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| Envy of the world: British press |
Why is anyone surprised the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party want to bring in state regulation of the media in the UK? For my international friends who consume news which hasn’t been preoccupied with Hugh Grant’s case for privacy or Steve Coogan’s protestations about the press writing stories about his latest girlfriend, unless of course he is trying to sell comedy show tickets that is, our illustrious prime minister in an attempt to distract the public from his own cosy relationships with news editors and proprietors decided eighteen month ago to have a judge-led inquiry into media ethics.
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| Anti-free press: Lord Justice Leveson |
Well the said inquiry has now reported. And low and behold a member of the liberal judiciary – Sir Brian Leveson – decided state regulation of the media would be a good idea. Just as I suppose it is a good idea in Zimbabwe, Syria and Russia? Hmmm.
The biggest cheerleaders for Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendation are the Left. Naturally. Don’t people realise the core ideology of both Labour and the Liberal Democrats is the suppression of the masses so they, the elite, can lord over them. Just like Stalin. Just like Hitler. Both men of the Left.
Now, I wouldn’t go as far as to say Nick Clegg should be compared to mass killers of history: he wouldn’t be capable of such organisation and leadership. No, but Nick Clegg is a socialist, who loves to keep the masses in their place, feed them welfare benefits with a little note telling the poor beggars who to vote for if they want the handouts to keep on coming. Clegg is the same as Labour leader Ed Miliband except Miliband and his political father, Gordon Brown, didn’t even try to hide their sinister ideology.
So, it is quite natural for them to want to suppress the press: it is an extension of their command and control of the people. It will make it even easier to ensure the public hear only what the liberal elite want them to hear. It all helps to keep you and I in our place whilst the “politburo” gets on with the business of power.
As you will have gathered I am wholly against Leveson’s recommendation that a “independent” regulator is set up and is “underpinned” by legislation. That’s a fancy way of saying the state should control the media. What was the point of Britain going to war twice and bringing down communism if we now have idiot politicians agreeing with such a dangerous recommendation from a not so bright judge? Got to be a bit careful haven’t I? In a couple of years time writing the last sentence might get me thrown into prison!
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| Privacy on his terms: British actor Hugh Grant |
This is the reality of the Leveson Report. Politicians who are in bed with those poor little celebrities who want to be able to use the press when they have a book to sell but want them to go away when they are getting up to immoral activities are being pressurised by these same people into shutting down the free press in this country, a press which has been free for hundreds of years. This is how far our political system has sunk.
It was good to see David Cameron say he was against state regulation of the media because only the Government can table legislation in the House of Commons. But he has his hands tied as he is in Coalition with a political party who came eighth in a Westminster election last week: the last Party that happened to was the SDP and they were wound up shortly afterwards. So, the Liberal Democrats who have crashed out of the political mainstream are going to be able to dictate the law of the land?
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| Worried: Can Cameron prevent state regulation of the media? |
If Cameron lets these yellow peril pygmies ruin our democracy by removing one of its core pillars – a free press – we are no better than Syria or Zimbabwe.
We are living in dangerous times. Only true leadership and a party which stands up for Britain will save us. Which party is this? Considering the Conservatives came behind Ukip at the Westminster by-election in Rotherham last week, the public are not so sure.
Gavin Maclure's Musings 
December 2, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Shami Chakribati came out against statutory regulation today, claiming it will breach the HRA98. She would normally be described as "of the left".The Dowlers, the Watsons, Christopher Jefferies. The widows of dead British soldiers. All these had their phones hacked. This shouldn't have just been about Hugh Grant's personal vendetta against those who had printed the story about Divine Brown, it should have been about the families who don't have access to expensive lawyers who were harassed and attacked. What was done to these people was against the law, yet the police were too in awe of the power of the media to prosecute. Even now it has been alleged by some on the left that the only media baron to do this was Rupert Murdoch, ignoring the comments by Lord Justice Leveson about Piers Morgan and his time at the Mirror.There are countries in Europe, such as France and Denmark, which have media regulation. In France this was used to hide Presidential indiscretion, and potentially serial rape in the case of one senior French politician.In Greece a journalist was recently jailed for printing a story about the huge list of tax evaders Germany had given the Greek government who the Greeks had done nothing about. The idea that such interference with a free press could happen here rightly puts Cameron on edge. Ed Miliband accepted the Leveson report "in entirety" without having read it. This morning Harriet Harman was trying to qualify that, as was Ed himself in an interview with a national newspaper. But the image was important. In the publics mind, Ed is in favour of what the victims want. Cameron is being painted as in the pockets of the press barons when actually he is doing what any libertarian Conservative would do – considering the dangers of the state doing something that it hasn't done before, before writing legislation that could remain around for centuries.The Tory/Lib Dem by election results stem from being mid term in Government. By elections rarely point to the next election. Except when they do. UKIP are now seen as a none of the above candidate so that explains their good showing. And they also represent old style Tory values, so they pick up Tory voters in their 50s and above who hanker for an easier time that never really existed. Once they look like actually taking a seat, I'll start to take seriously their claim to be the "third" party of British politics. In terms of Westminster they aren't even the 10th. Even the Green's have an MP, and they have very little political support now…
December 2, 2012 at 6:42 pm
The regulation that has been asked for is similar to that in Ireland – a policy that all our papers (their Irish versions) have signed and agreed to and no problems have occured.Maybe the fault is Cameron saying he would implement Leveson and now changing his mind
December 2, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Above we have further confirmation of the Left's opposition to free speech through dRoss – who, along with all his colleagues, has been silenced over the Belstead wind farm proposals – wilfully misquoting the Prime Minister.How desperate can they get?
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