Well if he was serving at the time that is an even better reason why he was not focusing on chasing journalistic sources!
And of course I wasn’t suggesting that he’d never heard of phone hacking, just that he probably thought it didn’t apply to him as he was, as a pp said, very popular at the time.
Of course there are Faustian pacts made between the RF and the tabloids, with certain journalists and broadcasters favoured over others. That is how the whole shebang operates! As Roussette said, they have a symbiotic relationship.
And the question at the very heart of this case is whether one of these media organisations that is so powerful and influential, with such boundless resources, thinks it can act above the law?
Tampon-gate is an interesting one! It certainly does not disprove the existence of Faustian pacts which, by definition, end badly. Remember that the men in grey suits were working for different masters then and it was said that the Queen very much disapproved of Charles’s relationship with Camilla, especially when it reached her through the ranks that she was the wife of a cavalry officer. Famously, the Queen refused to attend functions where Camilla was present, for many years.
And lastly does it really matter what the intentions are of each individual bringing this case? I didn’t say they were doing it for the British people as a whole. I said they were brave to stand up to such a powerful organisation whose stock in trade is destroying reputations. They could have a variety of reasons between them for acting as they are. Collectively though, if they can prove their case, I’ve no doubt the UK as a whole will benefit, as the Mail Group would be forced to loosen its stranglehold on our national life.