Cameron Still Dodging Action Over Press Ethics.

It's not often that the electorate get to see a Prime Minister twist and turn as much as David Cameron. It all began with Rupert Murdoch's plan to buy the controlling share of BSkyB and with Cameron pretending that he was completely neutral over the question despite appointing Andy Coulson as his "communications director". Things didn't look good for the Murdoch's when the LibDem's shoehorned Vince Cable into the role of arbiter of the deal, but poor old Vince was quickly removed when two young female reporters flattered him into saying something indiscreet. Enter Jeremy Hunt, charged with the job of smarming the BSkyB deal through while Cameron smarmed around Rebekah Brooks. Unfortunately Andy Coulson's past soon caught up with him as it was revealed that phone hacking had been widespread during his tenure as editor of "The News of the World" and not, as previously claimed, the action of a single rogue reporter. As the scandal grew and grew and more people in the Murdoch media empire were implicated the Prime Minister refused to be drawn and absented himself from Parliament when the issue was debated. He had to be literally forced into announcing an inquiry into press ethics and still fought a rearguard action to protect the Murdoch bid for BSkyB with Jeremy Hunt leading the charge. During the Leveson Inquiry it became clear that the Prime Minister had been far, far too close to the Murdoch media machine and many potentially embarassing questions over the exact nature of his relationship with Rebekah Brooks were left hanging menacingly in mid-air. Leveson has now delivered his report and, as expected, he made it abundantly plain that certain "sections" of the press were completely out of control and believed themselves to be above the law because of the protection they enjoyed both from politicians and the police. Cameron's immediate reaction was the reject these findings and conduct a campaign, through the media, to protect the "freedom of the press" in a sudden and unexpected fit of idealism. That has threatened to backfire as many of the victims of press excesses have called on him the impliment the Leveson Inquiry findings as he had previously promised he would. With his strategy fast unravelling Cameron has now made one last roll of the dice, announcing that what was once an urgent matter is now less so and that there is "no timetable for producing any draft legislation."

Nod And A Wink Politics.

Adam Smith, appearing at the Leveson Enquiry, has given us all an insight into how political decisions are reached in this country. Essentially its all done on a nod and a wink. The story of how Mr.Smith ended up before the enquiry is illuminating to say the least. The government originally appointed Vince Cable to oversee Murdoch's bid to get his hands on the rest of BSkyB but it soon became apparent that Vince wasn't too sympathetic and Rupert Murdoch was not pleased. Enter two young female journalists who cajole Vince into admitting on tape that he did not approve of Murdoch and that he had "declared war" on him. Revealed as being "partisan" poor old Vince was forced to resign. Enter Jeremy Hunt, who had been lobbying David Cameron for months to allow the bid to go forward, and who was now appointed by that same David Cameron to act as an "impartial" judge to replace Vince Cable. There then follows a series of emails between News International and someone in the government who signed the emails "JH." These make it abundantly clear that NI and the Cameron government are in cahoots to get the deal through no matter what the objections against it. When this is revealed Jeremy Hunt denies all knowledge and tells us all that his advisor, Adam Smith, is the guilty party and that he was acting without Hunt's knowledge or permission. So now we have Adam Smith giving evidence to the Leveson Enquiry telling us that he often used the initials "JH" for no particular reason and often appearing to not know his own emails too well. One thing is abundantly plain, however, and that is the whole process was both fishy and, at the same time, that the realtionship between the Cameron government and Murdoch was far too cosy to be labelled "impartial." One of the most important decisions for this country in terms of the future of the media was effectively being progressed on a nod and a wink, something that this government does in far too many spheres touching on our national ineterests. Treachery is not too strong a word.

Murdoch "Not Fit To Head An International Corporation."

The Culture Committee has told us all today what most of us already knew - "Rupert Murdoch is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company." The big surprise was that the four Tories on the Committee refused to endorse these findings. It's not difficult to see why. The Tories want to return us all to the "good old days" when they and Rupert Murdoch could do what they like and we were forever kept in the dark. All Democracy needs to flourish is more light, and the Tories certainly don't want that. It is now as clear as day that, despite everything we have learned about Murdoch and his murky dealings, that the Tories were more than willing to clear the way for his complete takeover of BSkyB on a nod and a wink. Jeremy Hunt, smug and overconfident, was busily engaged getting the Murdoch's bid in through the back door when he was found out. Now David Cameron has been reduced to insulting Dennis Skinner because he couldn't answer the question put to him and was on the back foot trying to defend the indefensible. So the question remians, why do the Tories still choose to believe that Rupert Murdoch is "a right and proper person?" The answer is blindingly simple - he's rich and powerful and, for a Tory, that's all you need to be. They would reduce our Democracy on this country to a playground for the rich and powerful in which ordinary people, you and I, are of no account.