The disagreement about Leveson purports to be a debate about 'press freedom'. In those terms, it is monstrously distorted. Powerful interests are disingenuously trying to portray as lingering 'state control' a reasonable attempt to give an arms-length independent regulatory framework legal underpinning as a matter of last resort.

The Leveson report has been a long time coming. Since 1949 there have been five inquiries into the operation of the press in Britain. On each occasion, we have heard the same kind of outcry against independent scrutiny from media barons, a narrow band of newspaper pundits and politicians who serve the rich and powerful.