CAMERON and the coalition are currently conducting a ruthless campaign against youth.
This is ruling class justice at its most hideous, red in tooth and claw as it seeks to crush a threat to its bankrupt system.
Zero tolerance is the battle cry. However it is a class policy and does not apply to the ruling class.
This is made clear by the letter (bombshell) just released by the House of Commons Culture Select Committee from journalist Clive Goodman to News International (NI) as he appealed against his dismissal in 2007 for phone hacking.
In the letter Goodman writes: ‘The Editor promised on many occasions that I could come back to a job at the newspaper if I did not implicate the paper or any of its staff in my mitigation plea.’
News International said at the time that Goodman had acted alone.
The Editor at the time was Coulson, who resigned from the post and became PM Cameron’s, Downing Street press chief, despite Cameron being repeatedly warned against consorting with Coulson.
Appealing against his dismissal, Goodman wrote: ‘The decision is perverse in that the actions leading to this criminal charge were carried out with the full knowledge and support of [redacted] payment for Glen Mulcaire’s services was arranged by [redacted].
‘The decision is inconsistent because [redacted] and other members of staff were carrying out the same illegal procedures.
‘This practice was widely discussed in the daily editorial conference, until explicit reference to it was banned by the Editor. As far as I am aware, no other member of staff has faced disciplinary action, much less dismissal.’
The letter continues: ‘The legal manager Tom Crone attended virtually every meeting of my legal team and was given full access to the Crown Prosecution Service’s evidence files.’
News International paid Goodman £244,000 (in two installments: £90,502.08 in April 2007 and £153,000 between October and December 2007, of which £13,000 was for his legal fees) at around the same time that this letter was sent.
Goodman’s allegations paint a picture of ‘sheer criminality’, ‘immorality’, and ‘corruption’, ‘theft,’ ‘greed and selfishness’ that demands ‘zero tolerance’.
Yet Cameron insists that he was right to give Coulson a second chance, and was right to ignore the warnings that were given to him about Coulson and his activities. But there is no second chance for youth, they are to be beaten and bashed ruthlessly.
Cameron faced down a well-publicised campaign to sack Coulson, who eventually resigned, but was still invited to the PM’s residence at Chequers as a friend. Under the state’s guilt by association scenario people who said that they found clothing left in parks and did not take it from shops have just been given prison sentences!
Cameron, in fact, discussed the Murdoch bid for BSkyB at numerous meetings and social occasions that he had with the Murdoch family. Murdoch was finally forced to abandon the bid, when the stench surrounding it became too great for even him to stomach. Cameron clung onto him to the end!
In another example of ruling class justice the Independent Police Complaints Commission yesterday cleared former Assistant Commissioners John Yates, and Andy Hayman, and the former Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke of misconduct over phone hacking. They had wined and dined with the Murdoch press and had decided not to further investigate the then claims of mass phone hacking, and effectively held up the investigation for years.
There is no such leniency for workers and youth. In fact they are being forced to accept massive Tory cuts, that destroy their lives, solely to save the fortunes of Cameron’s banking and business friends.
Workers must learn from the zero tolerance approach that Cameron has to workers and youth.
Workers must learn to treat the ruling class with the same ruthlessness that it is treating them and not to stop until capitalism has been overthrown.