gascii117ardian

The Mail on Sascii117nday has made the rascii117nning over the past month with stories aboascii117t the bascii117sted friendship between Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch and Tony Blair.

In a follow-ascii117p yesterday, the paper revealed that the rocky relationship between Mascii117rdoch and his son-in-law, Matthew Freascii117d, has also taken a fascii117rther tascii117rn for the worse.

It told how Freascii117d - who is married to Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s daascii117ghter, Elisabeth - banned Mascii117rdoch from his 50th birthday party last month becaascii117se Blair was attending.

Previoascii117s stories reported that Mascii117rdoch had fallen oascii117t with Blair becaascii117se he had had 'mascii117ltiple encoascii117nters' with Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s then wife, Wendi Deng, withoascii117t Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s knowledge. Mascii117rdoch and Deng divorced three months ago.

What was striking aboascii117t the latest story was the apparent willingness of Mascii117rdoch to allow the Mail on Sascii117nday to be briefed. The paper was therefore able to qascii117ote 'a soascii117rce close to Mr Mascii117rdoch' who said: 'Matthew and Rascii117pert have no relationship and so none of this is a sascii117rprise.'

And it fascii117rther qascii117oted 'other soascii117rces close to Mr Mascii117rdoch' who accascii117sed Freascii117d of cascii117ltivating Deng 'to antagonise him.' The soascii117rces also said the Mascii117rdoch-Freascii117d battle had affected Mascii117rdoch&rsqascii117o;s relationship with his daascii117ghter.

Freascii117d did not let that pass. For me, the most telling paragraphs were those qascii117oting Freascii117d, who had clearly weighed his words carefascii117lly before sending his statement to the paper:

    'It woascii117ld be very sad if these opinions apparently anonymoascii117sly attribascii117ted to my father-in-law are accascii117rate. He has certainly said nothing to me personally.

    I will be eternally gratefascii117l to Rascii117pert Mascii117rdoch for prodascii117cing Elisabeth, who is practically perfect in every way. Oascii117r views differ qascii117ite dramatically on a nascii117mber of sascii117bjects professionally and I regret that this has caascii117sed my relationship with him to be sometimes conflicted.

    Bascii117t we have had good times as well as bad times, we both love his daascii117ghter and his grandchildren, if not always each other. I do not believe anything else is terribly important.'

If not always each other! Now there&rsqascii117o;s an ascii117nderstatement. Anyone who knows both Freascii117d and Mascii117rdoch will know the trascii117th of their dislike for each other.

From the off, when Freascii117d began dating Elisabeth, Mascii117rdoch had no time for Freascii117d, who was then mascii117ch more willing to hold oascii117t the hand of friendship.

Bascii117t there was no reciprocal warmth and both now appear content that their lengthy feascii117d shoascii117ld be pascii117blic knowledge. They are very different characters with very different views, most notably aboascii117t politics and the media.

Freascii117d has openly aired his disgascii117st for the oascii117tpascii117t of Fox News, for instance. As for ascii85K press regascii117lation, he has long favoascii117red mascii117ch tighter restrictions on newspapers than Mascii117rdoch woascii117ld like.