It was very odd being at Westminster today. It has been a little like the moment the Khmer Rouge took over Phnomh Penh and declared Year Zero as politicians competed to denounce Rupert Murdoch and each other’s dealings with him in ever more lurid and extreme terms.
I think it is fair to say that if you looked for someone in possession of the moral high ground on this issue at Westminster, you would be looking for a very long time.
I feel like I have just woken up to find the past – and my memory of it – has been erased. Can these really be the same people who used to compete so vigorously for Mr Murdoch’s favours and who were periodically accused of using News International titles to do some of their business in the most naked possible way?
Perhaps I dreamt up the intense closeness between government spin doctors (both Labour and Tory) and News International executives at all levels.
The level of hypocrisy on display everywhere really is quite breathtaking.
But what isn’t in doubt now is that this represents the end of the world as we know it and the birth of something new. For as long as I can remember, politicians and indeed almost everyone in public life lived in fear of the tabloid press. It has been a given that if you were thrust into the limelight then someone, somewhere would in no time be going through your bank accounts, medical records and much else besides (listening to phone messages was just the start of it). Clearly this is (one hopes) never going to happen again.
A generation of politicians will now grow to maturity without any fear of the tabloid press and they will be governed by an implied – if not explicit - pressure to keep media barons at a distance.
In many, many ways this will be a very good thing. But it will throw up its own challenges too.
The fear of the press might have had many terrible consequences, but it also played a part in keeping our politics honest.
In your item on News at Ten tonight – 18th July 2011 – you stated that “the problem for (Milliband) is the a poll tonight say the Tories are ahead”. Indeed ONE – probably a rogue according to the respected Anthony Wells – puts the Tories 1% ahead, put two others show Labour lead holding or increasing (one showing significant drop in Tory support). You negelected to mention these. I wish you would hide be a proper journalist and report the whole picture, not just your prejudices!
YouGov/Sun – CON 37%, LAB 42%, LDEM 9%
ICM/Guardian – CON 37%, LAB 36%, LDEM 16%
Populus/Times – CON 34%, LAB 39%, LDEM 11%
Totally agree with the hypocrisy of the politicians. But why isn’t this being reported in the media as much as it should of been. Take GB’s outrageous outburst yesterday.
No enquiry because the civil servants got in the way, cor blimey, I thought he was the PM.
Although the Dowler and 7/7 hacking are truly saddening, the laws are in place and will be used to investigate. The police have alot to answer for.
But lets not get carried away, this isn’t about the Dowler’s phone being hacked, if it was the Guardian would of run with it the moment they found out. The Dowler’s have been used to scupper the BSkyB bid. Look at the way the BBC exploded this issue for the last two weeks, just when the consultation was coming to an end. Such a coincidence.
The BBC and Guardian do not want the BSkyB bid to go through using pluraity as an issue, this is incorrect, if pluraity was an issue the BBC News output would be broken up.
This is about who is in charge of putting out the politicial and economical ideology, the left-liberal BBC do not want it to be via a Murdoch and have pooled resources with the Guardian to act as their cover.
I wonder what would happen if Guardian TV was put forward?
Why is this not reported, oh yea, because the BBC has such a monopoly.
Thanks Tom I like your blog, it does come across as probably the most impartial blog from the news networks.
Is my argument so ridiculous?
I would disagree with you that being frightened of the press has kept politicians honest. They are the best liars and thieves and they have gone hand in hand with most of the journalists. The ONLY newspaper with the guts to report the truth was the Telegraph (expenses scandal); how many others instigated that? The politicians and journalists silence on the horrors of the EU directives in their thousands have not been reported by 99% of journalists and the politicians certainly do not blame the EU for our woes – find another challenge!