tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post113762981715393747..comments2023-10-16T15:59:02.445+01:00Comments on NEIL HARDING: Politicians with vague promises and nice smiles: blame the media.Neil Hardinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1138033499326868572006-01-23T16:24:00.000+00:002006-01-23T16:24:00.000+00:00"Let's be honest, even Labour supporters acknowled..."Let's be honest, even Labour supporters acknowledge that the only reason the current government are in power is because they have adopted many conservative ideas from the eighties and early nineties."<BR/><BR/>Partly, but the electoral system has also been influential both in making the Labour party more right wing and in keeping them in power (because of boundary bias).<BR/><BR/>As for the super rich like Murdoch not paying tax, you are completely right, but his papers also have an agenda of pushing tax cuts that reduce his costs to his business. This is not in the interests of the lowest wage earners that rely on public services more.Neil Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1138027129672006432006-01-23T14:38:00.000+00:002006-01-23T14:38:00.000+00:00Given that press barons are typically beyond the m...Given that press barons are typically beyond the mere rich and could be considered "mega rich" I'd be surprised if they concern themselves with tax at all. At their sort of level of wealth everything is carefully locked into trusts, companies and other tax efficient and tax avoiding schemes.<BR/><BR/>Rupert Murdoch, an aussie-born, US citizen with major companies on many continents probably manages to avoid all income tax merely by shuttling between his various homes around the globe and thereby failing the standard residence requirements for income tax anywhere.<BR/><BR/>For the general population, taxing the crap out of the rich usually sounds attractive because whatever your income you tend to think of it as taxing the crap out of anyone who earns more than you do. <BR/><BR/>As for better public services, that could also be a conservative trait. Even us right wing loons accept that some things need to be done by the state. And if they are to be done by the state we'd prefer them to be done better than they are at the moment. This does not necessarily mean we think the state should be invading our lives to the extent that it does at present.<BR/><BR/>Let's be honest, even Labour supporters acknowledge that the only reason the current government are in power is because they have adopted many conservative ideas from the eighties and early nineties. It's what makes the likes of Dennis Skinner and Tony Benn so hopping mad.<BR/><BR/>It's ideas and performance that win elections. Ideas that capture the public's imagination and performance in previous terms in office. If I were Tony (or more likely Gordon) I'd be getting a bit worried about now. Labour seems to be running out of new ideas just as their own performance is beginning to look shaky and the conservatives might, just might, be shaking off the legacy of the past ten years.<BR/><BR/>RMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1138017489163316372006-01-23T11:58:00.000+00:002006-01-23T11:58:00.000+00:00"Could it be that the British population are, by a..."Could it be that the British population are, by and large, more centre right in sentiment? That might explain the higher popularity of right leaning newspapers over left leaning ones."<BR/><BR/>The problem is opinion polls regularly show that people think taxes for the rich should go up. Not surprisingly the argument of the press is largely in tune with their wealthy owners, i.e. that the rich are too heavily taxed.<BR/><BR/>People want to see better public services. Of course the public are affected by what they read.<BR/><BR/>Most people buy newspapers for reasons other than politics, but the press barons are insistent on putting in their right wing message. The majority are able to filter this message out, but it does have a significant effect in keeping the Tories vote up and Labour's suppressed. <BR/><BR/>Is it a coincidence that the message that 75% of the press pushes is in accordance with what you would expect the wealthy owners of the press to agree with.<BR/><BR/>To claim that this message has no effect is to claim that the billions of pounds private companies spend on advertising also has no effect.<BR/><BR/>I don't believe the Tories or republicans would be anything more than a right wing rump on about 15% support (just like Sweden), if it wasn't for the right wing press we have.Neil Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1138003691009414482006-01-23T08:08:00.000+00:002006-01-23T08:08:00.000+00:00Could it be that the British population are, by an...Could it be that the British population are, by and large, more centre right in sentiment? That might explain the higher popularity of right leaning newspapers over left leaning ones.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps what you see as a few press barons leading the sheep astray is actually the sheep dictating to the barons what they want to read by the power of the shilling in their pocket. No-one forces people to buy a particular newspaper after all.<BR/><BR/>The cynic in me sometimes wonders whether this whole biased press argument didn't actually begin within the profession of journalism. I mean, it does enhance the image of journalists as the ultimate arbiters of public opinion. Perhaps it was born out of wishful thinking, allied to the socialist view that anyone with money is obviously an evil capitalist.<BR/><BR/>Just a thought.<BR/><BR/>RMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137843116074099672006-01-21T11:31:00.000+00:002006-01-21T11:31:00.000+00:00"It seems to me that the general population are ac..."It seems to me that the general population are actually smart enough to detect and filter out the bias all for themselves and make up their minds accordingly."<BR/><BR/>To some extext yes, but the press still have a massive effect. Some issues just don't get very much coverage. Dare I say we have (apart from 1945-51) only had fairly right wing governments in this country in comparison to say Scandanavia or Germany or France etc., where the press is much less concentrated and less foreign owned.Neil Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137842886796614162006-01-21T11:28:00.000+00:002006-01-21T11:28:00.000+00:00Backward Dave: What the PM said on his respect age...Backward Dave: <BR/><BR/>What the PM said on his respect agenda was not the conventional wisdom of the blogosphere or the mainstream press. The comments here suggest that. So by supporting the PM over this, I have gone against conventional wisdom like I have on other issues, for example, I support the following;<BR/><BR/>Legalising all drugs.<BR/>Proportional Representation.<BR/>Liberalising pub opening hours.<BR/>Free public transport funded by taxation.<BR/>Widening the bands on Council Tax to make it less regressive.<BR/>Citizen's Income.<BR/>More redistributive taxation.<BR/>Higher density housing.<BR/>Tuition Fees (in conjuction with maintenance grants for poorest)<BR/>Religion is dangerous nonsense.<BR/>Total ban on public smoking.<BR/><BR/>If there isn't anything you agree with there then maybe you are the exception that proves the rule?Neil Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01333739272733802133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137711068174471082006-01-19T22:51:00.000+00:002006-01-19T22:51:00.000+00:00There was 'only' a million votes difference betwee...There was 'only' a million votes difference between 1983's Longest \Suicide Note in History and 2005's Historic Third Term. <BR/><BR/>Within this the votes won and lost are largely those of undecided voters and important only in the marginals. FPTP involves all parties conforming to the unconsidered prejudices of these minorities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137691116883919332006-01-19T17:18:00.000+00:002006-01-19T17:18:00.000+00:00Labour's task is made doubly difficult by the 75% ...<I>Labour's task is made doubly difficult by the 75% of the press that opposes almost anything they try to do.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, only about 25% of the population voted Labour, so this seems about right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137681260482421252006-01-19T14:34:00.000+00:002006-01-19T14:34:00.000+00:00If one looks dispassionately back at the 20th Cent...If one looks dispassionately back at the 20th Century there has always been a few owners of newspaper chains and there have always been claims of bias.<BR/><BR/>Surprisingly, given this "massive media bias" there have been governments of all persuasions from nationalise everything socialists to free-market thatcherites. It seems to me that the general population are actually smart enough to detect and filter out the bias all for themselves and make up their minds accordingly.<BR/><BR/>Maybe it's time for the politicians and political commentators (of all hues) to get their heads out of the sand and realise that the general public aren't a bunch of dimwitted sheep and start engaging them with real dialogue. <BR/><BR/>Just a thought,<BR/><BR/>RMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137676411996614672006-01-19T13:13:00.000+00:002006-01-19T13:13:00.000+00:00Anon, indeed. But I thought of expanding my commen...Anon, indeed. But I thought of expanding my comment with an analogy. Plenty of people believe that the Pope has a special spiritual role, which is more than being merely the elected head of the Catholic church. And plenty of people think that that is nonsense. Just because there is a large body of people are against a particular belief does not make it unconventional. Belief in the holiness of, ah, His Holiness is perfectly conventional -- for Catholics.<BR/><BR/>I read Neil's post as averring something stronger and he's setting up his "not conventional wisdom" as if it were on a par with Mary Wollstonecraft or Marx. It's not. Saying "I think the Prime Minister is right" never is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137675287556016532006-01-19T12:54:00.000+00:002006-01-19T12:54:00.000+00:00supporting ID Cards (initially), and Tony Blair on...supporting ID Cards (initially), and Tony Blair on <A HREF="http://brightonregencylabourparty.blogspot.com/2006/01/why-tony-is-right.html" REL="nofollow">summary justice</A> are not exactly conventional for the Blogosphere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137671350404612702006-01-19T11:49:00.000+00:002006-01-19T11:49:00.000+00:00"Nearly everyone who has visited this site could f..."Nearly everyone who has visited this site could find ideas here that are not conventional wisdom, that they nevertheless strongly agree with,..."<BR/><BR/>Just so as I can keep up, where are these "ideas ... that are not conventional wisdom"? Could you give me some pointers please?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14115431.post-1137667046235609352006-01-19T10:37:00.000+00:002006-01-19T10:37:00.000+00:00I'm Labour through and through but i've never boug...I'm Labour through and through but i've never bought into this Electoral system bias talk, When Labour got hammered by Thatcher it wasn't electoral bias that did it, It was Sonny Jims incompetance and those militant lefties that made my party unelectable for a generation, The Tories have and possibly still are as divided as Labour was, That is why they lost three elections not because of the electoral system. The fact is if the winds of change are blowing the party in power is toast no matter what the electoral system is.<BR/>As for your comments on the press, I agree to some extent, However i don't think the likes of Fox news make much impact, Everyone who watches is either already Republican or Democrat doing research, If the Murdoch press had that much influence would Kerry have polled as much as he did? Would Labour? Personally i hope the Sun goes back to the Tories because their scum and scum belong together.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com