Murdoch: ‘no one will believe Cameron’


by Sunny Hundal    
8:00 am - March 26th 2012

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This was Rupert Murdoch on Twitter early this morning.

And he’s completely right of course – unless Cameron makes a very big symbolic statement on this issue (perhaps by limiting individual donations to £10,000 or less) – no one will believe him.

I also don’t buy the claim by some lefties that this is ‘payback’ by Murdoch. It was a very good investigation by the Sunday Times and any paper would run such a story if it had the opportunity. Well done to them.

The Murdoch tweet won’t be welcomed at No. 10…

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Barrie J

Murdoch’s comment might be said to be ‘Harsh but fair’, then I don’t know any single individual who believes anything any politician says.
Shock headline: I was only ‘in it’ to serve my constituents says disgraced M.P.

2. Richard

Given your notoriety for unreliable predictions and hunches, I shan’t be relying on this one either.

3. davidh

“Murdoch’s comment might be said to be ‘Harsh but fair’”

Come on there is more to it than that – on the face of it, you are right. No one operating with the power Murdoch has is giving his opinion simply because he thinks people would be interested in his views.

Underneath, there is a subtext, maybe around “you need my support”. What is not clear is whether Rupert is testing it to see if he still has this influence, or whether it is straightforward shot across Cameron’s bow. Alternatively it is a message to the public, which is trying to present an image of himself as a honest and trustworthy reflecter of the zeitgeist.

Perhaps we should add Murdoch to the list of people we should not believe?

4. GO

Still not sure why the Tories are troubling themselves to deny that a £250,000 donation will buy you a dinner with Cameron and/or Osborne. They openly promote ‘Donor’s Clubs’ on their website, based on the principle that larger donations = more access to more senior figures. For £5,000 you get to wine and dine with MPs, for £25,000 it’s ‘senior figures’, and for £50,000 it’s ‘David Cameron and other senior figures’.

http://www.conservatives.com/Donate/Donor_Clubs.aspx

So I’m not sure what their principled objection to accepting £250,000 in exchange for private meetings with Cameron and Osborne is supposed to be.

5. Chaise Guevara

@ 3 davidh

“Perhaps we should add Murdoch to the list of people we should not believe?”

Add?

6. bluepillnation

@4

Still not sure why the Tories are troubling themselves to deny that a £250,000 donation will buy you a dinner with Cameron and/or Osborne. They openly promote ‘Donor’s Clubs’ on their website…

Because the majority of the public won’t go to the trouble of visiting the donor’s section of the Tory party website, and therefore it goes more-or-less unnoticed – but splash it over the front pages of newspapers and on the telly and all of a sudden a significant number of eyebrows will be raised.

7. Cylux

Do we get to say Tory Sleeze again yet?

8. Bob B

“Do we get to say Tory Sleeze again yet?”

Anyone heard mention of brown envelopes yet, or caught sight of one being discreetly handed over?

9. Cylux

@8 What’s the overall difference between paying cash to have an MP ask the prime minister questions on your behalf at question time, and paying large sums to ask the prime minister your questions personally?

10. ukliberty

@G.O. I’m glad I’m not the only person wondering that.

What would otherwise be the point in donating for dinner? It doesn’t strike me that Cameron & co. are people you’d particularly want to have dinner with, unlike say your favourite sportsperson or actor or band or artist.

11. Bob B

@9 Cylux: “@8 What’s the overall difference between paying cash to have an MP ask the prime minister questions on your behalf at question time, and paying large sums to ask the prime minister your questions personally?”

The brown envelope issues in the early 1990s were about discreetly paying MPs to ask Parliamentary Questions (PQs).

The answers to PQs are immediately in the public domain and reported in Hansard. Everyone hears or reads the answers and the name of the MP who puts a PQ is also in the public domain. Other MPs, the media and the public are free to draw their own conclusions about what may have motivated the question and the information in the response. A MP kindly put down a technical, information-seeking question for me in the 1970s and he certainly didn’t ask for any cash. Here is an example of a PQ about the per capita cost of imprisonment – I’m not suggesting for a moment that anyone paid Philip Davies to ask it:

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost of a prison place in (a) England and (b) Wales was in the latest period for which figures are available. [32311]

Mr Blunt: For 2008-09 (latest period available), the overall average cost per place in England was £45,000 and, in Wales was £53,000 (figures to nearest 1,000).
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110111/text/110111w0003.htm

Meetings between “the public” and the PM or ministers are in private. It matters whether the civil service is present to minute the meeting – that’s a wise precaution to prevent comments or commitments being attributed later which were not, in fact, made. If not, there is nothing on public record and only the participants are aware of what was discussed.

The responses of the PM or ministers in private unminuted meetings are potentially worth more, possibly much more, because the responses are not in the public domain and might contain privileged information or early and, possibly, market sensitive information about government intentions or policy announcements. The PM or ministers may be alerted to a potential policy issue or the need for a policy review/reconsideration but that will only be known to those in the meeting.

Government departments are subject to a continuing barrage of lobbying pressures through incoming mail and meetings, not least with trade associations and professaional associations. Some lobbying is certainly self-serving, but not all. Governments and the civil service may get appreciated information and advice about the wider world that they were not previously aware of.

12. Barrie J

davidh at 3

Interesting point about Murdoch ‘testing the waters?’ Personally, I think he still has the power to influence and is still very much able to wield it.
As to trust or belief – he sits in the dock alongside politicians and much of the media.
I expect Levenson to come to nothing.

13. Steven

I bet Murdoch has a lot of info about Cameron and his workings. It’s just a matter of time. As they say “you mess with the dirty dog, expect to get fleas’.

14. Bob B

My guess is that we will never learn for sure the answers to two fundamental questions:

- Exactly what motivated the Sunday Times to mount a sting?
I don’t buy the narrative that it was in revenge for the Levenson inquiry. That’s too retrospective IMO and NI is worried about its business prospects.

- Why target Cruddas for a sting operation on donations to the Conservatives rather than other potential targets? Did the FT know about the pitch that Cruddas was spinning to donors? If so, why didn’t Cameron?

OK, so that’s four fundamental questions.

15. brian routh

how much does Murdoch charge?

16. Sir Peter Cusack

Mr Murdoch has the power of the press behind him. Whatever his reasons for publishing the truth about David Cameron are irrelevant.

17. Bob B

@16: “Whatever his reasons for publishing the truth about David Cameron are irrelevant.”

That’s nonsense, just as motive is crucial to any trial.

We really do need to know why the Murdoch press chose to mount a sting operation against the Conservatives and why it targeted Cruddas doing his spin to prospective party donors.

It really isn’t credible to believe this was the very first time Cruddas produced this spiel and just in time for the visit of the Sunday Times journalists. How does the Conservative Party come to appoint treasurers like that – and after the government had appointed Andy Coulson to work in Downing St as the Director of Communications?

18. Jimmy

The reasons are pretty obvious. The press is facing calls for state regulation. Murdoch would no doubt argue that politicians’ motives for seeking this are rarely pure, and this would be Exhibit A. Anyone assuming there won’t be an Exhibit B has not been paying attention.

19. Bob B

Jimmy: “The reasons are pretty obvious. ”

I agree – the motivation for the ST sting is likely to do with the proposed “reform” of the press complaints commission and why the press mustn’t be controlled.

There’s no reason to regulate legitimate political sting operations but there was a great deal of dishonest and misleading reporting in parts of the press, with little effective means of recourse, as well as the hacking, much of which was for trivial stories as best I can tell.

I mean, why did we need to know about Prince William’s knee injury, which is what led eventually to the jailing of the royal editor of the NOW, and Glenn Mulcaire, who was being paid an annual retainer of c. £100K? And then Andy Coulson, at one time editor of the NOW, claimed to have no idea as to why a retainer was being paid. The trouble is that much of the detail leading to the Levenson inquiry is likely to get forgotten about.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. sunny hundal

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  2. canuckuk

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  3. Mohammad Faisal

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  4. Vijay Srao

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  5. Charles Edward Frith

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  6. Kill the Bill

    Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  7. Rob Littler

    Even the Dirty Digger is turning on Cameron now. -> RT @davecameroon Et tu Rupert? – http://t.co/TXpyeO1r #CashforCameron

  8. Liberal Conspiracy

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  9. nicky clark

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  10. Paul Crowley

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  11. Maureen Czarnecki

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  12. Jason Brickley

    Murdoch: ‘no one will believe Cameron’ http://t.co/BuoaebyR

  13. karen pearson

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  14. Janette Scharenborg

    http://t.co/J6aBFt5p turns on his best mate #Cameron #justice is so sweet #noose getting tighter, just need someone to pull very #hard!!

  15. seuss

    Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  16. w.m o'mara

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  17. spencer bungard

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  18. Jon Finnigan

    http://t.co/J6aBFt5p turns on his best mate #Cameron #justice is so sweet #noose getting tighter, just need someone to pull very #hard!!

  19. Jane Phillips

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  20. leftlinks

    Liberal Conspiracy – Murdoch: ‘no one will believe Cameron’ http://t.co/OkSQHqTT

  21. Tim Easton

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  22. Ben Folley

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  23. Joy Johnson

    RT @sunny_hundal: Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/X4QdT9Cy #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  24. Lynne Jones

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  25. Steve Clark

    http://t.co/J6aBFt5p turns on his best mate #Cameron #justice is so sweet #noose getting tighter, just need someone to pull very #hard!!

  26. seuss

    Murdoch: ‘no one will believe Cameron’ | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/C9ORu1lH via @libcon

  27. sunny hundal

    Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  28. Kal Singh Dhindsa

    Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  29. Dale Hayes

    Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  30. Chris Paul

    Murdoch: ‘no one will believe Cameron’ | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/C9ORu1lH via @libcon

  31. Greenshift

    Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  32. David Cameroon

    Et tu Rupert? – http://t.co/XNUuMz9Q #CashforCameron

  33. Shalini

    Et tu Rupert? – http://t.co/XNUuMz9Q #CashforCameron

  34. Paul Trembath

    Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  35. Paul Wood

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  36. Janet Graham

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  37. HeHisSelf

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  38. Michelle

    Murdoch: ‘no one will believe Cameron’ | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/KrPTiQca

  39. Janet Graham

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  40. Janet Graham

    Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  41. Padbrit

    RT @sunny_hundal: Even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/EEdNiUuj #CashforCameron (link fixed)

  42. Mark Raven

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  43. Ravi Subramanian

    Murdoch: ‘no one will believe Cameron’ http://t.co/XY20O81K < never thought I would ever agree with Murdoch

  44. Sam Kington

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/nz4jvPO2

  45. TeresaLouiseDrummond

    Very amusing: even Rupert Murdoch says "no one will believe Cameron" – http://t.co/KKDTjq2J #CashforCameron

  46. Staffordshire UNISON

    Murdoch: ‘no one will believe Cameron’ http://t.co/XY20O81K < never thought I would ever agree with Murdoch

  47. Hermes Trismegistus

    Murdoch: 'no one will believe Cameron' http://t.co/AFJ10V7R #uk #notw





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