Monday, July 11, 2011
Revenge of the Murdochs?
If today's Independent is to be believed the old adage that revenge is a dish best served cold could well be applied by the Murdoch news empire to those they blame for their present problems.
Rather bizarrely these victims may not include members of their own staff who have responsibility, either directly or managerially for the illegal and immoral behaviour that has so outraged the British public.
The paper says that a senior News International journalist warned Labour that the company's papers intended to "turn on Ed Miliband and his staff" days before allegations were published in The Sunday Times and The Sun about his strategy director Tom Baldwin:
The Independent understands the warning was made to a Labour spokesman hours after Mr Miliband had called on Wednesday for the resignation of News International's chief executive Rebekah Brooks.
Three days later, The Sun carried a story claiming that Mr Baldwin had been a heavy user of cocaine. Yesterday, The Sunday Times carried a story which said he had been accused – in a previous job – of hiring a private investigator to "blag" the bank details of the Conservative donor Michael Ashcroft. Mr Baldwin denies the claims.
The broad theme of both allegations had been made in a book by Lord Ashcroft, which was published five years ago. He repeated the allegation surrounding Mr Baldwin's use of private investigators on Friday last week on the website Conservative Home, which he owns.
The Labour leader must be hoping that the days of News International influencing the outcome of General Elections are over, but nevertheless must feel some unease at the uphill struggle that faces him.
My judgement is that it will not matter. If anything the stance taken by the Labour leader (and hopefully the Liberal Democrats as well) will actually help him with the electorate. However, the next General Election will be decided on the economy and who the voters consider is best able to handle it. How press coverage of Ed Miliband impinges on that choice has yet to be seen.
Rather bizarrely these victims may not include members of their own staff who have responsibility, either directly or managerially for the illegal and immoral behaviour that has so outraged the British public.
The paper says that a senior News International journalist warned Labour that the company's papers intended to "turn on Ed Miliband and his staff" days before allegations were published in The Sunday Times and The Sun about his strategy director Tom Baldwin:
The Independent understands the warning was made to a Labour spokesman hours after Mr Miliband had called on Wednesday for the resignation of News International's chief executive Rebekah Brooks.
Three days later, The Sun carried a story claiming that Mr Baldwin had been a heavy user of cocaine. Yesterday, The Sunday Times carried a story which said he had been accused – in a previous job – of hiring a private investigator to "blag" the bank details of the Conservative donor Michael Ashcroft. Mr Baldwin denies the claims.
The broad theme of both allegations had been made in a book by Lord Ashcroft, which was published five years ago. He repeated the allegation surrounding Mr Baldwin's use of private investigators on Friday last week on the website Conservative Home, which he owns.
The Labour leader must be hoping that the days of News International influencing the outcome of General Elections are over, but nevertheless must feel some unease at the uphill struggle that faces him.
My judgement is that it will not matter. If anything the stance taken by the Labour leader (and hopefully the Liberal Democrats as well) will actually help him with the electorate. However, the next General Election will be decided on the economy and who the voters consider is best able to handle it. How press coverage of Ed Miliband impinges on that choice has yet to be seen.
Comments:
<< Home
These character assassination/hack 'jobs' are the ‘meat and bones’, the ‘bread and butter’ of the New York Times - a newspaper that a certain Welsh AM has a penchant for quoting from! The NYT is a scum newspaper – even I won’t read it and I read practically anything in short-pants! Well, not quite, has to be poker-dot short pants! (PS “pants’ in American English, but ‘trousers’ in British English). CW
Post a Comment
# posted by 
: 8:23 PM
: 8:23 PM<< Home
