Coulson vs McBride

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I still don't get this comparison. I've listened to the comments over the last day and this is how I see it.

McBride was smearing other people and was engaged in dirty tricks. None of it illegal as far as I am aware. After a period of time his boss, Gordon Brown who claimed to know nothing about the matter sacked him.

Some dodgy reporter at the News of the World was engaged in illegal phone hacking. He got sent to prison. Andy Coulson claimed to know nothing about it, but resigned as it had happened whilst he was in charge.

Why does this then make McBride and Coulson similar? surely it is Gordon Brown and Coulson or McBride and the dodgy reporter?