The horror of the Hillsborough disaster is too much for a young Liverpool fan, April 15, 1989
HILLSBOROUGH families have warned Sir Keir Starmer that former Sun editor David Dinsmore is “manifestly unsuitable” to become the government’s permanent secretary for communications.
In a letter, they urged the Prime Minister to scrap the appointment due to Mr Dinsmore’s association with the tabloid, which he edited from 2013 to 2015.
“After the Hillsborough disaster in the midst of unimaginable suffering among the bereaved and the survivors, the Sun newspaper published vicious lies about the conduct of fans,” it said.
“Graphic and false allegations cast the deceased and those who survived as barbaric, feckless and inhumane.”
They also highlighted delays to Labour’s long-promised Hillsborough Law, adding: “This appointment gives us less reason to trust the government.
“It risks damaging public confidence in the state among those affected by Hillsborough, everyone connected to Liverpool and all who feel solidarity with them.”
David Dinsmore started as a Sun reporter in 1990, rising to the position of editor in 2013. Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian
The appointment of David Dinsmore, who has served at the top of Rupert Murdoch’s News UK for years, has drawn consternation
The former Sun editor David Dinsmore has been announced as the government’s new communications chief, despite concerns about his long service at the top of Rupert Murdoch’s News UK.
Having worked as a tabloid journalist, editor and news executive since the 1990s, Dinsmore was appointed to the civil service role from a shortlist of two, beating the PR man Tim Allan, formerly an adviser to Tony Blair.
He will join the civil service as a permanent secretary for communications in the Cabinet Office in November, having served as chief operating officer of News UK, which is run by Murdoch’s ally Rebekah Brooks.
His appointment has been met with surprise and some consternation within the civil service and by some Labour figures, given the controversies that have dogged News UK over the years, from the phone-hacking scandal to its Hillsborough coverage, which led to an apology to fans.
Although Dinsmore was not editor of the Sun at the time of either episode, he has been senior at News UK for the last decade while settlements for hacking have been reached. Hacked Off, the campaign group, described his appointment as being a “dangerous misjudgment and insult to the public”.
dizzy: Not absolutely certain but it looks like Starmer is sucking up to Rupert Murdoch, possibly as a response to the new left party being formed by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. A similar thing happened when Starmer appointed a former Israeli spy from Unit 8200 to Labour to spy on Labour members. I regard that as reporting straight to Israel, possibly taking orders directly from Israel.
UPDATE: I need to spend time on other projects for the next few years. We need left bloggers and social media activists. It’s a hard slog to get established but go for the long term. Teams of 10 or more would be ideal because you could share the work, maybe concentrate on your own area of interest. Suggest that you change passwords regularly and drop and replace people who don’t pull their weight. In a few years, ready for the next election, you should be kicking and taking on number 10’s influence and influencers reported in the article.
The horror of the Hillsborough disaster is too much for a young Liverpool fan, April 15, 1989
