Horsegate

Firstly; why does everything with a whiff of a scandal about it have to have the suffix, "gate"? Is there something I'm missing or is it just a lazy way for journalists to communicate that something is other than squeaky clean? Worryingly, it's being used in papers which really should know better (albeit with inverted commas to imply a raised eyebrow but stil...)

For those of you that have been living in a cave for the last wee while (or have better things to do than follow the developing scandal in the Murdoch empire) Rebbekah Brooks - former editor of news (/screws) of the world and general bigwig (sorry) of News International was loaned a retired Metropolitan Police horse for two years.

According to the press, this indicates that the Met and News International were in each other's pockets.

Hmmmm... Really? Of course, she may have heard about the adoption scheme from one of the Met bigwigs that she undoubtedly had contact with by virtue of her job but is there any evidence to suggest she did anything other than go through official channels to obtain the horse? Even if she did use contacts to queue jump a bit, it would hardly be the first time this has happened in life. If she started name-dropping senior officers to avoid legitimate action by the police then that would be a big deal however I also believe that most coppers on the ground don't really care if your kids go to the same school as the superintendent's.

It's a shame that this scheme has been tarred with the tabloid brush. I think it's an excellent idea. While I'm sure the Met treat their horses impeccably, they do have to go into some pretty nasty situations. Not just that, but they get attacked in said situations - not just the officers on horseback but the horses too. I generally subscribe to Ian Flemming's view on horses (dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle) but it would be impossible to deny that they are beautiful animals. Why anyone would want to attack one, regardless of the circumstances, is beyond me. Therefore why shouldn't they, when they retire, move on to pastures new and be spoiled a bit by civilians? I don't think anyone can argue that they haven't earned it. And if one happens to be a tabloid editor so what? As long as there's a plentiful supply of sugar lumps and straw for the horse that's all that really matters.

While I'm all for journalists revealing genuine impropriety, this seems like scandal for the sake of scandal and as a result a bit pointless. Perhaps it's due to a lack of real news but I very much doubt it. It seems far more likely to be a result of the quirk of human nature that makes most people enjoy feeling superior to others.

I hope she hasn't had the audacity to give a police dog a scratch behind the ears. We'll never hear the end of it!

JR