For example the Milly Dowler hacking included deleting messages (in order to hear other messages in a system that was full) and as such was destroying evidence. This is criminal.
Didnt attend the trial so no idea what evidence was presented, but i seem to remember from past discussion that the excitement was because messages had been deleted - thought to be by milly - not because messages were lost. I thought I heard that no messages had been lost.
A lot of the hacking in the Coulson era was hacking which involved no more than entering the phone's default pin - the number they were all sold with.
I agree, this is very stupid, and I recall saying so before. cant now recall who was disagreeing?
Coulson should get the sort of punishment he would get for a motoring offence. Maybe the reality is he should get community service. Maybe spend a few months teaching delinquent youths how to write. Do something useful in other words.
I think the problem is that the government seeks to control the supply of information. thus its ok for them to tap, but not ordinary people. I think both or neither.
And I think this logic should be extended to many more in our courts. We are criminalising a lot of people who should have a telling off and nothing more.
Wouldnt vote conservative, then.
We need far shorter and far fewer prison sentences, and a realisation that most people commit crimes because of poverty. What they do is wrong, but we have to get real as a nation and stop pandering to the flog them and birch them brigade.
phew... that just blew the conservatives entire policy on benefits scroungers.
*****
And I htink another news item quite ironical. Cameron may have been able to use his influence as a member of the EU to head off stronger regulation of british banks in Europe, but apparently the US authorities are starting to get serious about the activities of British banks. More fines to come, paid to the US regulators.