hacked

the news international phone hacking scandal rumbles on.

we have had the recent revelation that the standards and privileges committee effectively bottled calling rebekah brooks to give evidence. one of the reasons given for this omission was that there had been a friendly reminder that if the members of parliament pressed news international then there would be payback.
payback in the form of looking for skeletons in the cupboard that could be ‘revealed’ to the public.

i can understand their reluctance to continue. it is not like people are going to rush to the defence of politicians. as one mp, tom watson, has pointed out that the red tops are the big beasts in the modern jungle and they have no predators.

ah tom, tom, tom. you are mistaken. there is a weapon that mps could use against the press barons and their editors. yes tom, unleash the full force of the state against them, have the branches of the intelligence service return the snooping favour. set the spies to look into their dirty secrets and be prepared to publish them – in the interests of fairness, of course.

it is what i would do.

perhaps that is another reason why i am not prime minister.