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Cameron had better be sure he’s right
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Post
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9 July 2009
So David Cameron has pronounced that Andy Coulson is safe in his job.
Assuming Mr Cameron does the basics of leadership, that means he has satisfied himself that his communications director did nothing improper or illegal, nor condoned, used or benefited from anything improper or illegal, in his time as editor of the News of the World. He has also satisfied himself that nothing is likely to emerge to cast doubt on that judgement. That is a big call to have made.
We have to assume he has asked Coulson some tough questions, and got some convincing answers. If not, he has made a big mistake in coming out so soon, and so forcefully, in support of his right-hand man.
But their comments so far have sought to focus very narrowly on the jailing of former Royal reporter Clive Goodman, over which Mr Coulson resigned but for which he denied any knowledge or responsibility, and on an out of court settlement with footballers' leader Gordon Taylor of which Coulson also denies knowledge.
I always thought at the time that it was unlikely that Goodman and a private detective who received large sums of money for his illegal activities were the only people in the paper who knew about the Royal tapping. The Guardian story reveals something far more systemic and organised, targeted at all manner of newsworthy people.
Whatever anyone says about Coulson, his colleagues always spoke of him as a highly professional editor and journalist. But as Andrew Neil pointed out rather well last night, good, professional editors know what is happening in their papers. When they don't know, they ask questions. They ask a lot of questions about where stories come from because that will often indicate the real strength of the story, and alert them to any possible legal problems.
People might just be able to acccept the Goodman incident was a one-off, and that therefore senior executives did not know about it. But if the central allegations in The Guardian are true - and there seems precious little pushing back on them - then it becomes impossible to believe that editors and others were not aware of what was going on. And if they weren't, they were incompetent and negligent on the job, not qualities associated with Coulson or other Murdoch editors.
The statements from Cameron and Coulson go nowhere near answering the questions they have to answer. To his credit, John Whittingdale, the Tory chair of the relevant select committee, looks like he will want to ask those questions.
There are questions too for the Press Complaints Commission. Do not hold any of your breath in expecting them to be answered. It is a body for the media, by the media, a disgrace to the concept of meaningful self-regulation.
And John Prescott is right to demand that serious questions of the police are answered too. If there is a list of people known to have had their calls intercepted by the News of the World, all the people on that list have a right to know.
So, as I said last night, questions for the press, the cops and for Cameron. Those questions have not gone away. They are only just beginning.
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I haven’t read every paper or listened to every jot of coverage but the one thing I have noticed is that the politicians are being lumped together with the Gwyneth Paltrow’s into some amorphous mass of celeb-dom. The implications of each seem to be at opposite ends of the scale – sure, there may be heartbreak over at Hello! Towers if GP actually orders in takeaway via her mobile rather than macrobiotic grain, but isn’t that the beginning of the trivialisation of this?
Surely journos & the Murdoch empire enabling illegal activity as it pertains to Government is a bit more of a deal? I hope the media are not going to kneejerk/dumb this down into “some actresses and, oh, yeah, JP.”
Beautifully framed Alastair, let’s see them wriggle out of that.
I think the only serious question that needs to asked is why on earth would anyone phone tap Lenny Henry!!??
I agree the issue is Cameron and character. But there are big questions for the police. there is far more evidence of wrongdoing here than ever there was over the cash for honours investigation, and the cops did not hang around on that did they
Why is it that newspapers and media groups are so good at analysing other people’s scandals but so useless at handling their own? Surely they understand they are going to have to come up with better explanations than the willing it away strategy?
Cameron’s statement mirros Blair’s during the Ecclestone Affair. Coulson/Cameron have made the mistake of Campbell/Blair.
Interesting points you make on DC’s handling of Andy Coulson. Dicey.
If they’ve been surveilling thousands of people and hacking into their devices than I know why newspapers are on the verge of bankruptcy. Spying is costly.
I’ve asked myself why the police has remained mute but judges seal cases with information about private companies which have been sued for hurting members of the public day in day out. I may be wrong but I’m presuming that some of that sealed info about private companies could save lives if made public but the system just works this way. Still, it seems strange that JP wouldn’t have been warned.
Still absorbing this. I’m mentally building a series of dominoes representing people I don’t like who could fall in this. Trying not to be gleeful.
So Mr Campbell, can you honestly say that you never did anything “improper” during your time as a tabloid hack? Can you also say you never did anything “improper” during your time in government? Of course you can’t… Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
De ar Alastair. Why don’t you ask your friend Rebekah Wade about the truth here? Piers Morgan probably has a good idea also. Or, just possibly why not ask Mr. Murdoch himself? He’d speak to you.
I guess that with Yates of the Yard telling people “Move along please, nothing to see here” it rather exonerates Camerons decision to claim he was satisfied that there was nothing improper to be concerned about. Afterall, if a full investigation by experienced detectives fails to bring to light anything that might, in the view of the CPS lead to a conviction, then Cameron can hardly be expected to act merely on a newspaper story.
But I guess it does call into question the motives of those that were calling for Coulson to be sacked, based simply on a newspaper story. It calls into question their judgement and leadership.
It appears that they have tried to flog a story which was really a dead horse (the art of spin?)- unless they can now come forward with evidence to justify their stance, they must apologise immediately.
Coulson seems to have done the honourable thing – whilst he claims he knew nothing about the acts, and there is no evidence to show that he did, he accepted responsibility for what happened in his office, and resigned – Contrast the honour of a journalist to that of a PM, Gordon Brown, who, after dithering, and dismissing the McBride smear campaign as juvenile, then eventually sacked him… but claimed he knew nothing about what was happening in his office – so kept his job.
Come on Arthur! AC hasn’t been caught illegally phonetapping. Your comment is a case of chucking innuendo and implication, hoping something will stick.
Politics can be a dirty business, but this sort of crass defence of the 4th estate is feeble. Coulson and Cameron have questions to answer indeed.
“Leopards Don’t Change Their Spots” springs to mind! Don’t you think your rush to judgement on this issue is a bit premature. Just seen you on channel 4 – did not “the second chance” argument strike a chord with you ? If you are right about this fair enough but I thought you had changed over resent years to be a bit more even handed on these types of issues.Seems not.Sad really.
I was going to write something myself but I’ll reprint something I read earlier which is to the point.
“(Good leaders) ask a lot of questions about where stories come from…..”
Well yes, Alistair, always ask those questions. After all, the story might have come from a years-old PhD thesis posted on the Internet.
this revelation pales in comparison to the expenses scandal and the Iraq War inquiry, this revelation about phone tapping and who is to blame is meaningless to the British public, yes the police need to make inquiries BUT like the expenses and Iraq War inquiry this is NOT to “apportion blame”.. David Cameron has done absolutely nothing wrong, he most certainly has far less to come clean about than Alistair Campbell does regarding the Iraq war inquiry.
I might be being stupid, but how can the Met decide & announce – ahead of all these questions being answered – that they already know there is nothing to investigate? I’m flummoxed.
Surely as yet they don’t know what they don’t know. How can this be dismissed in an afternoon?
What a seriously sad individual. Not only did you support an illegal war, you support a compromised PM. Your arrogance is unchartered. If this is politics for the people, which you espouse, god help us all. You treat voters as if they are idiots. Lets hope we know how to vote at the next election. I am sure the Kelly family send you a Christmas card each year. I am sickened to have had your presence in goverment. I can no longer vote labour due to your and Tony Blair’s arrogance. I feel sorry for Gordon to have inherited your legacy.
I will love watching your comments during this NoW scandal: an insiders view of all sides of the debate, with a few markers out I’m sure.
Your comments on David Cameron are right: far too big a call/cover made today, particularly considering what Coulson was up to before he started working for Cameron. This period leading up to the 2010 election are key for Cameron, and this could be the simple comment that brings the whole Conservative momentum and lead to a grinding halt.
I don’t think Gordon is the right leader for Britain now – a good man unable to deliver in leadership. But is this enough to take the whole gap back, and allow him to win? It is going to be a very interesting summer, and takes the focus away from expenses – for now
Pots and Kettles AC! Your own involvement with the crooked Maxwell did not seem to prevent you from pddling spin for Tony for many years.
Is there a touch of wishful thinking in the Coulson story?
Your Labour impulses will probably destroy you Alistair.
Wake up and smell the coffee. Old labour is dead, New Labour self aborted. Time for a change?
up the Clarets
well, im glad its blanked out the sickening coverage we were force-fed about man who admittedly liked to go to bed with kids. if gary glitter plans a farewell tour i wonder how many will want to be in his gang?
putting myself in the position of a news hack , where would i phish for some gossip? hmmm, top police officers?
top polititians ?
is it any wonder these are the type of people to try to dumb it down. stinks of blackmail and sleaze and we’ll never hear the truth.
hope you have checked the list alastair,think you will be near the top. keep blogging ali keep them on their toes
Nice to see the tories on here squirming….and hoping all is well with team Dave.
I’m stunned that the police did not tell JP that he was being targetted, he was the deputy PM after all.
I hope now that there is a queue of people lining up to take News International and others to court, hopefully it will bankrupt them after they paid out either in compensation or damages.
Alastair, the comments about this article in the Guardian’s CiF have been very heavily moderated, I think something like 30% are marked as having been deleted and posts have actually been removed so to try and keep the actual number down.
For you to imagine that you could write an article about the questionability of a Spin Doctor without people questioning your morality is naive to say the least.
Will you re-instate the deleted posts or are you ashamed of you part in some events?