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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Dish the Dirty Digger!

The Dirty Digger

When the history of UK Media comes to be written then the “Tale of the Dirty Digger” Rupert Murdoch will come to be writ large. This was no uneducated yokel who clawed his way up; rather he is the Oxford educated scion of a wealthy Australian Newspaper owner who more than anybody else has been singled handedly responsible for destroying the integrity of the media in Australia, Britain and the United States (of which, ever the opportunist, he became a citizen) whilst corrupting and vulgarising society. The corruption was through political patronage and endorsement, the vulgarising was through his trashy Tabloids and his corrupting of the News agenda with Fox News and the right wing Chav politics of the Sun and the News of the World or “News of the Screws” as it is known from its main fare, trashy exposes often with the help of illegal eavesdropping or subterfuge such as its notorious “False Sheik.”

The delightful Rebecca Brooks who like all News of the World editors knew nothing about phone hacking

So widespread illegality and criminality occurred seemingly untroubled by the long arm of the Law or indeed the laughable “voluntary” Press Complaints Council whose motto seems to be “Scum regulating the Scum” although it is careful to pay good money to have as its head a plausible “Lord Frontman.”

Indeed the original investigation into phone hacking was led by none other than our old friend “shy” Andy Hayman who is now on News International’s payroll, writing without any discernible hint of irony on “Policing Issues.” But now the years of rampage have come home to roost as pressure piles on News International;

Shy and sensitive Andy Hayman

Read about "shy" Andy;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/12/policemans-lot.html

Police warned Holly and Jessica families their phones may have been hacked by News of the World private eye

Car giant scraps adverts as Npower and Halifax 'consider' following suit

Scotland Yard contacted schoolgirls' parents in connection with hacking scandal, it has emerged

Rupert Murdoch's Long Island mansion - naturally any stalkers, paparazzi, hackers or prowlers here will be dealt with using the full force of the law. How dare they intrude on the Boss's privacy!

Revelation comes on day of claims murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler also had her phone tapped by the paper

Questions raised over whether it could have hampered police investigation into Milly's disappearance in 2002

Ed Miliband has led calls for former editor Rebekah Brooks to resign

Ms Brooks says she is 'appalled and shocked' over allegations Milly's voicemail was hacked

John Prescott has called on the Culture Secretary to block News Corp's proposed takeover of BSkyB

Shamed private investigator Glenn Mulcaire apologises to victims

The News of the Screws

This from anti-Murdoch Group 38 Degrees

How much lower can Rupert Murdoch's media empire sink? Today, one of his papers stands accused of hacking the phone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler, causing her family even more pain, and risking a police inquiry. [1]

Rupert Murdoch's empire is now under investigation by the police. [2] But at the same time, he’s getting ready to take even more control of our media. This week, Murdoch’s expecting to get the green light from David Cameron’s government for his takeover of BSkyB. [3]

If we work together, we can make sure this week doesn't end with Murdoch getting awarded even more power. Let's stand together for higher media standards and against Murdoch's latest power grab. Help break Murdoch's grip, sign the petition now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/murdoch-deal-petition

The final government inquiry into Murdoch's power grab ends this Friday at midday. [4] We'll deliver a copy of the petition to the inquiry - demanding that the phone hacking allegations are taken into account and the deal is halted.

PR Dave and Andy Coulson

The government wants to approve Murdoch’s BSkyB takeover. They say that Murdoch promises to respect media independence, so there's nothing to fear from giving him even more control. They want us to trust Rupert Murdoch! [5] But how can we trust Murdoch when his paper stands accused of hacking into the phone of a murdered teenager?

We’ve got until noon on Friday to prove to the government that the public wants the brakes put on Murdoch’s power grab. Let's get over 100,000 signatures by then – add your name now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/murdoch-deal-petition

Yesterday, Murdoch's empire thought this deal was in the bag. Our people-powered campaign had helped delay things - but they had just one hurdle left. The minister in charge, Jeremy Hunt, was clearly on Murdoch’s side. Murdoch's backing for the Conservatives at the election and his executives’ cosy dinners with David Cameron all seemed to be paying off.

But now, we have a real chance to stop this power grab. [6] Across the UK, people are shocked at how one of Rupert Murdoch’s papers is accused of heartlessly abusing a family facing one of the worst situations any of us can imagine. Let’s work together to make sure this is a turning point in the battle for higher media standards in Britain.

Please sign the petition now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/murdoch-deal-petition

Thanks for being involved,

David, Hannah, Johnny, Becky, Cian, Marie and the 38 Degrees team

PS: Would you take a promise from Rupert Murdoch at face value? Help break Murdoch's grip, add your name to the petition now:

>https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/murdoch-deal-petition

NOTES:

[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/04/milly-dowler-voicemail-hacked-news-of-world
[2] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8617299/News-of-the-World-executives-to-meet-police-over-Milly-Dowler-phone-hacking-claims.html
[3] http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/01a242ce-a2df-11e0-a9a4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1REVIppSL
[4] http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/8258.aspx
[5] http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/30/news-corp-bskyb-bis-jeremy-hunt-approval
[6] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14023233

A SCANDAL THAT JUST WON'T GO AWAY – The Diary of Shame

November 2005 The NoW publishes a story about Prince William's knee injury, prompting fears that his aides' phone voicemail messages are being intercepted. Complaints by three royal staff members spark a police inquiry.

August 2006 Detectives arrest the News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.

January 2007 Goodman is jailed for four months and Mulcaire for six months after they admit intercepting voicemail messages on royal aides' phones, including some left by Prince William. News of the World editor Andy Coulson resigns from his post, saying he 'deeply regrets' what happened and takes 'ultimate responsibility' for it.

May 2007 The Press Complaints Commission says in a report that it is satisfied no-one else at the News of the World knew Goodman and Mulcaire were tapping phone messages.

July 9 2009 The Crown Prosecution Service announces an urgent review of material provided by the police in 2006.

July 21 2009 Mr Coulson tells MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee things went 'badly wrong' under his editorship of the News of the World, but insists he knew nothing about alleged phone tapping by his journalists.

November 9 2009 The Press Complaints Commission says it has seen no new evidence to suggest anyone at the News of the World other than Goodman and Mulcaire hacked phone messages, or that the paper's executives knew what the pair were doing.

February 24 2010 A Culture, Media and Sport Committee report finds no evidence that Mr Coulson knew phone hacking was taking place at the News of the World, but says it is 'inconceivable' that no-one apart from Goodman was aware of it.

John "well I be buggered" Prescott

November 4 2010 Mr Coulson is interviewed as a witness by Metropolitan Police detectives investigating the phone tapping allegations. He is not cautioned or arrested.

December 10 2010 The Crown Prosecution Service says no further charges will be brought over the News of the World phone hacking scandal because witnesses refused to co-operate with police.

January 5 2011 News of the World suspends its news editor Ian Edmondson.

January 7 2011 Scotland Yard asks the News of the World for any new material they may have in relation to hacking.

January 26 2011 The Met Police launch a fresh investigation after receiving 'significant new information' about activities at the News of the World. Ian Edmondson, is sacked.

9 February 2011 The Met Police release a statement saying officers have identified more potential victims of hacking while reviewing files relating to the original Goodman and Mulcaire case.

18 February 2011 A judge rules that Glenn Mulcaire must provide information about whether other journalists at the NoW were involved in hacking.

5 April 2011 News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and former news editor Ian Edmondson are arrested on suspicion of unlawfully intercepting voicemail messages. They are released on bail until September.

8 April 2011 News International announces it will offer an unreserved apology and admission of liability to those suing over alleged phone hacking.

10 April 2011 The News of the World apologises for intercepting voicemails between 2004 and 2006 and says its past behaviour was a 'matter of genuine regret'.

14 April 2011 News of the World journalist James Weatherup is arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to unlawfully intercept communications.

7 June 2011 At a brief hearing at London's High Court, News Group - the owner of the News of the World - formally apologises to Sienna Miller for hacking into several of her mobile phones. The actress, who does not attend, formally settles for £100,000 damages and legal costs.

22 June 2011 Football pundit Andy Gray accepts £20,000 in compensation from the News of the World owner News Group Newspapers, plus undisclosed costs, over voicemail interceptions.

27 June 2011 Police arrest Laura Elston, who covers royal stories for the Press Association news agency.

July 4 2011 Lawyers for the parents of Milly Dowler confirm Scotland Yard told them the murdered teenager's phone was hacked by an investigator for the News of The World.

The murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler

John Prescott has called on the Culture Secretary to block News Corp's proposed takeover of BSkyB

Read more:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2011182/Milly-Dowler-News-World-phone-hacking-Police-warned-Soham-families.html%23ixzz1RGdhyBfn

Dish the Dirty Digger!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

The Scanner Scam

Please read our privacy policy

Never one to cross the road to avoid an approaching bandwagon UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has given the go-ahead for full body scanners to be introduced at Britain's airports. BAA, which runs six UK airports rather badly, said it would now install the machines "as soon as is practical" at Heathrow. Experts have questioned the scanners' effectiveness at detecting the type of bomb allegedly used on Christmas Day in an attempted plane attack over Detroit.

Here's the latest hoop to jump through. Yes, there's a 'professional' that can see all your gadgetry. That part I don't personally mind, but just where is it gonna stop? This is incremental erosion of privacy and freedom, all in the name of the government protecting you.

The £80,000 full body scanners, which produce "naked" images of passengers, remove the need for "pat down" searches. They work by beaming electromagnetic waves on to passengers while they stand in a booth. A virtual three-dimensional image is then created from the reflected energy. Some have voiced concerns about privacy, with campaigners saying they are tantamount to a "strip search".

In the London Evening Standard Tory MP Ben Wallace, who was involved in the testing and development of the technology, warns it was not "the big silver bullet". He said the "passive millimeter wave scanners" probably would not have picked up the failed Detroit airliner plot or the explosives used in the 2005 London bombings.

Mr Wallace (Lancaster & Wyre) was employed by QinetiQ as their overseas director in the security and intelligence division. QinetiQ helped develop the passive millimeter wave technology. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The advantage of the millimeter waves are that they can be used at longer range, they can be quicker and they are harmless to travellers.

Body Scanner

"But there is a big but and the but was all the testing that we undertook, it was unlikely that it would have picked up the current explosive devices being used by al Qaeda. It probably wouldn't have picked up the Detroit Delta Airlines bomb on Christmas Day." He continued: "It probably wouldn't have picked up the very large plot with the liquids in 2006 at Heathrow or indeed the later July bombs that were used on the Tube because it wasn't very good and it wasn't that easy to detect liquids and plastics unless they were very solid plastics.

In the same paper columnist Sam Leith observes; “The political necessity of being seen to do something in the wake of a terror attempt means security rules are always out of sync. We wait for something we know was possible to be attempted, then panic about it. We're like public-health programmes vaccinating against last year's strain of flu.”

Philip Baum, editor of Aviation Security International, said scanners were not the only solution and profiling passengers was, in fact, the best way to prevent terrorist acts. "We've got to face the fact that you can build a bomb in the duty free shop, after you've gone through screening. Bearing that in mind, we need to look at what people's intent is, not what they are carrying on their person."

Altogether with the questions over whether these scanners really work there is the question of knee jerk reactions to yesterday’s problems. The only really effective form of Airport security (ask El Al and the Israeli’s ) is that based on profiling rather than installing expensive equipment and creating nightmare queues for families with children, elderly, disabled and frequent flyers to go through. Of course the big disadvantage of this only proven secure method of protecting planes, airports and passengers is it can’t be carried out by scarcely trained outsourced minimum wage staff?

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO TO SEE WHAT THESE SCANNERS ARE REALLY LIKE

The Scanner Scam

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A Survival Guide for Decent Folk

An anonymous policeman blogger who has targeted the force and Government ministers was unmasked today after the High Court ruled against keeping his identity secret. Refusing a temporary injunction to prevent a newspaper from identifying the serving detective constable - who goes by the name of Night Jack - Justice Eady said that "blogging is essentially a public rather than a private activity".

For over a year, police detective 'Jack Night' chronicled his working life in an unnamed UK town on his remarkably frank blog Night Jack. His scathing and revealing posts on the reality of policing in Britain have won him an Orwell Prize. Now his ID has been exposed and he has received a written warning from his Force.

Today, the blogger was named as Richard Horton, 45, who serves with Lancashire Constabulary. Mr. Justice Eady also ruled that any right of privacy on the part of the blogger would be likely to be outweighed by a countervailing public interest in revealing that a particular police officer had been making such contributions. Mr Horton's counsel, Hugh Tomlinson QC, submitted that there was a public interest in preserving the anonymity of bloggers.

Richard Horton

The Judge ruled that the mere fact that Night Jack wished to remain anonymous did not mean either that he had a reasonable expectation of doing so. He added: "Those who wish to hold forth to the public by this means often take steps to disguise their authorship, but it is in my judgment a significantly further step to argue, if others are able to deduce their identity, that they should be restrained by law from revealing it." He said that Night Jack's blog mostly dealt with his police work and his opinions on a number of social and political issues relating to the police and the administration of justice.

Well I found his Blog compelling and every time Police complain of their hands being tied by “Bureaucracy” I remind myself that no too long ago their word was law when given in evidence in Court. So much so that a former Lord Chief Justice, Lord Denning, said it was better that Irish defendants should go to jail than he should concede their Appeal on evidence otherwise he would open up “an appalling vista” of Police corruption. Well due to the good work of West Midlands Police and Surrey Constabulary in the Birmingham 6 and Guilford 4 cases this appalling vista was well and truly opened up and the Police threw away public trust.

Indeed the recent comments by Suffolk’s Chief Constable that he would hold public order defendants in cells for 24 hours even though they had no intention of charging them shows the Police willingness to go to the edge of legality and beyond and use detention in Police cells to pressurise and intimidate defendants. I know of a complainant who was pressurised to pursue a complaint she wanted to withdraw by an ambitious newly promoted Police Sergeant and told that they would deliberately arrest and keep the other party in Police Cells over a weekend to ensure they would “crack.”

So I think Night Jack has done a public service with his Blog and in the interest of Blogging Freedom (Freedom FROM the Press) I reprint in full his Blog on A Survival Guide for decent folk, which uncannily echoes the Police Federation’s own advice to Police Officers facing internal investigation “Do not co-operate, say nothing, ring the Federation’s Solicitor, complain.”

Night Jack’s Blog has now been taken down on Wordpress.

www.nightjack.wordpress.com

A survival guide for decent folk.

In these days of us increasingly having to deal with law abiding folk who have fallen foul of the “entitled poor” and those who have learned how to use us to score points and exact revenge, I thought it would be a good idea to give out a bit of general guidance for those law abiding types who find themselves under suspicion or under arrest. It works for the bad guys so make it work for you.

Complain First

Always get your complaint in first, even if it is you who started it and you who were in the wrong. If things have gone awry and you suspect the cops are going to be called, get your retaliation in first. Ring the cops and allege for all you are worth. If you can work a racist or homophobic slant into it so much the better.

Make a counter allegation

Regardless of the facts, never let the other side be blameless. If they beat you to the phone, ring anyway and make a counter allegation against them. Again racism or homophobia are your friends. If you are not from a visible minority ethnic culture, may I suggest that that the phrase “You gay bastard” or similar is always useful. In extremis allege sexual assault. It gives us something to bargain with when getting the other person to drop their complaint on a quid-pro-quo basis.

Never explain to the Police

If the Police arrive to lock you up, say nothing. You are a decent person and you may think that reasoning with the Police will help. “If I can only explain, they will realise it is all a horrible mistake and go away”. Wrong. We do want to talk to you on tape in an interview room but that comes later. All you are doing by trying to explain is digging yourself further in. We call that stuff a significant statement and we love it. Decent folk can’t help themselves.

Admit Nothing

To do anything more than lock you up for a few hours we need to prove a case. The easiest route to that is your admission. Without it, our case may be a lot weaker, maybe not enough to charge you with. In any case, it is always worth finding out exactly how damning the evidence is before you fall on your sword. So don’t do the decent and honourable thing and admit what you have done. Don’t even deny it or try to give your side of the story. Just say nothing.

Keep your mouth shut

Say as little as possible to us. At the custody office desk a Sergeant will ask you some questions. It is safe to answer these. For the rest, say nothing.

Claim Suicidal Thoughts

A debatable one this. Claiming to be thinking about topping yourself has several benefits. If you can keep it up, it might just bump up any compensation payable later. On the other hand you may find yourself in a paper suit with someone watching your every move.

Always, always, always have a solicitor

Duh. No brainer this one. Unless you know 100% for sure that your mate the solicitor does criminal law and is good at it, ask for the Duty Solicitor. They do criminal law and they are good at it. Then listen to what the solicitor says and do it. Their job is to get you off without the Cops laying a glove on you if at all possible. It is what they get paid for. They are free to you. There is no down side. Now decent folks think it makes them look like they have something to hide if they ask for a solicitor. Irrelevant. Going into an interview without a solicitor is like taking a walk in Tottenham with a Rolex. Bad things are very likely to happen to you.

Actively complain about every officer and everything they do

Did they cuff you when they brought you in? Were they rude to you? Did they racially or homophobically abuse you? Didn’t get fed? Cell too cold? You are decent folk who don’t want to make a fuss but trust me, it pays to whinge and no matter how trivial and / or poorly founded your complaint there are people who will uncritically listen to you and try and prove the complaint on your behalf. Some of them are even police officers.

Show no respect to the legal system or anybody working in it

You think that if you are a difficult, unpleasant, sneering, unco-operative and rude things will go badly for you and you will be in more trouble. No sirree Bob. It seems that in fact the worse you are, the easier things will go for you if, horror of horrors, you do end up convicted. Remember to fake a drink problem if you haven’t developed one as a result of dealing with us already. Magistrates and Judges do seem to like the idea that you are basically good but the naughty alcohol made you do it. They treat you better. Crazy I know but true.

So there you go, basically anything you try and do because you are decent and straightforward hurts you badly. Act like an habitual, professional, lifestyle criminal and chances are you will walk away relatively unscathed. Copy the bad guys; it’s what they do for a living.