The last time I blogged, I was critical of Ed Milliband's decision not to back public sector strikes. My faith in his judgement has been restored this week, however, as he has quite clearly backed the right horse in the race between Rupert Murdoch and morality.
My only problem with the criticism that has come from Labour so far is that it has been too mild. Yes, it is right to make a measured stand and of course, the News of the World may not have been the only newspaper involved in phone hacking. However, there is a risk that the misdemeanours perpetrated in the name of Murdoch may well be diluted if we accept the argument that 'they are all at it'. Not only does this harm the genuine end of the newspaper market, it also leads to a general dissatisfaction with the entire industry, meaning that the culprits behind the alleged despicable behaviour can fade into the background of public dislike. The more shared the blame is, the less direction there is to the anger.
Anger is what people are undoubtedly feeling. Whatever the statistics about newspaper decline, Murdoch needs people to buy his rags in order to carry on attracting advertisers and making money. Murdoch's decision to scrap the News of the World is simply the latest sop to try to pacify the British public. At first, we were assured that only a couple of rogue reporters were involved, then that it was only a few celebrities that were on the receiving end. More and more scraps have been thrown in an attempt to pacify the public and allow News International to get off as lightly as possible. My view, and I sense the view of a lot of others on this, is that justice needs to be satisfied far better than this. Criminal charges need to be brought against those who allowed these horrendous events to happen, either by active engagement or corporate negligence. As Editor, Chief Executive and Chairman, both Rebekah Brooks and James Murdoch should have made themselves aware of what was going on in their newspaper. If this was a case of a junior minister breaking the law, the Murdoch empire would be leading the charge for at least the Secretary of State to resign, if not the Prime Minister. I, and I suspect many others, will not be happy until the cancer that is News International receives its just desserts. The time has come to emasculate the organisation that has done so much to drag British journalism into the gutter. Its leaders need to take responsibility for what has been done at least in their name, and quite possibly with their encouragement and collusion.
All of which brings me to Ed Milliband's performance. His questioning of David Cameron was clinical and incisive, exactly the sort of situation Cameron hates. The Prime Minister performs well when he can bluster, change the subject and generally mislead. Milliband did not allow him that luxury, quite rightly. Anyone who employs Andy Coulson as his Press Advisor and defends him at all opportunities despite warnings about the man's character has to have his judgement drawn into question. Milliband drew this point out very well, making Wednesday lunchtime exceedingly awkward for Cameron.
Now is the time to go further. Labour should take a moral stand on Murdoch's bid to buy the rest of BSkyB. The line the Tories have been trotting out about media plurality and the law is a nonsense. Force Murdoch to seek a judicial review and make him show that he is a fit and proper person. Put the onus on the person who employed and supported the wrongdoers, rather than just adopting the Pontius Pilate position. Labour needs to press this issue, force Cameron to voice an opinion on whether an organisation which employs Coulson and Brooks has the moral authority to broadcast in this country. Given that Brooks is a personal friend of Cameron, we should then see his true colours showing through. Labour can keep the pressure on Cameron, a man with judgement so fatally flawed that he himself could end up paying with his position.
Despite the power the Murdoch newspapers still undoubtedly wield (along with the assistance of Nick Robinson, their official mouthpiece within the BBC), now is the time for politicians to be brave. Lets admit that Tony Blair's relationship with Murdoch was wrong, that News International wields too much power and that, as Ed Milliband points out, there is a great need for cultural change. But let us not lose sight of the fact that there are people who are very possibly guilty of criminal acts who still wield an awful lot of power within the media. Now is not the time for Labour to relax.
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