Scandal
Ceremonies of Bravery: Oscar Wilde, Carlos Blacker, and the Dreyfus Affair by J. Robert Maguire – review
The life of Oscar Wilde is so wearily familiar that we assume that there is nothing new to think or say about him. This book proves us wrong. Carlos Blacker… Continue reading
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Murdoch’s son-in-law advising the new BBC chief
You have to hand it to Rupert Murdoch. The BBC is in turmoil and now being led by Tim Davie, its former audio and music chief whose journalistic experience does… Continue reading
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The paedophile equivalent of 7/7
I was looking through an old contacts book the other day (something that sad ageing hacks find themselves doing) and found that a number of people I used to call… Continue reading
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Chaos at the BBC
The BBC crisis continues to dominate the airwaves. George Entwistle’s £1.3 million payoff has set outraged tongues wagging. Tim Montgomerie has collected the furious comments made by several Tory MPs.… Continue reading
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Chris Patten claims he has a ‘grip’ on the BBC’s crisis
Chris Patten has just appeared on the Andrew Marr Show to discuss the resignation of George Entwistle and to evaluate its fallout. Patten conceded that the BBC is mired in… Continue reading
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The end of the road for Newsnight?
Oddly enough, re the latest Newsnight/BBC debacle, Esther Rantzen got it right. She was talking on Newsnight. She made the point that her old programme That’s Life regularly did investigative… Continue reading
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The Jimmy Savile scandal and Alexander Solzhenitsyn
‘The line dividing good from evil cuts through the heart of every human being… This line is not static within us; it sways to and fro over the years. Even… Continue reading
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The BBC regains its honour
I hope that the entire editorial staffs of the Times, Sunday Times, Sun, Mail, Mail on Sunday, Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph (oh and the Express newspapers if they are still… Continue reading
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The BBC can’t fix it like this
The BBC management cannot have it both ways. They cannot simultaneously insist that the decision to drop the Newsnight investigation into Jimmy Savile was made by the editor of the… Continue reading
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The Mandelson Mephistopheles Effect
It has to be another example of The Mandelson Mephistopheles Effect. One by one, all of Peter’s friends have cosmic awfulness visited upon them – the latest being the millionaire… Continue reading
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The Duchess of Cambridge’s dignity
Mr Steerpike is no Middleton fan, but it has to be said that the Duchess of Cambridge has maintained her composure remarkably well in the wake of topless photos of her appearing in the… Continue reading
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Liam Fox comes out for coalition
Missing: One Scottish hardline right-wing Tory. Formerly Secretary of State for Defence, last seen leaving government over some confusion with a business card. Warning: An imposter was spotted this morning… Continue reading
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The peer who came in from the cold
Mr Steerpike reported last week that the Tories’ shadowy donor-cum-puppetmaster, Lord Ashcroft was shunned in America. But it’s not all bad news for the man dubbed the sleaze of Belize.… Continue reading
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Naomi Wolf, Marie Stopes and grand deceit
‘This man makes a pseudonym and crawls behind it like a worm,’ wrote Sylvia Plath in The Fearful. The weekend’s literary pages were gripped by a story of pseudonyms. R.J.… Continue reading
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In the service of Mammon
The Libor scandal continues to shock, prompting bewilderment as well as disgust. The mood has turned against the City, with the FT suggesting that it ‘may be necessary to retire… Continue reading
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Osborne goes for Balls over Libor scandal
The Libor scandal is yet another blow to the reputation of the City of London. Alistair Darling may have been right when he told George Osborne that we’re ‘kidding ourselves… Continue reading
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Your guide to the Warsi allegations
What is Baroness Warsi accused of? The main allegation in yesterday’s Sunday Times is that, in early 2008, Warsi was ‘claiming parliamentary expenses for overnight accommodation when she was staying… Continue reading
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Hunt has questions to answer
Adam Smith’s Leveson ordeal is now over. The testimony we’ve heard from Smith and Fred Michel has left Hunt’s position weaker in one key regard. The crucial allegation is that… Continue reading
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Labour’s baggage stops it from gaining the upper hand
It now seems as if Downing Street is moving towards releasing a list of Chequers guests. This is belated recognition of the fact that their best hope of getting beyond… Continue reading
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How will the Lib Dems respond?
The key thing to watch for during Francis Maude’s statement is the Lib Dem reaction. At the moment, the Tories can rebut Labour’s criticisms of them by pointing to both… Continue reading
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