That Labour have lost the backing of the Sun newspaper probably isn't a deal breaker but it is significant.Gordon Brown is trying to say that the backing of the Sun is unimportant. Really? Then why did Blair, Mandelson, Brown and Campbell all try so hard to win over the paper in the past?
The Sun, like all printed media, has lost some of the influence it once had, but that is not the same as saying that it has no influence at all. Millions of people read the Sun every day and they are likely to represent the kind of voters who will move their support between parties.
Perhaps the more significant point is the timing of the Sun's announcement, it was clearly designed to undermine Brown's set piece speech. This time next week few people will remember any of the points Brown was trying to make but they will remember that the Sun turned on him the very next day.
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4 comments:
You're right, the backing of a paper is important. But for the wrong reasons; what a shame that much of the 'great British public' is now going to be influenced by one man (RM), who isn't even British! Whether a paper turns on Cameron or Brown (I don't think Clegg will get much of a mention) the common sense thing to do would be to ignore what it says and hope that our politicians can directly give us a clear steer on their policies and intentions.
If this was about what is good for the country then The Sun would have come out against Labour years ago, at least at the last general election. But they left it until now and it is very clear why from James Murdoch's speech to the media industry in August.
The Murdochs want a greater stranglehold over the British media. The Conservatives have clearly promised to Murdoch to destroy OFCOM and the BBC. This will be a huge mistake for independent television production, quality programming, and the closest to balanced coverage that exists in the world.
This Austrailan / American family do not care what is best for the country, just what is best for their pocket.
Some sad history. The Sun……………..once the Daily Herald. Left wing, owned by the TUC and Oldham press. Revamped as the Sun………..then sold to a company which later became involved in a viscous battle against its unions. Whopping them at Wapping.
I think I recall before the Blair victory a Mandy Mandelson working for the Sun……..it backed NEW Labour……..marketing slogan, sell it by telling everyone its new. New Labour has extended right wing politics, continued to destroy local government making it a democratic joke, turned schools and universities into businesses which claim to “add value” to human beings as if they were products and in no way reversed the disasters of the free market, OK rail property may have been taken back but we still have giant private monopolies
The nationalised industries are now owned by lord knows who.
We now see an attack on the BEEB. Those who used to be proud to be public servants are seen as failures Dustmen, Canteen ladies, hospital cleaners etc now in Mickey mouse (sorry Mickey, bit of an insult to you) agencies.
The history of the Sun is the history of the labour movement many of us were proud to below to.
If Labour can really upset the offshore Murdoch it will be doing the right things at last
Only came across this blog spot earlier cos it is on Today site today.
But widening out I want to add a comment about the whole of politcs today
I am old in all senses Labour. Was a member of the Labour League of youth, Still so was Shirley Williams…. she was new labour before it was invented and helped found the Social Democrats, a party which was never elected by anybody and has contaminated the party of Lloyd George and other great Liberal.
The reason New Labour is poking around with private lives, even policewomen cannot look after each other’s kids… if because we have more and more MP’s MEP’s , Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, unelected House of Lords placemen and women with less and less control over the commanding heights. Parliament had more control over the important things even before the Real Labour government of 1945 51.
The Victorians gave use fresh water supply and sewage removal via local councils.
There was in the London area the Metropolitan Water Board, run by a group of London councils before the war. Later called Thames Water and sold off to gods know who. Councils built power stations, supplied town gas…and street lighting
OK still do but it cannot be long before you have to put a coin in a streetlamp to see your way down the road.
They National grid was brought in before WW2 so electricity could be transferred around the country.
Railways were private under the Victorians but railway timetables were run by the war office, so troops could be sent around easily. Telegraph services were under the Post Office under the Victorians!
So more and more rulers over less and. so they tell those left under there control what to do. Smoking is stupid but I do not need a government to impose abstinence for booze and tobacco on me. How dare they. Seem to have dropped the idea of ID cards……we had them during the war but with the idea of individual freedom won out then after the war. Shame we are not going to have them, Iwas looking forward to doing the Eccles the \goon gag…..asked for his ID he whipped out a mirror and said “ Yup, that’s ’me alright.
There are public areas and private areas, as the panjandrums elected and unelected have withdrawn from the big issues they home in on our private lives to create work fro themselves
How dare these people tell teachers what to teach? Or kids what to have in there lunch boxes.
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