Should David Cameron resign?

[reelingintheyears]

Given that Paul Stephenson and John Yates have done so over their 'misjudgements' when hiring Neil Wallis should DC be accountable for his poor judgement in hiring Andy Coulson?

Although this has gone too far to be brushed under the carpet which is what has happened. Let's see if the rest of our System has the balls to keep going on this and finally get rid of the crap Murdoch spiels out in his "newspapers". The Scum on Sunday is an appropriate title.

much as I'd like to see the back of DC and the Tories (being an enjoyer of hummus and sandals etc), tbh I don't think that's quite the issue.

I see the cause and effect rather the other way around. For ages the Murdoch press have been PM-makers pre general elections - Thatcher with her Sun support, and once they were behind Blair before the 1997 election, it was suddenly a given that he would win. Brown lost the support of the Murdoch press, and lost the GE. So if (and I still wonder if it's a big "if", given how resilient these people are (meaning, people who were formerly disgraced seem to be able to resurface as if nothing has happened. Cressida Dick? I thought she was persona non grata after the de Menezes tragedy?) - if the Murdoch press does lose its huge power to influence British public life, then what will count in the next General Election?

Not the votes surely? It might be worth getting ourselves a decent voting system if so!!

Anyone seen the gold price today? Gordon sold our reserves at rock bottom prces and lost us all 7bn. Far bigger scandal than phone hacking.

"I do find it worrying that after all his expensive education DC cannot spot a flakey character when he meets one,however I suppose that takes common sense rather than education"

I think either DC couldn't have cared less that Coulson is as dodgy as hell or that NI put pressure on DC to hire him so they could have someone close to the PM, right in his camp.

7bn lost in gold sales a far bigger scandal? I'll up you one - the billions the banks swallowed from the public purse.

I've never subscribed to the notion that the Murdoch press influences election results - rather they have switched allegiance behind changes in public opinion (as far as they can read it)

The Telegraph has a reasonable analysis of the ways in which this impacts on Cameron.

It draws an analogy with the Profumo affair. I think it's a good one: ie Cameron won't resign because of the phone hacking scandal, but it'll bedevil the rest of his premiership and possibly cost him re-election.

I think Hackgate is Cameron's Iraq dossier: before it, things were possible; afterwards, maybe not so much. But it won't, and shouldn't, cause him to resign straight away. The only reason for doing so would be sentimental, and frankly the state of our country's affairs is too rickety for sentiment at the moment.

\link{http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/jul/19/phone-hacking-rupert-murdoch-rebekah-brooks-mps\From the Guardian's hackgate blog 2.40pm:}

'Matthew Taylor writes that David Cameron's chief of staff Ed Llewellyn appears to be under increasing pressure after John Yates revealed he was the "senior official" who asked the Met not to brief the prime minister on the hacking scandal in September 2010.

Last week it emerged that Llewellyn also failed to pass Guardian warnings about former News of the World editor Andy Coulson over hacking and his connections to Jonathan Rees, a private detective then facing charges for conspiracy to murder, to Cameron. Despite the warnings Llewellyn took the judgment that the information was already substantially contained in news reports in the public domain.

Today Met commissioner Paul Stephenson said a senior official in No 10 had advised the Met not to inform the prime minister about the police's decision to hire former NoW deputy editor Neil Wallis. Yates confirmed Llewellyn was the adviser in question and said Llewellyn told him it was not appropriate for him to brief the PM on the hacking investigation, adding: "And I'd be grateful if it wasn't raised."'

We've heard before that someone decided Cameron should not be informed (so that he could say, if the issue ever arose that he hadn't been informed ) - this Ed Llewellyn will now take the rap for Cameron's error of judgment, presumably

'Despite the warnings Llewellyn took the judgment that the information was already substantially contained in news reports in the public domain'

Alan Rusbridger made a huge point of giving information that very much wasn't in the public domain

Thick bastards aside, this post held by Cameron is a post strictly for the whiter than white, his continued association with prolific individuals has muddied his own character and judgement, I am not surprised he has not already offered his resignation.
He needs to go !

2.54pm (Graun blog):

'Yates has revealed that Ed Llewellyn, David Cameron's chief of staff, turned down the chance to have a briefing on the phone hacking in September last year.'

Let's all blame him then, eh?

Not sure I know any decent politician able to replace the PM !

Yes I think he should resign. These privileged Eton lot should not be allowed to hold sway. Ed Milliband is the only one not implicated. He is the most decent politician we've had for years!

Ha - Yes therein lies the problem.

Do we have a new generation of unblemished, saintly individuals waiting in the wings to run this country. Fortunately not because we need people who know a thing or two about life.

From Alistair Campbell (uh - he gives me the creeps) to David Cameron they are all involved no matter what their protestations.

We need somebody to lead this country (we have far bigger problems) and I feel that Ed is not the right person at present.

David Davis & William Hague have both been mentioned - both experienced & apparently clean (but who knows...)

It always bugs me when someone suggests that if you are a nob, privileged or rich you are not "allowed to hold sway".

What sort of prejudice and inverted snobbery is that? If I said that you were not allowed to become Prime Minister because you come from a poor background Mia43 I'd get hammered on here! Stop your prejudiced Bull.

Yah to David Davis - like him lots - he's a very nice person too!

DC should stay put and ride it out. This isn't like the expenses scandal or the Iraq dossier at all. It wasn't this or the last government that was directly commissioning the hackers' dirty work, it was someone up the chain at NI. All the Conservatives have done 'wrong' is employ the solitary person that resigned when the story first broke and suck up to Murdoch's minions in an effort to get nice things written about them. Hardly the end of the world.

I agree CES. What we should really be discussing is the plight of women when the USA & UK pull our of Afghanistan - which is a major concern!

There's also the small matter of getting the country's finances back on an even keel.

I could go with William Hague, just not sure about his sexual preferences, think I have been reading too many newspapers.

All DC has done is to continue to have a relationship with with the solitary person who resigned when the story first broke, whiter than white, this continued association is why he must go.

Ed & Mrs Milibanana have a number of friends who are journalists too.

Are are we seriously expected to believe that the only journalists involved in phone hacking work or used to work for News International? Of course not! I bet it's rife in every News organisation in the world. And ex-journalists do go on to work in other fields.

Rebekah Brooks has been friends with both Tony B-liar and GB's families over the past decade ( while this all was being kept a secret ). Asking for DC to resign over this is frankly, absurd.

Didn't Rupert just say Gordon was the PM he always been closest to? What do you make of that?