Hunting

Jeremy Hunt must be yearning for the days when his only real claim to fame was the mis-pronunciation of his surname on the 'Today' programme.  As today's front pages show (or most of them, as noted in this great blog entry on the Media Blog), he is now firmly in the sights of the media pack.

His statement to the Commons didn't appear to be the most assured one he could have given, although his special adviser's falling on his sword may give him a useful bit of latitude.  Even here, commentators haven't been slow in noting that the ministerial code makes ministers responsible for their advisers.  Is it credible that Adam Smith, the man now without a job, really didn't brief his boss on the precise nature of his contact with the Murdochs and their gofer?  And the Spectator's James Forsyth briskly notes that there are questions aplenty still unanswered.

We'll see how long Hunt can last, especially given the speed at which revelations are falling from the Murdochs' lips.  At the moment, it must suit Cameron to keep his Culture Secretary in place as 'cover' - if Hunt falls, then attention will focus exclusively on Cameron's own relationship with the Murdochs and their minions.

And the strange thing about all this?  It's simply putting into the public arena what we have all long believed to be the case.  We may live in a democracy, but some citizens get to be more democratic than others......especially if they own a newspaper or two.