I am a guest speaker tomorrow at the NUJ Conference in Newcastle, on the subject of blogging. Never one to appease an audience, I shall give them it straight on my opinions of the collusion between mainstream media and power, and thus those who work within it. I expect to hear a lot about how bloggers are irresponsible, do not check sources etc.
I shall be drawing on some of the content of this talk:
I post this again because nowadays this website has far more readers than when I first posted it, and because it encapsulates my thoughts rather well.
I shall tell the NUJ that the mainstream media remains very constrained in what they publish. The Jimmy Saville affair broke on the internet in a big way a year ago, and yet the mainstream media is only now catching up – and still not making key links, like to Haut de la Garenne.
I receive, constantly, emails from people wishing me to take up various cases on my blog and furnishing information. 95% of the time I do not publish because I am not able to investigate fully (there is just one of me) and I do not know the source: the exclusives on this blog come mostly from my access to well-placed sources I have known for years through my past diplomatic career, and trust.
A notable proportion of the cases brought to me by those I do not know involve alleged paedophile rings. I was sent information about Haut de la Garenne for years, which named a string of senior people alleged to take advantage of organised paedophilia in the care home. Among the judges, politicians and aristocracy, there was indeed the name of Jimmy Saville. I have to admit it was not just that I could not prove any of it, I was actively sceptical about what seemed a random list of names of the famous. We now know for certain that Saville visited the place several times. The whole Haut De La Garenne investigation always seemed to obscure more than it revealed; I do hope it is mow re-opened, and taken away from the local Jersey police.
Another case which caused me great concern was that of Hollie Greig, where the jailing of Robert Green seemed to me vicious and unjustified. But I had earlier refused a request on behalf of the Greig family to involve myself in the case because the allegations made seemed to me incapable of proof without investigative powers and resources of the kind the police have. That the police do not properly deploy those resources where allegations involve the powerful appears to me too often to be too likely. Where the accusation is that the judicial establishment is involved in a paedophile ring, for the same judicial establishment to start jailing campaigners is extraordinary.
But the Alisher Usmanov and Adam Werritty cases will be the main thrust of my talk to the NUJ. In the first, the mainstream media still to this day persist in covering up the criminal past of the convicted blackmailer and Putin cohort who purchased 10% of Facebook and 35% of Arsenal Football Club.
The Werritty case is much more sinister because it goes to the media collusion in burying evidence of the influence of Israel on British politics. The public were told that Werritty was at a small number of meetings where he should not have been. The mainstream media refused to discuss why he was at those meetings or what his participation was actually about – leaving the public to infer he was merely Fox’s lover or in some way they were making money.
Even when I was able to produce undeniable evidence that Fox and Werritty held eight meetings with Matthew Gould, now and during six of those meetings British Ambassador to Israel (and Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary for the first two meetings) the mainstream media refused point blank to publish it. Mossad were present for at least two of those eight meetings. Gus O’Donnell’s report, whcih led to Fox’s resignation, had revealed only two of these eight meetings. This should have been a massive story. The media buried it (with the sole and belated exception of the Independent on Sunday).
No media were prepared to put any investigative resources into what Gould, Werritty and Mossad were doing. I had an impeccable senior source who told me that they were discussing preparing the political ground for an attack on Iran. You would think that, given the Werritty affair caused Fox to resign, that was worth investigating. The media completely blanked it. To this day the fact that Werritty and Fox met Gould eight times has been reported nowhere but one column in the Independent on Sunday.
I think my encounter with the journalistic profession could be quite fun. I shall also be arguing that bloggers should be allowed to join the NUJ; an internal NUJ debate on this is the background to my invitation to speak.
Craig, your link re the jailing of Robert Green does not work.
It’s because you’ve given the link a “https” (secure server) prefix. It should be:
http://www.indymediascotland.org/node/26645
Thanks – I think I fixed it.
You might also mention the RangersTaxCase blog which was instrumental in mobilising fans against an establishment plan to parachute Rangers FC into the Scottish First Division in spite of serial tax evasion and other irregularities, all the while the MSM vigorously pushing the ‘move along, nothing to see here’ line. The blog won the Orwell Award. It may seem small medicine compared with lunatics planning WW3 but it is indicative of the same absolutely closed agenda. Were it not for bloggers we’d all still be watching Plato’s shadows on the cave wall.
On the whole I think the question should rather be whether MSM ‘journalists’ should be allowed into the NUJ. Cutting and pasting party-political press releases hardly seems to justify craft membership.
Good luck with mentioning Isr**l in any but the most adulatory terms at a meeting involving the UK press. The current thrust of their propaganda is to depict anyone doing so as a wearer of tinfoil hats – or as a member of AQ. Tread carefully!
“Fox and Gould held eight meetings with Matthew Gould”. Surely “Fox and Werritty held …”?
Nick, thanks corrected.
Craig, do you know if the usually reliable guys at medialens covered the issues surrounding the Werritty case?
“Among the judges, politicians and aristocracy, there was indeed the name of Jimmy Saville”
Was one of the named politicians a man with the means of visiting Jersey discreetly, even when he was PM?
MJ Yes – but as I say there was an absence of real evidence in what was given to me. It looks like Saville might be right, and that makes the whole more credible – but still not sufficiently so, in my view, to publish names of people I really do not know are guilty or even credibly accused.
The hyperbole is overwhleming. What democracy?
This Delegate Meeting reaffirms its strong belief in the role of the BBC as the foundation of public service broadcasting in the UK. It recognises the Corporation’s importance in the proper functioning of our democracy and the effect it has in setting an example for other public service broadcasters around the world.
[..]
DM calls on the government to take proper account of the huge affection, approval and respect with which the BBC is held by the overwhelming majority of the population and to restore a licence fee that will enable the BBC to continue providing services which its audiences love and which are admired by professional broadcasters everywhere.
Motion 28 p 14
http://www.nuj.org.uk/files/NUJ_final_agenda_DM_2012.pdf
Craig dont worry many NUJ members welcome your work and I will see you in Newcastle!
The Medialens editor, the two Davids, Cromwell and Edwards, explain how they started up and why.
http://www.medialens.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=18#why_start
Mary I nearly fell off my chair when I read that about the BBC! This must be a parallel universe somewhere in a wonderful broadcasting oasis.
Branson must be a happy bunny now that First Group have been shown the door and interesting to read that some civil servants have been suspended for making mistakes in the calculations! Oh really, well maybe the sweeteners and brown paper envelopes were a bit too big and bloody obvious this time round, but will anyone actually be fired let alone charged ? Apparently 40 million quid is going to be paid to the bidders !?! Nice little earner then…
Play nice…you never know when you may need the 4th estate !
MJ @3 Oct, 2012 – 12:51 pm
E. H. !?
Or should that be ‘Father Ted’ ?
🙂
I thought you were going to say Anna Ardin over and over again until you got a sore throat….?
The link you cited (http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=36860) about Saville’s activities is just nonsense. His proclivities were for young girls not boys. I’ve not seen a shred of evidence to suggest he was into boys.
And what do we make of this shocking assertion:
“When Guy Burgess himself defected to Russia his hosts were horrified to discover that he had brought with him his collection of Jane Austen books, together with a poke bonnet and a dress from the period for himself.”
Honestly. Why bother to cite such garbage? It undermines your whole post.
(A critical fan!)
the new President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom!
Wikipedia: David Beuberger, Baron Neuberg of Abbotsbury
He is currently President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom…
He also serves as a Non-Permanent Judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal…
All three of his brothers are now professors: James is Professor of Medicine at the University of Birmingham, Michael is Professor of Molecular Immunology at the University of Cambridge, while Anthony is Professor in Finance at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick. Anthony Neuberger’s wife is Rabbi Lady Neuberger, DBE.He was educated at the independent Westminster School in the precincts of Westminster Abbey, and studied chemistry at Christ Church, Oxford.[2][4] Upon graduation, he worked at the merchant bank, N M Rothschild & Sons, from 1970 to 1973…
His uncle was the noted rabbi, Herman N. Neuberger…
His rise to the Court of Appeal and then to the House of Lords is one of the quickest in recent times…
In May 2010, Lord Neuberger gave a controversial, ex tempore dissenting judgment that the trade union Unite had not complied with ballot rules under trade union legislation.[13] In July 2010 Neuberger ruled that peace protesters in Parliament Square who had camped out in Democracy Village should be evicted after the protesters lost an appeal.
In May 2011, while commenting on super injunctions, he said that social media sites like Twitter were “totally out of control” and society should consider ways to bring such websites under control…
In July 2012, it was announced that Neuberger would succeed Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers as President of the Supreme Court, which post he took up on 1 October 2012.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Neuberger,_Baron_Neuberger_of_Abbotsbury
That said, your revelations and digging re Werrity and Fox were seriously important contributions to the public good.
JimmyGiro: I would not wish to becloud your afternoon with any more baseless conjecture.
Neil,
Fair points, but it does state he was a paedophile, and that is the key fact that the mainstream media was hiding. Also I do not rule out the possibility that his activities were bisexual and they are still hiding that bit – I am not saying that is the case, I am saying I can see no reason to rule it out.
It also gives that very interesting photo of Saville at Haut de la Garenne. I don’t think the whole story of that has come out. This is an interesting site:
http://missingmadeleine.forumotion.net/t19319-what-eddie-found-at-haut-de-la-garenne-in-jersey
As a general rile, whenever I link to any site that cannot in any way be taken as indicating my agreement with everything on it, or even with everything in a particular article linked to. I am merely pointing you towards something interesting.
‘Tread carefully’ as Komodo warns; I know you will – the elephant in the room is the MSM journalist with his prep’ed pointed ‘through the wringer’ questions.
Craig’s post has gone up on the Medialens message board. The first commenter says:
You should really check the internet on Hollie Greig – classic cover up …D notices etc…
~~
Parky. Spot on. Also read my post on the NHS thread below. Virgin Care have just collared a NHS contract in Lyme Regis, Dorset. There were apparently 30 bidders for the contract. A pack of wolves possesses more beneficence.
~~~~~‘Tread carefully’ as Komodo warns; I know you will – the elephant in the room is the MSM journalist with his prep’ed pointed ‘through the wringer’ questions.~~~~~
Any examples?
I’ll be interested to hear what happens. I think you might be surprised. I get the impression that a lot of (particularly younger) journalists would actually relish having a shot at proper investigative journalism. Sadly, the MSM, or their owners, rarely allow this anymore.
Anyway, good luck.
Glad to hear you are speaking at the NUJ conference, and hope that you give them hell about their handling of Matthew Gould et al.
Gould is an MI6 agent who was deeply involved in making out during Operation Crevice that the Muslim youths in Crawley’s internet cafe were terrorists, though they weren’t.
The operation, though, made some of them the 7/7 terrorists, as this link and its posts, particularly those by me, show:
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/11/14/matthew-gould-and-the-plot-to-attack-iran/
The idea that Gould would then be rewarded to lead the covert war against Iran from Tehran and Tel Aviv is just mind-bogging.
He is a big source of the problems, not their solution.
Craig Murray, you were the only investigative journalist in the whole Werritty, Fox, Gould affair. If it had not been for you none of us would have known the truth. One of the things that gets me is how they get someone who’s just about to retire, Gus O’Donnell in this case, Hutton in the Dr David Kelly case, and the president of the supreme court Lord Nicholas Phillips has just retired to that paradise of democracy, if you still believe in slavery, Qatar. Phillips presided over Julian Assange’s extradition appeal.
http://www.thelawyer.com/lord-phillips-to-head-east-after-supreme-court/1012511.article
I left the following comment below this article this morning. It did not get past the moderators. Surprise, surprise.
“I’m not a lawyer so I can speak my mind. Qatar is another emirate with a terrible history of abuse and enslavement, especially of immigrants. Ironically, the judge who presided over Julian Assange’s extradition to Sweden, Lord Justice Nicholas Phillips, retired in September and was rewarded for his toadyism a key post in this emirate of slavery and human rights’ abuse. Julian Assange is an innocent man.
. . .
But the corrupt judiciary, where all important decisions are made in Gentlemen’s Clubs gets retiring judges to do a nasty piece of work before they go. Lord Hutton whitewashed the death of Dr David Kelly and retired. Gus O’Donnell whitewashed the Werritty scandal and retired. And now Lord Phillips. Who can trust High Court judges?”
As a blogger, obviously i would love it if bloggers could apply for NUJ membership. I doubt it’ll happen though as journalists and columnists with NUJ membership won’t want competition they could avoid.
Bloggers and newspapers are pretty much the same in terms of researching facts and checking reliability of sources – some newspaper stories do this and others don’t bother but just repeat what’s been claimed the most times – ditto for blog posts.