Law to regulate UK press: PM Cameron against; Clegg and Miliband in favour
Prime Minister David Cameron rejected the idea of a law to regulate the British press risking a split in his government after an inquiry advised legal backing for a watchdog to police the sometimes outrageous conduct of newspapers
Opposing an independent regulator enshrined in law will delight the British press ahead of the 2015 election but may raise concern inside the coalition government that Cameron lacks the mettle to stand up to media barons such as Rupert Murdoch.
Cameron said he was wary of writing press regulation into law, a snub to the inquiry he ordered in July last year after public outrage at revelations that one of Murdoch’s tabloids hacked the phone messages of a 13-year-old murder victim.
“The issue of principle is that for the first time we would have crossed the Rubicon of writing elements of press regulation into the law of the land,” Cameron told Parliament, watched from the gallery by victims of phone-hacking who have campaigned for tougher rules to police Britain’s recalcitrant media.
“I’m not convinced at this stage that statute is necessary,” Cameron said, just hours after Lord Justice Brian Leveson reported on his inquiry which laid bare the cosy ties between British leaders, police chiefs and press barons.
Presenting his 1.987-page report opposite the House of Commons, Leveson said he had no intention of undermining three centuries of press freedom but that the press had at times “wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people” and was sometimes guilty of “outrageous” behaviour.
Leveson said it was essential that there should be legislation to underpin a new independent, self-regulatory body for the press that would be scrutinized by the broadcast regulator Ofcom and have the power to impose fines of up to one percent of turnover up to a maximum of one million pounds.
“The ball moves back into the politicians’ court: they must now decide who guards the guardians,” Leveson said.
The behaviour of Britain’s tabloid press has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. While British newspapers were unwilling to report on King Edward VIII’s affair with American divorcee Wallis Simpson in the 1930s, their conduct has since become much less restrained in the battle for readers.
As competition intensified, the tabloids turned on the private lives of the royal family, culminating in feverish coverage of Princess Diana, hounded by paparazzi as her marriage to Prince Charles collapsed.
At one point in the early 1990s, a government minister warned the tabloid press that they were “drinking in the last chance saloon”. At about the same time the Press Complaints Commission was set up, a self-regulating watchdog now deemed to have failed.
“I know of no organized profession, industry or trade in which the serious failings of the few are overlooked or ignored because of the good done by the many,” Leveson said.
While Cameron rejected immediate legislation, the leader of the opposition Labour Party said he supported Leveson’s proposals as did Cameron’s coalition partner, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
“There can be no more last chance saloons,” said Labour leader Ed Miliband, opening up the prospect of possible defeat in Parliament for Cameron if Labour joined forces with supporters of tougher rules inside the coalition parties.
In a sign of a split at the very heart of government, Clegg said legislation was the only real way to establish a new self-regulatory body for the press.
“Changing the law is the only way to give us all the assurance that the new regulator isn’t just independent for a few months or years, but is independent for good,” Clegg said.
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41 comments Feed
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where are you ** ??
Dictatorship!
The beginning of the end for UK's civil liberties!
The end of the beginning of GB's new indoctrination system!
Geeeeeeeee....... I'm beginning to sound as the Turnipsw in here ;-)
Congratulations Think!!!!! I can not help but wonder at the irony in your choice of username. Normally it's the parents who give their child the name of “Angel” and “Sunbeam” etc, etc, etc when you know full well that the kid is a little toerag and a mean little s**t as well...... with that in mind your username is a perfect choice.
Always the first with the WRONG answer!!! That must be an awesome responsibility
Back on topic.......
“the press had at times “wreaked havoc with the lives of innocent people” and was sometimes guilty of “outrageous” behaviour”
We should enter Lord Justice Brian Leveson on mastermind you know....... and his specialist subject can be “The bl**ding obvious”
do you even know the background and the reason how this has even come about?, let me enlighten you a media group owned by rupert murdoch decided in all its wisdom to hack the mobile phone of a murdered child giving hope to the parents that she was still alive, also the parents of a missing child maddy and thousands of others all CRIMINAL acts, when the press breaks the law in such a terrible way the media has to be held to account which has massive public applause, and i agree the press should be regulated more to stop hanus breaches of privacy that is NOT in the publics interest.
so Think tell me this would you be happy for a media group to believe they are untouchable enough to the point of hacking your daughters phone when she is missing, making you believe she is still alive when in reality she is dead in some gutter, just for a quick story??? thought not....
your censorship & dictatorship jibe is just opportunistic baseless rhetoric and so far from the truth, its not like any opposing media to the UK government is being force to change ownership to a more favorable owner, now is it?? unlike some Arg media.
ask Argentinas Clarin media about dictatorship and censorship :)))) .......cabbage!
CLARIN the only real opposition voice is being forced by Crustina to sell to Arg government friendly buyer, now thats dictorship for you dont you “think”,
correct me if im wrong at any point think???
if you believe Uk is heading for dictatorship and censorship then you must have plenty to say about Crustinas regime and her CLARIN harrassment, at least UKs minimial regulating is brought about by overwheling public pressure and not by Arg governments own interests!!!
Milly dowler............McCanns........remember there names troll when you next spout crap! ;-)
this regulation is based on human rights and morals heavily supported by the public and not of one persons political vendetta!
But please nostril tell us about CLARIN and what Crustina is trying to do ?? :)))
No we leave that sort of stuff to you argies
Cristina Fernandez censors television program; former CNN reporter privileged witness
en.mercopress.com/2012/03/15/cristina-fernandez-censors-television-program-former-cnn-reporter-privileged-witness
And we don’t go down this line cos the papers say nasty things to our leaders
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13634035
”How to Kill the Free British Press (in two easy steps) - For Dummies”
1) Get a couple of young British female gingers murdered....
2) That's it....
crass (krs)
adj. crass·er, crass·est
So crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility.
Excuses and more excuses the Brits want to silence the press by pressing them with the threat of govt. regulation.
They don’t want to see bad news on Brit independent press especially about fellow bankers ripping off money from UK taxpayers.
KaMoron is a cynic who ordered the inquisition first and now he is showing himself as a libertarian lover of the free press.
Another stunt case just for British masses while cuts are being implemented at double speed in falling UK.
Meanwhile foreign office working as usual implementing plans against Argentina
Bloody bastards...
s7.postimage.org/e5h90maej/foreign_office_uk.jpg
Yes but how many “investigations” did Scotland Yard conduct into the phone hacking scandal? 2 or 3? How many people have been arrested AND CHARGED over phone hacking?
The press needs regulating, there already IS a 2 tier system, there is the press that can do what it likes and then there is there rest of us. whatever regulations / watchdogs the press have had to answer to in the passed have either :-
a/ Not worked
or
b/ Not been doing their jobs properly
Don't get me started on the Camer-moron and his failures..... I haven't got enough space to list them all here, but I will say this....... We have paid for this enquiry. It was taxpayers money that paid for it.
Lord Justice Brian Leveson has presented his report WHICH the government ASKED for. During this case, statements of wrong doing, serious wrong doing, were heard by all...... and if Piers Morgan was telling the truth when he gave evidence then I'll eat a plaster goose.
If you are then not going to act on the recommendations in this report ( paid by us, requested by Parliment ) then why bother at all?
You are constantly banging about principles, events and occurrences you obviously don't have a clue about as, for example….:
The Freedom of the Press in Argentina……
The Self-Determination rights of some British Squatting Individuals in the South Atlantic…..
The current Levenson Report and the British Palestine Vote in the UN clearly demostrate the Masterly Doublespeak of the British Government….
And..... As I just said in a previous post……:
A relative “common occurrence” as the murder of a pair of young female gingers during the last decade or so (Duly processed by the Tabloid Pres and avidly consumed by the public) is enough excuse, for you British Turnips, to throw the principle of Freedom of the Press out of the window……
Brainwash anybody?
For me this is all about how the press obtains its information, not how or what it publishes, there are laws for that already, libel and defamation.
In the Milly DOWLER case, an agent acting on their behalf, hacked and cleared the inbox on her missing mobile phone. Giving her parents hope, where there was none, that she was still alive! That is dispicable behaviour beyond contempt and that is only one instance we know about.
They clearly can not be trusted to self regulate their investigative behaviour,
so it is time that body, with teeth, regualtes their behaviour for them.
Are you telling me all this because you “Think” I don't know the facts about those two specific cases?
Are you telling me all this because you “Think” I don't know and agree with the Levensor Report contents?
Please.....Tell me about something I don't know.....:
Tell me about what you “REALLY KNOW” about the Freedom of the Press in Argentina……
Tell me about what you “REALLY KNOW” about the Self-Determination rights of some British Squatting Individuals in the South Atlantic…..
No, I am telling you this to explain my stance on the question of press regulation in this country.
As for Freedom of press in RG land and self determionation, stick to the subject matter of this story, It's nothing to do with those subjects.
@22
Exactly and when this has all blown over, we will be back where we were before the enquiry, unless steps are taken. Bugging, hacking, interception and theft of mail, impersination, long lense photography into private areas, etc,etc, etc.
“Please.....Tell me about something I don't know.....:”
Ok..
1/ You don't know fully, what you “Think” you know.
2/ KFC and cronies are BAD for Argentina
3/ “The Self-Determination rights of some British Squatting Individuals in the South Atlantic…..” The Falkland Islands are British
and NO, you don't know all the facts about those two specific cases? Otherwise you wouldn't disagree with us about them.
Oh think, think!! Your posts are confused and out of touch that I bet you don't even know what your point is.......... what do you say about now? oh yeah... Chuckle, chuckle.........
We signed up to act to prevent detention without law and trial, torture etc, etc and now it has been totally misused by the PC brigade, get rid of it, repeal it. Replace it with something it was intended to be.
You say:
“We signed up to act to prevent detention without law and trial, torture etc, etc and now it has been totally misused by the PC brigade, get rid of it, repeal it. Replace it with something it was intended to be.”
I say:
You mean...... Like the Right of Self-Determination of Peoples?
Which we signed to help those peoples opressed by Colonial Squatters; not the Colonial Squatters themselves....
UN charter = EU Legislation, Not!
Any truth in the following ?
www.lanacion.com.ar/1523451-el-peligro-de-la-campora
@19 What “Freedom of the Press in Argentina……”? Strange how you come to a site published in Uruguay.
@21 “Tell me about what you “REALLY KNOW” about the Freedom of the Press in Argentina……” Why are you coming to a site published in Uruguay? Why is your “government” constantly interfering in the press and other media? Why does CFK constantly take over the media for boring hours of screeching? If you've got a “free press” why do economists who publish the TRUE facts about the argie economy get banned, prosecuted and fined? Why does your “free press” publish so many untruths?
“Tell me about what you “REALLY KNOW” about the Self-Determination rights of some British Squatting Individuals in the South Atlantic…..”
That's easy. There are NO “British Squatting Individuals in the South Atlantic…..” On the other hand, there ARE over 40 million delusional genocidal war criminals on the east coast of South America. But it's not a problem. They are “under control”. Economically, they are impotent. And they know what would happen to them if they tried anything “forceful”.
another article for your comments or any other Argentinian poster.
www.clarin.com/politica/Gobierno-ocupa-debe-problemas_0_821317918.html
Any truth in the following ?
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4676679/Kelly-Brook-has-got-perfect-body-say-girls.html
(34) agent999
Another article for your comments or any other British poster.
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4676674/liam-ridgewell-wipes-backside-with-20-pound-notes.html
“But whos to blame for letting them get away with it”
I think you've missed the point here.... There should be no “Getting away with it” It shouldn't have happened in the first place. The fact that they did “Get away with it” means that whatever controls were put in place did not do their job properly.
To illustrate my point about the “One law for one and one law for another” did you know that The Sun printed how many days it would be until Emma Watson's 16th Birthday?
To say that I was shocked and revolted by this was an understatement. Who could possibily be interested in that? Unless you are a pervert. Regulation of the press needs to happen. End of
27 British_Kirchnerist
Exactly, proof that Came-moron ( If any proof were needed ) is a big girls blouse / a wet one / a sheep in wolf's clothing.
28 reality check
Couldn't agree with you more
NO division of power
NO written constitution
NO choice to vote for the head of the state
NO money
NO army
No carriers
NO jobs
NO Hope
NO freedom of expression or free media
Can be any worse?
Yes of course and coming soon...
Ca
You forgot one.
NO ARGENTINE SOVERIEGNTY.
In case you were referring to the UK, here is an interesting site for ALL you chicas the read back at the lam in la campora
www.historylearningsite.co.uk/british_constitution.htm
I have a question daniella, where you genetically prone to stupidity or did you have to study for it at the camp? Do they have you wear little brown uniforms?
It really is not true that if you say it and wish it, it will come true.....I know...asslips is still breathing and so are her court jesters posting almost everyday.
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