Andy Coulson throws in the towel

[David Johnson]

Well, looks like Cameron's Director of Communications, the former editor of the News of the World (that well-known centre for phone hacking) has finally given up the ghost and resigned.

For years he has been taking the "search me gov. dont know anything about it" line along with the rest of Murdoch's senior management.

Looks like he has finally run out of wriggle room. His defence that it was a single rogue reporter at NOW that got involved in phone hacking is fallen apart.

The private investigator employed by the paper, Glenn Mulcaire to hack celebs phones, admitted that the NoW's head of news, Ian Edmondson, had commissioned him to access voicemail messages. Edmondson was Coulson's appointment.

In the New York Times, a dozen former reporters said in interviews that hacking was pervasive at News of the World. 'Everyone knew,' one longtime reporter said. 'The office cat knew.

Looks like he jumped before things went completely pear-shaped.

Cheers
D

[max_tranmere]

What's really annoying is that well connected people like him never really lose. His earnings and the range of positions he will hold will increase as a result of him leaving. Just look how much money Alistair Campbell now earns.

[RoddersUK]

The shame is that some fucker pays the twatt.
So how much does the bad tempered arsehole earn?

[max_tranmere]

I don't know exactly what he earns but 'public speaking', which is something most ex senior politicans and similar do, pays a fortune. Alistair Campbell has done tours of Britain doing just that.

[Essex Lad]

Andy Coulson was on ?140,000 pa as director of comms at No 10.

[Robches]

It always struck me as a stupid appointment. The idea that the editor of a paper doesn't know where his stories are coming from doesn't make any sense. If he really didn't know he was a clueless twat, but no-one thinks he's that.

[David Johnson]

Agreed. Cameron's comments were more than a bit limp, stating that because Coulson had resigned as editor of the NOW, he had been punished twice! Meanwhile the number of celebs/politicians lining up to sue the NOW keeps on and on. At an average of 6 figures compensation per litigant it is quite a good earner.

Apparently legal sources say there are now 11 celebrities and public figures suing or preparing to sue the News of the World and the Met over phone hacking. They include the football agent Sky Andrews, Sienna Miller and Nicola Phillips who works for Max Clifford.

A judicial review bought by Labour MP Chris Bryant, Brian Paddick, a former Met deputy assistant commissioner, and freelance journalist Brendan Montague is expected to he heard this month. Former deputy prime minster John Prescott has joined that action.

Litigants, including comedian Steve Coogan, presenter Chris Tarrant, jockey Keiren Fallon and Sky Sports commentator Andy Gray, are expected to begin legal proceedings against the News of the World imminently for breach of privacy. A number of other unidentified public figures are also considering action.

I doubt if Cameron would be quite so sanguine if someone at another newspaper had hacked into his personal phone and used private conversations as the basis of stories in some tabloid rag.

Another thing that looks dodgy is that the Met appear to have made a piss poor job of carrying out the initial inquiry in terms of not going through the available evidence in enough detail, not telling a number of people that their phones had been hacked and not interviewing a wide enough cross-secition of NOW employees.

Who was in charge of the investigation? Andy Hayman. Who did he leave the police to work with as a columnist? News International.

Cheers
D

[Alex L]

Better late than never, obviously should never have been appointed!

[RoddersUK]

Would you pay to have a good dinner ruined by listening to the twatt?
I know I wouldn't, and I do go to some good dinners.

[RoddersUK]

Think Piers fucking Morgan.