On the press clampdown

 There's been a concerted effort today on the part of the press to fight back against their members being arrested. The most vocal of these is in the Sun by their politcal editor Trevor Kavanagh , on which he calls the police investigation into the press, specifically the Sun, as akin to how the press was handled in the Soviert Union. However he isn't the only one, see here, and here.

Now their cries of it bing a witch hunt elicit no sympathy as the police are investigating real criminal offences and dealing with people who made innocent peoples lives a living hell. 

However it is ridiculous that 171 police officers, some taken from anti-terrorism units, are investigating press crimes. For all the faults the press didn't kill anyone (except Dr David Kelly who they hounded to his death after he was thrown to them by the labour government and with the willing assistance of the BBC). 

With limited police  resources you'd have thought that they'd have more serious crimes to solve. 

However this must be seen for what it is, the police playing catchup after allowing the media to get away with blatant criminality for decades. A way for the police to avoid criticism is to over react in order for the high ups cozy relationship with the press to be overlooked. 

I have called from the start that all those who committed crimes to be punishement regardless who they are or who they work for: I still do. 

We do need to be aware of the dangers this current climate brings. We mustn't allow iffy politicans to use this scandal to silence a free press. For all it's many faults it is the press who exposed their corruption. These same polticians so keen to control the press are the same ones who are very lucky not to be in jail, or stood back and allowed their friends to steal from us. 

Many are even more criminal and sleazy than the worst of the press. 

The way in which these polticans are using the real scandal to get their own back on the free press who exposed their crimes is sickening. 

We need a free press unbeholden to polticians or the powerful. We need to expose corruption and scandal. We mustn't allow this freedom to be lost due to our natural revulsion and corrupt polticians.