Quote of the day: The buck stops right here

May 30, 2012 2:16 pm

Worth remembering today, that when Cameron was asked about whether it was a mistake to hire Andy Coulson, he said:

“I’m responsible for the decisions I take, the people I employ, the government I run.  The buck stops right here, and I take full responsibility for every single thing I do.”

 

  • AlanGiles

    Don’t know if this is old news or not since I have been out of contact with a radio since lunchtime, but Andy Coulson has now been charged with perjury (just heard it on BBC Radio4)

    • http://twitter.com/mistyblulabour dave stone

      Wonder if Coulson will call Cameron as a character witness…

  • Daniel Speight

    It’s all rather strange. In a trial where one man was charged and convicted of perjury and Coulson was a witness, the witness is now charged with perjury. I wonder if News International can ever get its reputation out of the gutter, or whether it even matters as Fox News seems to prove in the negative.

    • AlanGiles

      I should think there are a lot of unsafe convictions now, now that the NOTW in particular has been so discredited.

      In some ways it makes you wonder why so much credence was ever placed on that loathsome rag, when you remember the antics of the “Fake Sheik”  Wade/Brooks managing to confuse paedophiles with paediatricians and so on.

      Talking of Brooks, there is a withering put-down of her by Richard Ingrams in the “Oldie”:

      “semi-educated,  conceited, ruthless, and when it suits her, flirtatious…her long straggly, flame-coloured strands of hair make her look like some ghastly harridan who in older, more enlightend times, would have been burned at the stake”.

      Of course, Mr Ingrams may say that – I couldn’t possibly comment!

      * Harold McNair (1931-1971)

      • Hugh

        It was neither the Fake Sheik nor Wade Brooks who managed to confuse paedophiles with paediatricians, but a member of the public.

        • AlanGiles

          Hugh, In her evidence to Levison, Brooks admitted that in a list of names and addresses she published as editor (and what did she expect her “readers” to do with that information – write them nice polite letters?) of the revolting defunct scandal-sheet, they had, indeed, published the name and address of a PAEDIATRICIAN. It was a mistake of course, but you could say that about the whole of her life and career.

          Young and inexperienced as she was, I think it should have been quite obvious – even to her – that if you hand an angry readership ammunition they are going to use it. She seemed to thrive on confrontation – the fact that she was held in custody overnight in 2005 for common assault against her then partner rather proves that she doesn’t think in a mature way. Or at all.

          *  Andy Panyai  (1964 -    )

          • Hugh

             ”Brooks admitted that in a list of names and addresses she published as
            editor …they had, indeed, published the name and address of a
            PAEDIATRICIAN.”

            No she didn’t – or if she did it didn’t make it into the transcript of her evidence.

            http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/evidence/?witness=rebekah-brooks

            The vandalism on the paeditrician’s home occured at the same time as the News of the World campaign but that was the only link to the paper. 

          • AlanGiles

            In a recorded excerpt played on the LBC Radio station at the time, Brooks said, in terms, that the newspaper HAD in error published a particular name and address – and that the person concerned was a paediatrician.

            I suggest you contact LBC Radio yourself as I don’t recall the date of the broadcast

          • Hugh

             An excerpt from the inquiry hearing?

            The relevant parts of the testimony (the only times the word paediatrician was mentioned) are these::

            1) 11   ” Q. Were there any reprisals?

            There were two that are written about.

            LORD JUSTICE LEVESON: Does that include the paediatrician?

            A. It does, sir, yes.

            MR JAY: The natural and foreseeable consequence of a sensationalised campaign, wouldn’t you agree, Mrs Brooks?

             A. No, I think the — I don’t think anyone could have predicted the paediatrician situation.”

            and 2) “Q. ..I would suggest to you, that which would be patently obvious to anyone else and which ought to have been obvious to an editor exercising your position, role and power. Would you not agree?

            A. No, I won’t agree because I did not predict there was going to to be a riot in Paul’s Grove and I didn’t predict that somebody, a member of the public, would mistake a paedophile for a paediatrician. I don’t think anybody could have predicted that.”

          • Hugh

             It’s also notable that in none of the reports about the actual incident of vandalism when it happened is the mistake of the News of the World that you’re alluding to mentioned.

      • http://twitter.com/mistyblulabour dave stone

        “that loathsome rag”

        The reporting by the Murdoch press of events surrounding the death of Ian Tomlinson in London during G20 protests was another indication the rotten corporate core our politicians preferred to ignore. Murdoch’s mouthpieces reported demonstrators had prevented the police from assisting Mr Tomlinson. In fact, the police prevented three people (including demonstrators – one of whom was a medical student) from assisting Mr Tomlinson.

        One must assume editorial staff, for ideological reasons, disregarded facts in an attempt to discredit demonstrators.

        • John Dore

          Coulson Brooks etc thought they were above the law and now its great to see them getting their cumuppence. 
          I still maintain the Mail is worse and must be dealt with. It wields too much power.

        • Hugh

           I’d more likely assume the police lied to them and they accepted it.

  • MonkeyBot5000

    It’ll get a few laughs on Mock The Week and Have I Got News For You, but that’s all that’ll come of it. Just like Gordon Brown’s;

    “I take full responsibility and that’s why the person responsible has gone.”

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Graeme-Hancocks/1156294498 Graeme Hancocks

    Cameron? Responsibility? The two things are incompatible.

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