A couple of years ago the News of the Screws…er…News of the World lost two reporters to jail when they were convicted of illegally hacking into the voicemail messages of various people, including senior members of the Royal Family. The then-editor, Andy Coulson, although he stated that he knew nothing of the hacking, took responsibility and resigned. Story over.
The story has been reignited recently as various political figures, including the recently-ennobled Lord Prescott (who was Deputy Prime Minister under Tony Blair), have asked the Metropolitan Police to confirm whether or not their mobile phones were similarly hacked. The Met has, so far, stalled in providing information to these people. The noble lord has now said that if he doesn’t get a satisfactory answer he’ll ask a judge to review the information.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a former reporter on the News of the World has stated that Andy Coulson actually encouraged him to illegally tap into people’s voicemail messages.
You ask: Why is this convulsing the country right at the moment, when economic and political upheaval threatens the jobs and the life of our country? Because the Director of Communications for the Prime Minister, David Cameron, is one, er, Andy Coulson.
Downing Street is saying that Andy Coulson is “going nowhere”—a phrase that could be taken two ways, of course. I believe they mean that he will not be resigning. Unfortunately, this story is going to go on and on until, inevitably, Coulson is forced to resign under a cloud, whether anything is proven against him or not.
Interestingly, the New York Times, in the Magazine, printed a very long expos