The BBC has got court permission to report more on the injunction that was served against them ten days ago. The full story is HERE.
The police requested the injunction because they did not wish certain individuals to know in advance the nature of the document that they possessed. In particular, they wished to put the document to Ruth Turner, Downing Street's director of government relations, who wrote the document. They also wanted to discuss it with John McTernan, No 10's director of political operations. They were worried that the individuals could have constructed or co-ordinated a response. The Attorney General did not want it revealed that Mr McTernan could be re-interviewed in connection with the document, even though he was not directly connected to it.
Developing investigation. Mr Justice Wilkie noted he had been treated as a witness not a suspect, but the Attorney General's counsel told the judge this was a "developing investigation". It also emerged on Monday that the document is several pages long and contains more information that is of interest to the police than that which has already been broadcast by the BBC. The BBC's deputy director general Mark Byford said: "We believed it was in the public interest for the reasons behind the Attorney General's injunction request to be made public. "We are pleased with today's decision by the Court of Appeal."
This still doesn't explain exactly what was in the document. But we can surmise it was a clear indication of a certain person's feelings on the good Lord.
42 comments:
So can we assume that all parties involved have been re-intervied this past week?
david anthony 7:37. Either that or the BBC have now screwed up the investigation. Do I detect the BBC trying to get their own back for Hutton?
I assume Levy's rabbi is feeling a bit stupid for having accused the media of racism...
Why would Ruth Turner be discussing Cluedo ?
If that wasn't part of the quote, you may need some 99s to go with your 66..
Seriously though...... will anything come of this?
Will the Police bring any charges now the BBC and The Guardian have tried to do their job for them?
Will we get the original charge of selling honours or the secondary charge of perverting the course of justice?
Meanwhile over at the FA (another one of Tone's reformed success stories).
They've put tickets for the 1st game at the new Wembley on sale at £10.
They could have got £20-£25. Their system has now "collapsed" as all their IT experts no doubt bung their mates 60,000 tickets worth what? 40 quid?
Allegedly.
I went to the last game at the old wembley so it would have been nice to have got tickets.
Life in the new fairer Britain
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Ruth Turner seems to be saying, (expletives not deleted) the document was written in the heat of the moment, was not sent to anyone and may not be a true recollection of events. Wonder what Lord Levy's brief will make of that in court.
Issue is whether it was a note made contemporaneously with Turner's supposed conversation with Levy. If yes, prima facie looks bad for Levy (and his defence will have to establish why a key aide of Blair was trying to land their client in the shit for no reason); if it was made some time later, depends how much later and to what purpose - and prima facie looks bad for Turner (and perhaps others who may have had a guiding hand).
Either way, people are squirming at that note having been written. Good.
You know Blair and his cronies are going to get off scott free when a post on a major cash-for-honours story gets only 9 posts, one of which is some trivial story about Wembley stadium.
They must be laughing all the way to the bank...
anon 8.47
WHat a fantastic system of justice you suggest, where prosecutions are dependent on the number of comments on a particular Blogg. "Them Moors Murderers? Had to let 'em go - only got four posts on Guido..."
Are you really that devoted to the Cause? Do you not think it is time you sought some help? It is getting to the point where you should be concerned...
anonymous 8:47 - I think we've all said all we have to speculate and say on this subject for the moment. There's nothing new to go on. We all want them banged up.
Also, I think Dave's bizarre behaviour over the last few days has left us without hope of improvement if Blair & Co get banged up. If they do, that just leaves us with Dave, who sacked a decorated soldier with 25 years' experience of serving his country in the military in a three minute mobile phone call. And Dave has joined the Marxist eco-authoritarians on being "green".
So with regard to Blair, we may all be shrugging and thinking, "So what? There's no alternative anyway."
Good news for Levy!
Up until now it seemed as if Turner had composed some sort of semi-legal document, calmly and thoughtfully laying out her concerns about Levy asking her to 'shape' her evidence to the police. Now, with reference to the expletive and tone of the comment, it would appear that this 'document' is some sort of off-the-cuff scribbled note(?) or diary type entry(?).
If this is the heart of the police case then, frankly, they don't have a case.
anonymous 9:09 - And frankly, you're talking out the back of your head. Such a decisive conclusion and you're not even involved. How pathetic!
Meanwhile over at the FA (another one of Tone's reformed success stories).
Plus, they didn't let us Official Members get first refusal! What's the point in being in the elite!?
Nick Robinson ... having forty winks as usual.
"Oh ****, Lord **** has asked me to lie for him. I'm happy to oblige, of course, but we must all sing from the same hymn sheet. It's no use saying he never came to any of the meetings. They'll never believe that. Let's say he did come, but only to give advice, and character references. That's sort of true, because we did spend a lot of time asking how much more money we could screw out of them."
Is this document for real? Could it not be an invention to screw up the Police case. In other words so that Levy could claim he would not have a fair trial. This all seems to be far to controlled to be real.
Hello, the story isn't in the headlines for the BBC 10 o'clock news. I see it on the website though.
Bishop Hill: It's being saved for Newsnight @ 10.35 BBC2, where the language can be more blue!
Having watched, gobsmacked, as Lord Drayson trembled his way through an interview and discussion which made mince meat of him, I'll believe anyone in this shower of cowboys calling themselves our government dunnit now.
Auntie Flo'
This government is disgraceful.
For the first time in years I turned Newsnight off when this news item wasn't even mentioned at the start of the programme. What is going on. A lot we don't know about it seems to me.
I am fed up of not being told the truth.
Anonymous 11:19 - then what are you going to do about it? Do you believe the government is, as they seem to believe, your "political masters"?
Or do you believe the voter is the political master, as politicians and voters in the United States believe?
If you believe you are the master, what are you going to do about this criminal wreckage of our country?
Good question, one which I keep asking myself. There are a good deal of people, all talking, blogging, moaning about the state of our country, eager for real, radical change, but so far we're all clucking around like a load of chickens, not knowing what to do, or how to even begin.
Personally I would be in favour of some sort of swift and relatively bloodless revolution, à la Romania 1989, ending up with the despotic Blair and the rest of his cabinet rounded up and...well, I hesitate to say "shot", as, bad as they are, this lot doesn't compare to the nightmare of Caucescu, so...imprisoned, then. (What a wonderful Christmas Day present the Romanians had in '89. That week in history never ceases to amaze me).
Tom Tyler - It's all fantasy, because the British don't have the balls. And Tony Blair and the nomenklatura have already shut down all your avenues. You could have stopped this little self-adoring individual, but you didn't.
Now, there is no way you would get close enough to any of them to shout at them through the double glazing of their limousine windows. They can't hear what you think. They don't read your comments on blogs, except with the thought of how to deflect them.
John Prescott assaulted a voter and he wasn't charged.
This is a huge change from John Major who, no matter what you thought of him, was not grandiose.
It was a giant leap to the tsar-esque style which is now the norm in Britain. It happened so quickly.
Tony and the hissing, plotting slithy toves are truly the EUSSR nomenklatura, travelling around in special lanes in brigades of armoured cars, motorcycle police outriders ... they are untouchable and you know it.
So don't fantasise that you are going to make a difference, because the days when you could have seized the chance are long gone. You are living in the USSR, but with nicer cars and more choice at the supermarket. But you are utterly, utterly controlled - from being the most CCTV-surveyed country in the entire world of 300+countries, to identity cards, to not being allowed to voice an opinion about the hoardes of illiterate "immigrants" allowed into the country on pain of being charged with the greatest crime of humanity, "racism", to having your retinal scans and thumbprints affixed to your highly expensive new passport -- although the upside is, why bother? the illegal immigrants don't.
According to the Nomenklatura, aka thought fascists, you have no right to defend yourselves against a violent teenager. And neither do the police have such rights.
A society that took a thousand generations to build has been destroyed in one. They are the conquerors. You will not be allowed to fight for your civilisation.
Verity 2:10 AM
Amen to that!
verity 2.10 AM. Let me add to your despair. Peter Mandelson is now explaining, in the Guardian, how Blair capitulated to the IRA and how, when Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness came into the room "you were expected to stand up."
A British minister of the Crown scrambling to his feet to show respect to a pair of child murderers: it beggars belief.
Sorry, I know I'm wandering off topic, but if I don't write this down I shall explode.
So why dont they just charge levy and get on with it.....we all sadly know that Bliar will evade any responsibility for anything in his entire 10 year reign and will emerge victorious as the saviour of the planet....... just put me out of my misery with these clowns and get us to a general election without more wilful destruction like the HOL reform......the others are bad but nothing compared to this group of spiteful bastards.
I am anon 11.19 and I really do despair and I don't know what to do. I am with you Verity and you Tom but I feel totally impotent. Two million people were on the streets of London campaigning about the war in Iraq, what good did that do?You are right about that buffoon Prescott throwing a punch and nothing was done and as for the cash for questions aagh.What really riles me is that I know the spinners in number 10 probably feel like I do but how can they do anything about it? What next. Blair will leave, Gordon will be shoehorned in then the next election will be lost. Where is Guy Fawkes. Or even deep throat for those of you that remember Watergate.
Oh, verity you do give me a laugh in the mornings !! You will not be able to spot the irony in you making the following two statements because you have a blind spot when it comes to logical thinking - but it gives the rest of us a jolly good belly laugh!
"According to the Nomenklatura, aka thought fascists, you have no right to defend yourselves against a violent teenager. "
"John Prescott assaulted a voter and he wasn't charged. "
Self defence is not an offence, babes - Tally Ho! and Cheers...
Can you imagine having sex with verity ?
"Whaddya mean you CAN'T find my G-Spot ? Are you some kinda anti-american LOSER ?" What fun !
Oh, verity you do give me a laugh in the mornings !! You will not be able to spot the irony in you making the following two statements because you have a blind spot when it comes to logical thinking - but it gives the rest of us a jolly good belly laugh!
"According to the Nomenklatura, aka thought fascists, you have no right to defend yourselves against a violent teenager. "
"John Prescott assaulted a voter and he wasn't charged. "
This argument is in fact correct. A comparison is being made between two scenarios - in one scenario (Joe Public hits egg-throwing rapscallion) the altercation results in charges brought against the assaulted party acting in self-defence, and in the other scenario (John Prescott hits egg-throwing rapscallion) the altercation does not end in charges brought against the assaulted party acting in self-defence.
Like the pigs of Animal Farm, this bunch have cast aside any pretentions of being "servants of the people" and have grabbed as much power, freebies and shiny trinkets they can get hold of. The law is seen as being for the "little people" but this attitude will be the downfall of New Labour, over this cash-for-honours cover-up attempt.
The Turner-Levy document is bad enough and points directly to an attempt by Levy to pervert the course of justice. Also, the document is a selective extract leaked by someone close to No 10. Moreovoer, there are other documents which have been vaguely referred to over recent days. The cops would not waste their time without good grounds.
Bliar could have polished up his mediocre achievments into a shining legacy if it had not been for the continuous vein of sleaze that has run through this government - coming to a head now in this unprecedented police investigation - and the colossal blunder of Iraq. That mud and blood simply won't wipe off. He will be judged very badly by historians, particularly because of his early popularity and political capital.
The problem with the self defence scenario is not that Prescott wasn't charge, its that annother man doing so would be.
Whether it be an egg-throwing rapscallion or the same little sh*tes who've been robbing your house every week for a month, an Englishman is no longer entitled to defend his castle. Poor show, I would say.
athos what is so terrible about this government is that they are so transparent.Whether its the Blairs free holidays or their children in fantastic gap year jobs or Cherie and her ego then we have had enough.What really made my blood boil is the question of education. Government ministers sent their children to fee paying private schools but us common folk have to send our children to a rubbish state one. I know some state schools are good but let's talk about London state secondary schools. And, the Blairs, Harriet Harman, Ruth Kelly, etc etc Please stop the sleaze
'Ruth Turner seems to be saying, (expletives not deleted) the document was written in the heat of the moment, was not sent to anyone and may not be a true recollection of events.'
And I bet someone Emailed her to say that.
We could sort it out if the House was elected!
Have Your Say on Lords Refom! Vote online at www.lordsreformvote.org
A sign of the times? From Kenneth Tynan to the Blair Bunker! Originally shock horror now just everyday stuff.
If I was a fly on the wall I guess I would be past shocking. Lies, spin and deception! What is it? Hoist by one's own......
OK, that's enough despair. Now let's cheer ourselves up. Just think of life inside the bunker, where they are circling each other like sharks in the water, waiting for the first taste of blood. Pure schadenfreude!
Will Ruthie or Mick spoil Alistair's memoirs launch, by publishing their 'inside' story on his big day.
Will Ruthie or Mick spoil Alistair's memoirs launch, by publishing their 'inside' story on his big day.
Everyone must be on the edge of their seats wondering whether or not a certain Commons Committe will release the latest instalment in this brilliant debacle.
Rest in Peace you socialist cronies.
To the anonymouses who I can't be bothered to identify by hour of posting: Prescott wasn't involved in an act of self-defense. It has been the British tradition from time immemorial to throw rotten eggs, rotten tomatoes and a selection of rotting greenery at politicians, and a very fine tradition it was. Any politician who does not want to be carpeted in rotting vegetables should stay away from the hustings.
The person who threw something did not assault Prescott as Prescott had attended the hustings of his own free will. Prescott committed an unprovoked attack on a member of the public and wasn't charged. Jack Straw's driver drove him up the MI at 106 mph and neither he nor Straw got a summons. Cherie the Fishwife wasn't charged for going through the Green Channel carring $15,000 of gifts from DKNY. John Prescott declared his approximately $20,000 worth of presents from his Colorado host to neither Customs nor Parliament.
Those little cowardly anonymouses are so amusing in their inability to think points through rationally.
Jess The Dog is correct: The socialist yahoos think the law is for the little people, not the Nomenklatura.
But Trumpeter Lanfried has cheered me up. Think of life inside the bunker. Mmmmmm. Edgy, you think? Suspicious looks? False smiles? What does he know? What does she know? Did he repeat what I told him in confidence?
Most enlivening! Thank you, Trumpeter Lanfried!
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