Johnson caught in the crossfire

Alexander

Well what do you expect from Alan Johnson!?

At least he had enough self-knowledge to know he was not up to being leader of the Labour Party - one also suspects he was also not up to being a Cabinet Minister.

luke

Hardly, he clearly couldnt pursue an investigation into his political opponents as Home Sec and he should have great credit for that.

But now its a Tory Home Sec, there clearly should be an investigation and Johnson is right to call for one.

Vulture

And this is the man who was waxing furious on the World At One over this 'scandal' yesty ...back to the postal deliveries, Pat. You are just too bloody thick. Doh!

Nickle

RIPA.

When you implement attrocious acts like RIPA giving councils the right to intercept comunications without a warrent, don't complain when other people do the same.

Dorothy Wilson

I'd always thought Johnson was a little s.... This proves it.

Tarka the Rotter

Anyone wearing a pink tie with a blue shirt and grey suit is definately not up to it...

Fiona

I think things have changed since then, with Matt Driscoll's evidence. If his allegations can be substantiated by giving examples of articles which were written with information gathered in this way, then then it's a completely different situation.

Robert Taggart

No Marks for 'johno' ... again !
What a poor reflection he be on British politics in general and Liebour politics in particular. That is not to mention his 'no marks' Hullian electorate !

davidk

"When he claims that 'there may now be a case for the Home Secretary to ask HM Inspectatate of Constabulary to investigate,' on what grounds did he not think that was necessary last year?"

Erm...that the claims were not then corroborated by those of Sean Hoare, I expect.

Thinking cap on, Mr Hoskin.

And can the Spectator please refrain from getting caught up in protecting the name of a man who has dragged the name of the Tory Party through the mud simply because he has the support of No 10?

JohnOfEnfield

The Met and Coulson are facing NO "serious allegations" over the NoW crimes. Any "allegations" will only become "serious" if solid evidence is forthcoming.

And as regards the supposed crime itself - I'm with "Dizzy".

http://dizzythinks.net/2010/09/meanwhile-in-real-world.html

http://dizzythinks.net/2010/09/hack-planet-dont-crack-it.html

There has been far too much executive involvement in the enforcement of the law by New Labour. They are now out of power and out of tune with new regime. The Met should be left to do its job without political interference from HMG.

Lord "Chipfat" in particular should return whence he came.

ollie

All the evidence one ever needed that Johnson is nothing more than a second rate opportunist. Labour have no real interest in this story - only if it comes knocking on the door of number 10.

So much for "principled" opposition.

TrevorsDen

Johnson is a typical partisan lefty union leader opportunist bigot. Putting it mildly.

strapworld

Well this former postie, former trades union '''leader'''? cabinet minister and, never forget, a Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year! conveniently forgets what he did when Home Secretary.

It always amazes me that this failed pop singer wannabe and everyone's favourite MP has got away with nobody researching what this left wing tool said when a trades union malcontent. It would still be good reading for you Mr Hoskin. Some jewels there, if you look!

shorpe

@strapworld

Don't be silly. Even if these quotes are the "jewels" you claim they are (which I doubt), you're basically saying that holding an unpopular/stupid opinion at any time in your life is a permanent disqualification from ever being taken seriously, no matter how many years have passed.

Are you seriously telling me there's nothing in your past you regret saying? No foolish beliefs you adopted as a youth and later reconsidered? If so, bully for you, but that doesn't sound like much of a life to me.

Fex Urbis

@Tarka the Rotter
Quite agree, I bumped into him the other day he was wearing a very cheap looking suit and some dreadful shoes, real pimp specials.

Chuck Unsworth

@ Luke

"Hardly, he clearly couldnt pursue an investigation into his political opponents as Home Sec"

But Jacqui Smith could?

Paddy

I think he protesteth too much.

JohnAnt

Sean Hoare's recorded interview testimony seemed rather thin, I thought. "I've stood by Andy Coulson when people were telling me, and there's no way he wouldn't have known...they'd say something like, 'Maybe you can use your "dark arts".' "
This looks to me more like at least implied evidence that whoever was prompting Hoare to bug phones did not want Coulson to know it, so spoke in code. If you're standing near someone who's asked to use his 'dark arts' it could be taken as a jocular private reference or even an ironic insult. You wouldn't immediately think bugging a mobile phone was what was meant.

Major Plonquer 1

'According to a leaked memo obatined by the Guardian'

Tut tut. Bad spelling, dear boy. Where's the editor these days? Surely it should read:

According to a leaked memo obatined by the Grauniad.....

.

jenny paton

Great to see MPs getting hot under the collar about surveillance (i.e. hacking phone messages)- labour and libdem MPs in particular have been noticably silent on the issue of council use of RIPA.
Although we won our case proving that poole council unlawfully spied on us on a total of 110 occasions (following and photographing children and tailing us in the car etc) there is no penalty for them acting unlawfully.
I'm not condoning the actions of NoW journalists but if Mulcaire and Goodman can get 4 months in prison for breaching RIPA on 4/6 occasions - why are council employees immune from criminal prosecution? I don't think labour MPs can shout too loud about phone message hacking when they have presided over a decade of citizen surveillance.