Accusation in The Mail: Blair tried to get Brown to intervene on getting Watson to back down on NI

[salin]

My oh my.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2013027/News-World-Tony-Blair-tried-hush-phone-hacking-scandal.html

Blair 'tried' to hush up hacking scandal as whistleblower MP told: 'Rebekah Brooks will pursue you for the rest of your life'

By Simon Walters

Last updated at 12:16 PM on 10th July 2011

Tony Blair urged Gordon Brown to persuade the Labour MP who led the campaign to expose News of the World phone-hacking to back off, friends of Mr Brown said last night.

Well-placed sources said Mr Blair, who has close links with the paper’s owner Rupert Murdoch, wanted Mr Brown to get his ally Tom Watson to lay off the News International (NI) title, but Mr Brown refused.

Mr Watson’s two-year crusade played a major part in Mr Murdoch’s shock decision to close the paper after today’s edition.
More at link.

[fredamae]

1. I just wonder How far this reaches

Does this affect the 2 bush elections? FOX?

[salin]

2. neither - anytime soon... but perhaps a weakened Fox

which would no doubt get bought out by some other fabulously wealthy radical conservative... but if a lot comes out here and NewsCorp was damaged - I would bet that even a reconstituted Faux would lose last shreds of credibility with the public that watches but doesn't pay real close attention - and thus accepts "fair and balanced." Ability to shape overall discourse would be damaged ... would only shape the far right (and right now, sadly, they have a hand in shaping both.)

[fredamae]

4. This is nuts--I just have lots of questions given

murdochs history going back 40+ years...this raises Lots of questions about Our politics, elections and their outcomes.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Yeah, Peter Oborne mentioned this a couple of days ago in the Telegraph

Though many were appalled, Murdoch himself was protected by his potent political contacts. Tony Blair, for example, would do anything to help out his close friend and ally. I can even disclose that, before the last election, Tony Blair rang Gordon Brown to try to persuade the Labour Prime Minister to stop the Labour MP Tom Watson raising the issue of phone hacking. And as recently as two weeks ago both Ed Miliband and David Cameron attended the News International (News Corp’s British newspaper publishing arm) summer party, despite the fact that the newspaper group was the subject of two separate criminal investigations.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8626421/Phone-hacking-David-Cameron-is-not-out-of-the-sewer-yet.html

And Watson talked about Brooks' vendetta against him a month ago, in a speech to a union:

"I was told then that Rebekah Brooks, then the editor of the Sun, now the Chief Executive of News International, would never forgive me for what I did to her Tony."
...
Mr Watson found himself targeted, with strangers going through his bins and harassing his family.

"When the neighbours complained that this time their bins had also been gone through, my family was at breaking point.

"And when our three-year-old hid behind the sofa because there was another nasty man at the door, I snapped."

http://blogs.birminghampost.net/news/2011/07/the-tom-watson-story-the-man-w.html

Video of the speech here: http://blogs.birminghampost.net/news/2011/06/tom-watson-on-the-powerful-for.html

[DavidDvorkin]

5. So Blair accused Brown of destroying the Labor Party

and he didn't think that Brown's people would respond.

Say what you will about Blair, he was a successful politician for a long time. That he didn't foresee this leak -- and perhaps more to come -- surprises me.

[malaise]

6. Blair is one of the nastiest scumbags on the planet

One of the worst opportunists and war criminals ever - he is owned by the movers and shakers on the planet.
He too is going down with Murdoch and there will be many others.

People will soon see how the Murdoch empire facilitated the lies about Iraq and the shock doctrine across the globe including the destruction of unions and workers rights. Attacks on 'leftists and centrists' have also been facilitated by these illegal operatives and lots of police and intelligence folks should be destroyed if these investigations have any teeth or integrity.

It's a great chance to cleanup the planet.

[indepat]

7. Now, is that a nice thing to say about junior's little poodle and staunchest supporter for war on

Iraq? :hi: :patriot:

[malaise]

11. LOL

:hi:

[DavidDvorkin]

8. However, he was good at politics

So the foolishness of his making that public statement about Brown surprised me.

[salin]

9. Update: Gordon Brown - making a statement this afternoon?

from the Guardian blog http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2011/jul/11/news-world-hacking-scandal-live#block-54

about a tweet from BBC political editor - and refers to a different rag: The Sunday Times.

Things are still moving at a ferocious speed.

[malaise]

10. Can't wait n/t