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Nick Davies – Guardian July 8 2009 “..But one senior source at the Met told the Guardian that during the Goodman inquiry, officers found evidence of News Group staff using private investigators who hacked into “thousands” of mobile phones. Another source with direct knowledge of the police findings put the figure at “two or three thousand” mobiles. They suggest that MPs from all three parties and cabinet ministers, including former deputy prime minister John Prescott and former culture secretary Tessa…

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Is this how Brown could be vulnerable over Afghanistan? With Speaker Bercow taking the sword to the House tradition of referring to ‘Honourable Members’ it was interesting to be reminded that in years past MPs who were Barristers were referred to as ‘Learned Members’ and those with military service referred to as ‘Gallant Members’. Whilst there is no shortage of lawyers in the House of Commons nowadays, the number of MPs with a military background is at an historically low…

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The above is a picture of Samuel Best Shaw, one of PB’s most long-last contributors who died yesterday. This is the profile that he wrote on himself for his blog. “I am married with two children. I recently qualified as a secondary school teacher, but I am unable to teach at the moment as I am fighting a brain tumour. I am passionate about Red Kites – hence the picture. I also claim to be a Liberal Democrat, though at…

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How could the province impact on the general election? As today’s July 12, it seems an appropriate time to cast an eye across the Irish Sea for a look at recent developments in Northern Irish politics. After all, the votes of Ulster MP’s have been critical in the past, from Callaghan’s lost motion of No Confidence to Major’s minority government becoming dependent on votes of minor parties to win votes. If the Conservatives fail to win the 120 or so…

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Will Afghanistan always repel invaders? I vividly remember one December Saturday morning thirty years ago listening to a Today programme discussion after the old USSR had invaded and sought to occupy Afghanistan. One studio “expert” argued that Moscow’s action was doomed to failure because invaders to the country always ended up as losers. He was proved right. Before their withdrawal nine years later 620,000 Soviet soldiers served in the country with a death toll of 14,453. On top of that…

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Just how important is his backing for Cameron? There’s a story running on Christopher Hope’s Telegraph blog that could have a big impact on the general election. He writes: “News has reached me of a potentially longer lasting side effect from “hacking gate”. Namely, that Rupert Murdoch has now decided once and for all to back David Cameron at the next general election..Murdoch’s decision has been set in stone by the all-out assault by Labour/The Guardian/the BBC on the News…

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