Ed’s Inbox – July 15th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

If Ed Miliband could only read five blogposts each day, he’d read these ones…

Is Piers next on the chopping block? – Left Foot Forward
By Tom Rouse

Despite the resignation of Rebekah Brooks it looks like the true extent of phone hacking in the British media is only just beginning to unravel. It will come as no surprise to most that the News of the World is not the only paper were misdeeds are alleged to have occurred, with Piers Morgan’s time as editor of the Daily Mirror currently under the spotlight.

Piers-MorganAttention is now turning to how the Mirror obtained their exclusive, prize winning exposé of the affair between Ulrika Jonsson and Sven-Göran Eriksson, with critics of Morgan alleging the exclusive was a direct result of phone hacking and that he was not only aware of the illegal activity, but encouraged its use. – Read more.

News of the World replacement to be called simply “Sunday”? – Political Scrapbook
By Political Scrapbook

Rumours are swirling that Rupert Murdoch’s replacement for the News of the World will be edited by current Sun showbiz editor Victoria Newton and launch as soon as August 7 – with the first edition free. Eschewing the tongue-twisting “Sun on Sunday” title for pithy wordplay, however, Scrapbook has heard whispers that Britain’s newest red top could be called simply “Sunday”. – Read more.

Nick Clegg changes his tune on the media – The Staggers
By Duncan Robinson

In April, Clegg thought that the press barons and their newspapers were irrelevant – yesterday, however, they all-powerful and had to be stopped.

Nick Clegg called for an overhaul of the British media in a speech on Thursday. The media, he argued, was too powerful, not plural and in need of proper regulation. He also offered a mea culpa for the political classes’ failure to deal with the problem until now.

“In recent decades the political class has consistently failed to stand up to the media. Seeking to curry favour with powerful media barons or prevent their own personal lives from being splashed across the front pages.”

This is a far cry from the Nick Clegg that Jemima Kahn interviewed for the New Statesman in April. – Read more.

Why Charlie Gilmour was sentenced fairly within the law – Liberal Conspiracy
By Lee Griffin

There’s a bit of a fuss going on about Charlie Gilmour, and how apparently it’s outrageous that he has been sentenced to 16 months in prison (which, we all know, will only end up being 8 or so).

This outrage is bollocks.

You only have to take a look at the sentencing history for “Violent Disorder”, coupled with Mr Gilmour’s nature in court (allegedly giggling at scenes of his actions), tempered by the fact he pleaded guilty and apologised for certain (but not all) actions. – Read more.

Glasman: women are central to Blue Labour – Next Left
By Ivana Bartoletti and Seema Malhotra

“Blue Labour is a form of contemporary feminism,” Maurice Glasman argues, in a conversation to be published in the first issue of the Fabian Women’s Network (FWN) new magazine this September.

Glasman’s stirring claim may come as a surprise to his more vocal critics, who have been asking where (if anywhere) women fit into the Blue Labour project. The encounter was a great opportunity for FWN to start off a conversation that can test and challenge the faultlines of the Blue Labour and feminism debate. – Read more.