Andrew Marr and Dungeons…

March 9, 2009

andrew-marr-dungeons500.jpg

Some years ago Blade bumped into Andrew Marr in a Soho pub. Blade was awaiting the arrival of his literary agent, and Marr was on his own, waiting for someone. Blade vouchsafed a word or two with Mr Marr given that their paths had crossed a couple of times in the past – Marr as editor of the Independent, Blade as one its night lawyers.

Marr was eminently charming and courteous, something of a man for all seasons.  This small memory, of someone relatively famous condescending to talk to the hoi polloi (Blade was, after all, wearing a black leather jacket) means that Blade today feels some sympathy over Marr over the recall, by his publishers Pan Macmillan, of Marr’s book A History of Modern Britain.

M’learned friends are evidently involved, which is perhaps apt given Swordplay’s post of late last night on our ready use of the law, but Blade hopes that the matter will be speedily resolved without too much angst, and cost, for either side.

Why the picture? We’re glad you asked. It’s of Andrew Marr at a South African big wave spot known as Dungeons. No, not the broadcaster and journalist, silly! The O’Neill hellman Marr, of course!

 

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From the inside of the maze, ethically outwards

February 9, 2012

Curious times in the media; strange days at The Times.

Would ‘Dacre Cards‘ – the system of licensing journalists proposed by Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre – have prevented the embarrassment now palpable at the Times over the NightJack story?

Times editor James Harding’s evidence to the Leveson Inquiry seemed heartfelt and contrite, albeit that the paper’s former long-serving and much-respected lawyer, Alastair Brett, seems to have been, er, rather dropped in it. Clearly, mistakes were made with regard to NightJack by young reporter Patrick Foster who, once he had hacked into NightJack’s account and thus discovered his identity, then embarked on a quest to expose it via legitimate methods. This, as Inquiry counsel Robert Jay QC put it, was “rather like working from the inside of the maze out”.

But had Foster been licensed via a Dacre Card, would this unsavoury episode in the Times’s history have been avoided?

We suspect not. A raft of laws were in existence at precisely the time when many News of the World journalists seemed to believe that they were entitled to hack any phone they liked. Those laws forbade them from doing so, and yet made no difference. Aside from the obvious objection to them – that they will squeeze out freelancers and citizen journalists – Dacre Cards would simply amount to something to circumvent.

What is really required is an ethical shake-up, from top to bottom. Society generally – not just journalists – needs a sense that some things are just plain wrong.

Supreme Court on Twitter

February 6, 2012

Something remarkable happened today. Yes, the Supreme Court launched its Twitter feed. It even has a Twitter policy, one of caveats, disclaimers and little by way of illumination but regardless: who would have thought that the successor body to the House of Lords would stoop to engage with the world of tweets, hashtags and retweets?

We look forward to the day when court business will be conducted via Twitter. Meantime, check out this link for an excellent blog on the Supreme Court.

Not so right said Fred

February 2, 2012
fred hat

So Farewell, then, Sir Fred Goodwin.

Now you are just Fred.

Not Right Said Fred, but plain Fred.

The Forfeiture Committee did for you.

No one had heard of it before,

But Dave said it had to act, and it did.

Trouble is that no one knows what to think.

Is it ‘Alas, poor Fred‘,

Or ‘Hurray! Sir Fred is dead!’?

We don’t know.

Do you?

By A. Mob, aged 1,378 and a half.