Nick Clegg climbs moral highground only to find Ed Miliband there.

If one party should have taken any political advantage of the whole News of the World debacle by taking the moral high ground then it should have been Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats  after all they could claim never to have been courted by Rupert Murdoch unlike Labour , the Consevatives and yes the SNP.

.I haven't seen any mention of senior LibDen figures attending such events as  Rebekah Brooks ,wedding  in 2009 which  was attended both by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and current Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron has often socialized with Brooks; they have homes near each other in Oxfordshire, have gone horse riding together, and have had dinner together including Christmas dinner. Where Andy Coulson was also a guest

If they were not in coalition however and having little chance of being supported by the Murdoch Empire as Peter Black drew our attention to in an old Guardian article by David Yelland  then the LibDems would have looked a clean pair of hands in dealing with Murdoch but Clegg has been outclassed by Ed Miliband in this. but even in government he could have claimed to have some moderating influence. Sadly  his intervention looks belated

After the sad affair of Vince Cable falling victim to a Daily Telegraph  "Honey Trap were he  bragged how he was "at war" with Rupert Murdoch - one of the most powerful media tycoons in the modern world - and would never let him take control of BSkyB. which led to his subsequent removal as  minister responsible for media takeovers, by  Jeremy Hunt, This Bmeant that until the current revelations  he may well have blocked the BSky B takeover by the Murdoch 's  and would have been vindicated and reemerged as St Vince the peoples hero.

So in some ways although he was right in thinking in his attitude to BSkyB by voicing it to the two journalist posing as concerned constituents he lost the high ground for himself and to some extent the party failure to benefit from the recent revelations could be said to be of Cable's hubris.

If he had simply voiced his opposition and his reasons  in the Commons and announced he had decided he takeover then he would have become a National Hero

Of course this whole affair may well prove to be of little influence in the long run because.

• Although the News of the World, has shut down News international, had already planned for a seven day operation with the Sun and  in a few months time we will see the Sun on Sunday,
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• Even if Murdoch, plan for BskyB are temporally curtailed.His politics influence  will be still remain less visible perhaps, but Politician and other journalists will still be afraid to attack News International.
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• As the Tommy Sheridan , case has shown once they have declared you an enemy they will make sure no stone is unturned in order to expose any actual or perceived wrongdoings. though they will have to be more careful over the legality of their methods  few of us are completely whiter than white.  I suspect Murdoch is drawing up a black list in his head right now,
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• Although it may be less vocal in the next general election  News International are not going to stop trying  influencing Government and Opposition policies  and whether Rupert Murdoch, is there or not (He is 80 after all ) unless their dominance of the media in the UK is broken up, then their toxic influence on politics in these Islands will  remain.

Those who thought the financial Crisis had permanently curtailed the power of the Branch and seen how the responsibility for the financial mess this has been shifted to blaming the unemployed .Should refrain from dancing in the streets just yet,