‘Your voice in tough times’
Labour’s leader has called for an independent enquiry into the Newscorp hacking saga. But the narrowness of the enquiry he wants – and the tardiness of the idea – support what many now feel runs throughout this saga: both Parties are too close to Rupert Murdoch, and both gave him the wherewithal to achieve dominance in the past.
Slightly over three months behind dozens of aggrieved Labour luvvies, seven Labour MPs, the Blogosphere, the press media, and even the BBC, Ed Miliband bravely stepped from his Nissen shelter this morning to call for an independent inquiry into press standards. The Labour leader ruled out the idea of government-regulated media (to do otherwise would’ve been political suicide) but couldn’t resist taking a swipe at the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) – naturally, it being chaired by the Tory peer Lady Buscombe.
“The PCC hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory,” said the main who funked no fewer than 37 opportunities to raise the issue under Parliamentary privilege at Prime Ministers’ Questions, once the scandal had finally gone ‘mainstream’ 94 days ago. The hypocrisy ingrained in such a remark is highlighted by this extract from the FT last February:
The leaked e began: ‘BSkyB bid and phone tapping: These issues should not be linked. One is a competition issue, the other an allegation of criminal activity.’
So you can guess from that controversy-dodging diktat just how much better than the Coalition Brave Labour – ‘Your voice in tough times’ – would’ve been in keeping Murdoch’s ambitions under control.
Predictably, even now Miliband is steering well clear of any enquiry into the brutally obvious ramifications outside the press media: hacking Royals, blagging Ministers, corrupting police, Murdoch buying off victims, running untrue anti-terror stories, Home Office and MI6 involvement in the furnishing of secret mobile numbers, high-ranking Newscorp executives hob-nobbing with Prime Ministers, Met Police dining clubs, botched and curiously narrow police inquests run by Andy Hayman and John Yates, attempts to get Gordon Brown to call off the dogs, Newscorp editors hired by the Prime Minister, non-referral of bids for BSkyB from a media organisation up to its eyes in criminal incrimination, and the Murdoch empire lying brazenly to everyone at every stage of the media investigation into its illegally invasive activities.
Still, perhaps Ed is keeping his powder dry. Or alternatively, perhaps he has mislaid his spinal column. There being little or nothing atop the backbone, he probably doesn’t have much need for one anyway. Or it could be that his press officer Tom Baldwin – a Murdoch intimate, and author of the ‘lay off Rupert’ email – wouldn’t approve. So many questions, and so few answers. But what we do know is that Ed’s AV soulmate Vince Cable declared his intention to ‘get Murdoch’ some time ago. These two examples of courage are, to say the least, starkly contrasting.
But before ConservativeHome gets overexcited, what about Peta Buscombe, the dominatrix who runs the PCC with a rod of iron? In 2008, Marketing Week Editor Stuart Smith described her as “the most formidable advocate the commercial communications sector has seen in years.” Which is an interesting recommendation, given that these days her Ladyship is supposed to be defending the ordinary citizen from the communications sector.
In those days, Buscombe was the CEO of the Advertising Association. She is a lawyer by training (what else?) and also had quite long spells working for Barclays….whose upcoming problems must be giving her some pain. Way back in April 2003, Labour was busy passing the Communications Bill: that’s the one that first allowed big newspaper groups like Newscorp to buy television stations in the UK. The then Tory Lords culture spokesperson was Baroness Buscombe, who opined during the debates that there was “no reason to fear” the Bill, because “commercial companies cannot afford to ignore consumer demand”. Well clearly, Andy Coulson has never been one to fly in the face of consumer demand for stories, true or otherwise.
But before Labour readers in turn become tumescent, I should remind them that the Culture Secretary at the time was Tessa Jowell, the estranged wife of a man very friendly with that other media giant and teeny-despoiler, Silvio Berlusconi. Jowell denied what she called ‘conspiracy theories’ that the bill was designed to clear the way for Rupert Murdoch: “the Daily Mail or Daily Mirror would also be able to bid for stations,” she said with not very much prescience.
Is there a point to this piece? Actually, I think there are two: first, Murdoch’s malign influence – like The Slog – shows no political bias; and second, when it comes to protecting its citizens from business abuse in all its forms, the Westminster elite are a complete waste of space. In fact – much as it pains me to observe it about the Mother of Parliaments – they are complicit in that abuse.
