So far, Lord Leveson has heard it all: corrupt police officers, gutless ministers, eavesdropping journalists and amnesiac newspaper proprietors. But today's, or should I say, Tomorrow's revelations have rather blown all that out of the water. For many weeks the inquiry has been pursuing the idea that governments have been held in thrall by large media corporations. This morning Lord Downton, the former Minister for Defence, gave testimony that strove to undermine this theory. With his pink, shiny face and his huffing, puffing delivery, Lord Downton calls to mind one of the Three Little Pigs with Stockholm Syndrome. He had his own curly tale too: a twisting story in which he alleged that the late media mogul Elliot Carver, far from having the governments of the world in his pocket, had actually been under investigation by the British Government at the time of his death.
It was hard to say what was more startling - that the Government had known that Carver was in it up to his neck or that Lord Downton's memory is still so sharp in contrast to some other, younger, witnesses we have heard from recently. His recollection seemed to be clearest when he was making the case for his government's determination to establish its independence from Carver's media organisations - in fact he made the point very distinctly several times, much to the wry amusement of Robert Jay QC.
And then, much to the amusement of the public gallery, Mr Jay suggested that if this were the case, might not the government have subsequently had stronger reservations about allowing ownership of Tomorrow to pass so readily to News International? Especially if one remembered that it was the phone-hacking allegations against that very newspaper that led to the current inquiry being set up. After all, given the alleged similarities between CMG and News Corp might not one have concluded that nothing propinks like propinquity?
Lord Downton blinked at that, his house of straw blown down around him by the most gentle of breezes.
There were more surprises in the afternoon session when the mysterious civil servant referred to only as Ms 'M' took the stand, albeit hidden behind a screen. Details of her job were finessed but it became clear that Ms 'M' had occupied a senior role in the security services at the time of Carver's death. She took exception with Lord Downton's version of events. With exquisite steely diction she claimed that the investigation into Carver had been instigated at her own insistence and approved only with the greatest reluctance by Whitehall.
Full of courtesy (and perhaps even slightly smitten?) Lord Leveson himself interrupted to ask whether the findings of the investigation could be revealed. Ms 'M' demurred. She would say only that the evidence strongly suggested that Mr Carver had been complicit in blackmail, amongst other crimes, and had even fabricated news stories in order to advance his agenda - one that undermined British interests at the time.
That caused Mr Jay to voice a rather dark thought: had the investigation in any way caused Mr Carver's disappearance? Ms 'M' assured the court that Carver had taken his own life rather than face up to his inevitable humiliation - at least, as far as she could remember.
Lord Downton blinked at that, his house of straw blown down around him by the most gentle of breezes.
There were more surprises in the afternoon session when the mysterious civil servant referred to only as Ms 'M' took the stand, albeit hidden behind a screen. Details of her job were finessed but it became clear that Ms 'M' had occupied a senior role in the security services at the time of Carver's death. She took exception with Lord Downton's version of events. With exquisite steely diction she claimed that the investigation into Carver had been instigated at her own insistence and approved only with the greatest reluctance by Whitehall.
Full of courtesy (and perhaps even slightly smitten?) Lord Leveson himself interrupted to ask whether the findings of the investigation could be revealed. Ms 'M' demurred. She would say only that the evidence strongly suggested that Mr Carver had been complicit in blackmail, amongst other crimes, and had even fabricated news stories in order to advance his agenda - one that undermined British interests at the time.
That caused Mr Jay to voice a rather dark thought: had the investigation in any way caused Mr Carver's disappearance? Ms 'M' assured the court that Carver had taken his own life rather than face up to his inevitable humiliation - at least, as far as she could remember.
Did she feel, asked Lord Leveson, that it was reasonable for intelligence resources to be deployed against media empires like Carver's? Could such an organisation really pose a threat comparable with that of Cold War Soviet espionage or post-9/11 terrorism?
Ms 'M' was adamant. "My job is to use the resources of my agency to protect the interests and the people of Britain," she said and unseen, her voice was a blade sheathed in velvet. "Throughout the time I've held this post, we've faced many threats. But the source of danger was always the same: men and women from a privileged, entitled elite who felt they were above the law. It's only ever the strong that prey on others and think they can get away with it. That's why we have such an inquiry as this, my Lord."
She didn't add, "And if you can't bring the bastards to account, then I will." But then, she didn't really need to. It was all in the voice.
Tomorrow's witness is the Prime Minister's Special Advisor, Guy Haines.
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