Shami Chakrabarti comes down on the side of liberty – well, one would suppose that she would – over Leveson’s ideas for reform of press regulation.
Ms Chakrabarti, one of six assessors who worked on the Leveson Inquiry, said: “We were chosen as advisers because of our areas of expertise.”
“Mine is human rights law and civil liberties. In a democracy, regulation of the press and imposing standards on it must be voluntary.”
“A compulsory statute to regulate media ethics in the way the report suggests would violate the act, and I cannot support it.”
“It would mean the press was being coerced in being held to higher standards than anyone else, and this would be unlawful.”
I hadn’t thought about the HRA particularly, merely that this whole thing was far too knee-jerk. The scandal that kicked off this witch hunt was illegal anyway, so prosecute the offenders and be done with it. Nor, for that matter, do I have over much sympathy for the celebrities who were too lazy, stupid and ignorant not to make the simple change to their answer phone PIN. Good God, it only takes a moment and even a lobotomised cretin could manage it.
I do, however, have immense sympathy for those ordinary people who find themselves on the receiving end of a media frenzy because they happen to be involved in a major news story. And, when the press turns nasty and starts slinging mud, they have little recourse available to them. Celebrities can afford to take the bastards to court, you and I would think twice because we cannot afford to lose. The PCC should have been there for those people and it wasn’t. So, yes, I do believe the PCC should have been beefed up and given some teeth in the event of bad behaviour. I would also have liked to see it become easier for ordinary people damaged by the press to be able to get matters sorted out with full front page apologies along with damages that hurt the publications involved.
What we did not and do not need is government backed regulation. That is to take us into the dark days of totalitarian states. So Charabarti is right.
Ms Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said Labour leader Ed Miliband had been “hasty” in declaring his full backing for the Leveson report.
I’m sorry, but why does anyone take this ridiculous little prick seriously? Really?
Campaign group Hacked Off, which represents people who have been victims of press intrusion, has launched a petition for Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendations to be carried out in full. So far it has about 90,000 signatures.
So? That doesn’t make them right, though, and they are not.
Chakrabarti:
“The outcome they should be seeking is a free and vibrant press with access to justice for the public when things go wrong.”
Precisely.
Labour leader Ed Miliband has said Prime Minister David Cameron must back Lord Justice Leveson’s proposal by Christmas.
Is that buffoon still wittering on? And why does everything have to be done by Christmas. What has Christmas got to do with anything? Why is a poltroon like milipede minor in charge of a political party? Talk about over promoted. Everything this twat says confirms it. And, God help us, given Cameroid’s performance this past couple of years, we are likely to see him in Number 10.
If Mr Cameron has not signed up by then, Mr Miliband says he will pull out of cross-party talks.
The appropriate response to that is; “bye”.
Press Complaints Commission chairman Lord Hunt has said the Press Complaints Commission should be replaced by another organisation within months, although the idea of legislation has been largely rejected by newspapers.
You won’t often find me in agreement with the MSM, but just this once we are in accord. But, then, that is because politicians are the one species lower than newspaper journalists…
“Nor, for that matter, do I have over much sympathy for the celebrities who were too lazy, stupid and ignorant not to make the simple change to their answer phone PIN. Good God, it only tales a moment and even a lobotomised cretin could manage it.”. Spell-check only “tales” a moment too but you’ve not bothered with that. Just because they haven’t done something technological doesn’t mean they should all their private info dragged out.
Where, precisely, did I say anything of the sort? Take your time.
Spell checkers do not pick up correctly spelled words – and everyone misses the occasional typo. If you want to contribute something sensible as opposed to a childish snipe based upon a straw man fallacy, feel free. However, if this is the level of debate we can expect, then kindly don’t bother.
It’s very dismissive of people who’ve been affected, trivially or not, including some who are working hard in their own time to ensure popular and supportive policy.
It seems any representation would be wasted on you
If they cannot be bothered to take even the most basic of precautions then they do not deserve sympathy and get none from me.
So what? What do you want me to do? They are supporting a policy that will lead to state control of the media. Popular and right are sometimes two different things. They certainly are here. So, yes, I’ll dismiss them and deservedly so. You expect me to cheer them on, when they are nothing more than useful idiots? You have a very long wait.
When it is based upon stupidity; yes, damn right.
So, you’re basing your whole counter argument on one typo? That’s a bit desperate isn’t it?
He doesn’t have an argument. He saw something he didn’t like and shot from the hip without engaging his brain. The resulting straw man that he couldn’t defend got the contempt it so richly deserved.
If our politicians were anything other than witless fools, they would have come out, on mass, to say that press freedom in totally non-negotiable. For all of its many faults, a free press is essential for a functional democracy to exist. Even if they don’t actually want a functional democracy to exist, seeing as it is a threat to their free ticket to ride on the tax funded gravy train, they must be vaguely aware that the plebs must stay convinced that their vote matters.
Except, even now, people like the McCanns, the Dowlers & Mr Jefferies have been let down.
Why have criminal prosecutions not been brought against the papers that smeared Mr J, for instance?
Their coverage was such, that (as was quite likely) the plod had fucked-up & charged Mr J, the trail would have collapsed immediately, because of their lying & tendentious “reporting”. Ditto the plod for leaking such infalammatory stuff in the first place.
I wonder how much of this “press” misbehaviour is down to corrupt & incompetent police operations.
Remember how close in bed the plod were with the Murdoch slime-press?
Or how police seem to have got away with a serious criminal assult with GBH on a blind man, a couple of months ago?
Yes, L-R, you are quite correct, criminal acts (under EXISTING law) were committed. HAven’t seen many prosecutions, yet, & I’m notholding my breath waiting, either.
Exactly what is all this wittering on about preserving the “free press” from government control? When exactly have we had a free press? We have a press that is prints what is in the interests of its wealthy ownership class to print and suppresses anything that is not. What we actually have is press control of government and that is what the tabloid outcry over Levenson is really about, ending that cozy corrupt relationship.
Up is down;
Black is white;
Slavery is freedom;
And two wrongs make a right.