Wednesday, December 22, 2010

We must keep Murdoch from Foxing-up UK public opinion, Vince or no Vince

The furore over poor Vince Cable's apparent Telegraph honey trap blurt is missing the point a bit.

The key thing for the country is that Vince is rightly against the Murdoch Empire expanding any further into our media. Murdoch has more than enough influence in our media: he owns the Times, Sunday Times, Sun and News of the World, and a 46% of BSkyB. Enough.

It is hard to believe that there are people who cannot see that Murdoch has too much influence. But they do exist, and the most important is Jeremy Hunt, who has been given responsibility for deciding whether Murdoch can acquire the whole of BSkyB.

The best counter argument to the Hunts of this world is to look at Fox News' record. Here is a critical record of Fox' 2010   OK, it's a long read. While reading it, just listen to this recording of Glen Beck, who is one of Fox News' anchormen.

Or take a look at Huffington's ten most egregious Fox News distortions.

Fox News is the pure, untrammelled, unregulated political voice of Rupert Murdoch.

Do we want this kind of hysterical right wing propaganda to be as influential in the UK as it is in the US?

I do not think we do.

Following the Fall of St Vince, Murdochisation is much closer. We are going to have to lobby hard to turn back the Murdoch tide.

5 comments:

Keith Ramsey said...

And yet, paradoxically, Keith Murdoch, Rupert's father was the man who blew the whistle on the shambles at Gallipoli in 1915. Make of that what you will.

DocRichard said...

Yes, that is odd. Suggests that integrity is not genetic?

Maybe Keith developed a contempt for politicians as a result of Gallipoli, which led to Rupert's "libertarian" stance. Funny bunch, libertarians - everything from anarchists (liberty belongs to everyone) to dictators (liberty belongs to Me).

Have a good Christmas

weggis said...

Liberty Prudence is MY niece!

DocRichard said...

Weggis, with you I am never quite sure but hear I read you as claiming that one of your siblings has had an offspring, hopefully female. who has been given the names Liberty Prudence. Prudence suggests that the parents are sympathetic to Gordon Brown, but they are trying to counterbalance his Stalinist tendencies.
Am I right?
Happy New Year btw.

weggis said...

"with you I am never quite sure but hear I read"
"hear"? or here?

But to answer your question.
Partly right.
She predates by several years Gordo's move into Number 10 in 1997.

The choice of her names has to be seen in the context of her elder sister, whose name[s] comes up as number one in a google search.