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Category: Hacking scandal

Leveson – are we heading for statutory independent press regulator?

Leveson – are we heading for statutory independent press regulator?

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Revised chart showing support in YouGov poll for statutory press regulation broken down by newspapers read. twitter.com/MSmithsonPB/st… — Mike Smithson (@MSmithsonPB) November 28, 2012 The report’s out at 1pm tomorrow Thursday looks set to be a big political day with three Westminster by-elections and the publication of the Leveson report. Dave got his copy this morning and no doubt they’ll be working hard on his response planned for tomorrow afternoon. One possible issue is that the PM and DPM could…

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Could EdM be the only one left standing?

Could EdM be the only one left standing?

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Does today’s news put Dave’s future in doubt? Today’s dramatic announcement from the Crown Prosecution Service isn’t good news for David Cameron and must raise the prospect of him not making it through as leader to the general election set for May 2015. There is a growing anti-Cameron faction within the parliamentary party and there must be a possibility that this could add to it. This combined with the growing chorus for Vince Cable with the Lib Dems opens up…

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Could the Sun end up turning to UKIP at the next general election?

Could the Sun end up turning to UKIP at the next general election?

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Might its days of ‘backing the winner’ be over? One consequence of the phone hacking scandal is that there’s almost no chance of The Sun backing Labour in 2015. Ed Miliband has gone out of his way to pick a fight with the Murdochs and it’s doubtful whether he’d want the endorsement even if it were on the cards, which it surely isn’t. So if it’s The Sun wot wins it then it will back the Tories then? Well yes,…

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What, if anything, is Leveson going to say about Hunt?

What, if anything, is Leveson going to say about Hunt?

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Could Cameron be put on the spot about his handling? The hearing stage of the Leveson Inquiry into the media is drawing to a close with the prime minister, David Cameron, being today’s witness. It’s perhaps easy to forget the prime purpose of the Inquiry which is to “make recommendations on the future of press regulation and governance consistent with maintaining freedom of the press and ensuring the highest ethical and professional standards. The process, I’d suggest, has got somewhat…

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Was Dave right – Hunt is an open goal for Labour?

Was Dave right – Hunt is an open goal for Labour?

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Does the PM think he’s on shaky ground? Inevitably on the day of the Labour-instigated on Jeremy Hunt debate Ed Miliband devoted all his six questions at PMQs to the issue that will be voted on later. There was was strange line from Cameron. He claimed in the exchanges that the issue was an “open goal” for Miliband. Does that mean that the PM thinks that he is on shaky ground? It certainly came over like that. For what was…

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Remember the Sun front page from election day 2010

Remember the Sun front page from election day 2010

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The endorsement that failed to get the Tories a majority In spite of the backing of the Sun, of course, Dave didn’t win a majority. His party’s national vote share edged up just 3.7% and in spite of winning 100+ seats the Tories fell short. The final divide was the Conservative party 306 to 344 non-Tory seats. The 2010 outcome was unlike the paper’s endorsements at the 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections. I also wonder whether…

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Is Peter Oborne right – Dave’s job could be on the line?

Is Peter Oborne right – Dave’s job could be on the line?

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Channel 4 How dangerous is this week for the PM? There was, I believe, a degree of complacency in relation to Cameron in the previous thread on which of the three main party leaders would still be there at the general election. He’s still got a pile of hurdles to surmount. This week sees Dave and other leading figures including George going before Leveson as well as the Labour-generated debate on his handling of Jeremy Hunt. The real danger for…

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What about a Leveson-style inquiry for the banks?

What about a Leveson-style inquiry for the banks?

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Surely there are vital lessons to be learned? When something goes wrong, people inevitably look for someone to blame and politicians are often keener than most to assign blame, not least because if they get in early enough, there’s a better chance that the blame won’t land on them. All of which makes it surprising that the government’s not commissioned any overarching inquiry into the causes of the financial crisis – plainly the biggest thing to go wrong for many…

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