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The victims of phone hacking
According to news reports today, David Cameron has been accused of betraying the victims of phone hacking. In taking a principled stand against statutory regulation of the press in England, Cameron, like Alex Salmond has done in Scotland, is articulating a liberal position that I find very easy to agree with.
Many of the victims of the misbehaviour of the tabloid press have seen criminal cases develop from their stories. People have been jailed for phone hacking, and there are many pending criminal prosecutions. It is right that the victims have their opinions heard where a criminal act has occurred, and when it relates to the crime and the punishment for that crime.
But to be a victim of a specific criminal behaviour is a long way from making one an expert in the industry that encompasses the criminals. These victims — particularly the high profile media personalities — have their own agenda and are working with effective pressure groups to influence parliament. They cannot be expected to care about the impact that regulation may have on the newspaper industry, or to value traditional freedoms when they run counter to their immediate interests.
And I’m filled with the urge to stick my fingers in my ears and say “la la la” every time that Hugh Grant appears on the news.
Many of the victims of the misbehaviour of the tabloid press have seen criminal cases develop from their stories. People have been jailed for phone hacking, and there are many pending criminal prosecutions. It is right that the victims have their opinions heard where a criminal act has occurred, and when it relates to the crime and the punishment for that crime.
But to be a victim of a specific criminal behaviour is a long way from making one an expert in the industry that encompasses the criminals. These victims — particularly the high profile media personalities — have their own agenda and are working with effective pressure groups to influence parliament. They cannot be expected to care about the impact that regulation may have on the newspaper industry, or to value traditional freedoms when they run counter to their immediate interests.
And I’m filled with the urge to stick my fingers in my ears and say “la la la” every time that Hugh Grant appears on the news.
Petitions and democracy
A petition is a useful indicator of the strength of public opinion on an issue. Not, in itself, reason to *act* - but reason to investigate further. In those cases, the approach is that any issue reaching a certain number of petition signatures must then be put to a binding referendum, which of course delivers a much more useful indicator of democratic opinion on an issue: a bad idea with 100,000 vocal supporters still won't get anywhere that way.
I do wonder how many of the signatories to that petition have actually read all the 2,000-odd pages and fully considered the 92 policy recommendations they are demanding be enacted ... if any.