Cameron’s Problem is Propriety Not Illegality

Tim Montgomerie suggests that we all at least try and keep the News of the World scandal in some degree of perspective. This is a worthy thought but not one that’s likely to fly very far given the febrile mood at Westminster. Moreover, Tim’s reasons for calling for calm are not, perhaps, quite as persuasive as they might be.

For instance, pointing out that all these abuses occurred while Labour was in power is, while true, not terribly relevant. Ed Miliband may have been a member of that government but he wasn’t involved in courting News International. Besides, it’s the Tories who are in power now and, reasonably enough, their relationship with the Murdoch empire is of more consequence now than whatever yesterday’s men did yesterday.

Nor is the issue one of whether David Cameron is “guilty of any personal wrongdoing”. As Tim says there’s no evidence for this. But that’s not quite the matter under discussion.