After NOTW, We Do Realise Nothing Will Really Change, Don’t We?

I am something of an anorak with political stories and shenanigans, and even I am getting bored with the News of the World thing now, which doesn’t bode well for the marathon of enquiries and minor scandals that will make up the umpteenth links in the chain reaction of stories emerging over the next couple of years.

So let me get this out of the way now: nothing much will change. Let’s look at the key issues:

Journalists will continue to obtain information by dubious means. ‘Hacking’ of voicemail is just the latest incarnation of the phenomenon of the overheard conversation, whether by  some form of eavesdropping or more convoluted sting operations. The leak, for example, is such an integral tool in the obtaining and dissemination of information – sometimes even initiated by the owner of said information – that it is unthinkable that it should not continue.

Some police officers will still be paid to supply information and tip-offs. Again, this has been going on for decades, at least. The police and media cannot live with each other, but crucially cannot live without either, so links will continue. And while the links are in place they will continue to spawn more – ahem – ‘unofficial’ relationships. This extends to contacts in other public bodies, particularly where information is the key commodity. It probably isn’t so much the future abuse by the state of state-held information on the citizen that should be the real concern to Joe Public – it’s the fact that almost everyone has their ‘price’, and anything that the state holds is available to anyone with enough cash or leverage.