Regular readers will recall how Guido often wonders how it is the Guardian gets their hacking scoops. Well it turns out their rivals and the Met itself have been wondering the very same thing…

This recent exchange between the Times’ Sean O’Neill and the BBC’s Gaetan Portal, who both cover crime, reveals their suspicions:

@TimesCrime @fleetstreetfox when The Guardian ran the story on yesterday's arrest the press bureau knew nothing of it. #notverysubtle—
Gaetan Portal (@GaetanPortal) August 19, 2011

The proper source of information for journalists is of course the Met’s press bureau. The Indy’s Oliver Wright observes

Interesting that this is the one hacking story The Guardian didn't have strangely early—
oliver wright (@oliver_wright) August 19, 2011

Lo and behold today a 51 year old police officer, working on the phone-hacking inquiry named Operation Weeting, was arrested and suspended for leaking to the Guardian.  Given that David Leigh has already confessed to phone-hacking, the Guardian’s squeaky clean reputation is collapsing at a rapid speed. Was this blatant corruption of police integrity sanctioned?

Just last month the Guardian issued a lofty and updated guide to ethical standards for intruding into private matters, such as a police investigation, rule four stated: “There must be proper authority – any intrusion must be authorised at a sufficiently senior level and with appropriate oversight.” 

Guido looks forward to Rusbridger’s imminent statement on what he knew and when…

Were the killer aliens little Green Party men?

Cambridge contemporaries of the disgraced Johann Hari could have told you he was full of it for years. What the Indy still don’t seem to be ready to admit was on display in the November 24, 2000 edition of Varsity:

The first of many baffled readers. 

At least try to be witty please…

Having topped the Total Politics top 100 blogs for the last couple of years, Guido thought he would give some newbies and old favourites a plug as the deadline for voting approaches. Head over to Total Politics to vote here. Though he is not suggesting who you should vote for, Guido just submitted his Top 5:

1. Crash Bang Wallace – Portland spin-merchant Mark Wallace, formerly of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, has a rather familiar blend of ideological soundness and story digging. Has scored a fair few hits in its short existence.

2. The Commentator – The right-of-centre international rival to Comment is Free is growing in readership and influence despite being just six months old.

3. Dan Hodges at Labour Uncut- Hodge’s campaign to help Ed and wind up Peter Hain has been the source of hours of amusement in the Guy News Room. We consider him a fellow-traveller, his nick-name here is ‘Agent Hodges’.

4. Old Holborn – An old favourite, but not for the light-hearted, easily offended or the Welsh. Old Holborn will make you laugh and maybe even think about things you don’t want to think about.

5. Douglas Carswell – At least one MP is still a member of the reality based community.

Voting closes at midnight…

UPDATE: Entirely coincidentally The Evening Standard Magazine has a brilliantly written profile of “Webminster”

(5 minutes in)

Guido will be keeping up with Celebrity Big Brother so you don’t have to. Entering the house last night Sally said she wanted “to give the establishment two fingers”. Well that she certainly did.

Revealing the shocking news that her husband is against the whole idea, she took a scorched earth view to her relationship with the tabloids, especially the Mail, which wouldn’t have upset Desmond in the slightest. MPs of both colours are lining up to have a go this morning, while the Speaker hides in India.  Revealing how she won her husband round to the idea, Sally apparently told friends:

“I just used my feminine wiles and took John away for a dirty weekend in Devon. I gave him a weekend he wouldn’t forget which left him happy if breathless. He eventually gave in, though he made me promise not to say or do anything that might harm him.”

It seems Claire Perry was right…

Found deep in a cupboard in Whitehall…