Wendi Wot Won It
Like many other people I watched some of today's TV coverage from Westminster - where MPs grilled the two big fish at News International - Rupert and James Murdoch - on the phone hacking scandal.
Here are my impressions of the key players and what was said:
Key Message
Rupert and James are very, very sorry about what has happened - they didn't know what was going on at the time - they're especially ashamed about the hurt caused to victims of crime.
MPs' Questions
By and large MPs did a decent job of holding their witnesses to account - but Labour MPs were generally less effective because they were so clearly hostile to their two 'star' witnesses.
Rupert Murdoch
Started off slowly and sounded a bit befuddled at first - but he was in complete control when he needed to be and cruising towards the end - became stronger and stronger as time went on.
James Murdoch
Polished and controlled - a master of the detail and able to take the heat off his father - polite and well mannered, like most Americans, which helped to both charm and disarm his critics.
Gordon Brown
Rupert Murdoch let it be known that he was on very friendly terms with Gordon Brown - as were their wives and children - things only turned sour when his papers stopped supporting Labour.
Krusty the Clown
Some attention seeking non-entity (Barney Brambles?) - entered stage left with a custard pie as proceedings drew to a close - his timing was awful and he missed his target from two feet.
Wendi Deng
Rupe's wife - Wendi - sprang like a lioness to his defence (along with another woman in a grey suit) - but it was definitely 'Wendi wot won it' as she leapt on her husband's attacker - unafraid.
Here are my impressions of the key players and what was said:
Key Message
Rupert and James are very, very sorry about what has happened - they didn't know what was going on at the time - they're especially ashamed about the hurt caused to victims of crime.
MPs' Questions
By and large MPs did a decent job of holding their witnesses to account - but Labour MPs were generally less effective because they were so clearly hostile to their two 'star' witnesses.
Rupert Murdoch
Started off slowly and sounded a bit befuddled at first - but he was in complete control when he needed to be and cruising towards the end - became stronger and stronger as time went on.
James Murdoch
Polished and controlled - a master of the detail and able to take the heat off his father - polite and well mannered, like most Americans, which helped to both charm and disarm his critics.
Gordon Brown
Rupert Murdoch let it be known that he was on very friendly terms with Gordon Brown - as were their wives and children - things only turned sour when his papers stopped supporting Labour.
Krusty the Clown
Some attention seeking non-entity (Barney Brambles?) - entered stage left with a custard pie as proceedings drew to a close - his timing was awful and he missed his target from two feet.
Wendi Deng
Rupe's wife - Wendi - sprang like a lioness to his defence (along with another woman in a grey suit) - but it was definitely 'Wendi wot won it' as she leapt on her husband's attacker - unafraid.
