LEVESON: PLEASE SUPPORT **MY** PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S WEBSITE

by **Tony Bennett** 03.12.12 14:22

And please circulate it ASAP amongst your friends and contacts, on Facebook, and tweet it:

Here's what it says:

+++++++

Oppose Leveson's call for new laws to control the press. We support David Cameron's warning against introducing statutory control of the press

Responsible department: Department for Culture, Media and Sport

This petition aims to preserve a free press in this country. Already, as many editors have noted, the Leveson enquiry has had a chilling effect on press freedom.

True, the press sometimes abuse their freedom. We need a better way of curbing press excesses. We need a tougher code of practice, with a 'rapid right of reply' to incorrect or libellous articles, and arbitration.

Any new body to control the press must not be run by the press - but by independent people. .

We have existing laws to protect privacy and reputation. These must be enforced, e.g. the police were at fault for not prosecuting phone hacking.

Many demands for government control of the press come from the rich, who use PR to promote themselves, but object when others come up with facts that contradict their image.

It would be wrong to introduce statutory control of the press in response to the demands of celebrities like Hugh Grant and Max Mosley.

LINK:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/42582

by Liz Eagles 03.12.12 16:39

I've signed. I'm now going to chuck out all my Hugh Grant dvd's (bit of a pointless protest but it'll make me feel better). As I can't stand Harry Potter I'm afraid I don't have anything to throw away on that score.

by Guest 03.12.12 17:50

Tony Bennett wrote:a 'rapid right of reply' to incorrect or libellous articles

That's exactly what Leveson proposes. You've had your own experience with the PCC - I'd have thought you more than most would want a genuinely independent body to take its place.

by Ribisl 03.12.12 17:58

aquila wrote:I've signed. I'm now going to chuck out all my Hugh Grant dvd's (bit of a pointless protest but it'll make me feel better). As I can't stand Harry Potter I'm afraid I don't have anything to throw away on that score.

by **Tony Bennett** 03.12.12 18:20

tcat wrote:
Tony Bennett wrote:a 'rapid right of reply' to incorrect or libellous articles
That's exactly what Leveson proposes. You've had your own experience with the PCC - I'd have thought you more than most would want a genuinely independent body to take its place.

I know Leveson recommends a more effective, rapid 'right of reply', and I agree with that; the press have printed falsehoods about me, and it's certainly not nice.

But what Leveson, and the celebs, and the McCanns want is the government being directly involved with press regulation, they want MPs to pass new laws curbing the press - and that's the thin end of the wedge.

Goodness only knows what they would want to cover up if they got these new powers as a result of Leveson - as it is, many important stories go unreported because of fear of our oppressive libel laws.

Thank you all on here for signing my petition. If you click on this link:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

my petition is currently the TOP trending petition with 75 signatures in the last hour

THANK YOU ALL - and

PLEASE LET SOMEONE ELSE KNOW ABOUT IT: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/42582

by tiny 03.12.12 19:01

signed

LEVESON: PLEASE SUPPORT **MY** PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S WEBSITE 636506

by Justicemm 03.12.12 19:07

It's a pleasure Tony . I've signed . Goodness me life as we know it is becoming more and more oppressive without Leveson's recommendations becoming law .

by sammyc 03.12.12 21:11

I've just got home and logged in here, noticed the topic and signed straightaway.

All the very best Tony.

by **Tony Bennett** 03.12.12 21:30

sammyc wrote:I've just got home and logged in here, noticed the topic and signed straightaway.

All the very best Tony.

Thanks again to all who have signed, we are at 418 already, well on the way to the first 1,000. The 'HackedOff' petition is riddled with bogus and multiple names so can't be taken seriously.

I've just seen this tweet from McCann-sceptic 'Humpty Bumpty':

Humpty Bumpty ‏@RealHumptyB

#HackedOff petition stands at 130k+ sigs as new Sun-backed e-petition launched to oppose press law. #leveson

...so it looks like the Sun will be following my lead!

by Guest 03.12.12 22:20

Tony Bennett wrote:But what Leveson, and the celebs, and the McCanns want is the government being directly involved with press regulation, they want MPs to pass new laws curbing the press - and that's the thin end of the wedge.

No they don't, that's a political stance you're taking on it. All they want is to ensure the regulatory body is genuinely independent, instead of trusting the Murdochs and Dacres when they say 'ok, this time we'll take it seriously'

No they won't, unless they have to LEVESON: PLEASE SUPPORT **MY** PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S WEBSITE 160807

LEVESON: PLEASE SUPPORT **MY** PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S WEBSITE 160807

by **Tony Bennett** 03.12.12 22:58

tcat wrote:
Tony Bennett wrote:But what Leveson, and the celebs, and the McCanns want is the government being directly involved with press regulation, they want MPs to pass new laws curbing the press - and that's the thin end of the wedge.
No they don't, that's a political stance you're taking on it. All they want is to ensure the regulatory body is genuinely independent, instead of trusting the Murdochs and Dacres when they say 'ok, this time we'll take it seriously'

No they won't, unless they have to

The fact is that Miliband and Clegg are planning to draft a Parliamentary Bill to implement ALL the Leveson recommendations, lock stock and barrel.

The government uses regulators to regulate the water industry, gas and electricity, the banks, the insurance industry etc.

But the press?

These two (Miliband & Clegg), plus all the rich celebs, want to regulate the press. They want to stop 'press intrusion'. The politicians would LOVE to stop the press exposing their fiddles, house-flipping, and exorbitant expense claims, they tried hard enough to block the press from knowing the truth.

We already have enough devices most of the time to curb the press:

* the most oppressive libel laws in the western world

* Official Secrets Act

* D-notices

and people like the McCanns' chief public relations officer, Clarence Mitchell, who whilst in government was paid by the taxpayer to control what we can read in the papers and see on TV.

* Petition signatures up to 470 after just 10 hours - thanks all

by IAmNotMerylStreep 03.12.12 23:09

Are we able to see the signatures for this petition?

by **Tony Bennett** 03.12.12 23:24

IAmNotMerylStreep wrote:Are we able to see the signatures for this petition?

Not so far as I'm aware.

The verification process used by 10 Downing Street includes supplying your name and address and e-mail address (none of which are shown). Your vote is not added until you have visited your inbox and clicked on a link supplied by No. 10. The system is set up so that you cannot vote twice from the same e-mail address.

That's all I know about the verification process

by Newintown 03.12.12 23:34

I logged on to sign the petition but it seems to have closed this afternoon at 3.05 p.m.

by listener 03.12.12 23:53

Newintown wrote:I logged on to sign the petition but it seems to have closed this afternoon at 3.05 p.m.

Hi, I believe it closes at that time in Dec 2013

(signed) LEVESON: PLEASE SUPPORT **MY** PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S WEBSITE 160807

by Newintown 04.12.12 0:05

listener wrote:
Newintown wrote:I logged on to sign the petition but it seems to have closed this afternoon at 3.05 p.m.

Hi, I believe it closes at that time in Dec 2013

(signed)

Oh dear, silly billy me. Thank you. roll

by Guest 04.12.12 0:14

Tony Bennett wrote:These two (Miliband & Clegg), plus all the rich celebs, want to regulate the press. They want to stop 'press intrusion'. The politicians would LOVE to stop the press exposing their fiddles, house-flipping, and exorbitant expense claims, they tried hard enough to block the press from knowing the truth.

You're still politicking, Tony.

Everybody says the PCC has been pretty useless. Everybody - Leveson, Clegg, Miliband, Cameron, Murdoch, Dacre, Desmond etc. - says there should be a new body replacing it.

The only difference is that the press say 'we'll make sure the new body stays independent, trust us' but Clegg and Miliband say 'all the evidence shows you can't be trusted, we want a law that will ensure the new body stays independent'

That's really the only difference between the sides here. LEVESON: PLEASE SUPPORT **MY** PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S WEBSITE 160807

by **Tony Bennett** 04.12.12 0:45

tcat wrote:
Tony Bennett wrote:These two (Miliband & Clegg), plus all the rich celebs, want to regulate the press. They want to stop 'press intrusion'. The politicians would LOVE to stop the press exposing their fiddles, house-flipping, and exorbitant expense claims, they tried hard enough to block the press from knowing the truth.
You're still politicking, Tony.

Everybody says the PCC has been pretty useless. Everybody - Leveson, Clegg, Miliband, Cameron, Murdoch, Dacre, Desmond etc. - says there should be a new body replacing it.

The only difference is that the press say 'we'll make sure the new body stays independent, trust us' but Clegg and Miliband say 'all the evidence shows you can't be trusted, we want a law that will ensure the new body stays independent'

That's really the only difference between the sides here.

I concede the following:

1. The PCC has been ineffective in a great many cases - pretty toothless

2. Your chacterisation of the two rival arguments is not unreasonable, though I and others might frame the two rival approaches to press reform rather differently.

Let us look at some of the cases Leveson pronounced on, in terms of what I think are his three main criticisms:

1. Libelling people (oustanding example: Chris Jeffries and the McCanns)

2. 'Phone hacking (mostly celebs and politicians but also Millie Dowler)

3. Press intrusion (mostly celebs again)

Dealing with these point by point:

1. Our draconian libel laws (nearly everybody agrees they are draconian, I think you may concede that) already prevent many stories from reaching the press. After all, that's how folk like Clarence Mitchell and Max Clifford earn their crust. Max Clifford said he made far more money keeping stories OUT of the papers than putting them in. Admittedly the press treated Jeffries badly. I think he has now got his libel award. How many people have been seriously libelled by the press? Not that many, I would argue, and where the libel is clear, often the newspapers have been pubished severely in damage.

What about the grief and distress caused to the McCanns by the press? Well, I am not going to comment.

2. Hacking. Quite disgraceful. Should have been dealt with by the Met Police but wasn't because they are a corrupt bunch at the top, and Yates in particuler, with his cosy-cosy relationship with Murdoch, wilfully refused to investigate it as he should have done. No need for state press regulation, we simply need to have a police force that investigates crimes as it's supposed to.

3. Press intrusion. Mostly well-off celebs with PR agents who object when a tabloid reports their darker side: Hugh Grant, Steve Coogan etc. There is already a law of privacy to deter press intrusion. Sometimes the press get it wrong e.g. the tasteless covering of the funeral of Anne Diamond's baby. Do we need a state-approved press regulator to curb press intrusion? I dount it. Celebs should learn to be a bit more thick-skinned, especially if they actively court the media. I seriously had to laugh a couple of days ago when the news kicked off by saying: "Victims of press intrusion, led by Gerry McCann..."

by Guest 04.12.12 12:22

Tony Bennett wrote:
sammyc wrote:I've just got home and logged in here, noticed the topic and signed straightaway.

All the very best Tony.
Thanks again to all who have signed, we are at 418 already, well on the way to the first 1,000. The 'HackedOff' petition is riddled with bogus and multiple names so can't be taken seriously.

I've just seen this tweet from McCann-sceptic 'Humpty Bumpty':

Humpty Bumpty ‏@RealHumptyB

#HackedOff petition stands at 130k+ sigs as new Sun-backed e-petition launched to oppose press law. #leveson

...so it looks like the Sun will be following my lead!

New petition launched opposing state involvement in regulation of the press

A new petition opposing state involvement in the regulation of the press was launched this afternoon.

It comes in response to a petition by the Hacked Off group calling for the Government to implement the recommendations put forward by Lord Justice Leveson in his report last week.

The Hacked Off petition has so far been signed 131,589 times, though questions were raised over the weekend as to how the group was verifying the signatures (the petition asks only for a name and email address).

In response to those criticisms Hacked Off said: “A continuous process of verification is under way and false or repeat signatures, where found, are removed from the total number given on the website. We have uncovered very little evidence of such abuses.”

A separate petition on the Government’s e-petition website has 4,932 signatures.

The latest petition backing Prime Minister David Cameron’s misgivings over backing statutory underpinning to press regulation has been signed by 28 people.

It reads:

This petition aims to preserve a free press in this country. Already, as many editors have noted, the Leveson enquiry has had a chilling effect on press freedom.

True, the press sometimes abuse their freedom. We need a better way of curbing press excesses. We need a tougher code of practice, with a 'rapid right of reply' to incorrect or libellous articles, and arbitration.

Any new body to control the press must not be run by the press - but by independent people. .

We have existing laws to protect privacy and reputation. These must be enforced, e.g. the police were at fault for not prosecuting phone hacking.

Many demands for government control of the press come from the rich, who use PR to promote themselves, but object when others come up with facts that contradict their image.

It would be wrong to introduce statutory control of the press in response to the demands of celebrities like Hugh Grant and Max Mosley.

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/content/new-petition-launched-opposing-state-involvement-regulation-press

by **Tony Bennett** 04.12.12 12:43

candyfloss wrote:
Tony Bennett wrote:
sammyc wrote:I've just got home and logged in here, noticed the topic and signed straightaway.

All the very best Tony.
Thanks again to all who have signed, we are at 418 already, well on the way to the first 1,000. The 'HackedOff' petition is riddled with bogus and multiple names so can't be taken seriously.

I've just seen this tweet from McCann-sceptic 'Humpty Bumpty':

Humpty Bumpty ‏@RealHumptyB

#HackedOff petition stands at 130k+ sigs as new Sun-backed e-petition launched to oppose press law. #leveson

...so it looks like the Sun will be following my lead!

New petition launched opposing state involvement in regulation of the press

A new petition opposing state involvement in the regulation of the press was launched this afternoon.

It comes in response to a petition by the Hacked Off group calling for the Government to implement the recommendations put forward by Lord Justice Leveson in his report last week.

The Hacked Off petition has so far been signed 131,589 times, though questions were raised over the weekend as to how the group was verifying the signatures (the petition asks only for a name and email address).

In response to those criticisms Hacked Off said: “A continuous process of verification is under way and false or repeat signatures, where found, are removed from the total number given on the website. We have uncovered very little evidence of such abuses.”

A separate petition on the Government’s e-petition website has 4,932 signatures.

The latest petition backing Prime Minister David Cameron’s misgivings over backing statutory underpinning to press regulation has been signed by 28 people.

Well, the Press Gazette were very swiftly on to that; there were 50+ signatures in the first hour, so they published that story minutes after my petition was launched.

Anywy, here's an update:

A separate petition on the Government’s e-petition website has 4,932 signatures: Now 5,225, an increase since yesterday of 293

The latest petition backing Prime Minister David Cameron’s misgivings over backing statutory underpinning to press regulation has been signed by 28 people:Now 690, an increase since yesterday of 662.

So far, then, people have been signing my petition at twice the rate of the other petition (which wants Leveson implemented in full). My petition's been in the top 4 trending petitions on the PM's website all the time so far and in the last hour it was again No. 1.

It may just be worth recapping:

Lord Leveson said that any press reform must satisfy the McCanns.

David Cameron also said the same: any press reform must satisfy the McCanns.

The McCanns in the media last week dominated the 'HackedOff' campaign's for full implementation of Leveson.

Gerry McCann loudly demanded full implementation of Leveson before he'd even read it.

Against that background, if you've not already done so, please take 2-3 minutes out of your day and sign my petition - and tell all your friends and contacts.

As Cameron said (and whether you like him or not) we have avoided state interference with the press for 300 years. The McCanns are leading the campaign to undo this.

Here again is the link: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/42582

by Liz Eagles 04.12.12 12:45

From article in today's Daily Mail

'MICKEY MOUSE PETITION'

THOUSANDS of fake names are being added to the petition for Lord Justice Leveson's report to be implemented in full.

Hacked Off, a campaign group yesterday boasted more than 130,000 had signed its online petition following its endorsement by some politicians and a string of celebrities.

But critics say there are few checks to ensure those signing up are genuine. Names are reported to include Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Joe Bloggs and Stalin.

Evan Harris, associate director of Hacked Off, yesterday insisted campaigners were trying to weed out duplicate names. Around 5 per cent have been rejected for supplying fake emails.

Speaking at a Westminster demonstration attended by eight people and a dog yesterday, the former Liberal Democrat MP claimed the petition showed there was a huge groundswell of public opinion in favour of new laws to shackle the Press.

Dr Harris also insisted the campaign remained 'cross party' despite growing evidence of the involvement of the Labour Party.

A link to the petition is now the main item on the Labour Party website. Anyone signing up via that route will have their details recorded by the party.'

quoted from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242591/Cameron-plans-kill-Labours-Leveson-law-shelving-oppositions-green-paper.html

by **Tony Bennett** 04.12.12 12:50

aquila wrote:From article in today's Daily Mail:

Speaking at a Westminster demonstration attended by eight people and a dog yesterday, the former Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris...

Brilliant!

by Liz Eagles 04.12.12 12:54

Tony Bennett wrote:
aquila wrote:From article in today's Daily Mail:

Speaking at a Westminster demonstration attended by eight people and a dog yesterday, the former Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris...
Brilliant!

I hope it wasn't a spaniel, their noses are very sensitive. LEVESON: PLEASE SUPPORT **MY** PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S WEBSITE 110921

by ShuBob 04.12.12 12:56

aquila wrote:SNIP

Evan Harris, associate director of Hacked Off, yesterday insisted campaigners were trying to weed out duplicate names. Around 5 per cent have been rejected for supplying fake emails.

Speaking at a Westminster demonstration attended by eight people and a dog yesterday, the former Liberal Democrat MP claimed the petition showed there was a huge groundswell of public opinion in favour of new laws to shackle the Press.

Dr Harris also insisted the campaign remained 'cross party' despite growing evidence of the involvement of the Labour Party.

A link to the petition is now the main item on the Labour Party website. Anyone signing up via that route will have their details recorded by the party.'

quoted from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242591/Cameron-plans-kill-Labours-Leveson-law-shelving-oppositions-green-paper.html

LEVESON: PLEASE SUPPORT **MY** PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S WEBSITE 145161

by **Tony Bennett** 04.12.12 12:57

From the Prime Minister's website a few minutes ago:

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