The vast majority on the mainstream left managed to conduct themselves with some decorum today, Ed Miliband wore his morning suit, however it all got too much for one Thatcher-hater. Kevin Maguire’s Twitter timeline over the last week has been a textbook example of snide barrel-scraping bitterness:

Some flowers left outside House of Lords. For Mrs T? No cards twitpic.com/ci2s9c—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 09, 2013

Ken Livingstone giving the best political critiques of Thatcher—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 09, 2013

Glenda Jackson for Prime Minister—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 10, 2013

Surprised if Rupert Murdoch doesn't make the effort to go to Thatcher's funeral after all she did for him, and him for her—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 16, 2013

Thatcher gives an idea of what it's like to live in N Korea as we watch TV, listen to the radio and read some papers—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 17, 2013

No Nelson Mandela but F W de Klerk for Thatcher—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 17, 2013

Neglecting to note that Mandela’s daughter attended on behalf of her sick father.

Metropolitan Police estimate 37m mourners lined London streets for Thatcher's funeral. Only joking. It was 42m—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 17, 2013

If Mrs Thatcher made Britain so great why do her kids and grandkids all live abroad?—
Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 17, 2013

At least he can relax now.

See also:  Comrade Maguire’s Obsessive Maggie Death Fantasy

A mock-up of the ad Mirror bosses considered running following Maggie’s death, to remind readers “who’s on your side”. Well Maggie won more votes in every election than the side the Mirror backed against her every time. The way Mirror hacks have behaved over the last week shows a total lack of class, their hatred so great that they have been unable to resist any snide barb against her. Get over it, she beat you every time…

The Guardian’s effort was much more subtle…

As MediaGuido revealed earlier, former Daily Mirror editor Richard Wallace has been interviewed under caution by the cops today in relation to phone hacking.

Am hearing that Richard Wallace former editor of the Daily Mirror has been "voluntarily" helping police with their inquiries today.—
Media Guido (@MediaGuido) March 15, 2013

Sky have just followed up with their sources confirming:

Correction – Sky Sources: Ex-Daily Mirror editor Richard Wallace interviewed under caution in relation to investigation into phone hacking—
Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) March 15, 2013

Media Guardian caught up later…

RT @JoshHalliday: Richard Wallace, ex Daily Mirror editor, interviewed under caution at 1pm on Friday re Operation Weeting #hacking—
Media Guardian (@mediaguardian) March 15, 2013

You heard it here first…

See also: Who are the Real Cowboys?

Some very serious allegations…

Here is a list of some of Guido’s stories about the Mirror and hacking allegations:

• Sunday Mirror’s Tina Weaver Isn’t “Fit and Proper” for the PCC
• Heather Mills Drops Piers and Mirror Right In It
• Beckham Hacking: Mirror Cover-Up (Part I)
• Beckham Hacking: Mirror Cover-Up (Part II)
  
• Russia Today Anchorman Accuse Sunday Mirror Editor of Phone Hacking Knowledge
• Labour MP Calls for Police Investigation into Mirror Corruption

Dear all, 

We are providing James and Nick with legal support.As you’re probably aware, James Scott the Editor of the People and his Deputy, Nick Buckley, were arrested this morning as part of Operation Weeting. The police are investigating allegations of phone hacking whilst they were on the Sunday Mirror during 2003 and 2004.

Tina Weaver a former Editor of the Sunday Mirror and Mark Thomas, another former employee were also arrested this morning.

We are cooperating with the police and I will keep you informed of any further relevant developments.

Simon Fox

Police have left their offices with bags of evidence this afternoon…

Guido understands former Sunday Mirror editor and former PCC ethics adviser Tina Weaver is among the four Mirror journalists that have been arrested this morning on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept voicemails. Guido has been reporting on the allegations surrounding Weaver for years, including how she had knowledge of phone hacking, and how she asked staff to “spin” telephone numbers. This meant hacking voicemails, doing a reverse look up for billing addresses, and checking friends and family lists for numbers. Developing…

UPDATE: Guido understands the four arrested are Weaver, her news lieutenant Nick Buckley, James Scott and Mark Thomas.

Here is a list of some of Guido’s stories about the Mirror and hacking allegations:

• Sunday Mirror’s Tina Weaver Isn’t “Fit and Proper” for the PCC
• Heather Mills Drops Piers and Mirror Right In It
• Beckham Hacking: Mirror Cover-Up (Part I)
• Beckham Hacking: Mirror Cover-Up (Part II)
  
• Russia Today Anchorman Accuse Sunday Mirror Editor of Phone Hacking Knowledge
• Labour MP Calls for Police Investigation into Mirror Corruption

UPDATE: This post-Leveson report is a good summary of some of the allegations:

Hyperbole of biblical proportions from Kevin Maguire today. Parroting out Labour’s “bedroom tax” untruth is one thing, but Maguire then goes on to compare the PM to King Herod:

“The brutal indifference towards the bedroom tax indelibly shames ConDem Ministers. The blunderbuss approach of slashing the benefits of those with spare rooms combines the unfairness of the poll tax with a cruel twist of King Herod.”

Slaughtering first borns versus ending state sponsored spare rooms. Calm down dear…

Last night Guido stood in solidarity with the shunned female journalists of the Lobby. After No.10 explained Dave and Nick only granted questions to men at yesterday’s mid-term review because none of the political editors in attendance were female, we named and shamed the chauvinist Mirror and New Statesman as having no female Lobby hacks between them. Guido’s feminist allies agreed:

@GuidoFawkes @janemerrick23 1/2 Watching the presser from home, it struck me that it was just a sea of suits. Never were many of us—
Isabel Oakeshott (@IsabelOakeshott) January 07, 2013

@IsabelOakeshott @guidofawkes @janemerrick23 It's a pity not more women there today at No 10 presser. And when childcare on menu. Ironic?—
Alex Forrest (@alexforrestitv) January 07, 2013

*bites lip* @guidofawkes on the dearth of female political editors bit.ly/ZxGL2y—
Gaby Hinsliff (@gabyhinsliff) January 07, 2013

Blokeishness of Lobby exacerbates cosy deals and stich-ups. See @guidofawkes bit.ly/ZxGL2y via @gabyhinsliff (ex female pol editor)—
Sonia Purnell (@soniapurnell) January 07, 2013

The usual suspects were still stuck in their old ways however:

My apologies. Apparently @GuidoFawkes does not have a lobby pass. Also, he is a woman called Irene.—
Helen Lewis (@helenlewis) January 07, 2013

Shame…

Vid via @liarpoliticians

Not many talking points from this afternoon’s snooze-fest mid-term review, though Dave and Nick’s failure to take a single question from a female journalist was noted by many. No. 10 told the BBC that “none of the TV or newspaper political editors there” were female as an explanation. To be fair to them the Lobby is hardly brimming with females.  Some chauvinist media outlets are particularly guilty…

The Mirror’s all-male political team is made up of James Beattie, Tom McTague, James Lyons, Mark Ellis, Paul Routledge and Kevin Maguire, with the Sunday Mirror’s passholders made up of Vincent Moss and Nick Buckley. As for that bastion of feminism the New Statesman? Jason Cowley and Rafael Behr have Lobby passes, but there is a grand total of zero for the Staggers’ female staff. As an ardent feminist, Guido says shame on them…

UPDATE: Guido was not the only one to notice:

A warm welcome to John Prescott in the Mirror today with his debut column. He presumes to give Michael Gove a history lesson and claims that his government is “taking us back to the 1980s with high unemployment”.

We had a little Twitter spat as a consequence:

Welcome to @JohnPrescott in @TheSundayMirror, small fact check on claim government "taking us back to the 1980s with high unemployment".

—
Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) January 06, 2013

Unemployment rate is now lower than it was under Gordon Brown @JohnPrescott

—
Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) January 06, 2013

RT @GuidoFawkes Unemployment rate is now lower than it was under Brown @JohnPrescott < No. Down to 5.2% with GB. Cam took to 8.4%. Still 7.8

—
John Prescott (@johnprescott) January 06, 2013

Disingenuously comparing the unemployment rate at its best under Brown with its worst under Cameron rather than the 8% rate that it was when Brown was voted out of office.

On the day Gordon Brown left office unemployment rate was higher than it is today. These are facts. Spin your readers not me. @johnprescott

—
Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) January 06, 2013

Not to mention that unemployment is thankfully far lower than it was in the 80s and falling…