The News of the World - again - and other rants

So there is nothing else to talk about save the News of the World scandal. Frankly the only immoral/illegal issues which I get excited about are the phone hacking of murdered children and of the killed or wounded  soldiers and their families. Whether Prescott's phone was hacked or not I could care less. People who live by newspaper coverage can die by it. It is easy to imagine that the police did not look into the phone hacking stories seriously because they took the same view as myself. The current investigation though should also cover whether the failure to find payments to coppers for information on the contact details of the Royal Family and the antics of celebrities was deliberate, sloppy or because the News International stable hid the evidence. The hypocrisy of the BBC, the Guardian and the Labour party is nauseating to see as is the complaint by Sarah Brown about her child. From what I've heard about her she is a loathsome person whose every bone is full of foul politics. J K Rowling and Sarah Brown deserve each other. It is extraordinary that with the emergence of the awful economic problems now besieging Italy, the inevitable default of Greece and our own economic plight no one is discussing the likely consequences, particularly for this country - it's as if they don't exist. I am of the view that Osborne must soon do something to encourage growth in the private sector by reducing taxes and bringing in a bonfire of the regulations including and particularly EU ones and to hell with the treaties we've signed up to. It is about time we looked after ourselves and if the EU doesn't like it then -tough - we will have to change the treaties. We must get rid of the awful Huhne and change energy tactics as we cannot afford expensive, landscape blotting, useless wind farms.

The Press

Hard cases make bad law and so it is to be fervently hoped that the mess in which the press finds itself does not lead to its regulation that in any way restricts its freedom to investigate and report. That such right to do so should be carried out within the law as it stands is fine since both hacking people's phones and paying bribes to the police or anyone else for that matter are already illegal activities. Any new regulation should be limited so that anyone writing for or distributing a story to the public should be deemed to have made a declaration that the story has not been obtained as a result of an illegal activity. As for stories which are made up it seems to me that the laws of libel provide sufficient redress although for those who do not wish to take proceedings they should instead have the ability to make a complaint to an independent body paid for by the media that can review the complaint and decide whether or not its main thrust is true and impose a fine both on the journalist that wrote it and the newspaper that published it if they decide it is not. Of course when I refer to newspapers I also mean other forms of media such as television, radio, reports issued by quangos and other bodies and even blogs. Thus my proposal would even cover reports by bodies like the IPPC and other single issue organisations. The independent complaints body would have a duty to ensure that all points of view were heard in coming to its conclusion with the usual right of appeal to the courts.  

Sun on Sunday

News International have taken dramatic action by closing down the News of the World, the newspaper I remember my father loved to read alongside the Sunday Times and the Observer. This was a long time before Murdoch bought the News of the World since until that time it had been owned by the Carr family which also owned Walton Heath Golf Club. One feels sorry for those working for the News of the World who have done nothing wrong although I imagine that they will be re-employed by the Sun on Sunday, at least I hope so. The other drama thought to be about to unfold, although at the moment it is said to be only a rumour, is that Andy Coulson is to be arrested later today - presumably for authorising payments to coppers for feeding information about arrests and the like. I doubt that the News of the World were alone in making these kinds of payments since it seemed to be an open secret that this kind of thing went on generally throughout Fleet Street. I hope this practice will now stop but I would not like to bet it will. The action of News International will no doubt take the pressure off David Cameron whose relationship with Murdoch and his senior staff has been roundly criticised by Peter Oborne in the Telegraph today although I suspect Cameron is going to have to explain in some detail about his relationship and if appropriate to apologise for his misjudgment in putting faith in those who have proved to be less than honest. Despite the fact that the proposed bid for BSkyB is a different issue from the News of the World scandal it is no doubt right from a political viewpoint to postpone until September a decision on whether or not to allow the bid. Cameron has the opportunity to change the way he operates from now on and I hope he takes it. He needs to concentrate on what his supporters want which means all those issues like the EU and the reform of the welfare state, the NHS, schools and the like.  

News of the World

Those, mostly of the left but not entirely, who believe News International should not be allowed to make a bid for BSkyB are using the News of the World Scandal as cover for their wish to stop the bid. In truth the News of the World scandal has nothing to do with the bid - they are two separate issues. Those who would stop the bid include the Guardian and of course the BBC. The Guardian wants the media playing field to continue being slanted in favour of the left which it is afraid will be upset if the BSkyB bid goes ahead. The BBC stands in the same corner as the Guardian but how it can claim that if News International wins its bid for BSkyB that plurality of provider will be impaired is a bit rich coming from a virtual monopoly provider. If the Government were concerned about plurality it would split the BBC into various private companies first. There could then be no question of the BSkyB bid affecting plurality. If there is to be a delay in allowing the bid to proceed because of the News of the World scandal I hope the Government looks carefully at the BBC's monopoly status. I also hope the Government investigates the Guardian to ensure that its arrangements to minimise the tax it pays are in accordance with the law so that we can all be happy that they are as moral as they say they are.

Bombardier

Reading between the lines it seems that what we had always suspected is in fact the case. We play by the rules laid down by Brussels in selecting contractors to carry out projects in this country whereas other countries in the EU cheat and appoint their own. How is it possible with the pound sterling at such a low exchange rate against the euro that Siemens can make an offer which beats that of Bombardier. It is hardly credible particularly as Bombardier are such specialists in their field. It really is about time that we either got out of the EU or we adopted the same cheating ways as the Germans and French. In the meantime they are waging a war against us of which we are totally oblivious and as a result are losing. If we don't wake up and engage, whether we stay in the EU or get out, then we will lose altogether and our manufacturing base will be completely emasculated over the next few years. Clearly we will be much better out of the EU with far greater freedom of manoeuvre. So far we have retained a lead in banking and insurance but the EU again is trying to introduce regulation which will ensure we have to perform with one hand tied behind our back in order that the clunky German and French competition can catch up. The EU wants the UK neutered. They hate us because we remind them of the way they behaved in the last World War. There is no reasoning with people like that. We have to walk away.  I had high hopes for this government but am beginning to worry that they do not have the guts to stand up for us. Another example of their somewhat pathetic behaviour is the way the Government seem intent on making a £9.3 billion additional subscription to the IMF whereas something half that size would reflect our shareholding in that institution. Why are we being so generous?

Article 8

The Human Rights Act was seen by many as not only unnecessary but also something foreign to our way of doing things and likely to lead to problems. Those who were against its introduction have been proved right. It has given rise to all sorts of problems, not least to our ability to protect ourselves against those who would abuse our hospitality. The judges are being unfairly blamed for their interpretation of the Human Rights Act but it is the wording of the Act which is at fault and Parliament must  correct its own mistakes. Article 8 says everyone has the right to a family life without exception which of course in one instance has been interpreted to mean that anybody who lives here has the right to bring their family members into the country. Whoever was responsible for the wording of the Act should be named, shamed and sacked as should the person or persons who lost the files of 160,000 asylum seekers. I would have thought it impossible to lose that many files so to me it feels like sabotage. When a doctor or other professional is negligent he can be sued and in the worst cases he can lose his livelihood by being struck off. The same result should apply to those who introduce legislation which fails to work as intended. With this threat in the background perhaps those responsible for legislation will take a little more care in their drafting which might have the advantage of less legislation. Why do we need 90% of the Acts of Parliament passed each year anyway? We know that a substantial number of Blairite Acts were only passed to demonstrate New Labour's virility for all the use they have been.    

The Olympics

Not satisfied with ripping off the taxpayers to pay for all sorts of things we do not need such as Community Support Officers, Diversity Managers and Equality Directors and failing to provide essential basic services like weekly or even twice weekly rubbish collections we now learn that various local authorities have been spending taxpayers money on tickets for the Olympics. Have these Councils gone mad? It is not even a question of inappropriateness in these economic times it is just simply inappropriate full stop for the Government or any local government to spend taxpayers' money on employee junkets of any kind. If the employees want a junket they can pay for it themselves. We taxpayers, and particularly those of us who live in London, have paid for the whole thing but instead of being given tickets at a discount and first choice in recognition of our support we have been subjected to a rationing system that has disadvantaged us. It leaves me profoundly unhappy and totally opposed to the travel and other restrictions to be imposed on ordinary Londoners whilst the Games are on.