Will #HackGate lead to real change or just more of the same?

I'd love to believe that the revelations about what the News of the World did lead to more significant changes than the closure of that one paper. We all know News International is not the only organisation tainted by the historically common dodgy practices of the media. It's just unfortunately the one bearing the weight of the scandal. Wouldn't it be wonderful for all the dirty laundry to be aired now so perhaps our media can move on to improving the way they work, what they report and the very nature of their business?

But alas I, being ever-increasingly cynical, believe that all that will happen is the politicians and media will bore quickly of the subject and move on to their next "bee-in-a-bonnet" issue. We only need to see what happened with the expenses scandal: a lot of MPs standing down at the 2010 election, a few scalps taken by criminal trials and... then we all forgot about it.

Do you remember how everyone in the country was said to be so angry about at all the expenses scandals? There was almost a feel of revolution in some of the media reports, as if the citizenry might rise up at any moment and overthrow the political class. Of course what was really the case was that whilst the chattering classes (including people like me) were all aghast, most people seemed to just shrug their shoulders, announced that all politicians were corrupt anyway and got on with their lives. Whilst the Coalition that followed the 2010 election was quite unique, the actual votes cast on the day hardly showed any huge backlash against the traditional power structure.

The same appears to be happening with Hackgate. Whilst the politically aware are arguing over Government interference in the media industry and the morals of hacking private individuals phones, the vast majority of the country has expressed a typically British mild disapproval along the lines of "Well that's just not on" and carried on buying their regular newspaper.

Whilst, like the expenses scandal, I expect this to have effects on individuals as well as particular newspapers and organisations, I really cannot believe based on past evidence and an almost universal lack of public anger that this story will change anything in the long term for the industry as a whole. In my opinion this will be just another storm in a teacup, dancing round the edges of a much larger issue.

I hope I'm wrong, and that this spirals into an earthshatteringly pivotal moment in the history of the media, British politics and our country where the way things are done gets better.  But I seriously doubt this will result in anything beyond cosmetic changes such as the News of the World being replaced by a seven day Sun newspaper.

Nothing to see here.

If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist

Time For The Coalition (And It's Haters) To Grow Up

I've been asking for an open and honest Coalition since the start. The way Nick Clegg decided to go (to embrace every facet of the Coalition) was one I felt was not reflective of his "big idea" of the "new politics". I wanted the Tories and Lib Dems to be clear that they believed different things and were simply working together on a joint platform in the country's interests.

I know, I'm a naive idealist whose hopes would have been dashed against the rocks of a cynical population, a deceitful opposition and an idiotic media.

But now is the time for the Tories and Lib Dems to stop the "love-in" and remember we are individual parties who care enough about the future of our country to work alongside each other.

As a Liberal Democrat, NOTHING that has been revealed in the last few days by the Daily Telegraph's "sting" has been news to me at all. Did the media really fall for Labour's narrative about the Lib Dems being "yellow Tories"? Did Labour really believe it too? Why is it so shocking that Lib Dem Ministers have Lib Dem beliefs (and don't really like Tories)?

It's time for us to treat the population like grown ups and show there IS division in Government (no more than the not so secret internal war between Blairites and Brownites that we had for years under Labour) and that is actually part of our strength.

If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist

I'd Like To Claim Asylum Somewhere Where The Express Isn't Published

The Daily Express. It's never been a paper I've had much time for. Even during my time as a paper boy, it barely featured as hardly anyone ordered it. But as an avid Private Eye reader, it's nonsense stories and colourful owner often have me raising an eyebrow.

Well it's set a new precedent today when not only were BOTH eyebrows raised at once by the front page, but also my blood pressure and bad temper noticeably increased.

Their story, as shown on the right, was regarding the welcome news that it's not acceptable to send someone to a country where they might face torture, imprisonment or execution just for being themselves.

Lord Rodger's comments, quoted in the article, have been condemned; however I feel that whilst unhelpful, his analogy was innocent and he admitted they were stereotypical. But the coverage of the news by the loony papers has not just been unhelpful it has been both prejudiced and baffling.

The main issue for the Express, and it's sister the Daily Star ("No Room For Gays"), is not that the asylum seekers are gay. It's in fact mainly just that they are asylum seekers, and that now they fear (as always) our country is about to be overrun by asylum seekers claiming to be gay.

Of course we have two issues with that 1) what's their alternative? Send people off to be killed just in case someone gets in by incorrectly claiming they were gay? The cost/benefit of that are pretty damn clear to a sensible person! 2) how many people will use that excuse? I can see it being interesting culturally for some to claim they are gay when they aren't. I suspect it won't be an issue.

So what we have is scaremongering, on the most disgusting level, in order to keep out the "dirty foreigners". These people will happily have blood on their hands just because they don't like people who aren't like them. Disgraceful. Disturbing. So no surprise there from these papers then...

If you feel benevolent and particularly generous, this writer always appreciates things bought for him from his wishlist