Defaultgeddon: A different kind of scare.

There's plenty to be afraid of with Defaultgeddon and the inevitable "compromise" but I had a different kind of scare this morning, The Australian, a Murdoch owned paper, has one of the best breakdowns of the issues surrounding this crisis I've read.

Take a look at it here

I mean a broken clock and all that but still, it has shaken my view of the world a little. Also when did Leonard Nemoy grow a goatee...?

Murdochgate = Watergate?

The Guardian's John Harris has written an article looking at how Murdochgate has unmasked the UK's political elite and how it will affect civil society in the future. I highly recommend you read this.

As the title implies I want to look at his allusion to Watergate at the end impacts things. First of all I want to direct you to a piece Noam Chomsky wrote in 1973, when admittedly the Watergate scandal had been running a bit longer (but then again info moves much faster now) but it is still very much a contemporary assessment. While Chomsky doesn't specifically predict the moral majority and Reagan, which Harris highlights as a key outcome of Watergate, he does accurately predict an increase and entrenchment of executive power over other branches of the US government.

There are also strong elements of Chomsky's main criticism, that Nixon was punished not for wrongdoing but for breaking the rules. For upsetting the cosy elite. In a similar sense Murdoch is receiving so much criticism because he used his influence to sway the political parties to do his will. This is not right, the press exists to influence the masses, to manufacture consent on issues the elite have already agreed upon. Even then it was only the revelations such as those about Milly Dowler that gave politicians enough cover to act in their own interests and take down Murdoch. Indeed Murdoch's strong connections to the elite before the past two weeks and even now is not a particularly large issue, other media groups seem to tacitly accept that influence and connection to the rich and powerful is a good thing, they were more jealous that they didn't hold as much power as Murdoch than worried about such close links between power and the fourth estate.

Finally to quote a paragraph of Chomsky's:

"Still more cynical is the current enthusiasm [from the media] over the health of the American political system, as shown by the curbing of Nixon and his subordinates, or by the civilized compromise that permitted Nixon and Kissinger to kill Cambodians and destroy their land only until August 15, truly a model of how a democracy should function, with no disorder or ugly disruption."

We are seeing a similar compartmentalisation of Murdoch's wrongdoing here, it is a British problem, it is a problem only with his papers, the TV arms of News Corporation in the UK and US is seperate and shouldn't be blamed. Close ties to a media oligarch by politicians in both main parties are seen as a sign of shame but not an indictment of the British political system as a whole.

The myth is still being maintained that this is a scandal that can be dealt with by the political class even though it is the creation of the political class. Removing Murdoch's influence removes an especially egregious symptom but it certainly does not cure the disease.

Phone Hacking Update!

Hot news, when Rebecca Brooks told a select committee that reporters for The Sun paid police officers for information, she didn't mean reporters for The Sun paid police officers for information.

Consider the matter cleared up!

Well actually to quote her:

If, in doing so, I gave the impression that I had knowledge of any specific cases, I can assure you that this was not my intention.

Which is, I suppose, very likely to be true even if not in the way the statement means it.

Britain is also not a democracy

Rupert Murdoch's Sunday newspaper The News of the World (a publication that challenges the World Series for the narrowest interpretation of "world") has been caught red handed hacking people's phones and has issued a public apology and offered payoffs specifically to those there is incontrovertible proof they hacked.

There are plenty of others with good cases and even some of those who've been offered bribes, including a Labour MP and former minister (political office, not God botherer), who may well not go for the deal. Indeed it seems the storm isn't breaking for News Corporation in the UK quite yet.

James Murdoch's elevation to No.3 in the hierarchy is interesting given the TV debates for the leaders of the three main parties before the election last year were his idea. The debates elevated Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, to an eminently popular figure and wholly undermined what had until then appeared to be an unopposed victory march for Murdoch vassal and friend of Rebekah Brooks; David Cameron. Sure the post debate surge didn't hold for the Lib Dems and the parliamentary party ended up merrily siding with the Conservatives to form a coalition government, betraying their grass roots and nearly everyone who'd voted for them at the first whiff of power but this was still a set back for the Conservatives and their patron Murdoch.

So why was he promoted? Well its difficult to choose a Mafia or Monarchy metaphor (hell they're both feudal dictatorships anyway) but essentially ol' Rupert has decided blood is thicker than water and getting his son to safety in a new country and new job, a new job that gives him considerable power over those who might reveal his misdeeds to British authorities, matters more than punishing him for accidentally allowing British politics to be opened up somewhat. Rebekah Brooks, renowned enforcer for the Murdoch family in the UK as the above article suggests, has not been given such a courtesy.

She may not be family but its hard to say she is any less influential and valuable to News Corp than James and indeed the pair were joined at the hip... even at less auspicious moments. Standing by the heir apparent during his fuckup garners no favours it seems.

News Corporation internal politics matter here because a king rushing his son out of his fiefdom does not imply supreme confidence the law can once again be ridden rough shod over. The reason for this seems to be the light of scrutiny. As is common with media magnates News Corporation has enjoyed considerable secrecy regarding its' affairs because of their power to set the agenda and its' general influence over media organisations. A line editor might want to work for a Murdoch paper, a reporter needs to keep their contacts and so on. The Phone Hacking controversy, at least to begin with, was a typical example of this.

A Charlie Brooker editorial from last September highlights this. While at that point the controversy had been rumbling on for a few months already coverage was muted and non-existent even in some non-Murdoch outlets. (Its still not worthy of attention in Murdoch outlets, my parents subscribe to The Times and in spite of the unprecedented Mea Culpa in the News of the World today there isn't a single mention of the story in The Times today). Coincidentally thats why I'm linking The Guardian so much here, they've just covered the issue more than most.

But it kept grinding on and because it affected MPs parliament kept on at it and slowly but surely its forced things out into the spotlight and this nullifies a lot of Murdoch's usual advantages. As the article points out the Metropolitan Police, who Brooks admits to giving payment, have thus far been wonderfully helpful to News Corp doing lax investigations that were sadly unable to turn up evidence that has now been admitted in the News of the World Mea Culpa. Going further back the Met and the News of the World have worked very closely together and with all that cooperation the Police gave one has to suspect that an understanding ear was given to any issues or problems the Met had regarding other news stories.

Now of course while having to face the select committee several times and public scrutiny increasing suddenly the Police are leaping into action. This will probably continue, with angry politicians and increasing public awareness they'll likely be forced to do their job for fear of facing actual punishment for their corrupt links to Murdoch.

Similarly the tremendous political influence Murdoch enjoys could be coming to bite him in the ass. Former prime minister Gordon Brown suspected he'd been hacked but failed to listen to a friendly warning from Rupert and lo and behold Murdoch switched his support to the Tories in the last election. Cameron was so "grateful" he even took on a Murdoch agent as his press secretary. Andy Coulson (the basis for "the fucker" Thick of it fans) who was an early sacrificial lamb to try and placate those who'd been hacked. With increasing unpopularity and general public unhappiness with Cameron allowing Murdoch to gain an increasing hold over the British media it is likely the conservatives, while in no way aiding the investigation, will be unable to do much to obstruct it either.

Thus it would seem News Corporation be in a fair bit of trouble in the UK at the minute with maybe even the potential for his BskyB deal to founder. This is however very much the stars coming into alignment and in the long term isn't likely a huge set back. Even if Rebekah Brooks is hung out to dry it will likely entail her being sacked and facing no criminal penalty. Then if she can survive the 6 months without a job without a heart attack or aneurysm she'll be parachuted into another powerful well paid position somewhere else in Murdoch's global empire. The elite know to look after loyal vassals, its simply a good investment.

Also in the wider world Murdoch's power is still doing just fine. There apparently exists on tape proof Fox News CEO Roger Ailes ordered a subordinate to lie to a criminal investigation. A felony. But of course this isn't getting any attention at all. Oh and not a particularly recent development but I did learn not too long ago that former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar is now a serving member of the News Corporation board of directors.

This investigation if anything just goes to show the tremendous power of the Murdoch family.