You know how when the press shows up at the front door when you’re trying to scrub the hard drive of incriminating evidence and goes all like — Gotcha! how annoying that can be?

Turns out…

I can’t. This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard of. I can understand how it could happen. It explains the hair.

Here is the Guardian’s account.

You can find the BBC radio report here.

Leave aside the politics this is how Murdoch’s paper used for its own purposes a woman whose daughter had been abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered. Note to Americanski readers: ‘Sara’, the mother’s name, is lower class. On the BBC tape her words are read by an actress.

In the UK class is race.

Like most of us here I demand at least dinner and a movie before I get something hard crammed up my ass.

However, it seems that most of the politicians in the U.K. — past, present, and future — are only to glad to spread ’em for Rupert’s giant ravening kangareamer — no questions asked. This has shocked the New York Review of Books. No but srsly, stop laughing. The word ‘mephitic’ has been invoked to describe Murdoch’s back door access. Question is — who’s the top? Murdoch? Blair? Cameron? Thatcher? Katy Price?

Read more »

In a stunning new development in the hacking scandal that is engulfing the Murdoch empire and which now threatens to spread to more of Britain’s tabloids, it is revealed in today’s Daily Telegraph that when appearing on the BBC’s long-running Desert Island Discs international TV personality and one-time editor of The News of the World Piers Morgan was referred to by the interviewer as being ‘middle class.’

The BBC has issued an apology, insisting that the script had him listed as being upper-middle, not middle-middle. “It’s all jolly unfortunate,” said spokesman Nigel Brill. “Gosh, no one wants to give the impression that Mr. Morgan’s some kind of grammar-school boy.”

In the tape of the particular programme, the shock is palpable in Mr. Morgan’s voice, shock which no doubt led him to boast about all the hacking going on around him in the office which he did not personally take part in, oversee, or directly witness.

Reached in her Hampstead flat, Margaret Drabble expressed her sympathy, “I want to be very clear,” she said, “that when I admitted I had middle-class friends I was not in any way referring to Mr. Morgan.”

CNN’s Piers Morgan ‘told interviewer stories were published based on phone tapping’ [Telegraph UK]

Britain’s slebs are up in arms over who’s been hacked and, even worse, who hasn’t. Even dayplayers on the Eastenders don’t want to be left out.

Being on the list might be embarrassing: not being on the list might be professional death. Luckily, one of England’s loveliest slebs, Katy Perry, is already talking to lawyers (note: the English say ‘solicitor’ so exactly what does this tell us about Miss Perry’s intended audience? E.T.?) and the pleece.

English gels were once famous for their complexions: a result of all that rain, lack of sunlight, and nanny’s habit of rubbing baby’s piss-soaked nappy (diaper) over her face before it had a chance to cool. As you can see, Miss Perry is doing her bit to bring the delicacy of the English Rose into the 21st century. And has added a charming innovation of her own: rubbing lumps of coal across her eyebrows.

As an exile, living here amid the alien corn, it brings a lump to one’s throat as Rupert Brooks’s immortal line bubbles to the surface of what’s left of one’s brain:


And is there honey still for tea?

Rebekah Brooks may be gone but her glory days as editor of The Sun, Britain’s biggest selling ‘newspaper’ won’t soon be forgotten.

Whether it was swilling pints in the pub with the lads, printing the names of accused sex offenders, brokering deals between her boss and prime ministers, or arranging back-door access, Rebekah’s networking skills were legendary.

And lest we think that the stupefying awfulness of Britain’s tabloids has been somehow exaggerated take a look at Rebekah’s handiwork. (There will be a prize for anyone locating the source of a recent post here at Stingue)

Alright, alright (UK spelling, thanks very much), so she’s not the only one responsible but as I think we’ve already proved (not ‘proven’ for god’s sake because it has been proved), rule #1 is — Blame the Woman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKaQLYPf5hM

Leaked training film prepared by Harbottle and Lewis, solicitors, to prep their client Rupert Murdoch for his appearance before parliamentary committee.

Press reaction? “You’re a very naughty billionaire!”

Now that Rebekah Brooks has resigned, we here at Stinque can better concentrate on the issue that has kept us wondering throughout this developing scandal which has already engulfed one of Britain’s most venerable institutions and looks set to engulf more, namely — Who Does Her Hair?

As the women of Stinque (and some Stinque men: you know who you are) can attest, a do like that does not come cheap. Though it looks like she just jumped out of the shower, scrobbled it quickly with a towel before running for a bus, such a coiffure can only be achieved after significant spendy-time in a Knightsbridge salon listening to cockney stylists whining about their boyfriends. Or even worse, taking the morning train to Paris so the only colorist who can really pull off that particular tone of hebridean ginge can breathe stale garlic fumes all over one’s tuck box from Fauchon.

Read more »