[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14180043

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned following the phone hacking scandal.

Britain's most senior police officer has faced criticism for hiring former News of the World executive Neil Wallis - who was questioned by police investigating hacking - as an adviser.

Sir Paul said his links to the journalist could hamper investigations.

He said there were lessons to be learned from the affair, but he was leaving with his integrity intact.

He also said he had no knowledge of the extent of the phone hacking.

Now a knight falls on his sword .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14180609

Nick Robinson :

He jumped. He was not pushed. There was, I'm told, "no gun to his head".

We are being told that Britain's top policeman, Sir Paul Stephenson, has resigned in order to take responsibility for the failures in the Metropolitan Police. He insists that he is leaving with his integrity intact and his boss, the Mayor of London, seems to agree. How very old fashioned.

Not so fast though.

Last Thursday, Boris Johnson summoned Sir Paul to an emergency 90-minute meeting and left him in no doubt that his confidence had been shaken.

The mayor then called the prime minister and warned him that he was considering taking serious action. Sir Paul and Boris spoke several times over the weekend before the Met chief decided to quit.

One option Boris was considering was an inquiry into the Met's links with the News of the World and former executives of the paper like Neil Wallis by another police force, HMIC - the inspector of constabulary - or the IPCC - the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

I am told that this remains a possibility which must raise doubts over how long Assistant Commissioner Yates and head of press Fedorcio can survive in their posts.

Ah, more to this than meets the eye, then .....

[arista]

[lostalex]

They should also arrest everyone who's ever bought the NOTW.

This is all starting to feel like a bit of a witch hunt to me.

Let's look at WHY they did it...because the PUBLIC wanted these stories, that's why. Every person who buy's these trash papers is just as guilty as that unfortunate ginger lady. IMHO.

These epople were not doing anything evil, they were only attempting to satiate the public's voracious appetite for trash. yet we demonize these few individuals and the public goes on unscathed? This is more about the perverse nature of the public's appetite for a certain kind of news than it is about these specific people.

Shame on You(and me sometimes)!

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

They should also arrest everyone who's ever bought the NOTW.

This is all starting to feel like a bit of a witch hunt to me.

Let's look at WHY they did it...because the PUBLIC wanted these stories, that's why. Every person who buy's these trash papers is just as guilty as that unfortunate ginger lady. IMHO.

"unfortunate ginger lady" - unfortunate because she's ginger .....

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

"unfortunate ginger lady" - unfortunate because she's ginger .....

lol, No, unfortunate because she fits the criteria for a witch during a witch hunt.

[Harry!]

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

lol, No, unfortunate because she fits the criteria for a witch during a witch hunt.

How's that ?

What are the criteria for being an unfortunate witch ?

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

How's that ?

What are the criteria for being an unfortunate witch ?

Being a woman in a position of power is usually a good start...

(you do realize that there's no such thing as witches, right? That's the cruel irony of a witch hunt)

[joeysteele]

I don't think Rebekah Brookes has cared one iota for the distress likely caused to those whose phones were hacked,she is only now upset that they have been found out.

Had she cared at all in any way,she would have gone straight away.

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

I don't think Rebekah Brookes has cared one iota for the distress likely caused to those whose phones were hacked,she is only now upset that they have been found out.

Had she cared at all in any way,she would have gone straight away.

Can you name just one person who DID care care about those things? including politicians or members of any other press organization, before the scandal came to light? If not, then how can you blame her so specifically?

Ohh, that's right, we need a witch to burn, after all, we've already collected the wood and set a date...would be a shame to cancel now.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

Being a woman in a position of power is usually a good start...

(you do realize that there's no such thing as witches, right? That's the cruel irony of a witch hunt)

Surely "witch-hunts" usually focus on the power-less .....

e.g. :

During the McCarthy era, thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person's real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment and/or destruction of their careers; some even suffered imprisonment. Most of these punishments came about through trial verdicts later overturned, laws that would be declared unconstitutional, dismissals for reasons later declared illegal or actionable, or extra-legal procedures that would come into general disrepute.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyist

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

Being a woman in a position of power is usually a good start...

Anything else ?

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

Anything else ?

i don't think you get the analogy... scroll up.

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

Surely "witch-hunts" usually focus on the power-less .....

e.g. :



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyist

Powerless compared to what? Compared to the screeching and baying masses? She's definitely powerless. Abandoned by the public and her employers, please tell me what power she has?

She's as helpless as helpless can get.

There's more sympathy for child-rapists on death row in Texas than for this woman right now.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

i don't think you get the analogy... scroll up.

You said "criteria" .....

You've only supplied discounted "criterion" .....

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

Powerless compared to what? Compared to the screeching and baying masses? She's definitely powerless. Abandoned by the public and her employers, please tell me what power she has?

She's as helpless as helpless can get.

There's more sympathy for child-rapists on death row in Texas than for this woman right now.

You have a distinctly laudatory view of MS Brooks - do you work for her ?

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

You said "criteria" .....

You've only supplied discounted "criterion" .....

even saying criteria was ironic, because obviously witches don't exist... so how can you have genuine criteria for something that doesn't actually exist?

I repeat, WITCHES ARN'T REAL... (wow, i actually had to say that to someone)

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

even saying criteria was ironic, because obviously withes don't exist... so how can you have genuine criteria for something that doesn't actually exist?

Well, you tried ..... and failed .....

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

You have a distinctly laudatory view of MS Brooks - do you work for her ?

Or MAYBE i AM her!! ohh, conspiracy theories abound! lol

No I don't know her from Mary. (or do i?) lol

I don't.

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14182535

David Cameron has said the Commons is likely to be recalled in order to consider the latest developments in the phone hacking scandal.

MPs were due to begin a six-week recess at the end of Tuesday.

But Labour have demanded an extra day's sitting to enable MPs to debate what is said by Rupert Murdoch and Sir Paul Stephenson at committees on Tuesday.

The PM said it would be "right" to make a statement on Wednesday and answer questions "arising" from the hearings.

Pressure has been growing on the Commons to keep sitting on Wednesday as the scandal surrounding News International and the police continues to intensify.

Rupert Murdoch, his son James and former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks are set to face questions on Tuesday afternoon from the Commons culture committee over what went on at the News of The World and what they knew about it.

Earlier that day, the Met Commissioner - who announced his resignation on Sunday amid allegations about the force's relationship with former News of the World deputy editor Neil Wallis - is due to appear before the home affairs select committee.

Speaking in South Africa, where he is on a trade trip, Mr Cameron said he believed it would be appropriate for MPs to sit an extra day to discuss these developments.

It is up to the Commons Speaker John Bercow to decide whether to extend the Commons sitting.

Downing Street said they did not expect there to be a session of Prime Minister's Questions - which normally takes place on a Wednesday - but that the prime minister will make a statement on phone hacking and take questions from MPs afterwards.

Hahahahaha .... I'll bet that the Opposition is delighted to have the opportunity to "discuss", with the PM, the issues being raised .......

Ed Miliband is to blame the scandal on a culture of "irresponsibility" that also led to the banking crisis and MPs' abuse of their expenses.

In a speech later, he will say that all three episodes were caused by some of the most powerful people in society thinking they were "untouchable" and could act as they pleased.

Of course, he's right .....

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14182806

Nick Robinson :

Yates of the Yard looks to be next in line for the Boris treatment.

The Mayor of London has just signalled that he expects the Professional Standards Sub Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority to investigate the Met's Assistant Commissioner John Yates.

It is responsible for "Senior Officer Conduct" and its tasks include "to investigate and deal with any allegations, report and complaints about the conduct of officers of ACPO rank in accordance with appropriate regulations".

If he is investigated it will not be for failing to re-open the enquiry into hacking but for his relationship with Neil Wallis, the News of the World's former deputy editor who was hired to offer the Met PR advice.

Yates may be tempted to point out that at the time some argued that the hacking row was "codswallop" and "a politically motivated put-up job by the Labour Party".

To be more precise those were the words of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Update 0936 BST:

Assistant Commissioner John Yates was the man tasked with carrying out "due diligence" before the Metropolitan Police awarded a contract to the firm run by Neil Wallis, the former Deputy Editor of the News of the World in September 2009.

I understand that Yates received categorial assurances from Wallis that nothing would emerge that would embarrass either of them or the commissioner.

The Met took the view that Wallis had never been "in the frame" over phone hacking - a view that only changed more than a year later when News International revealed new information at the beginning of this year.

This led to the arrest of Wallis, his former boss Andy Coulson, Rebekah Brooks and others.

Uh-oh .....

[Omah]

1206:

Labour leader Ed Miliband begins a media conference on the phone-hacking scandal.

[Omah]

The Home Affairs Committee has recalled Assistant Commissioner John Yates to give evidence on Tuesday

[Omah]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14181344

The future of Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates has been called into question as the phone-hacking scandal fall-out continues.

He checked the credentials of Neil Wallis before the Met employed the ex-News of the World executive, who has been questioned over hacking claims.

The Met Police Authority is considering Mr Yates's future and London's mayor said he had "questions to answer".

It comes after Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson resigned on Sunday.

The resignation of Sir Paul, the most senior policeman in Britain, came after he was criticised for hiring Mr Wallis as an adviser.

Mr Wallis, a former NoW deputy editor, was arrested and released on bail on Thursday on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications.