In a morning when many stories demand attention, I think it is important to note the victory the Duke of Sussex and Tom (Lord) Watson shared in court yesterday in their battle with Murdoch's Sun newspaper.
As the Guardian noted, the settlement read in court said:
“NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by the Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life,” it stated. But it was the half line that followed that carried the punch, as the publisher acknowledged that these intrusions included “incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for the Sun”
As they added:
The Murdoch-owned publisher batted away each new legal claim with the full force of News Corp's multibillion-dollar empire. It was a matter of record that unlawful activities had taken place at the shuttered News of the World, it said. But that was not – it insisted, repeatedly – true of the Sun. In 2014, giving evidence during the phone-hacking trial Rebekah Brooks, the former Sun editor who is now chief executive of News UK, insisted that “when I was editor of the Sun we ran a clean ship”.
This is now very obviously untrue.
So were representations made to the Leveson inquiry by Murdoch newspaper executives on this issue very likely to have been untrue.
This toxic rag has spread filth and falsehoods into the UK media for decades. Now we know it willingly and persistently undertook illegal activity in pursuit of doing so. Those who previously denied that should be brought to account. In particular, they should be tried for perjury. Those in its senior management who lied on oath to courts or inquiries should pay the price for that, whatever their age.
In a world where truths are increasingly debased, ignored and abused by the actions of the ultra-wealthy, who are intent on building their own realities that are disconnected from the world in which we actually live, it is vital that the importance of telling the truth be upheld, and those who have not, and deliberately done so to protect themselves, should be held to account for what they have done.
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[…] The first is the toxicity of the UK's media. I have already noted that. […]
I fully endorse everything you have said about The Sun.
This morning, I heard over my laptop that Starmer thinks we have too much of a ‘challenge culture’ in the country!! This is just as I have had a report back about the drainage of some newly built houses we are buying for s.106 acquisition that has tree roots growing in them!! So – am I supposed to not challenge that then?
So, Labour has decided to actually do nothing about growth, decided that only the market can deliver it so the market has used Labour’s timidity as leverage to essentially it seems to do what the market likes in order to deliver it! And the government is going to be their cheerleader.
Yet we have a few thousands of years of human learning about monopolists, snake oil salesmen and robber barons to tell us that challenge culture works.
In the first instance we can pour our ordure on Labour’s depravity as a party.
In the second, we can see that this is another unconscious step towards authoritarianism via the polling booth.
Absurdity writ large.
Well highlighted. I read about this yesterday and clearly Harry, although he settled, was able to dictate tough terms – its v rare for a settlement like that to enforce an admission of guilt.
Might we see Ms Brooks, riding “Cotswold set” pal of Cameron & Clarkson, on trial for perjury?
Oh, I musn’t get my hopes up…
Starmer did a deal with Murdoch, in exchange for endorsement by NGN titles, Starmer promised to drop any plans for Leveson 2.
Starmer’s natural inclination is to kowtow to power in the hope of preferment.
Nothing will be done beyond possible a few meaningless words. Unless the half admission of illegality gives some (slim) chance to some future claims by a non government controlled entity or person, there will be no further action. The spin has gone out that the metropolitan police are looking at the matter, but given how they first did a whitewash on partygate , (and tory party treasurers getting peerages at the same time), there is little hope.
The Met Police? Those racist, homophobic, misogynist lot, found guilty by three major enquiries? The same organisation my youngest brother refused a transfer to, even though it stymied his police career, on the grounds (unsaid outside his mates) that they were deeply corrupt? Fat chance.
Thank you, Martin.
The Met, current and former officers, is also linked to NGN. There are serious allegations, including an overlap with the Stephen Lawrence case.
It’s not well known how the Prince Harry part started. Harry got injured skiing. This was reported by. Two police officers were with him on that trip. Rather than get an investigation through the formal channels, the royals got an aristocrat senior Met police officer* (and distant cousin of theirs by way of the Queen Mother) to investigate. *There are some. I have met two. We went to the same school.
Yes, I know a senior Met Police officer ( was ACPO rank, now retired) who went to the same public school as Nigel Farage , Cressida Dick was also privately educated.
What I find amazing is the very timid reporting in the Gaurdian and BBC. Why is this? Have they been served with preemptive Cease and Desist Orders by Murdoch to muzzle public debate?
Who knows?
Thank you.
Both organisations are on their knees. Staff may need Murdoch’s shilling soon.
https://bylinetimes.com/2025/01/22/government-confirms-no-leveson-2-inquiry-into-the-press-after-monumental-admission-of-wrongdoing-by-news-uk-in-prince-harry-case/
Labour do seem v insistent on lashing their colours to a sinking ship (Murdoch’s NGN) as they reaffirm their breach of promise on Leveson 2, seemingly not noticing the significance of Prince Harry’s civil settlement and NGN’s admissions of unlawful activity, contradicting earlier sworn testimony.
Starmer does seem to have a knack for leaping aboard sinking ships;
HMS Neoliberalism
HMS Austerity
HMS Rupert Murdoch
HMS GrowthAtAllCosts
HMS City of London
HMS Genocide
& sister ship
HMS SelfDefence
I hope he’s got his own lifejacket because there aren’t likely to be any spare on the vessels mentioned.