David Cameron is not out of the sewer yet

[noblehead]

This is a interesting article and very well written by a journalist on the Telegraph about the current phone hacking scandal:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... r-yet.html

Nigel

[catherinecherub]

This is the email that Rebekah Brooks sent to the staff of the News of the World.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/ju ... onal-staff

This her profile. A ruthless, charming super-schmoozer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/ju ... ne-hacking

Politics became a dirty word long before the expenses scandal and the more I read, the more I think who can you vote for?

[viviennem]

I look at a politician and ask myself:

Would I buy a used car from this man/woman?

Would I let my son/daughter marry this woman/man?

The only one who ever got a 'Yes' to either (the second) was Paddy Ashdown, and only 'cos I was going to have him for myself!

So often, these days, I find myself voting for the 'least bad' choice - there's no-one I can agree with completely.

If they put 'None of the above' on the ballot paper the results would be very interesting!

Viv

[donnellysdogs]

OOOH, I so totally agree.....Paddy Ashdown is/was so buyable from and marriable ........nobody else could meet both categories....at least amongst the current politicians.

I would love personally...none of the above .......on a ballot paper!!!!!!Now if only Robbie Williams became a politician..or Gary Barlow......now that would be different!!!! Either one of them would get a 'yes' without any speeches, any hyping etc....

I really don't understand how our politics has become so hand in hand with newspapers.....and the media...I think it is totally shameful...I would love to see some sort of media, incluiding newspapers that were totally unbiased...and just relaying the facts!!!!!

[Margi]

I don't know if it really succeeds but I think the Independent tries to be just that, independent and honest. Having said that, I have never seen any report in a paper about an incident that I had any involvement with, and therefore knew the real facts, that was accurate.

It is a great pity that our country now votes for the Party, Prime Minister or MP that the Sun chooses to support. Media is powerful, and so often selects the bits it wants you to hear and quotes them out of context so they appear to say the exact opposite of the genuine statement. With any luck this fiasco may start a move towards holding the media to account. Until now, no one in any position of authority would do that because everyone has a skeleton or two hidden away, however small and innocuous, that would devastate their careers if the papers chose to publish. And the papers know these little secrets, and if they don't know any, they invent them. There is a word for it: blackmail. And they use it all the time.

Sorry, soap boxing again.

[catherinecherub]

Paddy Ashdown?
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 077219.ece

[Hobs]

Hmmmm ... the Indi being honest? I don't think so! At least not while that Ugandan woman Alibhai-Brown keeps ranting on within its pages. If anyone wrote with a biased single minded, chip-on-shoulder point of view, its her.

Paddy comes across to me as someone who likes to hear his own voice and its everybody else who has got it wrong.

Now what was a pleasant surprise, was hearing Hugh Grant speak during BBC's QT Thursday evening. I suppose only seeing him as a somewhat dippy actor, I had tended to dismiss his previous airings as a tad OTT, but now I have changed my mind and would like to see him more active with his observations.

[donnellysdogs]

IS it HUGH GRANT for PM????? just like Ronald Reagan for President...OOOOOh I could vote for Hugh Grant !!!!!! Depsite any previous indiscretions!!!!!!

HG for PM!!!!! Yes, yes, yes!!!!!!

[noblehead]

I did watch Question Time on Thursday night and will admit I was impressed with Hugh Grant's performance as a panelist although I think he is a terrible actor, being a victim of phone hacking himself his contribution was more than welcome.

Paddy Ashdown has grown on me over the years but thought he was useless as the Lib-Dem leader, I never forget when he had that affair with his secretary and the Sun headline was............

Paddy Pantsdown

Nigel

[ailz]

I remember being told that 'Whoever you vote for the Government always get in'. It took me years to work it out - but now I agree. None of them seem to care much about the 'man in the street'; it seems to be a way of making money - it's a job rather than a vocation these days. - Though I don't expect that much has changed really.

Ailz

[Margi]

Hmmmm ... the Indi being honest? I don't think so! At least not while that Ugandan woman Alibhai-Brown keeps ranting on within its pages. If anyone wrote with a biased single minded, chip-on-shoulder point of view, its her.

Paddy comes across to me as someone who likes to hear his own voice and its everybody else who has got it wrong.

Now what was a pleasant surprise, was hearing Hugh Grant speak during BBC's QT Thursday evening. I suppose only seeing him as a somewhat dippy actor, I had tended to dismiss his previous airings as a tad OTT, but now I have changed my mind and would like to see him more active with his observations.

I agree, but it is made clear that Yasmin's views are her own, as with all columnists as opposed to reporters. She is a bit extreme. But I guess that just because we don't agree with her, doesn't make her views not worth listening to.

Paddy Ashdown was our local MP for many years and is wonderful. He is a rare politician who is not afraid to call a spade a spade. And (referring to the later post) his private life is his own affair, so long as it does not affect his judgement as a politician. I guess that is what this whole newspaper row is about.

I definitely agree with that Hugh Grant was good on QT. It's one programme I always watch.

[viviennem]

re the 'Paddy Pantsdown' headline: many MPs get caught out occasionally; instead of saying "how could he" (or more often how could she - John Preston? ?), all my friends said "lucky girl"!

And I bet his wife gave him hell!

I remember the MP for Scunthorpe (sorry - name gone. Senior moment!) saying once:

"Paddy Ashdown is the only MP trained to kill with his bare hands; Mrs Thatcher does it by instinct"

I till get a giggle from that

Viv