Hats off to Polly Toynbee in todays Guardian for showing how low we have really sunk as a nation. The entire political leadership of both Labour and the Tories are in thrall to one media mogul, a man powerful enough that potential Prime Ministers are forced to travel half way round the world to receive his endorsement, King Rupert Murdoch. Well actually no, not king, more like Warwick the king maker. The man who controls half the British press and makes Prime Ministers, apparently.
His paper has been found guilty of reading the voicemail of well-known politicians and celebrities to produce a series of stunning scoops for the News of the World. Typically although the odd journalist has been sent to prison, none of the bosses have ever faced charges because, they insist, they never knew about such murky goings on. Only one editor resigned, Andy Coulson, and he resigned not because he knew anything (oh no) but because these things happened while he was in charge.
Yes this is the same Andy Coulson who was then offered the job of Communications Director of the Conservative Party, hand-picked indeed by David Cameron when he took office. Well having seen Alastair Campbell play Machiavelli in Tony Blair’s government, you can see where the Tories got the idea.
Anyway, Dave Cameron made a speech a week ago laying in to the vast number of quangos that have proliferated in and around Whitehall. In particular he laid into Ofcom, making it clear that he would neuter that body if and when he leads a Tory government. Why just Ofcom, you ask? Well they just happened to have upset Rupert, the king maker, Murdoch by forcing Sky (the jewel in the Murdoch Empire which just happens to own a virtual monopoly) to sell on rights to movies and premiership football to other broadcasters and much lower prices. A move which threatens to knock around £1Bn off the value of Murdoch’s media empire. Unsurprisingly the Murdoch press laid into Ofcom but then this was followed up by doughty Dave Cameron attacking Ofcom as well.
Blair and Brown were poodles in the hands of Rupert Murdoch, and now we have proof that democratic Dave is also kept on Rupert’s leash. What price democracy under a Cameron government!