Pretty for a day, but useless for a week!

First let me say that phone-hacking is an illegal act and is wrong regardless of the reasons – whether the person hacked is a celebrity, a politician or a private citizen – and it’s an appallingly disgraceful act when those violated are victims of crime.

However, we can not and should not pass judgment until we have all the facts and proves that the accusations are not some personal agenda motivated by a personal need!

A few weeks ago the media social and regular collectively tried, judged and sentenced Dominique Strauss-Kahn for allegedly assaulting a hotel worker in New York – only to later discover there was no case to bring to trail and the lady in question has swiftly turned her attention to suing a New York newspaper.

Sometime ago Sharon Shoesmith – the former children’s services chief – was mobbishly pushed out of her job, only to later win an unfair dismissal case costing the public millions. Both cases are living proof that mob mentality indictments have a temporary satisfaction but are never the solution. And as the Prime Minster said earlier today on PMQs “they make people look pretty for a day but useless for a week”. Worst yet, they might allow an offender to get off!

Regarding the phone – hacking allegations, the last thing the public wants is a Band-Aid solution, a temporary baseless fix. What the public and our country need and deserve is a permanent resolution reached after a full and independent public inquiry sorts this matter once and for all, and restores our trust and confidence in the media and the laws governing it. To the frustrations of many that might take time to reach but it’s worth the wait – because we as a nation deserve it.