THE BLAME GAME

Here in U.K., unless you are confined in a cave underground and never see the papers or watch the telly (as the Brits call it), you are saturated with the hacking scandal and the hearings in the House of Parliament where the M.P.s have had their shots at the Murdoch empire and the Prime Minister.

Rupert Murdoch showed the proper degree of contrition and even announced that “this was the most humbling day of his life”. He also appeared as a doddery old man. It really was embarrassing to have that idiot throw a plate of shaving cream at him. His younger wife, Wendy, looks like the Dragon Lady from the old comic book days of “Terry and the Pirates”, and this Chinese lady showed one potent right jab as she leaped up and swatted the man who dumped the cream on her husband.

James Murdoch, the C.E.O. of European operations and second son of Rupert, came off as the archetypal M.B.A., filled with smooth corpspeak. He was polite, evasive---and came off as a slime ball to me.

Rebekah Brooks, under that incredible umbrella of red Medusian curls was another portrait of slick evasiveness, phony sincerity and incredible memory lapses.

In fact, they all must suffer from some sort of Alzheimer’s Disease. Of course Rudolph is old enough to qualify, but the other two must have premature Alzheimer’s. It’s sad in those so young.

Seriously, it’s the old corporate game played at the highest level. What you don’t know won’t hurt you. You can just hear these high-powered executives, titans of industry, telling their key subordinates: “Just get the job done, whatever it takes. Just don’t involve me and put nothing in writing.” This game has been played forever in the corporate stratosphere (and on the lower levels, too) so that layers of insulating fog cushion the top echelon from the muck and sweat below. It’s obviously taken to a new level in the communications world of television and newspapers.

James Cameron, the P.M., also found out what hits the fan in his time before his fellow M.P.s. He struck, I thought, a good balance between contrition and dignified defense. He admitted his mistake in hiring Andy Coulson, the man in the eye of this political and economic hurricane. Even the royal family is pissed off at the P.M. because he hired Coulson, the man who had been editor of “News of the World” when two reporters hacked the phones of aides in Clarence House and even William’s phone. David Cameron’s political stock has taken a swift and deep fall. He is going to have to work extra-hard to restore it.

It continues to get messier, involving not only the Murdochs,their people and the P.M, but the Metropolitan Police whose two top men have resigned. The blame game will look like a badminton match with the shuttlecock flying all over the place.

Then we get our turn in the U.S. of A---hooray!