2103 Chicago Code ends, Torchwood mystery and Soprano's second season draws to a close

Before writing to Labour Leader Ed Miliband it is time to catch up on my other activities and interests over the past week.

It annoys me that I cannot remember what Torchwood was all about and the new series refuses to explain or indicate if what happened in previous series has anything to do with the situation in the present. So I have resorted to consulting Wikipedia. As with Dr Who which spawned this series it was a Welsh based production originating for two series in the mid part of the past decade. It then reappeared with the help of American money for a five episode over one week series in 2009 which centred on a government decision to agree to sacrificing some children to satisfy the needs of an alien race as a compromise to being troubled on a greater scale. I have some memory of this although may have confused with Dr Who.

Only two main characters survive from the previous series. Captain Jack Harkness who was an immortal living on earth for the past couple of hundred years with supernatural powers and who is also gay and appeared in a Dr Who series. There is also Gwen a Welsh superwoman who has settled in secret with a husband and child on a remote Welsh coast Idyll.

As explained with the first episode she and Jack are brought out of retirement so to speak when suddenly on miracle day everyone stops dying although this does not stop people have dreadful accidents, being murdered and having painful existences, it is just that they cannot die and remain self conscious self aware. No one better personifies this predicament that a man due to executed because of having sex with a young girl he then cruelly murdered. He becomes something of a celebrity and is taken up by a vivacious pubic relations woman for a pharmaceutical company who in this third episode is found to have been stockpiling pain killers for years and years and which is now leading a campaign that drug medication should be available over the counter without prescription.

The first twist in the series is that because humans have become immortal, Captain Jack has become human and is aging and susceptible to human experiences and ailments.

The second is that because of American money from a Murdoch USA TV company the action has moved from the UK to the USA with the Torchwood pair being taken to the USA under extraordinary rendition by the CIA only to find that an attempt is made on the life of Jack before they arrive and then the CIA man sent to bring them over and his USA assistant are also attacked. The four together with the separated/divorced wife of the CIA man who is a doctor taking special interest in what is going on set out to discover the cause of what is happening and save the world.

It is still not clear who is behind this world wide development, surely some alien force in league with the drug company? Or why the Torchwood pair and the CIA pair are regarded as such a threat to whatever is going on. I cannot say that I care much but will stay with the series to see what happens as other series being watch come to an end.

The first of these is the Chicago Code where the decision has been taken not to renew after the first season and which explains why the two big issues are sorted in the double episode finale.

I begin with the death of the brother of Jason Wysocki, the Polish American detective who is given carte blanche as to which cases he takes on under the overall command of the first female police Superintendent Teresa Colvin. As with the other series set in New York, Blue Bloods, the death of the brother is assumed to be something to do with his secret work to uncover corrupt links with the criminal underworld which appears to govern most American cities. In this instance the brother was working undercover in one of the two gangs which are said to have dominated the criminal underworld in Chicago, not the Italians for a change, but the Irish and the Russians. What Jarek learns in these two episodes he does not want to know and his father does his best to steer him from finding out the truth. What he finds is that the brother was on the take from both gangs leaving a large cache of notes with his mistress as his wife would be covered by a pension. Jarek’s niece who has become a Rookie cop has had to cope with finding out that her father had a mistress and now she has to cope that he was corrupt and killed as part of a feud between the two gangs.

Jarek learns this as the net closes around the main subject of the series the complex Alderman Ronin Gibbons the most powerful man with twenty years of wheeling and dealing including complicity with the crime gangs and their murders. He uses the power and money gained from the position to help the poor and the deprived groups in the community which for a time affected the current undercover cop Liam Hennessey who joins the Irish mob in the hope it would lead to the outing of the Alderman. He makes progress and has witnessed the death of a fixed Juryman by the head of the Irish mob. The mobster has a daughter who takes to the undercover man and who reveals that she controls the official books. This leads to a deal being brokered with the Irish mobster to protect the daughter if he gives up the Alderman. The Alderman one step ahead arranged for the mobster to be killed and in turn his daughter attempts to kill the undercover man who survives and is able to come out of the cold and impress his parents who thought he had become a low life thug.
Having accomplished the elimination of everyone who could bring him down, the Alderman turns his attention to getting the City Council to end the contract of the Police Chief. However he has inadvertently provided the means of his own downfall by telling Jarek that he could reveal who had killed his brother. This leads to the mistress showing Jarek the remaining cash which the brother accumulated and this in turn leads to where he kept records and proof which enables the Alderman to be arrested and prosecuted. Jarek and his niece come to terms with the behaviour of the brother/father. The police Chief is able to relax and contemplate having a life outside of her work commitment. What is not known if this was the planned first series ending or a rushed ending because the series was to end for good?

Having dealt a blow to the Irish Mob, the Russians were conspicuous by their absence in the Chicago Code, but the fate of the Italian Mafia continues to engage season two of the Sopranos. Tony has a continuing problem with Ritchie Aprile, the long lost boyfriend of his Tony’s sister Janice and when Uncle Junior reveals that Ritchie has decided to go for Tony, Tony is faced with a dilemma as Janice is excited by preparations for her wedding. Fortunately it is resolved by Janice herself who in a fit of rage after Ritchie hits her; she shoots him to death in the chest. She calls on Tony to help and he arranges for the body to be dismembered using meat cutting equipment from the pie shop! This is undertaken by Christopher and Furio. He gives a one way bus ticket to Janice having had another bout of recrimination and counter recrimination with their mother.

Tony has decided to end his relationship with his Russian mistress, first trying to persuade that she needs to find someone she can marry and start a family. She becomes desperate and contact Tony at home and then attempts to take her own life. Carmela is not amused even though Tony says the relationship has ended and pays off the girl so she can start a new life with her mother. At the end of the episode Carmela announces that she is taking a trip to Rome with the widow of Jackie Aprile and where they hope to see the Pope, She tells Tony he is chauffer A J while she is away and find their daughter a suitable tennis camp advising Tony that she might commit suicide if he objects.

Carmela who nearly had an affair with Vic Musto he friend relative of the couple who run the restaurant and he apologies for not coming round for lunch as planned, She thanks him for being honourable but hints her situation could change in the future. He admits to a contact his lucky escape after finding out that Carmela is married to Tony the Mafia boss.

2102 Dear Mr Murdoch what next?

Dear Mr Murdoch,

I do not address you as Rupert because in fairness you have achieved more than Dave, Boris and Ed altogether creating mass employment as well as personal and family wealth and a multiplicity of media innovations across the world

We have also never met and unlike most of those who have supped at your table- the politicians, police, other media moguls and international business tycoons, even heads of state I want nothing from you. My interest in you, your family and your businesses comes from fascination and curiosity about how you have become the precipitating catalyst of events which could transform British political and public life in a way that is not transitory.

I say could and I wonder if you are as uncertain as me about what the outcome will be of the News World Scandal, and the reaction of the British Establishment, in part organised and calculated and in part a response forced by public pressure on the politicians of all three main political parties following the lead taken by Ed Miliband and the Labour Party. Will you be forced to resign your controlling position as Chairman/Chief Executive of News Corporation? Will your son resign as Chairman of News International and of BskyB where you and the family are reported to own 39% of the shares?

I hope you are not as surprised by what has happened and is happening to you and your family as some media commentators suggest. All the evidence is that you have always understood that the higher the stakes the greater the risk and consequentially that it is always necessary to have plans B and C as well as devoting some time and resources to reduce the risks and to preparing to accept that like life itself, wealth and power can come to an end at any time and when you least expect.
I have other things to do but I devote time to the News of the World scandal and to you because I want recent events to result in a significant change to the British political and social order, especially if the British Labour Party under Ed Miliband understands that the need to also break with the influence of the international corporations generally, the arms manufacturing and pharmaceuticals in particular, if Ministers are to have real power to rebalance British Society between the have and have not’s.

I hope you have read my letter to Dave and the expectation that he will resign from office if Andy C in particular, but also Rebekah are convicted of a media related offence or are found culpable by the Public Inquiry although the latter is unlikely to occur until after the next General Election. I am also writing to Ed on the steps he needs to take to create distance between himself and the old order to pave the way for power, possible through an alliance with the Liberal Democrats although I suspect this will be with Vince Cable rather than Dave mark II who is likely to also become be one of the casualties the debacle.

You are reputed to be one of the top 100 or so richest individuals in the world and in the top forty in the USA and you played a significant part in the winning and losing of elections in the UK, in Australia and in the USA. Yet you now face being stripped of your controlling interests in UK media and it will be surprising if current politicians and public personalities will wish to be seen with you in private as well as in public. No more back door visits to number 10 for a cup of tea I fear. Fortunately you appear to have the financial means to enjoy the rest of your life and continue to provide for your relatives whatever happens. I suspect this will now have to be your legacy rather than handing on one of the great media empires the world has ever seen. Whatever happens they could individually rather than collectively achieve in their own right something approaching your success.
I suspect we have similar personalities so I have read what I can about your life to see if this is so. I have come to some surprising conclusions.

You were born in Australia eight years before me. Because of our different circumstances you may not have been as marked by the Second World War as myself, the constant awareness of the potential of death and injury as bombs fell around and the fear of the adults. Do you reflect on your life and increasing proximity with the loss of self awareness I wonder?

We both appear to have had, you have still, strong mothers with steadfastness and values which counterbalanced the adventuring risk taking of our fathers. Your mother at 19 married a man twice her age and has reached the remarkable age of 102. In your sixties you married your third wife then aged 30. My father, although I never knew him was also in his sixties when he seduced my mother then in her thirties but she remained steadfast in her faith and standards throughout the rest of her life while he also went on from being a parish priest to being the Vicar General of Gibraltar and awarded the Order of the British Empire. I noted with interest that you have received an important Catholic order from the Pope.

You father died when you were only 21 years of age and you returned home to take responsibility for the future welfare of your mother and your three sisters, as well as responsibility for the employees of your father’s media business. I also found myself having supervisory responsibility for others at the aged of 17 years and having an adult sense of duty and responsibility long before I should. I therefore did not have an adolescence and young adulthood as I was able to witness other contemporaries experience.

You also experienced Oxford University for a period of two years, returning home without graduating. We were both members of the Labour Club and according to a contemporary of yours, Gerald Kaufman; you were also then an individualist forming your own view of everything, including the value and significance of the rules of others. In my day it was Robert Maxwell, also with a large family who promoted his sons into the business, who had his headquarters at Headington Hall which I passed regularly on my way from the Ruskin Rookery into the college in Walton Street a few yards away from Worcester where you were an undergraduate reading PPE (Philosophy Politics and Economics) whereas I started with Politics and Economics switching to Public and Social Administration, and to social work. The consequence of this is that while several good friends spent the summer helping Maxwell to then win his Parliamentary seat before returning to take the PPE in two years, I prepared for Birmingham University and the Child Care Course, although we reassembled together for a glorious late summer week for the results of the examinations to be published before I went off on a tour of Sweden.

The other aspect of your early life which interests is that despite the responsibility for the future welfare of your family, making your father’s business a success, marriage and a family of your own, you were not content as most might have been expected and you rapidly expanded buying suburban and provincial papers, creating the first Australian Daily, moving into New Zealand and significantly creating the tabloid with a mixture of scandals, sport and simple party political opinions and comments on issues of the day. You became actively involved in national political life. You also divorced and quickly remained.

In my instance I was also not content with just being successful at what I had trained for, with marriage, a family and purchasing a home. I gained rapid promotions, moving areas to do so, wrote articles which were published, created, edited and produced the first 100 editions of a commentary on Parliamentary Affairs, and held national office in my field of interest. I also needed to get involved in politics and played a major part in securing a single form of reorganisation of local authority social services provision for England and Wales.

It was in 1968 and 1969 that you acquired the News of the World and then the Sun which was turned into a tabloid and in 1973 you moved into the United States and the world wide media interest commenced. Although you acquired the financially ailing Times and Sunday Times to become a dominant force in the Newspaper industry in the UK in the early 1980’s and commenced to having an influence in British Political Life with support for Margaret Thatcher it was the desire to move into US Television which is said to have led you to become a US citizen for as in Britain there was a restriction on ownership by predominantly overseas interests.

The extraordinary aspect of your political interest was the ability to switch between political parties for in Australian your media interests gave full support to the left of centre Gough Whitlam who proposed the national ownership of oil, gas and other mineral resources, introduced free health and education to university level and recognised the People’s Republic of China. In the UK you created enemies in the trade unions and the left when introducing the latest electronic methods of newspaper production moving from Fleet Street to Wapping and sacking all 6000 striking employees in 1986 reaching a £60 million settlement with them a year later, an average of £10000 per head. This occurred after the Government had broken the National Strike of Mine Workers with the creation of an alternative union to that run by the extreme Arthur Scargill.

At the same time as pioneering modern newspaper production in the UK you commenced the interest television acquiring 20th Century Fox movie studio in 1985 and then six television stations which helped to create Fox Broadcasting whose early success was the X files and the Simpsons. It was the decision to develop Satellite broadcasting in the UK, a cheaper approach than the cabling which ultimately led to the present situation but which also transformed British sport and other aspects of British life. There was one factor which enabled you to succeed in becoming the dominant force in pay to view broadcasting, the financial strength and borrowing capacity of the rest of the company which enabled it to take the losses over the early years. This in turn enabled the merger in 1990 which saw the creation of BskyB as Sky effectively took over British Satellite Broadcasting. Since then despite the emergence of Virgin Cable, BskyB has gone from strength to strength particularly since your son became Chief Executive and then Chairman with 10 million subscribers, having developed a series of innovations with High Definition, 3D, Sky Anytime, Internet linking anywhere and complete packages including the Internet, Telephone lines and services.

The development the Satellite and cable TV led to 24 hour News channels with originally three BBC, ITN and Sky in the UK now two with the departure of ITN as a 24 hour broadcaster, but also the ability to also see USA News CNN and Fox and stations set up to promote other countries such as China, Russia, the Arab and Muslim World with an English Language Al Jazeera. Given the latest profit margin announced today it is understandable that you wanted to increase your controlling 39% to 100% and thus ensure the financial stability of the rest of your empire, in a situation where the consequence of 24 hour news broadcasting and the Internet means the increasing difficulty of printed news media to survive and which for example has led in London to the Evening Standard being issued free because the mass circulation means the greater income from advertising revenue.
Whereas British Broadcasting News via the BBC, ITN Channel 4 and Channel 5 is strongly controlled with an insistence on balanced news programmes with controls on Political Party broadcasting and ensuring that opposing views are given a means of expression, Fox News has developed into a partisan station with other questionable features such as emphasise on white Christian conservatism and where female presenters are all smart but young compared to the males who can be old and fat. It is your obsession of giving the public want it wants regardless of the ethical and social implications where you and I have held separate views which has and also prevents me from ever calling you Rupert

I also understand your approach to business although it was only through attending in 1984 an International Senior Management course for those wishing to go into General Management that I came to understand the core approach of Corporations, particularly in relation to national Governments and their politicians, to the role of creatives in wealth creation, as part of Management Teams as a chairman leaders and chief executives.

One rule is to become International preferably through controlled decentralised productions and distribution centres which can be eliminated or sold off if they affect the body whole, or can be switched to other more business sympathetic locations, or through synergetic alliances where you remain the dominant partner. It is this ruthless willingness to slice off a business segment such as the instant closure of the News of the World or take on staff and their unions such as sacking all 6000 employees resisting the production modernization with the move from Fleet Street to Wapping which is the major difference between us. The end never justifies the means.

Another issue of concern is that to protect income you organised yourself through the Bahamas, the Caymen Islands, the Channel and Virgin islands your News Corporation profits are only reduced by 7% taxation! This adds to a sense that social responsibility and good citizenship has become have become fully subservient to profit and power.

It was almost immediately during my four week stay at Henley that I encountered the extent of the contempt for politicians as there was for trade unions and government directly provided services in general by those wholly engaged in business. In fairness we were united in contempt for the market speculators and manipulators. I accepted that as the politicians dictated the way business could be conducted, you needed to keep ahead of intelligence which could indicate political instability and anti independent business moves. If problems developed you had to have the resources and the links to move production centres to more favourable conditions.

It is therefore understandable that you continued the tradition of news moguls world wide to make friends with all the major politicians who could affect business interests but with a significant twist which was to prove the downfall here in the UK because of the extent to which the personality scandal came to dominate the media although in fairness this was more a case of your people over enthusiastically giving the public what it already wanted.

The British, across all classes, less so the educated, who while condemning the behaviour, have always vicariously enjoyed knowing the gory and the salacious details specially the working, political and upper classes, have always enjoyed knowing the sexual antics of those with power, wealth and public status.

During the lifetime of my parents from the 1870’s and 1890’s respectively, there was the musical hall before the development of cinema and the Hollywood star. It became sex and drugs from the sixties with rock and pop stars, although it also existed in the world of jazz and I remember well a Sunday special after an all night session at the Piccadilly Cy Laurie Club in the 1950‘s.

It was Sky’s money into sport, especially football which catapulted interest into the lives of sports stars and their relationships although was nothing new or particular to the Sun and News of the World with the alcohol playboy problems of George Best and the infidelities of several British team managers across all the tabloids.

The British media has also taken what many of us consider to be an unhealthy interest in criminals and their victims and it is here there developed an alliance between the secret and special services, the police, the media and the private independent investigation and security services as well as the use of undercover arms length agents and informants and where the development of digital media and communications, especially national databases has enabled an exponential expansion in unauthorised, undeclared and illegal intelligence gathering by government agencies, international and national corporations, and anyone with the financial resources required. I also only fully understood the way things were as well as the implications of information and communications technology at Henley in 1984 although as a local authority chief officer was possible to learn a lot.

I do not propose to say much more about this other than to point out the spate of illegal copying of major government databases in the UK, the ability of governments to shut down all digital media and communications systems, their own and those of others, the ability of independent groups to hack into anything and everything and the revealing statement yesterday on behalf of Mulcaire that he acted only to order and instruction. It also has to be remembered that when anyone is murdered the most likely culprit is a family member, a work or social colleague, rival or friend. The intentional murdering of a stranger, someone at random is rare.

I have also separately written about the value, risk and use of creatives within organisations, management teams and as Chairmen/Chief Executives and the risks, planning and operational implications. I have spoken of the macro level remembered important Henley session with the European research director of 3m‘s, a company which like yours now has become a billion wealth and income international conglomerate with world wide production and distribution centres as well as markets in the majority of nations. He spoke of the way the small unit of research creatives produced the majority of the $50 million plus free standing enterprises compared to the number of other product research and development employees world wide, but also of the risks as such individuals tended to be egocentric with little regard for conventional rules and behaviour and how there was need to be able eliminate from the organisation individuals who went over the line and were caught. It was also important to be able to cover up all records of having had direct involvement with such an individual and situation.

I have also written about the need to provide a sympathetic environment for the needs of individual creatives if they are to flourish, especially those in senior management but also the essential need for good intelligence about what they are up to. While the creative Chief Executive could turn round an ailing organisation or rapidly progress a static business it was also important to provide a classical chairman and we were repeatedly warned of the potential risks to the whole enterprise in a situation where a creative combined the roles chairman and chief executive.

I disagree with Lord Leveson in that the issue for me is not who Guards the Guardian but how they are guarded!

If one looks as your rise to business and political power it is easy for others especially outsiders to take a one dimensional view failing to appreciate the risks taken, and the work required and the ruthless competitive nature of all entrepreneurial ventures.

It is however one the great myths to believe that there is any less degree of ruthless competitiveness in public sector services although I accept that until recent decades individuals were able to hold on to positions regardless of their ongoing performance and were often appointed and promoted because of contacts and influence rather than ability and skill. You do not survive in business without skill and ability as well as contacts and influence whereas you were able to do in government service as long as you did not cross the line. In business you are unlikely to transform from small to big without pushing the margins and sometimes crossing lines.

My impression is that in the UK the extent of the relationships between yourself, your son and your senior executives with national politicians to protect business interests and further your general political interests became confused and blurred with the mutual interest of your papers and the judicial services to catch, prosecute and punish criminals, which led to close involvements with the police and the judicial system, and this included the fitness of individual to hold public office, with the behaviour of “personalities” which however questionable remained within the law, and then with anyone whose experience, including their grief, provided a human interest story. And which led to establishing networks with the emergency services in general and the opening of contact lines for anyone to offer a good story for reward.

The consequence has been the development of alcohol available social gathering, for everyone, your people, politicians and police to gain useful information about each other and that it was assumed that mutual self interest would prevent the network from collapsing. The led to your senior executive believing there were legal situations where public servant informants, including the police could be paid money or given goods in kind which includes hospitality at sporting and other media controlled entertainment events.

It is also significant that while senior individuals in the media and in metropolitan police have resigned and arrests have commenced at all levels, far from any politicians losing jobs the position of the majority has enhanced. However as I explained to Dave, he and possible George have been damaged by taking on and sticking with Andy C and may still be forced to pay a high price. Vince C looked as if he would pay for disclosing the existence of the Exocet has now found his reputation enhanced where Nick Clegg, despite letting his reservations be known and making speeches saying how awful things have become and need to change is missing out because of his stated closeness to Dave. I am writing to Ed about his problem of the record of Tony and Gordon.

As I said I can only speculate on the outcome for you, your son and your controlling interest in the UK media business. It is evident from the past week that despite the horror occurring in Norway, the scale of human suffering in the horn of Africa, the continuing significant problems in Afghanistan and Libya and Republicans and Democrats in the USA playing chicken risking the downfall of capitalism that there remains sufficient interest and concern for the Scandal to be successfully fuelled in terms of media attention throughout the summer. I believe the main interests hoped the situation would die down until Parliament reassembled. Then some selective prosecutions would have controlled the nature of media and Parliamentary interest so that given the first task of the juridical inquiry, the second part would not be completed until after the next General Election in much the same way as the Bloody Sunday inquiry took decades and the Iraq Inquiry is still to publish

As with Parliamentary expenses my impression is that despite the prosecutions and imprisonments, the retiring of others and the introduction of new measures, the British political and social system has remained fundamentally the same as ever. It is also evident that for good and for bad reason the stated high hopes of the Coalition to change the political and power system in the UK is failing, inevitable in my view because of diminished resources, pressure on the capitalists to retain and expand their wealth and on the majority to receive less in net income and public service provision.

This is why what Ed does next is the key to lasting change for the better becoming possible.



Research Notes from Wikipedia
News International which is chaired by James Murdoch and where Rebekah Brooks was until recently Chief Executive comprises:

Times Newspaper Ltd (Sunday Times and Times Daily) current offer available for £6 a week including the on line edition.

News Group Newspaper Ltd which included the News of the World until its closure and the Sun.

NI Free Newspapers Ltd which published the London Paper until the creation of the free Evening Standard forced its closure.

Also New International Advertisements Ltd; Associated Services Ltd; Distribution Ltd; News Printers Knowsley Ltd; News Printers Scotland Ltd; Pension Trustee Ltd; Supply Company Ltd; Television Investment Company, Television Ltd, NI Syndication Ltd.

In 1952 News Ltd was created from the inherited assets of Sir Keith Murdoch and in 1979 News Corp was created as the holding company. Between 1973 and 1986 News Ltd and then News Corp made newspaper, magazine and media acquisitions in the United States. In 1993 a controlling interest was obtained in the Hong Kong bases Star TV satellite net work and in 1995 a deal created an Australian pay TV network. In 1996 the Fox News channel was created in competition with CNN. In 1999 music holdings in Australia were expanded. It increased TV involvement with 34% stake in thee largest Australian Satellite network. In 2007 took control of Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal. Of potential great interest is the establishing in 2009 of News Core a global wire service.

Although the Murdoch family only owned 29% of News Corp shares in 2005 these comprises the voting shares. A Saudi Prince is the second biggest share holder with 7%. In 2010 the company made 2 1$ million donations to or in support of the Republican Party.

The Board has 17 Members with Rupert Chairman and Chief Executive and James Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Europe and Asia and Laclan and Elisabeth Murdoch also members. The Chairman of Rothchild Capital Management is also a member. The Company has interests in 25 Australian newspapers, and in Fiji and Papua New Guinea BS and some 60 newspapers in the USA in addition to the in the UK. It has interests in some 30 Magazines almost all in Australia. Music and Radio Interests in the USA and Russia. It has major sport interests in Australia and the USA but failed to Take Over Manchester United. It has major Film and TV production studies on the USA, Australian, New Zealand, France and India and in the UK. It terms of Broadcasting companies these are also wide ranging with Fox USA and Australia, Saeta in Uruguay and 7½ % of ITV, in Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Georgia, Israel, Latvia, Indonesia, Italy and New Zealand with Satellite interests in the UK, New Zealand, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, India, Australia, Hong Kong includes parts of China and also separately a company with 300 million viewers in Asia. It is a major provider of Cable in the USA and in the Middle East including the major nations mainly in sports channels and also a wide range of channels through cable in the USA plus in 17 countries in Latin America and Australia. It has interests in TV Platforms in India and Taiwan and in the Internet. It has an involvement in a vast array of 50 other assets world wide.

Of interest in relation to the BSkyB company is their increasing involvement with Virgin Media and the recent decision not to refer the acquisition of Virgin Media TV channels to the Competition Commission.

2101 The News of the World Scandal and the police

Dear Boris

I appreciate that you have only been Mayor of London since 2008 and therefore the greater responsibility for the way the Metropolitan police was organised and managed rests with Ken Livingston and the previous Police Commissioner. I noted Ken appears to want the present deputy Commissioner to hold the reigns until after the Judicial inquiry rather than bring in someone from outside who will undertake the root and branch change that is evidently required.

It is unfortunate that you made such a gaff in 2009 in ridiculing the Guardian investigation as left wing propaganda otherwise you would be in a good position to lambaste Ken for the appointment of Andy Hayman in charge of counter terrorism and the decision of the then Chief Constable to effectively put Andy in charge of the inquiry into the illegal invasion of the privacy of the Royal Household, tantamount to treason, and then not to question the ludicrous judgement of his deputy to effectively bury for over half a decade the widespread criminality of some of his colleagues and of journalists and their managers at News International.

I hope you are pleased that the conduct of Police Commissioner Stephenson, Assistant Commissioners Hayman and Yates and deputy Assistant Commissioner Clarke has now been referred by the Standards Committee of the London Police Authority to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, who I hope will do a better job that the Press Complaints Commission under the discredited Lady Buscombe who is another who has not the decency to resign.

I hope you are spending the early summer studying the 300 page report and pubic testimony evidence of the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee on “Unauthorised tapping into or hacking of mobile communications“, and then deciding on how you should lead the next Commissioner and the Metropolitan Police Authority to create a service which can be trusted.

What I shall attempt to do is to sort out the key findings and issues which you and your colleagues on the Police Committee will need to address. I do not underestimate the challenge as you are accountable for one of the largest police forces in the world and at the end of February 2010, the force employed 52,111 personnel. This included 33,258 sworn police officers, 4,226 Special Constables, 14,332 civilian police staff, and 4,520 non-sworn Police Community Support Officers.

The report, the thirteenth Report of Session 2010-12, was printed and published on the Internet in full on 20th July 2011, having been ordered by the House of Commons on the previous day. The Home Affairs Committee is chaired by Keith Vaz Labour and has five Conservative Members, one Liberal Democrat and four other Labour Members ( including someone with whom I used to be in communication over forty years ago David Winnick who like me holds a diploma in public administration and who for a time was the Member of Parliament for Croydon where I was born.)

The Report provides an excellent chronological background noting that in January 2003 Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson gave evidence to the Culture and Media Committee in which the admission of paying the police for information was made with Coulson intervening to add that payments would have been made within the law, although any form of payment is illegal. (My comment: It is alarming that these admissions were not pursued at the time indicating the power which Rupert Murdoch had come to exercise politically in the UK.)

In November 2005 the News of the World published the story about Prince William having a knee injury and led to a complaint about voicemails being intercepted. The matter was investigated by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke (Anti Terrorism) with his immediate superior Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman, supervising.

In 2006 the information Commissioner published the first of two Reports, What Price Privacy, followed by What Price Privacy Now based on an investigation conducted with the Metropolitan police on the widespread and organised undercover market in personal information and in one investigation Operation Motorman in which 305 journalists from a range of newspapers had used a number of private investigators to acquire information some of which could only have been acquired illegally. No police investigation appears to have taken place regarding the allegations of illegal activities, although it is understood that the information has been made available to Operation Weeting, originally established to reinvestigate the Mulcaire papers.

In August 2006 Mr Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator, hired by News of the World, together with Clive Goodman the Royal Correspondent of the News of the World were arrested followed by their conviction and imprisonment in January 2007 for conspiring to intercept in relation to the Royal Household. (My comment: All the other offences were effectively covered up by the Metropolitan Police).

In March 2007 Les Hinton, lifelong friend and employee of Rupert Murdoch tells Culture, Media and Sport committee that an internal investigation found no evidence of widespread hacking at News of the World. (My comment: He clearly lied or those upon whom he relied for the investigation lied to him. Their actions perverted the course of justice and they should be prosecuted and imprisoned).

May 2007 The Press Complaints Commission chaired by Lady Buscombe publishes a report saying it found no evidence of wrong doing at the News of the World.(my comment she now says she was lied to but the evidence is she was proactive in defence of News International and she should resign)

Harbottle and Lewis appointed by News International in relation to internal communications between Mr Coulson and executives state no evidence they were aware of Goodman’s actions. (My comment is that this firm need to explain themselves and be assessed for apparent complicity)

In 2009 the media became aware, and through the media Parliament and the Public became aware, that Gordon Taylor of the Professional Footballer’s Association had succeeded in gaining a huge financial settlement from the News International, agreeing to a confidentiality clause and to the judge sealing the documents.

The Guardian Newspaper, through its reporter Nick Davies published an article on July 9th which argued that the convicted private investigator, Mulcaire had been involved in the provision of information to News International on a large scale.

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police asked John Yates, Assistant Commissioner to look into the case and he took one day to conclude that the article raised nothing meriting further work.

The Crown Prosecution Service announced an urgent review of material provided the police in 2006.

Colin Myler and Any Coulson give evidence to Culture and Media Committee.

In November 2009 the Press Complaint’s Commission publishes a second report saying there was no evidence that anyone others that Goodman and Mulcaire was involved in phone hacking. (This is extraordinary)

In February 2010 Culture Media and Sport Committee publish their report stating it was inconceivable senior management were unaware of widespread hacking.

In September 2010 The New York Times publishes article claiming Andy Coulson was aware that his staff were illegally hacking voicemail. The article questioned the validity of the original investigation by the Metropolitan Police and called for a new Inquiry.

Also in September 2010 the Home Affaires Committee of the House of Commons decides to consider the legal and other aspects of phone hacking and voice mail intercept

In December 2010 after interviewing former News of the World reporter, the recently deceased Sean Hoare the Metropolitan Police passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service but decided there was no admissible evidence to bring charges.

The House of Commons Home Affaires Committee broadens its investigation to include the 2005 -2006 police investigation, the relationship between police and the media and the role of the telephone companies.

On January 5th 2011 the News of the World suspended its assistant Editor News following allegations he was implicated in the hacking of the phone of Sienna Miller after lawyers acting for her found notes among documents released by the police which indicated that Mr Mulcaire may have hacked into her phone on instructions from Mr Edmondson.

The Metropolitan Police then commenced a new Inquiry under Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers codename Operation Weeting and requested cooperation from the News of the World.

On April 5th Mr Edmonson and Mr Neville Thirwell, News of the World Chief Reporter were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and unlawful Interception of voicemail. There were released without charge on police bail until September 2011.

In June 2011 300 emails were passed by News International to the Metropolitan Police after they had been retrieved from solicitors Harbottle and Lewis where they had been kept for four years
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In July 2011 the Metropolitan Police announce the setting up of Operation Elvden to look at payments made to the police by News International as a sub investigation to Operation Weeting (my comment one witness has claimed on TV that he had a budget of £3.1 million to corrupt the police and obtain information illegally as well as by legitimate means).

The change in public and political opinion occurred with the allegation that Mulcaire had hacked into the voice mail of the Murdered 13 year old Millie Dowler before her body was located followed by other revelations, some following notification by the Metropolitan Police that their names and personal details had been found among the Mulcaire papers. This in turn led to the Prime Minister announcing two public inquiries under one Judge and the same team of team of panel members, the second to commence to interview witnesses after all prosecutions had concluded.

The present Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner John Yates resign. They and former Assistant Commissioner Hayman and Assistant Commissioner Clarke have their conduct referred to the Police Complaints Commission. Operation Weeting announce a number of new arrests including of Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson. There are also resignations from News Corps including Less Hinton.
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The Report then covers the legal aspects of the hacking activity because during his September 2010 testimony to the Committee Mr Yates said the police had difficulty in knowing if the 91 to 120 people whose pin numbers had been found in the Mulcaire papers involved the commission of a crime. He said there was only evidence involving 10 to 12 people. His views were based on the advice of the former Director of Public Prosecutions. The Reports notes the dispute which arose between Mr Yates Chris Bryant MP and the present Director of Public Prosecutions over aspects of the legal issue. The Report underlines its frustration at the confusion caused by the advice given to both Commons Committees by the Crown Prosecution Services and highlights that only on their last day of testimony was it revealed that there had been a significant conversation between the DPP and Mr Yates and the then view of the DPP that there was insufficient basis for reopening the investigation. The Report makes the point that this “does not in anyway exonerate the police from their actions during the inquiry.” In respect to the legal aspects the Committee considered the role of Information Commissioner and noted the lack of his regulatory authority. They make several recommendations and express concern that several witnesses had not been made aware of the Commissioner’s 2006 report.

The Home Affairs Committee makes the point that it is inappropriate from them to comment on the ongoing police investigation but then covers the previous police investigations. Mr Clarke who Mr Hayman effectively delegated policy and operational aspects, stated that he had restricted the inquiry to the Royal Household allegations and to whether anyone other than Goodman and Mulcaire had been involved in the one case.

Mr Clarke gave the following explanation for not investigating other individuals “the much wider range of people who we were learning were becoming victims of this activity would continue to be victimised while the investigation took its course. This would probably go on for many months and to my mind this would be unacceptable.” The other reason is that he believed that the investigation would be compromised and evidence lost.” (My comment: The former is incredible and the latter may become painfully true if the DPP advises that the court’s will not entertain prosecutions because of the time lapse and the publicity)

In relation to News International Mr Clarke was adamant that while he was convinced that News International were covering up, saying they were cooperating without doing so, the police was prevented from taking further action because in the absence of evidence of a cover up they were advised any attempt to require disclosure of documents would be treated as fishing expedition.

This provides the Committee with the opportunity to concur with the view of Mr Clarke that News International corporately deliberately tried to thwart the criminal investigation. The committee are astounded at the length of time it has taken for News International to cooperate with the police, but they are also critical of the police for not undertaking a more robust investigation given the basic assumption that most criminal will not cooperate with any police investigation. (My comment: The incredulity of the committee at the police evidence in this respect was palpable)
The report underlines that the police should have identified the other perpetrators of crime and their victims available in the Mulcaire papers. (I add that this surely would have then led the police of have the justification to demand full disclosure of documents]. I then discover that this obvious point was covered by the Committee. Mr Clarke took the view the inquiry could not have been passed to anyone else and stated that he had raised the situation with Mr Hayman and his other anti Terrorist colleagues.

The report examines the police defence argument that their priority as the anti Terrorist branch was anti terrorism. (I would make the obvious point that if they had undertaken more than the restricted investigation they would have understood the true nature of the information available and the extent of the criminality and passed the investigation to the ordinary criminal investigation branch). The Committee concluded that it cannot overlook the fact that the decision taken not to properly investigate led to serious wrongdoing which the Commissioner himself now accepts was disreputable. The report notes “that is revealing about the management structure within the Metropolitan Police Service that this issue does not appear to have been escalated to the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner, or even the Assistant Commissioner as an issue which they ought to be aware and to which a solution needed to be found.”

The Committee is critical of Mr Haymen who according to his testimony delegated every aspect of the inquiry to Mr Clarke while admitting that he was managerially responsible and accountable and had oversight. They comment on his lack of understanding of the public outrage at the role of the police and express concern at his lackadaisical attitude towards contacts with those under investigation. “Even if all his social contacts with News International personnel were entirely above board, no information was exchanged and no obligations considered to have been incurred, it seems to us extraordinary that he did not realise what the public perception of such contact would be - or if he did realise, he did not care that confidence in the impartiality of the police could be seriously undermined.”

Asked about the extent of his social contact and free dinners with News International he claimed that the Director of Communications always accompanied him, a claim denied by the Director who said he could only recollect one instance about three months before the first police inquiry into the hacking. The Committee states it does not accuse Mr Hayman of lying in his evidence, “but it is difficult to escape the suspicion that he deliberately prevaricated in order to mislead us. This is very serious.”

They concluded that his conduct during the evidence session was unprofessional and inappropriate. They are concerned that such an individual was placed in charge of anti terrorist policing in the first place. They deplore the fact that he took a job with News International within two months of his resignation and less than two years after he was purportedly responsible for an investigation into employees of that company. “It has been suggested that police officers should not be able to take employment with a company that they have been investigating, at least for a period of time. We recommend that Lord Justice Leveson explore this in his inquiry.”

I have some sympathy for Mr Hayman who although appears his worst enemy may have created prejudice by his natural manner and way of speaking.

I have even more sympathy for former Assistant Commissioner Yates who admitted that in the event he wished he had approached the Commissioner’s request to consider if the Guardian article raised anything new in a different way. I imagine what happened as the Police Commissioner set off to a meeting of the Association of Chief Police Constables. Mr Hayman also had a different day planned and decided to try and respond to the media interest the article aroused within the day although he had not been set a time limit. He approached the request in a systematic manner taking account of eight principles which he explained to the committee. The problem with the Commissioners request and his approach is that in effect they knew the answer before making the inquiries there was nothing new as such because the information we was there all the time in bin bags at the Yard and in the files of the News of the World and the Solicitors employed by the News Corporation and this included the information in relation to Millie Dowler.

The problem Mr Yates now faces is the relationship he had with News International, and in particular his role in the employment of the former deputy News of the World Editor to Andy Coulson, a social friend of several years, to a £1000 a day advisory post to the Metropolitan Police and then his passing on the request from the former deputy editor for his daughter to be provided a job with the Metropolitan Police. I will now look at what the Home Affairs Committee concluded.

The first point noted is that My Yates decided that the volume of information should be listed on a database so that should new questions or evidence arise it would be possible to check with the database to establish if further work was necessary. Because the information was in bin bags he relied on communicating with those who had undertaken the original investigation rather than ask for new officers to take a sample look at what was in the bin bags.

The second crucial point is that although Mr Yates looked at the legal advice from the DPP this was the original advice which concentrated on the specific case and not the wider issues. The Crown Prosecution service conducted its own investigation separately from that of the Commissioner and they discussed with the police the Guardian reference to Neville, Chief Report Neville Thurlbeck which appeared to indicate that News of the World management had known of what was going on but decided that the article reference was not sufficient to interview the journalist manager. The DPP decided that the article had not raised the need to reopen the case against Mulcaire and Goodman or revisit the decisions taken in the course of the investigation and prosecution. In its conclusions the Committee while appreciating that the Commissioner had made the unprepared public statement prior to attending the ACPO conference he and Mr Yates gave the public the impression that something more substantial was being undertaken in 2009 than it was and that as Mr Yates admits with hindsight that his consideration was poor. The Committee agreed and said that his decision not to have delved more deeply into the information collated at the time of the original was a serious misjudgement.

Turning to the decision to use Mr Neil Wallis, the Committee are appalled about how the £1000 a day contract was given and they are shocked by the approach of the head of the Communications at the Met Mr Fedorcio, his failure to carry out basic diligence and to rely on the knowledge of Mr Yates and his friendship with Mr Wallis

The Home Affairs Committee then turned their attention to the ongoing police investigation which they explain as confirmed by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Akers arose because of the request by lawyers acting in civil action for information from News International. Three emails came to light which implicated another News International employee in the illegal acquisition of information and this was reported to the police.
DAC Akers reported that in the six months since her inquiry started there had been eight arrests and her team of 45 officers were still compiling lists of all the material collated in 2006 as the database established by Mr Yates had not worked properly. She said it had taken two months to establish a protocol with News International Lawyers who used journalistic privilege. After a meeting with the News International Executives relations had markedly improved.

Because of the public, political and media interest the decision had been taken to contact everyone individually who names or telephone number was contained in the data. There were some 3870 core individuals with 4000 5000 landlines and 4000 mobile numbers. Only 170 had been advised todate with another 70 or including 70 who were included in the 500 individuals who had contacted the unit to enquire if they were on the list. (I noted one report that it would take at least 5 years at the present rate for everyone on the list to be contact and their situation investigated as whether a criminal offence had been committed against them).

The Committee point out that from the viewpoint of those on the lists, the victims, the approach being taken was a good one but the inquiry needed to focus on those where there is likelihood of a provable offence being committed, mainly the 18 month period during which there is evidence that 400 unique voicemail numbers were by Mulcaire or from News of the World hub phones. Unfortunately only this phone data still exists and therefore the total number of people where a crime may be established is likely to be only a small proportion of those listed, unless Mr Mulcaire is able to be specific. The Committee expressed approval and support for the DAC heading the Specialist Crime Directorate which has been enlarged with officers borrowed from throughout the Met. They express alarm at the time it will take for everyone mentioned to be contact and urge the allocation of more resources (The Prime Minister announced another 15 officers had been allocated in his statement the following day),

The Committee then turn the allegations of payments in cash or kind to the police or promises of promotion and urge priority in establishing extent during the period December 2005 to January 2011.

The next concern is the social interaction between the police and executives of News International (I note the narrowness of their concern in this respect as there have been several references in the media that whether for payment or not, a significant number of officers, including civilian officers appear to advise the media whenever an incident involving a celebrity occurs or major crime occurs. A similar accusation has been levelled at the emergency services such as ambulance and fire brigade)

The latter part of the report concerns the role of mobile phone companies and their failure to advise customers when there is evidence of hacking into their phones and accounts.

The committee published as and Appendix the information contained in What Price Privacy now. This identified that

58 Journalists from the Daily Mail had 952 transactions with private investigations

Sunday Mirror 50 and 802
Daily Mirror 45 and 681
Mail on Sunday 33 and 261
News of the World 19 and 182
Sunday Mirror 25 and 143
Best Magazine 20 and 134
Evening Standard 1 and 130
The Observer 4 and 103

The Guardian 0 and 0

It should be noted that the News of World was only one of several papers who used private extensively and where the use would have been known and sanction by the newspaper management and business senior executives.

The Committee heard evidence from Chris Bryant on 29th March 2011 and John Yates followed by The Director of Public Prosecutions on April 5th and the Information Commissioner on 26th April. The phone companies were represented on 14th June and 12th July Mr Yates returned with Mr Clarke, Mr Hayman and Sue Akers. On July 19th the Police Commissioner appeared followed by the Director of Public Affairs, Mr Yates again, the present and former Directors of Public Prosecutions and Mark Lewis the Solicitor who acts for the family of Millie Dowler, the Hacked Off campaign and other victims.

One of the most important documents published by the Committee to date is the memorandum from Nick Davies especially his reference to the memo sent by Clive Goodman to chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck providing the transcripts of 35 phone messages on the phone of Gordon Taylor one of eight victims listed in the original indictment against Goodman and Mulcaire. The police presented no evidence at the trial of Goodman and Mulcaire in relation to the name other victims or requested that the evidence be left of file. It was in effect covered up and only emerged when those named took civil action and their legal teams were able to get hold of documentation. The Metropolitan refused to disclose how many victims were notified during the original inquiry through to the appointment of Sue Akers in January 2011. Another memorandum already published is that from Mark Lewis although his second is still to be published. These two documents indicate the incompetence of the Police and includes inferences that relationships were inappropriate and also their potential for the media attempting to blackmail them because of the information obtained on their private lives and inappropriate relationships.

2100 Nordic Horror, Amy Winehouse Dies, Joe McElderry plays South Shields, two films sport and TV catch up

The intention was to continue to write about the implications of the News of World scandal, police, media and corruption and the nature of the News Corporation media empire in the form of a series of open letters.

Then an event occurred which should destroy extreme right fanaticism in Western Europe and elsewhere, but I fear will not. A man of Nordic appearance aged 32 years much beloved by Hitler and his ilk said to have had the means to acquire a farm only a few years ago, amassed sufficient fertilizer (six metric tons) and knowledge to create a huge bomb which he detonated close to a government building on Friday where the Prime Minister was meeting with his Cabinet. Fortunately because of the time of year and day and the location in an area of offices and no shops or entertainment facilities the fatal casualties have been put at seven but the extent of destruction is considerable.

While the apparatus of the state to deal with such an eventuality was put into effect, including the possibility of a coordinated attack on the capital by international forces, the alleged perpetrator of the bomb explosion is thought to have made his way to a small idyllic island -Utoya in a large lake, a 50 minute bus ride from the capital and here the same maniac dressed in the uniform of a policeman called as many of the young people present to him and then commenced to systematically kill them. Hunting down those who tried to escape into the water or to hide on the small island. As at least five young people remain unaccounted the total killed is approximately 90 with other injured by bullet wounds and from falls. The estimated injured from both actions is said to match the number of the dead.

There have been no incidents of such a nature in Norway since World War II and the number of deaths is only second to those murdered by the bombing in Spain. The maniac surrendered as soon as the police arrived amazingly some two hours after the killing commenced raising a number of questions about their effectiveness and position although there is no evidence as yet of accomplices, instigators or sympathisers. It is known that a 1500 page statement of explanation said to have been written by the individual has already appeared on the Internet which suggests a well planned and organised attempt by the European fascists to create a martyr and a violence movement. There is also a short video.

I do not for a moment believe that these are the actions of one individual maniac although as is often the situation where the right wing organisations are involved those who fund and direct do not usually get involved in such a way until the taking of political and social power becomes possible. But I suspend judgement until the facts become established.

What I hope is that the name of the assassin will not become recognised or celebrated and the international media, official and social can exercise voluntary restraint. Similarly there will be restraint in relation to what he says in court and through his already published writings and the video.

The approach of the Norwegian Government and several of the young people directly involved in the massacre indicates the best response to such a challenge. This is to keep as far as practical the open nature of the society and its policies. Today Sunday I have shared in the grief at the national service in the capital’s cathedral although the visible suffering became unbearable.

For decades the island has been used as holiday camp for the wide Labour movement in Norway with holiday enjoyment foremost mixed with political discussion and training.
The annual summer camp was due to last from Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24th July and cost 1000 kroner (under £120) to include accommodation in tents and food under with just £17 for a day ticket. There is no alcohol consumption and persons between 13 years and 30 were eligible with the average age 16 years. The reason why they were targeted is that the camp was the opportunity for those who wanted to work as adults in the labour movement could come together, learn and make life long relationships. The present Labour Prime Minister first went to a summer camp as a young man and continued throughout his political life.

In a large geographical country of under 5 million people there are only 31 individuals per square mile compared to 661 in the UK. Norway is also one of the richest and self contained countries in the world with extensive resources of oil and gas, lumber, fresh water and sea foods and with a per capita income over twice that in the UK. It is also a place of relative peace and harmony. It has become world wide known for unspeakable horror.

Then on Saturday afternoon it was announced that the singer Amy Winehouse, aged 27 years, was found dead at her London home. While she has appeared set on a pathway to early self destruction and the death remain as yet officially unexplained, the anticipation is a finding of a drug or drug and drink overdose, the coincidence of the proximity of the two events may not have been a coincidence. Between 2004 and 2007 her personality changed, in part under the influence of husband she descended into a personal nightmare of drink, drugs and cigarette smoking, unable to cope with the adoration of her fans and the awareness of her own talent as a song writer and singer able to communicate the internal conflicts of the dark aspects of the human condition. I have her album Back to Back which one five music awards, Grammy’s in the United States: Rehab; You know I’m no good, Me and Mr Jones; Just friends; Back to Back; Love is a losing Game; Tears dry on their own; Wake Up Alone, Some unholy War; He can only hold her; and Addicted

The sun shines now and I am still debating to go down the hill later to the park go hear Joe McElderry in the free concert which I anticipate will draw several thousand folk if not more. I held off doing so to first watch the end of the German Grand Prix which was won by Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel 4th. Jensen Button had to withdraw because of a hydraulic failure. Lewis is now within five points of overtaking second place Mark Webber in the Championship table but only a miracle will prevent Sebastian Vettel from getting the championship for the second year in succession given his lead of 77 points over his team mate.

When I commenced to write England were in a good place in first Test against India at Lords with a lead of 242 and nine wickets and two days left. It is likely they will aim to score another 200 plus runs before considering a declaration and an attempt to bowl India out once more. In order to replace India as the number one Test Team in the World England need to win the series by two clear wins so a good result in this first game is essential. By lunch time of three lamb chops with crunchy roast potatoes there had been a mini collapse with 5 wickets down for 65. It was then that Broad under fire until his excellent first innings bowling joined wicket keeper Matt Pryor and the two added 180 runs, 74 and 103 respectively. This meant that the side were able to declare 269 for 6 leaving the visitors to get 450 runs as I suggested was the target in just under four sessions. At the close the Indians had started well with the total 80 for 1.

In contrast Durham had a disastrous day against Somerset yesterday who had reached the grand total of 480 after another blistering century from Marcus Trescothick who achieved 163 runs before his dismissal. Durham started well with 84 before the first wicket and was 156 for two before the collapsed commenced losing 8 wickets for 70 runs. Durham then started well again with Smith who made 74 in the first innings getting 114 in the second while Di Venuto who has not been on good form over recent weeks made 46 and 91 to give Durham a great start of 200 for not wicket. Mitchell Claydon came in as night watchman and is still there having made a creditable 38. It was Gordon Muchall who failed again so that Durham is 280 for 3 only 20 runs ahead at present. The rest of the side will need to do better if they are to avoid a defeat on this 4th day. Alas another collapse followed and Somerset was able to get the 109 runs required with the loss of only one wicket.

Before the result e first division county table showed how close the situation has become with all three top sides having played 10 games with Durham 169 points, Lancashire 168 and Warwickshire 160 Durham therefore only gained 4 bonus points from this game with Somerset moving into fourth position. Lancashire play present title holders Nottinghamshire at Southport next week while Durham entertain the Sri Lanka A touring team on Wednesday so we need a Nottingham win as much as they do to remain ahead. The following week Lancashire take on Warwickshire at Liverpool and Durham Nottinghamshire so any team playing at their best should take the table lead in what can be described as the Home straight. Warwickshire have to play Yorkshire at home and away and after their fighting performance against Lancs I am optimistic that they will win both games or at least gain a win and a draw to remove the Midland challenge, assuming of course that Durham recover from Taunton.

As the end of various TV series approach I thought this week’s episode of Chicago Code was poor in comparison with those preceding. It was a holding story and the same could be said for the Sopranos and House Arrest. Tony is advised by his lawyer, as he returns to collect the cash he had given for Carmela and his children that he should spend time at his legitimate business which includes a garbage collection route. This is still a racket when one customer finds a truckload of rubbish dumped on his carpark because he complained about the service. Part of the problem is that Uncle Junior has organised a money making drug business with Ritchie Aprile using one of the trucks to deliver cocaine. Tony leans on Ritche thus alienating him and Junior further.

Junior is fed up with being tagged and housebound and meets up with a former school girl friend now a widow who continues to have a crush on him. After rejecting her offer of company he comes to enjoy talking about the old day and her cooking. His restlessness is part of the main theme of the episode

Tony questions his continuing attendance with Dr Melfi who is finding their sessions more difficult to bear drinking large glasses of Vodka and becoming addicted to alcohol. She confesses to her mentor that she has become addicted to the situation with Tony although she knows how harmful to her it has become. She explains to Tony that people with anti social tendencies experience alexithymiatic tendencies- the need to be fully engaged in activity because otherwise they tend to “crash” when they have time to confront their ways and the suffering they have brought others. In the final scene Tony and his cronies, including Christopher have returned to the Pork Store and meet up with a couple of FBI agents who call on them and the group underline their need to keep active. The lull before the second season storms to an end.

There was dramatic action as Spartacus comes to a close. Having dealt with the Magistrate for his failure to grant political office he arranges for Spartacus to end the life of the rival trader in the arena who is blamed for the Magistrate’s death. Before he decapitates he brings a smile to the man when he says that Batiatus will soon be joining him. Batiatus then pins his hopes on the Roman Commander Glabber whose wife murders the high born wife who laughed because she had been taken by Spartacus under the impression it was Crixus. The general is dismissive of Batiatus when he arrives so the Gladiator school owner is forced to reveal the remains of the murdered wife which buys him the status he craves while instead of taking his wife to Rome Glabber insists she stays at the school.

The next development is that the wife of Batiatus finds that she is pregnant (by Crixus) and then turns on him when she finds that he has been having a relationship with her persona slave. She arranges for her husband to give the slave to the man who has organised the death of the wife of Spartacus, the Magistrate and the rival Gladiator merchant and trainer. The situation is building up for Spartacus to take his revenge joined by others from the school.

There is also a building up of tension and plot development in Camelot as Morgan in the form of Igraine, Arthur’s true mother begins to cause havoc letting Guinevere, husband know of her relationship with Arthur. Meanwhile as Igraine she goes to bed with Merlin who appears to work she is not who she seems. Igraine manages to escape from her imprisonment after bribing her guard but runs into Morgan in her likeness as she arrives home, Whoops.

I watched Ricky Gervais in the Comedy film The Invention of Lying and was surprised to find it intelligently funny. The film is set in a parallel universe in which everyone tells the truth including what they are thinking to each other day and night, on dates, in phone calls and at work. Gervais works at a film company which only creates films in the form of accurate and truthful lectures and given his allocated period, the 13 century and the Black Death his work is too depressing and he is given the sack.

Having lost his job he cannot pay the rent and is evicted and goes to the bank to draw his remaining funds to arrange for a van to collect his belongings only to find that the system is down so when the assistant asks how much he has he makes up the sum and even though the system comes back on line, she accepts his lie, because no one lies and gives him the funds which enables him to keep the apartment. He then makes up a story which convinces his employers to make a film which becomes an all time box office hit. He cheats at the Casino and makes a fortune. He visits his mother as she is dying and afraid and he makes a story of a man in sky and an after life in the land of reality without religion and then using two pizza cartons creates two tablets of ten truths, thus becoming the religious prophet and saviour.

Before all this happens he goes on a date with someone beautiful sophisticated and good family out of his league and who’s dominating mother want her to marry a rival played by The West Wing Bob Lowe and who works at the same film production business as Ricky. The couple appear ideal on paper having the right genetic background and social experience to produce the best possible children. This is where the film becomes like all others as in the end the bride leaves Rob at the altar to marry Ricky who live happily ever after with a son and another child on the way. It was good funny given the events of the past two weeks.

Someone to Watch over Me also contains a story of a man out of his depth with a beautiful and sophisticated out of his league woman but here the similarity ends. Tom Berenger is a police detective married to a former policewoman with a young son. The interest is that his wife is played by Lorraine Bracco who went onto achieve stardom as Dr Melfi in the Sopranos. Berenger is assigned to be one of three detectives allocated a round the clock watch on wealthy socialite Claire Gregory played by Mimi Roger after she is the witness to a horrific murder at a club where she has been taken by her socialite boyfriend. Berenger is allocated the evening night shift from eight pm until 4 am and of the three detectives he is the one who is most fascinated by the lifestyle and who Claire finds the most interesting after some initial standoffishness,

Berenger is taken out by Claire to a social function buying him a new tie on the way where he is a hit among the society ladies. However Claire is accosted in the powder room by the murderer who warns her not to pick him out of the line out. However she does this only find that the man is released on bail because of a technicality when he is arrested at the social function. Claire is terrified after this and Berenger stays the night with her regretting as soon as he returns to his wife who detects the relationship and gives him an ultimatum to leave and to return only if he wants her. The villain then kidnaps the wife and son, who because of her police training manages to shoot and kill him. Berenger returns to his family while Claire breaks off with her boyfriend and decides to travel in Europe to recover and get over the relationship with the detective. The film did not do well at the Box Office.

I decided to go a seen Joe McElderry in the show park arriving just a few minutes before the performance commenced walking through the parks to do so. The show was billed to start at 12.30 so I was not surprised to find the streets filled with cars as those arriving like me for the main act struggled to find a space. It was the largest crowd I have seen todate at least 20000 although when I stopped to speak to the Mayoress as she collected money for her charities she said that there had been more for the appearance of Tom Jones which was before my time.

Joe performed many of the well known songs from his X Factor performances and album and included a performance of Nessun Dorma from his second winning series from Popstar to Opera Star. He commenced with Dance with my father a tribute to his father and continued with a number of favourites such as Sorry seems the hardest word, Don’t let the sun go down and the Climb, the winners song which failed to become the Christmas number one because of an orchestrated campaign against Simon Cowell’s domination of successive winners although he gained the top spot a week later. His contract with Cowell’s company has not been renewed but he has been signed by another and is working on an album which will combine his pop work with the more serious using the skills from the operatic training. In my judgement his future is the West End Musical. I was impressed with the 90 minute performance although the sound should have been up several notches for the size of the crowd.

Earlier in the day I received an email from East Coast Trains announcing tickets for the Olympic Games including. I was able to book a return journey for £38. Including postage travelling 31st of July and returning August 5th. I only hope it will be possible get inexpensive accommodation! I suspect I will have to wait more than a week to get access to bookings.

2099 Letter to Dave about News of the World scandal

Over Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th July 2011 the Prime Minister of the Great Britain agreed to put himself on public trial before his peers, along with the two of the most powerful men in the media industry together with two of the most senior policemen in the UK. The first of four open letters is to David Cameron. Dear Dave. The others will be to Rupert Murdoch, Teresa May and Boris Johnson and then to Edward Miliband.

Dear Dave

Well done, you have survived one of the most extraordinary periods in British Politics, at least until October when we should know if your friend Andy is to be charged with any offences concerned with the illegal acquisition of information or the corruption of Metropolitan Police officers.

I believe you adopted the right approach when called to answer for your actions before the British House of Commons on Wednesday, surrounded by your Cabinet Colleagues and other Ministers and carefully prepared backbenchers, combining avuncular defiance with three significant admissions.

First you said sorry although you were careful to emphasis that your regret was to having made the appointment of Andy “of Course I regret and I am sorry about, the furore it has caused. With 20:20 and all that has followed I would not have offered him the job, and I expect that he would not have taken it. But you do not make decisions in hindsight: you make them in the present. You live and you learn and, believe you me, I have learned.”

(As you will appreciate I am required by the Parliamentary office to point out that all the quotations from recent debates and committee sessions are from uncorrected verbatim transcripts that have been published before participants have had the opportunity to check their accuracy).

I noted that you said with considerable emotion that you had learned the lesson although you did not say what it was that has been learned and how the lesson will be put into future practice.

I appreciate you were trapped between the need to stand up to the Leader of the Opposition and his party in order to continue to command the confidence of your Cabinet and other Government colleagues and those on the back benchers hoping to be called one day, appointed to head committees or some fact finding mission, conference or representative visit across the Globe, and appearing humble and contrite before the British public. I give you ten out of ten for standing up the Miliband but only 3 for the apology. I say the latter because according to Sky News while you reduced the percentage of those who thought you were politically damaged by the scandal by some eight points there were still 46% of those voting who remained critical when collation of the responses ceased to be shown.

As I have previously written I do not know how you came to make the Coulson appointment and I have admired you acceptance of accountability and your willingness to stand or fall alone as a consequence. I had read the tittle-tattle that it was George who suggested the move to you so I was not surprised when Rebeckah took the opportunity of her political and media trial on Tuesday to say it was George and that she had been told of the approach by Andy. “I think it is a matter of public knowledge that it was the Chancellor George Osborn’s idea that when Andy Coulson left the News of the World they should start discussions with him on whether he would be an appropriate person to go into Tory HQ. The first time I heard of him being approached was from Andy Coulson and not from the Prime Minister.”

It is not yet certain if someone from the Opposition will soon press George to reveal who put the idea to him or leave the issue to the Judicial Inquiry when a connection with the Murdoch empire will be pushed, even if someone suggested to someone who had influence with George because they knew he had influence with you.

The other associated issue which remains unanswered is why you did not insist to have Andy positively vetted as has been custom and practice before admission to the corridors of power at Number 10? The failure to disclose the name of the independent company who undertook background checks also gives the impression that you have something to hide. I understand the Opposition Leader is continuing to press this aspect. Having embraced transparency I suggest you will need to provide information soon rather than await the judicial inquiry.

I appreciate the point you made about looking for conspiracies when in reality it was just a series of coincidences and misunderstanding but you have got to admit it looked bad with former Assistant Police Commissioner Hayman getting a job as a journalist with one Murdoch paper and former Director of Public Prosecutions being asked to provide Council Opinion and to write articles, admittedly for other newspapers as well as those of News International. Everyone agrees that Hayman was awful and embarrassing in his appearance before the committee and while Lord Macdonald did reveal the kind of money he was getting for the writing, he should have told the Members of the Commons the amount he was paid from News Corp to dispel the widely held belief that James Murdoch, on advice, was sloshing money around to keep the scale of the illegality from being properly known investigated for as long as he could. I know James has strongly denied this allegation.
And then of course there were the bombshells that former deputy News of the World editor, Neil Wallis, was paid £1000 a day to give advice to Commissioner Stephenson and co, contracted by the Met Communications Director on advice from Neil’s friend Assistant Commissioner Yates and that Wallis had also been at Number 10 and elsewhere giving advice to Andy. I appreciate that the former Commissioner has explained the nature of his friendship and involvement with the employment of Neil and that he only acted as a post box in passing on the successful application of the Neil’s daughter for a job with the Met.

I know that everyone seems to have their own angle and agenda with claims and counter claims about integrity and openness flying around into the public domain. I have been impressed by the approach of Mark Lewis, now Solicitor Advocate at Taylor Hampston who explained that he was the first person to lose his job two years ago when his then firm gave him an hour to decide if he was willing to give up involvement or be sacked. He was under threat of an injunction from News International to stop him talking out but they withdrew the threat after he had given evidence to the Commons Committee in 2009.

He had also received a letter from Carter- Rock Solicitors, threatening to sue him on behalf of then Assistant Commissioner Yates. Mr Lewis corrected himself to say the letter was in effect a warning off just as he was aware similar letters had been sent to the Guardian Newspaper and Chris Bryant and he queried whether the action had been constitutional because it had been paid for by the Metropolitan Police Authority. I have just heard from the media that the former Assistant Commissioner is suing the London Evening Standard over their reports of allegations made against him, so I am being careful to report only what other have said.

Mark Lewis also told the Common’s Committee that the chairwoman of the Press complaints Committee had suggested he had been lying to them in declaring there were 6000 victims of News of the World employed Mulcaire‘s activities. Mr Lewis said he had been set up by the Metropolitan Police in order for a speech to be made against him by the PCC Chairman at the Society of Editor’s dinner. He successfully sued Baroness Buscombe for damages although he drew attention that she was still in her job.

Did you also see the allegation of former dishonesty leading to a crucial post was separately made in the House of Lords by Lord Gilbert regarding the boss of Of- Com, and that when he challenged a Labour Minister who smiled and commented“ That was a long time ago?”

Dave, with all this going on I thought you were magnificently brave in tour second admission that you knew and accept what has to be done if Andy C is charged and prosecuted in the autumn or is shown to have intentionally misled you and others about his role or his knowledge of the illegal acquisition of information or the corruption of officers of the Metropolitan police. When you said “that would be the moment for a profound apology. In that event I can tell you that I would not fall short,” are you really committing yourself to resign as Prime Minister and Leader of the Tory Party, enabling someone like Teresa May to take over? I have to say Dave that in my judgement you will have no alternative but to resign given the nature of the warnings you received when first making the appointment and then in bringing him into 10 Downing Street.

Did you hear what happened Sky News on Wednesday when it was reported that Chris Bryant M.P, had revealed that officials at Buckingham Palace had expressed amazement that you had taken Mr Coulson on when Opposition Leader and again when he became Prime Minister? It then appeared that the Palace had confirmed the accuracy of this revelation but then there was a denial from Number 10 confirmed by a Palace statement that there had been no such expression of views. It was not really clear what been said and agreed and disagreed at the time and no more was heard subsequently.

I would not be surprised if concern had been expressed to Gordon Brown or that the issue had not been raised with you on becoming Prime Minister. Did you give the Palace the same level of assurance you have given to Parliament, I wonder? I appreciate you will have got to know Andy well having worked closely with him at all hours of the day and night seven days a week. We have seen over the past thirty years just how important and close a Director of Communications can become with a Prime Minister, first with Bernard Inghams and Mrs Thatcher and then Alistair Campbell and Mr Blair. The Communications Director is likely to be as in touch with who is briefing against who and why within the Party as the Whips, possibly more important as having a General Party Secretary and Party Chairman who are loyal and on top of their jobs when it comes to knowing what is happening in succession plotting as well as what is going on among the other lot.

I appreciate that there are those who will argue that because you are George are said to be risk takers, the offer to fall on the sword remains a great gamble rather than based on a certainty that Andy will come out of all this with his position enhanced. The confidence of your performance at the despatch box did impress me so I am giving you the benefit of the doubt. This conclusion surprised me!

I assume you have studied the text of what Rebeckah had to say on Tuesday and I thought her performance was cool. Chris Bryant tells the story of when he met her with and then husband Ross Kemp at a Party Conference and she commented that she was surprised to see him there and not away on Clapham Common. I thought it was great when Chris said on camera that Ross told his wife not be such a homophobic cow. I am still to work out if Rebeckah has just been trying to fit into the way the men at the top generally behave or is naturally calculating and deliberate.

I accepted what she said about not having had direct contact with Mulcaire or Rees and the reason for her direct contact with Whittamore.

“I can say that I never paid a policeman. I have never knowingly sanctioned a payment to a police officer,” she also replied to other questions. She also explained that when she was editor the issue of illegal acquisition of information would not have arisen because “at the time it wasn’t a practice that was condoned or sanctioned at the News of the World under my editorship. She also went on to explain the system of approval for payments.

“The payment system in a newspaper-this has been discussed at length- is simply that the editor’s job is to acquire the overall budget for the paper from senior management. Once the budget is acquired, it is given to the managing editor to allocate to different departments. Each person in that department has a different level of authorization, but the final payments are authorised by the managing editor, unless there is a particular big item such as a set of photographs or something that needs to be discussed on a wider level, and then the editor will be brought in.” “I am aware the News of the World used private detectives as every newspaper in Fleet Street did” “The payments of private detectives would have gone through the managing editor’s office.”

There was only one issue from my viewpoint where I thought she was open to further questioning. This was the meeting mentioned in Channel Four news attended by the detective involved in the unsolved murder case where her memory was of a different date and that the subject in question was not raised. Much will depend on whether there was a contemporary official police record made and still available.

Having heard what her solicitor said after she had been interviewed for several hours two days beforehand I do not expect that she will be charged and prosecuted and the findings of the Judicial inquiry are more likely to be four to five years away than two to three. I would also be surprised if the position of Mr Coulson will prove different. There will be need for substantial documentary evidence for the police and DPP to bring prosecutions.

As anticipated the official purpose of your statement was to announce the names of the panel appointed to undertake the work supervised by Lord Leveson and the agreed terms of reference. Questions were still asked about its inclusiveness to ensure it covered all forms of media printed news, television news and the Internet and to cover all forms illegal information gathering. I was also pleased you covered the range of inquiries ongoing and now agreed and that the police inquiry in to the Mulcaire papers is to be increased from 45 to 60 officers. This is because of concern that at the present rate following up the core names in the Mulcaire papers it would take at least 5 years to meet everyone and investigate the implications. My understanding is the police unit is concentrating on those where there is immediate evidence of illegal action having been taken because of stories in the paper or when individuals and their solicitors make contact enquiring if they are listed in the index. This does not mean that all the proposed prosecutions will be put into abeyance. If individuals mentioned are included as evidence in a prosecution then there is the question of compensation and a strengthened case to make a civil claim, although it is also understood from what was said by the Murdoch’s and Ms Brooks that they intend to take the initiative as soon as they have evidence confirming illegal action was taken. The point also needs to be made that it possible that some of the names on the Mulcaire list were engaged or suspected of wrong doing. It should not be forgotten that the main reason for closeness between the Crime Reporters of Fleet Street and the large PR department of the Met and the media unit of other police forces is for help to catch criminals and prevent serious crimes. It has become an established way of obtaining corroborative evidence by outing the suspect on camera and enabling others with evidence against the individual to come forward. I forgot to mention that it was disclosed that nearly one in four of the Journalists working for the Met had experience working for News International.

Although impressed by your willingness to take all those questions, over 150 said by those who counted, I did feel you appeared to relish the opportunity too much and got carried away saying Gotcha at one moment and that you were enjoying yourself, understandable given the circumstances but unfortunate from any neutrals who were watching from outside the Westminster village.

As with PMQ’s those outside the village may not have appreciated just how organised and ritualistic was the questioning session and the debate, and the attacks and counter attacks were planned with back benchers having received detailed briefing of the issues to be raised if they were able to catch the eye of the Speaker or his deputy.

You will be pleased the with level of preparation from the Whips Office with the three pronged counter attack:- arguing that greater attention should now be given to famine in the Horn of Africa and to the financial crisis in Europe and the failure to agree a budget in the USA, a cue which the media went along with for 24 hours; secondly to plea that a united approach was necessary to make fundamental progress in addressing the system failures which the scandal had uncovered and that the Labour approach had become too partisan; and then hypocritically to remind that for every Labour accusation a similar claim could be made against them, given that they were in Government throughout the whole period of the worst criminality and excesses.

I noted the attempt to suggest the government of the day must have known because the DPP would have briefed the Attorney General of the scale of information in the Mulcaire papers which brings me to what remains the main criticism of News Corp and International, against the Metropolitan the police and the national politicians, the involvement, directly and indirectly in a cover up.

I will deal with the cover up allegations in relation to News Corp and International and the police in my separate letters. Several Conservative Members argued that the Labour Government had the opportunity to have acted because of the individual and accumulative developments especially following the report of the Information Commissioner, What Price Privacy, the unlawful trade in confidential information published by the House of Commons in May 2006 and which included the findings of Operation Motorman. It was former Home Secretaries Jack Straw and Alan Johnson who were left to counter the accusation that they had missed opportunity. Mr Brown after the mauling his intervention provoked stayed out of the chamber this time. The suggestion is that action was not taken because of the closeness with the Murdoch’s and fear of what they could do they were upset.

The closeness between the politicians and the media was the other main thrust and counter thrust of the debate and questioning. I thought Dave that you remained vulnerable although the Opposition failed to concentrate attention in the most effective way. Their main argument was that given the number of meetings, many back door or social, with the Murdoch’s and Rebeckah and your closeness with Andy it would be amazing if the subject of the Take Over did not come up. I thought you answered this effectively making the point that responsibility was passed between Ministers and that you had no direct contact with the Culture and Media Minister about his decision and that the Cabinet Secretary has confirmed that you had not broken the Ministerial Code. It was interesting that Rebeckah used the same form of words to emphasise that there had not been inappropriate discussion. It was left to the Culture secretary to stir the pot again at the end of his summing up when he declared “The discussions that the Prime Minister had about the BskyB deal were irrelevant” Coming so late in the debate of some five hours the Labour Members were livid at this apparent admission suggesting that it was for Parliament to decide if the discussions were irrelevant and appropriate.

My point is to ask if at any point you discussed the July 9th 2009 Guardian article and all the consequential articles that followed, especially after the release of documentation to the police and the launching of the 2010 Police investigation? What discussion took place with Andy Coulson on the subject before he left and what discussions then took place when he stayed over at Chequers three months later?

This brings me to the latest development the challenge to what James Murdoch said to the Commons Committee on the for Neville email which disclosed the greater extent of illegality that had previously occurred and which came to light during the Gordon Taylor claim for damages and its settlement. As you know Dave, James Murdoch explained to the Committee that the reason for the payment had been the legal advice that if the claim was contested the total cost would exceed £1 million so a payment significantly less than that was made and not in order to cover up the scale and nature of the wrong doing that was exposed. Obviously once when the Mosley case judgement was for £60000 comparison payment were then adjusted.

Tom Watson one of the two Members of Parliament who have continued to press for answers to the questions that have arisen over several years asked if James Murdoch had sight of the for Neville email which referred to evidence arising in the Gordon Taylor case which indicated there was evidence of greater illegality and wrongdoing than that covered in the claim. He replied that he had not but then yesterday evening the former editor of the News of the World and the chief legal officer at the News of the World combined to say that they were aware that James had been advised. This headlined several newspapers this morning and resulted in a statement from James saying that he had nothing to add to the statement made at the meeting with the Commons Committee.

It is understood that the chairman of the Commons Committee has already written to James seeking clarification as well as raising a number of other questions. There have been calls for the Committee to reconvene and for James to be summoned and I noted that in your statement this lunchtime you also appeared to be saying that he will have to reappear at some point and explain himself to Parliament. Should proof arise that James had knowledge in 2008 when the email is dated then he could be declared guilty with any others who were aware of the extent of wrong doing, such as the emails held by the British Lawyers for four years. There is the possibility of charges of perverting the course of justice and which if successfully prosecuted could lead to the Murdoch’s losing their 39% of continuing involvement in BskyB as well as in News International UK newspapers.

Before this latest development I was moving to the situation when I would not be surprised if the police and the subsequent judicial inquiry concluded that because of the way News International and News Corporation are organised and because of their system of delegations and distribution of authorities, together with their management of corporate governance issues that Rebeckah Brooks and Andy Coulson had no knowledge or direct responsibilities for any illegal activities conducted within the organisation or undertaken on behalf of the organisation at the time they were committed. This therefore was also the position of the Murdoch’s. The question was when each of the four individuals and others within the organisation became aware of the illegal activity and what did them then do about it. Three, excluding Coulson who was not interviewed this week in public, were emphatic in the denial of their knowledge until recently. This also seemed highly likely to me. The organisations had been structured so they would not know.

I go back to what I have previously written about the session I attended with the European research manager of the 3 M Corporation in 1984. My understanding is that 3M was then and since organised on similar lines to News International and News Corps.

According to the latest figures 3 M’s had an annual revenue of $27 billion from production units in 30 countries and 70000 employees and News Corporation had a revenue of $32 billion with 51000 employees in as many if not more countries and where as with 3M’s there was management by exception with high levels of decentralization to each operational unit who were allocated budgets and staffing levels together with profit expectation annually. There will be central management information systems keeping an eye on profitability and other central services including corporate governance.

I wrote before that it was the European Research Director of 3M’s who explained the commercial value of creative operatives to the organisation but warned of the risks when individuals crossed the line including to need to be able to closely monitor their activities and to plan to take steps to remove individuals from direct or indirect employment, and indeed if possible to make it difficult to trace their direct involvement.

I also explained that in the 1980’s we had moved into the era where those with creative leadership qualities were finding themselves not just members of executive management teams but in the role of managing directors and chairmen and that while such individuals could achieve remarkable results for an organisation there was also a considerable potential downside when the commercial viability of the enterprise could be at risk. It was recommended that if the chairman was a creative leader then it was essential to have a classically balanced and steadfast managing director and vive versa and that the risks increased where a creative combined the roles of chairman and managing director/chief executive. I suggest Dave that if the government wants to understand what is likely to have happened within News Corp and at News International there is need to examine their Management Training, their hiring and firing practices and the use of creatives, especially in the acquisition of news stories in an extremely competitive situation where survival is dependent on advertising revenue which in turn in dependent on sales.

So Dave I decided that you did come out on top on Wednesday but I suggest you should have a good summer holiday as you are going to need all your survival skills next Parliamentary session, if not beforehand.