The excellent article by Nick Davies correctly urges politicians to
'protest against news organisations that print propaganda and call it
journalism', but, sadly, their `chains of fear' explain more than mere
reluctance to take on the likes of Murdoch.(At this election, British
politicians can afford to speak out against Rupert Murdoch,07/04/15) In fact,
there is a strong argument suggesting that the lack of boldness exhibited by the
Labour leadership, for example, is the main reason for their party`s lack of
lead in the opinion polls. After all, when Miliband did dare to organise the
`sabotage of the Murdoch bid for BSkyB`, his poll ratings rose
significantly.
What a shame the aptly-named `chains of fear` have prevented Labour
from pledging an all-out attack on the banks, when a large majority of the
electorate consider them the true cause, both of the financial crisis, and the
subsequent economic problems. The obscenely paid bankers in charge of their
`profession` have shown themselves totally incapable of ridding their culture of
greed, corruption and customer rip-offs, yet no radical proposals have emanated
from Labour, even to participate in the EU`s Financial Transaction Tax!
Similarly, Labour weakly attempts to defend itself from right-wing
assertions that it is anti-business, when an offensive against business, and its
current practices of forcing employees on to benefits because of low-pay, high
profit strategies, and avoiding paying the correct amount of corporation tax,
despite extremely generous rates, around eighteen percentage points below those
American firms are expected to pay, would clearly reap huge electoral benefits.
Hasn`t the penny dropped, yet, that the hemorrhaging of votes to Ukip, SDP and
the Greens can partly be explained by the party being insufficiently dissimilar
from the Tories?
Nick Davies is right to castigate politicians for failing to stand up
to Murdoch`s right-wing media empire, but don`t let us kid ourselves that this
is the only example when courage deserts them. Would that it were so!
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