In October, I learned something which many of you already knew: Steve Coogan is a small-r republican, as in he does not like the British monarchy whatsoever. He thinks royalists are “idiots” who support the “oppressors of the working class.” He’s also a frequent critic of the British media, and he also sued the Mirror Group and settled with them in 2017, and his case was about hacking and illegal newsgathering methods as well. Well, on Friday, Coogan gave several interviews about Prince Harry’s legal victory, and Coogan praised Harry’s bravery and called for lots of changes. His comments were fascinating. Some highlights:

Admiration for Harry: In an interview with Sky’s Friday Night with Niall Paterson, Coogan praised the ruling, which he said had been “a long time coming”. He added: “I’m not a royalist but I have great admiration for Prince Harry for not entering into the Faustian pact that the Royal Family has entered into before with the tabloid press. He broke that. It was a very bold, brave thing to do and I think there will be repercussions.”

Accountability: The actor also called for reform in the media industry as he described self-regulation of newspapers by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), which was founded in 2014 following the Leveson Inquiry, as a “sham” and “window dressing”. “We want an accountable press,” he added.

Harry’s case could be the start of something: A High Court ruling that Prince Harry’s phone had been hacked by Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) is the “start of something”, actor Steve Coogan said. Coogan said the ruling exposed “widespread contempt” by newspaper editors for the Leveson Inquiry, which looked at the ethics of the press.

Britain needs another Leveson inquiry: “What this shows is the contempt that newspaper editors had for a judge-led public inquiry. Now we’ve got prima facia evidence of crimes having been committed, perjury being one of the most serious. The police need to apply the law evenly and fairly, without fear or favour. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed.”

Questions for Keir Starmer: Coogan told the BBC the second part of the Leveson Inquiry, which was officially abandoned by the Conservative government in 2017, should now take place. He said he would like to know what Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would do about it if he became prime minister. “Is he going to fold like a deckchair as previous, mostly Conservative prime ministers, have?” he asked.

Criticism of IPSO: Coogan told the BBC a new regulatory body was needed, claiming Ipso was “run by the press, for the press”. “What we need to see is proper, independent regulation, not run by the press, not run by the government, but independent voices,” he added.

On Piers Morgan’s hissy fit: “Piers Morgan could have quite easily received illegally gained information whilst he was editor of the Mirror, used that knowing it was illegally gathered, and still be able to claim that he hadn’t instructed anyone to hack anyone’s phone or he personally hadn’t hacked anyone’s phone.”

[From Sky News & The BBC]

Yeah, from what I’ve seen of IPSO, it’s bullsh-t. It is supposed to be the regulatory organization for the British press, but the organization IS toothless and they barely do anything other than gather complaints and issue meek statements. It’s an added layer of meaningly bureaucracy when really, people should be able to hold these press outlets accountable in real time, as they’re breaking the law or as they’re enacting their “vendetta journalism.” As for what Coogan says about Harry… there’s a lot of respect for what Harry has done in these corners, with people who understand the scope of press criminality. Hugh Grant is also a big fan of Harry, and I believe Hugh and Harry have been in communication for years.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.