The Hackgate firestorm - now becoming more and more political

Much as I as with so many others am enjoying Murdoch and co getting a good kicking, there are some aspects of thiis media firestorm that are becoming more and more typical of the OTT witchhunts our media specialise in these days.

Anyone listening to the police at the commitee yesterday will be struck by bow there is a reasonable explanation for why the police at the time did not take up 1000's of cases of phone hacking when they were also dealing with various terrorist plots, in that 1) there was some legal confusion about what exactly constiuted an offence and 2) well they had better things to do - rather obviously.

The latest media storm has mainly come about because of the Milly Dowler case, with all the attached importance that gives the scandal in terms of making it a big deal to the general tabloid reading public. Whether the outrage attached to that needs such an enormous response from the govt and opposition (both Cameron and Milliband have been photoed in meetings with the Dowlers) might be a moot point. 

Also, with Gordon Browns' intervention yesterday the firestorm is becoming more and more party political. The Sun has said it did not illegally access Brown's medical records and it appears the Guardian eg ran the story about his son having cystic fibrosis at the same time the Sun did.

In relatiation for the all out attacks on NI, right wing blogs such as Guido Fawkes are now trying to eg get Piers Morgan involved in a hacking row, at this rate every journalist that ever used dodgy methods (I wonder how many that would be) will be in the dock at clogging up the courts for many years.

Or perhaps like all media firestorms which need to be constantly stoked with this one everyone will just get bored eventually - or realise that this is becoming an all enguilfing witch hunt that might end up catching everyone out.