Live webchat with Hugh Grant (!!!) about the Leveson report and press reform, Monday 10 December, 8pm

[JustineMumsnet]

We're delighted to announce that sleb-actor-turned-campaigner Hugh Grant (yes it's Hugh ) is joining us for a webchat tonight, Monday, December 10 at 8pm.

Hugh keen to talk to us about the Leveson report and press reform. As you probably know he's been a prominent member of Hacked Off, and before that was best known for his quintessential English gent roles in movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually.

Hacked Off is an alliance of victims of press abuse, journalists, academics, lawyers and others who successfully campaigned for a public inquiry into the phone hacking scandal.

And now that the inquiry's been held (by Lord Leveson), Hacked Off wants all Leveson's recommendations for press reform implemented.

(This webchat is focused on Leveson, so we hope you'll understand that Hugh will prioritising Qs about that ahead of Qs about his career/personal life/choice of biscuits - although, if there's time, he will do his best to address a few of those too.)

So, join us and Hugh, online at 8pm tonight. If you can't make it then, you can post up advance questions on this thread.

Maybe he's typing with one hand because he needs the other one to bat off advancing MNHQers?

What are your thoughts on social media? It's not the press but the ordinary folk, the pub/school gate gossip about celebs but out there for all to see on twitter/Fb/forums. And not just when it's about who was arrested today but also the who's shagging who.

Ps I feel we should discuss this more in-depth, how about lunch?

Thank you for your response.

I'm only joking !

Sorry.

Of course he's slightly slow at typing responses - they are punctuated by slow, lingering snogs with all the MNHQers

Hi
Could you not be our PM instead of David c? :)

"And thats what makes it all the more astonishing that the prime minister could have gone back on his word to the victims (I don't include myself- I'm talking about real victims, people like the Dowlers and the Mcann's) within hours of the report being published. "

Cameron is not a man known for his integrity. I think the saying goes - what do you expect from a pig but a grunt.

Baubles Highly likely ! Justine's had her hair done, you know.

52?
Absolutely perfect.. Fancy a little holiday or two in Pembrokeshire?

I'll let you bring your dog..

I don't mind I've nearly finished making a Mushroom Chowmein in between hitting F5

Happiness is Hugh and Noodles

@Catree

Hi Hugh,

If it were up to you, what would be the single most important piece of legislation you would put into place to protect the public right to privacy?

@mariekjulia123

Did you meant to be the worldwide face of the Hacking Inquiry ?

No, L'Oreal was always my ambition. But it turns out I'm not worth it. Having said that, I'm very glad to be doing this. This isn't a thing of the past, despite what the papers may say. Only this year, an 11-year-old called Sebastian Bowles was killed in a coach crash in Switzerland.

His picture was taken from his Facebook page without his parents' permission and printed in three national newspapers. They also printed long lens pictures of his nine-year-old sister preparing to lay flowers at the crash site.

And all this despite the family's pleas to respect their privacy. None of this was against the law, but was in direct contravention of the Editors' Code of Practice, a code of practice that was openly and repeatedly flouted under the present system.

This is all a bit slow..

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=tvV&sa=N&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1173&bih=675&tbm=isch&tbnid=2jT83dWDs5JB-M:&imgrefurl=vanessajellouli.tumblr.com/&docid=_rfeHhuCx_791M&imgurl=24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m86e7jyI9R1rci1qko1_250.jpg&w=241&h=400&ei=gUXGUJj8MIi29QTUmoCgBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=472&vpy=25&dur=389&hovh=289&hovw=174&tx=84&ty=152&sig=109458032943722344712&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=81&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0,i:99" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> try this

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=tvV&sa=N&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1173&bih=675&tbm=isch&tbnid=vwuJ4hcJOQEZ4M:&imgrefurl=little-dormy.livejournal.com/&docid=Ynqsl9l7JD0yqM&imgurl=www.freewebs.com/princesscaro/Hugh-Grant.jpg&w=360&h=450&ei=gUXGUJj8MIi29QTUmoCgBw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=234&sig=109458032943722344712&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=104&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:90&tx=72&ty=94" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">or this

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=tvV&sa=N&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1173&bih=675&tbm=isch&tbnid=66vzGuKuG_7g4M:&imgrefurl=melificent.com/2011/11/30/happy-hump-day-hugh-grant/&docid=-T37fA-HAq8OaM&imgurl=melificent.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tumblr_lv9wa2CNW71qkpvgwo1_400.jpg&w=400&h=333&ei=gUXGUJj8MIi29QTUmoCgBw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=218&sig=109458032943722344712&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=148&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:93&tx=30&ty=85" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this is nice

How do you think about social media? Does it have too much influence ?

I'm all confused, we're watching Remains of the Day on the telly and you've just been typing away on an old typewriter. Quite glad I'm not drunk or it would just be too much.

Doing

If only you could change your nn to DoingitOnTheRoofTopWithHugh.

He's so lovely...and would be sooooooo worth it !

I see other, faster Mumsnetters have Hugh sewn up for Christmas. But we also do Solstice! And since it's on the 21st, you don't have to wait so long for a slap-up meal (and have four days in between to do some cardio and work it off before Crimbo).

Qualified chef for a partner, seaside town, could be the tranquility you need.

Oh.My.God.It's.Hugh.Bloody.Grant!!!!

No, Loreal was always my ambition. But it turns out I'm not worth it

they are too young for me... much better

@Corygal

Rumour has it that the Daily Mail caught Ian Huntly & Maxine Carr after the police in Soham realised that Huntly was well aware of his 'rights' to resist the attempts of the Plods, so local coppers, desperate to find the girls, sent the guy from the Mail to tea at Chateau Ian. DM man bugged their coffee table. The girls were dead (had been for days) but the DM tape did for H&C anyway. Allegedly.

How do you reconcile press regulation for Bad Things and Hurt Feelings with allowing the press to break the rules in a way that delivers important social resilts? You're much too clever to suggest the police should do their job better.

We at Hacked Off, campaign for there to be legal defences for journalists who break certain laws in pursuit of important public interest stories. That could include phone hacking - if you are uncovering a paedophile's activities or the MPs expenses scandal. We want to free up journalists to do great investigative work and release them from the shackles of their corporate masters and their purely commercial agenda. That is why the NUJ sits on platforms with Hacked Off and why we mention it in our petition (see how I slipped that in - it's at our Hacked Off website).

Hugh, that about Sebastian is just disgusting. Do you think that the press carry on this way because all respect for others has been lost ? Any story is good, no matter how distasteful ?

Hey hey give the bloke time to read the posts Some (me) have rambled on in our posts for ages.