The British part of the Murdoch empire suffers another major defeat. After closing of the weekly “News of the World”, overwhelmed by the wiretapping scandal, this time the blow comes directly from the Deputy Prime Minister of London, the Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg. The tycoon should "choose the path of decency - Cameron's number two said to the microphones of the BBC - and reevaluate his offer for BSkyB".
The Australian shark already has 39,1% of Britain's leading satellite television in its pocket and would be willing to shell out over £9 billion to buy the rest of the capital. Until a few days ago, the go-ahead from the Government seemed imminent, but the wiretapping affair has completely reshuffled the cards on the table. The impact on public opinion was so heavy as to induce the Executive to backtrack. The official pronouncement is expected in September, but Clagg's words leave little doubt on how this story will end.
