I’m rather sad to be writing this, but this will be the last post on Virtually Naked. It has been fun, with thousands of people taking the opportunity to read the babble myself, and some others, have put together.
There are well over 600 posts on this website, and by the end it was getting at least 100 unique users everyday. Pittance by Dale and Staines standard, but for someone who only got involved in politics towards the end of university, and only joined the Liberal Democrats after leaving it (blame Sam Seaborne,), I find it both staggering and flattering that a not inconsequential number of people have read my opinions. Sometimes, some of you even agreed with them!
Writing this blog has given me opportunities I never imagined when I started – going to interesting events, meeting senior political figures and other very interesting people, appearing on panels to talk about blogging, and so and and so forth. Naturally then, there are a few people I want to thank: Thomas Hemsley and Sam Phripp, both of whom have contributed lovely pieces to this website, Matt Smith, who designed the logo, Joe Jordan, who’s company Crunchy Server kept the whole show on the road, and Helen Duffett, my fairy blog mother, for teaching me the tricks of the trade. Mostly though, thanks to everyone that has read VN, it would have all been rather pointless otherwise!
If you’re interested, here are a few of my VN faves:
The main reason I am giving up this blog is simply a lack of time to do it properly. I have felt increasingly like I am churning out stories, not actually giving people something interesting to read. This site no longer feels original.
I will though not be giving up blogging completely. The nice people over at Total Politics have asked me to write regularly on their blog, and I may also be contributing stuff to the Huffington Post UK. You never know, they may even let me on Lib Dem Voice once in a while too! However, I don’t think the blogosphere should just be made up of uber-blogs, and you all know me well enough to know that sometimes I just can’t resist spouting an opinion, so feel free to follow me on Tumblr - http://charlotteahenry.tumblr.com/ where I will post, although not always about politics. I have also started a new site: www.digitalpolitico.net, which is looking exclusively at politics online. Amongst all that I have a company to run, and a life too! So its the end of VN, not me in the blogosphere (sorry to disappoint you!)
Ok, i’m stopping now as this has become stunningly self indulgent. Just one last thing:
“If you expose too much online, are you virtually naked?” [Kenneth Cole]
The phone hacking scandal seems to change hourly, so by the time your reading this anything could have happend. However, what is becoming increasingly clear is that Labour are trying to score points, and make this a political issue about Cameron, not just about illegal practices in the media.
When Jeremy Hunt addresses Parliament this afternoon on the News Corp/BSkyB takeover, he will be replied to not by his Shadow, the invisible Ivan Lewis, but by Ed Miliband. This is to make the point that Cameron should be dealing with the issue, the further implication being that he isn’t due to his closeness to Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson. I said a while a go that Andy Coulson should never have been employed by David Cameron, but if Labour personalise the issue the Prime Minister and the Conservatives will close ranks, making the News Corp’s takeover more likely.
I was initially worried about the seeming silence of Nick Clegg. I believe he cares deeply about having a liberal, free, press, so thought this would be an issue he would be keen to speak out on. However, he seems to have just about got it right now, as he is the first senior politician to meet the Dowler family and other phone hacking victims. As Helen Duffett highlights, he has also called for Rupert Murdoch to withdraw his bid for the remaining BSkyB shares. Surprise, surprise, minutes later Ed Miliband said the same.
There is a risk that Labour trying to take the lead and get a ‘win’ will turn it into a partisan issue, when there could be widespread agreement. Labour pushing for something, particularly by attacking Cameron, means the Conservatives have to oppose it. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m saying it’s politics.
Just because Labour have now decided to declare ware on Murdoch, doesn’t mean it will help us win the battle for a more liberalised media.
This week there really is only one story – the dramatic events in the News of the World phone hacking scandal. After it was revealed that murdered school girl Milly Dowler’s phone had possibly been hacked by a private investigator working for the rag, pressure mounted, advertisers pulled out, and the house of cards came tumbling down. This week’s edition of the News of the World will be it’s last. The 200 hacks at the paper will lose their jobs, Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks will not (at the time of writing).
Not everyone is taking the issue as seriously as they might though. Green Party Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones revealed that she thought that the Met were spending too much time on the investigation! She changed her tune, sort of, by the end of the week, but it was hardly encouraging noises from a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority.
The weekend will undoubtedly mean phone hacking revelations being mulled over, and perhaps some further information coming to light. For now though, VN is off to reserve its copy of the last ever News of the World at the news agents.
James Murdoch has announced that this Sunday’s News of the World will be the last edition of the 168 year old newspaper. After the recent exposure of further phone hacking at the newspaper, including of the phone of murdered Milly Dowler, advertisers kept pulling out, and the situation became untenable.
Well, untenable for everyone except News International Chief Exceutive Rebekah Brooks, who, despite being Editor at the time of the Milly Dowler hacking, seems somehow to have kept her job.
Brooks and James Murdoch addressed a meeting of all News of the World staff, flanked by 2 security cards, before Editor Colin Myler asked Brooks to leave so he could address his staff. There are currently 200 staff at the News of the World.
The full statement to staff from News International Chairman James Murdoch is as follows:
“I have important things to say about the News of the World and the steps we are taking to address the very serious problems that have occurred.
It is only right that you as colleagues at News International are first to hear what I have to say and that you hear it directly from me.
You do not need to be told that the News of the World is 168 years old. That it is read by more people than any other English language newspaper. That it has enjoyed support from Britain’s largest advertisers. And that it has a proud history of fighting crime, exposing wrong-doing and regularly setting the news agenda for the nation.
When I tell people why I am proud to be part of News Corporation, I say that our commitment to journalism and a free press is one of the things that sets us apart. Your work is a credit to this.
The good things the News of the World does, however, have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong. Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our Company.
The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself.
In 2006, the police focused their investigations on two men. Both went to jail. But the News of the World and News International failed to get to the bottom of repeated wrongdoing that occurred without conscience or legitimate purpose. Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued.
As a result, the News of the World and News International wrongly maintained that these issues were confined to one reporter. We now have voluntarily given evidence to the police that I believe will prove that this was untrue and those who acted wrongly will have to face the consequences.
This was not the only fault.
The paper made statements to Parliament without being in the full possession of the facts. This was wrong.
The Company paid out-of-court settlements approved by me. I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so. This was wrong and is a matter of serious regret.
Currently, there are two major and ongoing police investigations. We are cooperating fully and actively with both. You know that it was News International who voluntarily brought evidence that led to opening Operation Weeting and Operation Elveden. This full cooperation will continue until the Police’s work is done.
We have also admitted liability in civil cases. Already, we have settled a number of prominent cases and set up a Compensation Scheme, with cases to be adjudicated by former High Court judge Sir Charles Gray. Apologising and making amends is the right thing to do.
Inside the Company, we set up a management and standards committee that is working on these issues and that has hired Olswang to examine past failings and recommend systems and practices that over time should become standards for the industry. We have committed to publishing Olswang’s terms of reference and eventual recommendations in a way that is open and transparent.
We have welcomed broad public inquiries into press standards and police practices and will cooperate with them fully.
So, just as I acknowledge we have made mistakes, I hope you and everyone inside and outside the Company will acknowledge that we are doing our utmost to fix them, atone for them, and make sure they never happen again.
Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper.
This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World.
Colin Myler will edit the final edition of the paper.
In addition, I have decided that all of the News of the World’s revenue this weekend will go to good causes.
While we may never be able to make up for distress that has been caused, the right thing to do is for every penny of the circulation revenue we receive this weekend to go to organisations – many of whom are long-term friends and partners – that improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity.
We will run no commercial advertisements this weekend. Any advertising space in this last edition will be donated to causes and charities that wish to expose their good works to our millions of readers.
These are strong measures. They are made humbly and out of respect. I am convinced they are the right thing to do.
Many of you, if not the vast majority of you, are either new to the Company or have had no connection to the News of the World during the years when egregious behaviour occurred.
I can understand how unfair these decisions may feel. Particularly, for colleagues who will leave the Company. Of course, we will communicate next steps in detail and begin appropriate consultations.
You may see these changes as a price loyal staff at the News of the World are paying for the transgressions of others. So please hear me when I say that your good work is a credit to journalism. I do not want the legitimacy of what you do to be compromised by acts of others. I want all journalism at News International to be beyond reproach. I insist that this organisation lives up to the standard of behaviour we expect of others.
And, finally, I want you all to know that it is critical that the integrity of every journalist who has played fairly is restored.
Yesterday, VN reported quotes from Jenny Jones AM, the Green party Metropolitan Police Authority member and Mayoral Candidate, that she thought the Met were spending too many resources investigating phone hacking. Well today, she seems to have changed her tune a bit. According to a statement just put out:
“The Green Party’s London Mayoral candidate and member of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), Jenny Jones is to continue to question the police on the issue of illegal police payments from newspaper organisations following the revelations that News International have email confirmation that such payments have been made.”
Jones goes on to say that at the MPA meeting, scheduled for Thursday July 28th at City Hall, she “will be asking the Commissioner to reassure the public that all the officers involved in Operation Weeting and Operation Elveden have clean hands and have not received payments or gifts for information from journalists and investigators in the past.”
Nice of her to now support an investigation she thought was too big. Obviously she has a point – it would be ridiculous if it were to emerge that some of those officers allegedly engaging in transactions with journalists were investigating the wrongdoing, but this is just a nifty way to backtrack without denouncing her previous statements.
Jenny Jones seems to be getting herself in a right mess.
Julian Huppert has become something of a rising star within the Liberal Democrats. The MP for Cambridge has consistently raising important issues of civil liberties such as control orders and their replacement. Today he questioned Attorney General Dominic Grieve in the News of the World Phone Hacking debate:
Green London Assembly Member Jenny Jones has declared that phone hacking is “not something we should be spending a huge amount of time on.” It is true that the Operation Wheeting is the second largest investigative team in the Met but, given the widespread and serious nature of the allegations, this at first seems a bizarre statement, of the type we normally expect from the Greens. When you realise that Jenny Jones is not only the Green member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, but her party’s candidate for London Mayor, it becomes deeply worrying. Although it is (thankfully) highly unlikely, in theory next year Jenny Jones could be in charge of the Metropolitan Police!
She is quoted as saying:
“There are murders, child abductions and rapes that these officers could be investigating. All these people have to do is not use the voicemail facility on their phone and they will never be hacked again. At a time when resources are so stretched this investigation, for me, should be pretty low on the agenda.”
Whoever said the Green Party don’t capture the public mood….
This morning at 6am the UK version of the Huffington Post went live. Unsurprisingly, they have decided to go after News International Chief Exec Rebekah Brooks on their inaugural front page after yesterday’s phone hacking revelations.
Last night there was a launch party in Parliament, essentially for lobby hacks. I managed to sneak in however, and even got a sneaky picture with the lady herself!
HuffPo UK will face competition from Iain Dale’s new effort – Iain Dale and Company, which he promises will be launching in the 24-48 hours!
With the Sun and Mirror in court, the News on the World at breaking point, and newspaper distribution down across the board, this new sites might just be launching at the perfect time.
The News of the World phonehacking saga has rumbled on and on for years. It has resulted in two men going to prison, and effectively cost Andy Coulson his job at No.10. Yet despite all this, it is only today that more than a select few have begun to take the issue seriously.
The allegations that a private investigator working for the paper hacked, and deleted messages from, the phone of missing Milly Dowler seems finally to have sufficiently rocked everyone into action. So it should. Although the right man has now gone to jail for her terrible murder, how much misplace hope and agony could her family have been spared, how many police resources could have been saved, if the News of the World had not behaved in the disgraceful manner they are being accused of?
It is pleasing to see some major companies making noises about withdrawing advertising from the News of the World, as ultimately being hit in the pocket is what will cause a cultural change at that rag.
I would, however,T dispute whether either Rupert or James Murdoch directly commisioned activites such as phonehacking. The actions took place many levels below them, and it would be impossible for the bosses of a multi-national corporation to now exactly what was going in every part of the company. However, the privilege of owning media outlets should not be taken lightly, and the Murdoch’s, along with henchwoman Rebekaa Brooks, are entirely responsible for the culture within their company. It is surely the desperation from the top to get a scoop and be ahead of the game that has led to this depraved behaviour.
Furthermore, I have said thoughout (and I was in the Select Committee hearing when hacking of the Prince’s phones was revealed,) that I find it hard to believe editors did not know where their stories were coming from. If Coulson and Brooks didn’t know, it is because they didn’t want to know. Surely now Rebekah Brooks must be relieved of her role at News International, anything else seems to be a tacit endoresment of phonehacking. At best her presence is bringing the company into disrepute, at worst serious criminal behaviour has occured on her watch.
As a side note, yesterday, ironically as the new developments broke, I had a piece posted on the Total Politics blog saying that we should not fear the Foxification of a news channel in the UK. I still believe that markets and public taste will dictate what people will tolerate in terms of partisanship, and that counters to such developments will emerge. Arguably it is better that broadcasters openl air their bias, instead of the pseudo impartiality we often have now. Although in the current case the two companies involved are the same, the principle in my argument is not directly related to Murdoch or News International, and is more a general loo at partisan news coverage.
Breaking into the private communications of people has always been a serious thing, it is why we outlawed journalists sitting outside Buckingham Palace with a scanner. It is a sickening shame that it took the case of a murdered girl for it to be widely taken seriously.
Today, on American Independence day, a statue of Ronald Reagan was unveiled outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, to commemorate his 100th birthday. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice represented President Reagan’s widow, Nancy.
It fell to William Hague both to read the words of Reagan’s great ally Margaret Thatcher, and to deliver the key note address. Simply, this was Hague at his best. He was engaging and passionate in laying out the legacy of President Reagan, and why it matters to the UK (in the opinion of him and many others, such as Total Politics’ Shane Greer.)
The text Williams Hagues speech, via the FCO, is below:
On behalf of the British Government on this moving occasion, as a Briton, as a Conservative and as a passionate admirer of America, I am proud that we have made a home here in the centre of our city for President Ronald Reagan.
It is a great honour for me personally to take part in a ceremony for a man who changed the political landscape at the time I first became involved in it.
He joins the ranks of great men and women whose statues adorn our London streets; Nelson, Wellington, Lincoln, Churchill, Roosevelt, Edith Cavell and Nelson Mandela.
Statues bring us face to face with our heroes long after they are gone. Ronald Reagan is without question a great American hero; one of America’s finest sons, and a giant of 20th Century history. You may be sure that the people of London will take his statue to their hearts.
For years to come, thousands of people will pass this place as they visit London or go about their daily lives.
Those who stop and look will be reminded of President Reagan’s extraordinary achievements, and all that he stood for as a man and a leader of men and women:
The President, who restored American confidence with inspirational leadership and commitment to strength abroad and economic revival at home. His shining optimism that America’s best days were still ahead was vindicated not only during his Presidency, but by all that the nation he so dearly loved has accomplished since then.
The man of conviction, who knew it was right to go to Berlin and say “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall”, at a time when such a thing seemed utterly impossible and many advised him against it, and who simply would not forget or give up on those he saw enslaved by communism.
The statesman, who in the words of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, won the Cold War “by inviting enemies out of their fortress and turning them into friends”.
The peacemaker, who was prepared to seek reconciliation with the Soviet Union, but who never wavered in exposing its flaws and so hastened its demise.
The negotiator, architect of the first treaty that made real progress on nuclear disarmament and began to turn the tide of fears of nuclear holocaust.
The great idealist, who were he alive today might well be saying now “it is morning again in the Middle East”, spurring us on to help those in the region seeking freedom.
And on top of his achievements as President, we remember Ronald Reagan for his extraordinary human touch.
When the space shuttle Challenger exploded before the eyes of a shocked world and seven brave men and women died, he offered comfort to the American people with a grace and compassion that has seldom been rivalled, saying:
“We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and “slipped the surly bonds of earth” to “touch the face of God.””
He said that those seven astronauts “had that special grace, that special spirit that says, give me a challenge and I will meet it with joy”.
Well of all people Ronald Reagan had that spirit himself.
When confronted by difficulty he drew on his own unending reserves of humour and charm. When pierced by an assassin’s bullet and bleeding on a hospital bed he could still joke to his wife, “honey, I forgot to duck”, and reassure a nation with his courage and resolve.
Such outstanding leadership qualities meant that even those who disagreed with his politics recognised his greatness.
Here in Britain we admire him for the way he brought to the Special Relationship between our countries such intense warmth and mutual loyalty.
His belief in our country as a staunch friend and ally showed itself in the support he gave us after the invasion of the Falkland Islands, which we will always remember.
And it was reflected in his deep and abiding friendship and partnership with Prime Minister Thatcher.
He recognised in her a fellow leader and “a tower of strength”, as he described her,
He understood then as we do now that “the strength of America’s allies is vital to the United States”, and that America has no stronger ally than Britain in standing up for peace and security in the world.
We will never forget the resolve shown by President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher, allied with the courage of the people of Eastern Europe.Lady Thatcher could not be with us today and is much missed at this ceremony by all of us. But she has asked me to say these words to you:
“Ronald Reagan was a great President and a great man – a true leader for our times. He held clear principles and acted upon them with purpose.
Through his strength and his conviction he brought millions of people to freedom as the Iron Curtain finally came down. It was a pleasure to be his colleague and his friend and I hope that this statue will be a reminder to future generations of the debt we owe him.”
As President Reagan once said: “Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue”.
Today, wherever in the world there is conflict, oppression or danger you will find Britain and America working side by side.
Our two countries still make an indispensable contribution to each other’s security and to global security, and still play a vital role in standing up for the values that Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan espoused.
It was a French writer who once said that a nation could be judged by the statues it erects. We can be proud about what this statue says about Britain and America.
It reminds us of a period of extraordinary achievement and hope in world affairs after a time of darkness and danger.
It celebrates the life of an exceptional and gifted American President.
It is a fitting tribute to one of the truest friends that Britain has ever had. And it will be a source of inspiration and encouragement to all of us who live in a more peaceful and prosperous world today because President Reagan, Britain and our allies stood firm.
This generation knows that to be true. This statue will help future generations never to forget it.
