The story goes that convicted fraudster and corporate bully-of-note Gerald Ronson had a singular way of keeping in touch with his management team. He would isolate a target and contrive a scenario where just the two were together – a privileged ride in GR’s limo or in a lift, for example. Allowing not even seconds…
Category: Political
Political
Tax Evasion and Shooting the Messenger
by Dominic O'Byrne •
So, Greek investigative journalist Kostas Vaxevanis has been arrested under a ‘Violation of privacy’ law. The specifics of the crime with which he is charged are that he published in Hot Doc magazine a list of over 2000 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts, with words like corruption and tax evasion being used a lot. According…
Political
A Class Act
by Dominic O'Byrne •
Malala Yousufzai has achieved more than just a blow for education and the emancipation of women in the third world. What she has set in motion will have far-reaching repercussions that we must hope will resonate for years to come. Not least among these is that it has demonstrated to most people in the developed…
Political
Be Careful What You Wish For
by Dominic O'Byrne •
The latest episode in the Murdoch Crucifixion saga leaves one with an unpleasant aftertaste. Oddly, der Knecht Ruprecht emerges with his dignity and composure intact. I don’t think the same can’t be said of Tom Watson – referred to in today’s Times as ‘accuser-in-chief’. According to the official transcript Watson asked Rupert Murdoch “…Mr Murdoch, at what…
Political
Politicians get the media they deserve. So do we.
by Dominic O'Byrne •
Does my memory serve me right? Does anybody else recall the last 24 months or so of John Major’s administration and the role it played in enhancing the power of the press? If not, let me remind some of us… I’ll hold my hand up and admit to being one of Margaret Thatcher’s biggest fans;…
Golf, Political
What are the odds?
by Dominic O'Byrne •
Further to the golf / Olympics debate, in the Summer of 2009 The Times published odds offered by William Hill on cadidate sports for Olimpics inclusion. We’ll be finding out how these have changed in the intervening months… Golf Having featured twice in the Games, in 1900 and 1904, it has Olympic heritage and is…