I watched most of the Leverson inquisition of Andy Coulsen and it has forced me to change my mind in one respect, at least. I confess to automatically assuming that any editor of the 'Screws of the World' would be a low-life who had grunt-snuffled his way up the journalistic ladder by trying desperately to brush the dandruff off his shoulders and remembering to clean his shoes more than once a quarter. In this, of course, I was allowing my prejudice to rule my brain - mea culpa - not, mind you, that such a caricature means that I despise your average hack, quite the contrary, I love and admire them and desperately want them to continue to rifle through the dustbins of the Great and the Good - so called until they are found out! - and tell us what they find.
Well, Mr. Coulsen exceeded my prejudice by some distance. He was quiet, cool, contained and obviously highly intelligent. How they must be groaning at 'The Graun' at the fact that the oleaginous creep asking the loaded questions - a 'Graun' reader, I'll bet - made absolutely no headway and failed dismally to uncover any sort of a Shlock-Horror story. At the time I thought it was dangerous for 'Dim Dave' to hire the editor of 'The Screws' as his personal communications chief but having watched and listened the man I can see his attractions. Assuming he gets through the 'phone hacking strife unscathed I hope 'Dave' re-employs him - or better still, gives him a safe seat!
Brilliant. I was tickled pink by the 'my clearance is bigger than your clearance' spat when Mr C went a visiting. Speaks volumes.
Posted by: rogerh | Friday, 11 May 2012 at 07:08
The whole thing is sort of fascinating and sort of irritating.
Posted by: David Duff | Friday, 11 May 2012 at 13:23