Just watching James Murdoch giving his evidence.
Who on earth are all the hangers-on sitting behind the lawyer? You can easily count 9 and I'm sure there must be more. They have lecturns and computer screens so aren't Joe Public. No-one seems to be writing anything, or even making notes. I presume they are expensive briefs or not-so-expensive civil servants, but it might give an indication of why these inquiries cost so much.
The Russian owner of the Standard and Indy was on the stand yesterday, I was most impressed with him. Murdoch Jr is a little less impressive, but the questioner (Mr Jay?) is more on the attack than yesterday's was with the Russian. There's a lot of "assumptions" in the Murdoch evidence but to be fair the questioner seems to expect that he knew all the minutae of what was going on, and what people were thinking etc, which realistically can't be the case.
The Leveson Inquiry v. the ospreys. It's a hard decision some days :-)
Here's the link in case anyone can't find it. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17822088
Last edited by: smokie on Tue 24 Apr 12 at 15:07
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No contest...birds are nicer than people.
Pat
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>> birds are nicer than people.
Cuckoos, magpies and vultures may just be doing what a sweet, touchy-feely nature has programmed them to do, Pat, but I feel 'nice' is putting it a bit strongly.
Moreover people, however appalling, are about a thousand times more interesting and hard to make out than birds. They can be very tiring though.
The osprey webcam, interesting enough in bird terms for an occasional glance hoping to count the eggs, isn't working for me at the moment. Just flashing screen black to white and back in an irregular rhythm.
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One thing comes out of this, and it surprises most people.
To most its inconceivable how little control or knowledge CEOs have in the day to day running of an enterprise. They don't realise that the role is unworkable unless there is a detachment from the minutiae, to concentrate on strategy and direction and goals.
I guess that
Murdoch:
"You want to know if I knew that my reporters were hacking phones? No I didn't, nor should I, its not my job to tell them how to get news, its what I pay them for"
Enquiry:
"So what did you do to stop it when you found out"
Murdoch
"I shut the paper down and sacked them all, would you have wanted me to do anything less?"
is not what they want to hear.
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Those seated in front of the raised bench are counsel including Robert Jay's junior Carin Patry Hoskins. Those on the bench are I suspect a mixtrue of solicitors and inquiry staff running the hearing room, the video links etc and the IT that keeps the exhibits etc on screen for the participants.
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James Murdoch did well.He was evasive with his answers kept acting daft and laughed at his audience.Loads of people arrested and released,police up to the neck in wrongdoing.
When is anything going to happen? James Hunt small ,fish plenty more where he came from.
We are watching the comedians.>:) If it wasn't so serious.
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"We are watching the comedians."
No they're over at the Home Affairs Select Committee:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17828670
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He is well dressed Russell Brand.>:) Let's face it who has a anwer about drug using?Not the men in nice suits.
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Are the select committees live anywhere on the net?
Rupert is being a bit boring today...
EDIT: found them, also fairly dull... www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Live.aspx
Last edited by: smokie on Wed 25 Apr 12 at 11:08
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I watched the Commons committee give its verdict on News Corp yesterday at the press release. Not sure I fully agree with their conclusions, but watching the whole press conference was much more informative than just seeing the sound bites you catch on the news, and you hear things more in context.
btw I'll tell you who is fit and proper, at least as far as MPs go - that Louise Mensch MP. www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/may/02/phone-hacking-mps-clash-murdoch
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It was the smug sneer on the face of the committee spokesman as he gave the "unfit" verdict that convinced me it was a politically and ideologically inspired outcome.
It was the same kind of evil leer that child abusers give when they claim adult/child sex is natural.
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"It was the same kind of evil leer that child abusers give when they claim adult/child sex is natural."
Wow! You sure know how to cast an unjustified smear against someone. Makes the press look quite tame!
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Murdoch hasn't subverted our political system or anyone else's. He and his outfit have just played the same old game bigger and better. If our boroughs weren't already rotten since way back they couldn't have done that.
However, Rupert Murdoch is a personal enemy of our country, or rather of its so-called constitution and 'establishment'. Many here may applaud his coarse republicanism, but he's done us a lot of damage. There's nothing improper or unfit about him. He's just our enemy and should be booted out, with a suitable excuse, for that reason alone. I doubt if that is what will happen though.
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>> "It was the same kind of evil leer that child abusers give when they claim
>> adult/child sex is natural."
>>
>> Wow! You sure know how to cast an unjustified smear against someone. Makes the press
>> look quite tame!
FInd a clip of the verdict, you will find it uncannily accurate.
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>> btw I'll tell you who is fit and proper, at least as far as MPs
>> go - that Louise Mensch MP. www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/may/02/phone-hacking-mps-clash-murdoch
>>
She is now being bullied on Twitter and has hit back by publishing a a collection of the worst:
twitter.com/#!/LouiseMensch/favorites
smart-phone: mobile.twitter.com/LouiseMensch/favorites
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Dunno how many here read Private Eye - I know RP does - but there is a column in that which is a parody of a message board, with some really idiotic comments etc. Those tweets remind me of that. One of the best bits of the Eye for me.
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>> best bits of the Eye for me.
Lousie Mensh is well fit but if shes too proper shell looose vote's for the tory's
Mike Giggler
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>> btw I'll tell you who is fit and proper, at least as far as MPs
>> go - that Louise Mensch MP. www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/may/02/phone-hacking-mps-clash-murdoch
>>
OK but not a patch on Theresa Villiers in the MPs I'd like to Facebook stakes!!
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I must have missed it.
Who is the JH they are referring to? (Not Jeremy Hunt)
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I could be wrong problaby am, Jeremy Hunt looks to be amongst the sharks.The Murdochs would have had him for breakfast.
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Leveson Inquiry - Pat
