Kelvin MacKenzie has just been on Newsnight up against the excellent Tom Watson MP debating MetGate. Kelvin Gotcha Hillsborough MacKenzie, to give him his full name, has been associtated with News International most of his career. I am not sure if he is speaking for Mordorch himself now, but his view is worth study. I am working from memory, and will edit it later when I can see the film or the transcript.
It is generally agreed that MacKenzie is unbelievably obnoxious; but that is what he wants us to feel, so that we do not address his arguments cooly. He speaks as though he is 100% right about everything. He probably feels that way. He is a believer, with all the confidence of a Free Market Fundamentalist zealot.
He opened with the "Labour/partisan" ploy. This is the one where Labour are only making a fuss because they lost the election. *yawn*.
Then he upped the ante, strengthened it with the vivid image of Labour licking Murdoch's arse, only to be kicking it now that Mordorch has transferred his hairy affections to smooth tongued Dave. Which is true, but a smokescreen. This is not about party politics, it is about real politics, about who is or is not above the law.
He said that MPs were against the newspapers in revenge for their treatment of the MP expenses scandal. Good point, but still a diversion from the real issue, the violation of privacy and breach of Parliamentary privilege (or equivalent: the fact that MPs are representatives of the ultimate power in the land, i.e. the people).
He then went on to minimise the problem, saying that journos always had and always will break the law, and that it was OK to do so.
And then, at the end, he came right out with it. Newspapers are above the law.
Or are they?
It's up to us, the people. A battle is starting, a direct contest between democracy and the corporations, in the shape of Mordorch.
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9 comments:
I take it you've read Guido's lastest offering on this, you know, the one with the data from the Information Commissioner's Office... but then it seems that as far as you're concerned if it's not all about Murdoch, then you're not really interested.
I'm really surprised Estler didn't delve deeper into his intimating that "journos always had and always will break the law" &, of course, his eliding of that with the MPs expenses scandal to make it seem that, if they do that, it's OK for us to break other laws.
Stop Press. 8:20AM on Saturday and Tom Watson is on Radio 4 telling us how he told porkies about Kate Adie's reporting in Iraq. He also agreed that it's all down to a "toxic relationship" between MP's and the press. Funny that, it's not about Murdoch as far as he's concerned. But then what would he know Richard? He just swims through the filth on a daily basis - for a good wage and plenty of expenses I might add.
Journalists? Scum!
Politicians? Scum!
Btw, describing the expense fiddling Tom Watson as "excellent" is a bit rich... if you'll excuse the pun;-)
Hi bsk
I remember KMCK "OK to break the law" remark as being at the very end of the programme, but I may be wrong. If he had time but did not, it just puts Esler down as a very poor journalist. <imho - not official Green Party position.
GL:
I saw Guido's offering. Sorry, I've been off line for a few days. I have not delved back into the Information Office stuff, but if Guido is not distorting reality, (as if) the Mirror is up to its elbows too.
I am not a Tom Watson expert. He is a popular tweeter, and what I thought was excellent was his speech in the HoC.
I would like to confirm that I am interested in every aspect of this fascinating affair, but most of all Murdoch, because he represents power that is accountable to no-one. Well OK, who is he accountable to? The PCC?
Cheers
Richard
Talking of such, did you see Ecologics (excellent blog btw) on these great advocates of freedom?
GE thanks for thos links to The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party, and Koch industries' contributions to the Tea Party.
The influence of megacorporations via their donations to right wing political parties and movements is profoundly anti-democratic.
Megacorporations must be brought under the rule of law.
In the US there's an excellent website called Open Secrets. This is their lobbying page where you can get a lot of details about who gets how much from who.
Is there a website like this for the UK?
Corporate Watch is the only one I know of.
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