Skipper

I heard John Whittingdale MP, Tory member of the Media and Culture Select Committee shamefully fending off questions about the need to reopen the investigation into Andy Coulson's alleged practice, when editor News of the World of encouraging journalists to make illegal phone taps. Before May 2010 when the new government came to power, this MP was as gung ho as anyone to probe Coulson's claim that he knew nothing about the practice. Now Coulson serves his party leader, he has come over all shy and unwilling to advance an investigation. Funny that.

For me the basic story was enough to convince me Coulson knew all about the phone hacking. Clive Goodman, NoW royal editor was convicted in 2007 for hacking into voicemail for aides to royalty; Glen Mulcaire a much used private investigator, got six months for the same charge. That the editor was in the dark about such widely usedpractices, I thought virtually impossible yet this was Coulson's claim, which he repeated in public to the M and C committee, to the disbelief of some of its members. Cameron either believed him or didn't care as he was happy to employ the ex editor as his Press Secretary. Now Blair felt he needed a red top man to do the same job but Campbell, whilst a colourful and slightly notorious figure, had no posible illegality hanging over his head.

And so it remained for some years, with Cameron the beneficiary of Murdoch's gratitude in autumn 2009 when The Sun came out for the Tories. The story was revived in 2010 when the New York Times sent a team of investigative reporters over here to dig out more dirt, apparently to damage its rival, Murdoch's Wall Street Journal. This report unearthed more journalists declaring Coulson knew all about the hacking, though the most outspoken one, Sean Hoare, had been dismissed for drink and drugs excesses and his credibility is consequently reduced. The Observer article, giving background to the story, suggested Coulson not only exercises key influence within the new government, but has provided Cameron with crucial social links to the likes of top Murdoch executive, Rebekah Brooks plus Elizabeth and James Murdoch.

Coulson enjoys total support at present from Cameron but the NYT investigation has set a lot of windows rattling, with people like John Prescott- himself a victim of the hacking- making legal moves to re-open the case. While the Times and The Sun have told their readers nothing about the case, with The Telegraph likewise, I think the story now has legs once again and the non credible story that Coulson never knew of what was clearly widespread within his newspaper, will crack under the pressure.