Good grief!

[blamebrampton]

Just when I think that the Murdoch hearing won't get any more interesting than the revelation Rupes frequently visited the PM through his backdoor (cue audience chortles) ...

An audience member slaps Rupert with a cream pie ...

AND WENDY DENG FLIES THROUGH THE AIR AND WHACKS THE CHAP IN THE FACE!

*Sniffs* Once again, the Murdochs can be relied on to turn serious news into entertainment.

(It's only funny because no one was hurt. But given no one was hurt, it's pretty fucking funny!)

Comments

[potteresque_ire]

What a waste of perfectly good pie! (I thought it was a plate of shaving cream?)

*Mourns her beloved comrade. RIP, my fellow pie, and may your suicide mission be awarded by thousands of cherries in Heaven...*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Many 'cream pies' turn out to be nothing more than shaving foam, alas. Still, as a means of political protest or public comment, even foam is comparatively benign.

But yes, may all pies find their eternal cherries! (That sounds so much ruder than I meant it to. And now I really want some pie!)

[potteresque_ire]

*giggles* I want pie now too, but must refrain as I am not a ... a... what's that word that describes a creature that eats its fellow species? *sighs*

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

Cannibal pie. Which is quite gruesome, if you think of it. "The Attack of Cannibal Pies from Space!" would have been a proper horror story...

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Definitely an Ed Wood movie!

[ladyjaneva.livejournal.com]

Plan 10 from outer Space

[(Anonymous)]

Gripping stuff. I'm hanging out for the "Witch of Wapping".

Charlotte

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I may not get any sleep tonight at this rate! And yes, gripping is the word.

[skriftlig.livejournal.com]

Apparently the man also called him a "greedy billionaire". Shame his pie-throwing abilities weren't as accurate.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, he clearly took out the jacket ...

Vaz, Tom Watson, and erstaz pies.

[wemyss.livejournal.com]

So good to see the dignity of Parliament on display.

Re: Vaz, Tom Watson, and erstaz pies.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Pies and biff aside, there has been a degree of seriousness on both sides that is welcome.

I am willing to believe that the Murdochs may not have known the details at the time, but they should have learned them subsequently rather than relying on managers or solicitors. I wish that I could believe closing NOTW was done out of disgust, but the liquidators are legally obliged to limit liability, so it reads just as strongly as a sensible move to make a lot of problems go away.

The Murdochs are not stupid people, but they have allowed stupidity to flourish because it turns a profit.

Now they have not only brought the industry into disrepute, but risk restrictions being put in place that will make it easier for governments and private companies to get away with actions that should be rightly exposed to the light of an unfettered media. And at the cost of jobs belonging to people who never had any power to make any changes.

I accept that Rupert has a very large company. Perhaps his energies might have been better spent on a slightly smaller one, run with more detailed oversight.

[shocolate.livejournal.com]

It was such an awesome protest!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I confess, I am always a fan of thrown pies. I think I directed 1920s comedies in a previous life ...

[shocolate.livejournal.com]

The bbc webste says he said "you naughty billionaire" !!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Now it just sounds like the start of the worst porno ever!

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha, it's like he's Lucius Malfoy!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

Aw, I would so much prefer "pie" and "naughty" to the shaving cream and "greedy" we were told about.

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

With all the backdoors and cream pies, you'd think the double entendre's on purpose. O glorious English language!

In this day and age, it seems that the Parliaments of the world are only there for public entertainment. At least there appears to be no problem with fulfilling this particular duty.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Don't ask about the Black Rod ...

It is a fascinating committee, I only hope that the next step is not restrictions of the press. There are already perfectly adequate laws in place to stop the behaviours that are being rightly condemned here.

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

I'm almost afraid to ask.

Let's hope they think themselves fascinating enough and not decide to draw more attention by coming up with unpopular laws...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid that restrictions on the press might be very popular in Britain right now. This is at the heart of the disservice Brooks and the Murdochs have done to the industry.

Don't think for a moment that I against journalists being held responsible for their actions, I think that we should be held to account for all of our actions, and that in some cases it is appropriate to judge us more harshly than members of the general public for failing in our diligence (as is the case for other professionals when they fail in theirs - doctors, teachers and so on).

[chantefable.livejournal.com]

I do not doubt your wisdom and integrity, not for a nanosecond.

But populist laws can do the opposite of benefiting the people? I hope they think this through.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yes, despite people's justifiable anger with the press over this issue, it would be a worse world if there were fewer media freedoms, because then there would be more cover-ups in other, more vital fields such as government. Despite some people paying lip service to public demands, I do not think such laws would pass -- both sides of politics rely on the media to spot the perfidy of the other ;-)

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Aaaaaand you've just described France.

Give me the UK free-for-all any time.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yes, the example of French restrictions is one reason I am confident that despite people talking about a need to tame the media, it won't occur. Both sides of the house know that any benefit they might receive would be more than outweighed by what they would lose in being able to rely on the other side being checked rigorously. And the 'benefits' are slight – they can all be made redundant simply by politicians acting as they should, legally and morally.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

Er no, not at all.

No one is in favour of restrictions on the press other than trying not to hack phones, lie and cheat.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

That's not wholly accurate. David Cameron was last week proposing that all meetings between journalists and MPs would have to be fully recorded, which would be a significant restriction.

However, I absolutely agree that adherence to the law as it stands is the least that can be expected of my colleagues.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

No, that's not a restriction. That's transparency. No one says the meeting can't take place.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's not transparency, it's a revelation of sources, which is against our ethical codes. Most political scandals of the last century would not have been uncovered with such a rule in place.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

I hardly think that knowing the proprietor of a paper has been to see the PM leads to revealing sources.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

If the PM was pushing only for revelations that media owners were meeting with the PM, I could live with that. But he did say all journalists with all politicians.

I do think, however, that it is a thing he said, because he thought it would be well received in the moment, rather than something that he would wish to legislate.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and who would review the recordings? It opens the door to official surveillance.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

They're not going to be recorded in the sense of being taped, but being recorded in the sense of a note being made of their occurence. In the same way that hopsitality with businessmen is disclosed on member's interests.

So no, not it doesn't open the door to official surveillance.

Nor would it do so if the person giving the briefing actually were being taped and then chose to make it public. The point about protecting sources is that it only applies if the source wants.

If the PM chooses to be open about who he meets and what is said at those meetings, then that's democracy.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

And that dick Neil Kinnock wants print media to be controlled "like TV."

[meredyth-13.livejournal.com]

What I want to know is how much this 'public questioning' is actually orchestrated by Murdoch and Co, as if they were ever brought to trial over this it could be argued that no jury would be able to act without prejudice due to this information.

After all - it's not really a political issue in that the pollies aren't able to charge him with anything or act on the information given in any way that's going to influence things - it's a criminal case under investigation which should be handled by the appropriate investigators (assuming we actually have any left after recent resignations).

I feel very cynical about this entire process right now, although I'm sure you'll set me straight on my naivety. :D

[schemingreader.livejournal.com]

I was listening to BBC World service in the car and noticed that the BBC announcer cut off the female MP as she began to ask the last question, in order to sum up all the "important" questions asked by male MPs...and therefore was all "Oh, what happened?" when the pie was thrown.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

OH I missed that, sounds a treat

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It will be replayed widely, and is very much worth catching. She's quite athletic!

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Wendi Deng is my new hero. She's a scrapper! She defends her man! She packs a mean right cross! GO WENDI!

[ariannagray.livejournal.com]

(It's only funny because no one was hurt. But given no one was hurt, it's pretty fucking funny!)

This! xD I found it hilarious.

[sarcasticpixie.livejournal.com]

ACCIO INFOGRAPHIC!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303795304576456213707284104.html?mod=e2tw

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

One paper called her his wife in the text and his daughter in the caption under his photo. Understandable, but confusing for someone avoiding such people (usually); plus the female baddies hair makes me feel like back in childhood when mine marked me out as a target!

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

You are naughty. Ha ha!

[nuclearsugars.livejournal.com]

I can't wait for the tv movie of this.