The press' freedom to hold everyone and anyone to scrutiny is a bastion of the democratic structure that we have much to be proud of in this country. Without this independent scrutiny powerful people and powerful institutions can flaunt their power and bulldoze their will over us all. The press more than any other institution has revealed situations that have made people very angry and the miscreants forced to change their methods and renege on the way they were acting.
The problem is that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The power of the press to put into print a story which may or may not be true has enormous consequences for the person or institution upon who the story is based. There is no rowing back since the seeds sown in the minds of millions of readers can not be removed. People hold what they read as factual and denial by the victim of a story is always treated with suspicion, the "no smoke without fire" syndrome.
Lord Justice Leveson, given the task of listening to claim and counter claim has produced a report today which was immediately debated in Parliament.
The Prime Minister acknowledged the recommendations in the report but dug his heals in on the issue of legislating a body into law which would have over-sight of the press. His fear was that bringing such a body into existence could in the future, be used to muzzle the press when politically sensitive issues needed public scrutiny. The Opposition felt that the independence of the new scrutinising body could be guaranteed and bore no threat from future government interference.
Listening to the debate I was struck by the quick minded eloquence of the people who laid out and defended each proposition. I was particularly impressed by the Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg. In an extremely unusual situation he rose to disagree with his boss, at the dispatch box, and promoted the acceptance of Leveson in full. I was beguiled by his command of the language, his ability to think on his feet as criticism flowed his way. A command performance.
People who have this talent to enunciate and articulate a proposition clearly so that the issues are clear and transparent, are gifted and a pleasure to listen to, even if you disagree with what they say. It is almost hypnotic to hear a good debate where the issue is tossed around like a bone leaving one almost convinced black is white. The demagogue uses this skill to entice the ignorant but the true practicianer has the ability to communicate at the highest level and one must remember that it is the ability to communicate that sets mankind apart from the animal world. Communication is the tool by which we pass on and develop our collective experience.
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