The original article that we're all commenting on is the influence of the press on people's opinions of political parties, especially at election time. Do they reflect opinion or do they form it ?
What most of us forget is that it's the Conservative party that creates wealth, but even more important is that it's the Labour party that tries to share out that wealth a bit, to the millions who helped to create it. They also concentrate on social justice, an example of which was when they abolished the workhouse in the late twenties during their first ever period in power. That has continued ever since
In my humble opinion, the Tory supporting press, especially The Mail (middle class ) and Murdoch's titles (working class) do an excellent job in persuading the undecided, and it's that relatively small number that decide the outcome of elections elections. But let's face it, those who own, run, and work for these titles have no interest in social justice, nor in my opinion does the party they support.
Without Labour, the workhouse would have continued, the NHS would not have existed (anyone fancy the USA version ?), no right to buy your leasehold; landladies would still be putting up notices saying 'no coloureds, no Irish, no dogs'; no equal pay; the list goes on and on and includes things we now just take for granted. These includes protection from criminal landlords; unfair dismissal; protection from working in death trap factories and building sites - hundreds were killed every year; a decent safety net for those unemployed, sick or disabled ( again, if anyone fancies the US version, go and take a look at motor city Detroit ); maternity leave with pay; minimum wage etc, etc.
As a working class retired bloke who belonged to a union throughout my working years, I agreed with the Tory union secret ballot law etc because the big union beasts led their members out on strike when often, the members wanted to keep working. I also know of people who abuse the welfare system, and although two wrongs do not make a right, this doesn't come close to what the tax evaders owe.
To end a long ramble, at least Murdoch's papers don't go in for much racism although gays and single parents got a bashing in the old days. But they do resort to low abuse and insults of those politicians that they're against. However, the Mail's racism can only be described as vile. Apart from Amanda Platell ( did she change her name from Amana Patel, I wonder, to fit in a bit more perhaps ? ) I'd like to know how many black and Asian people work for the Mail ? Of course they've got a long record of this when they attacked Jewish people in the very early day of their publication. They then switched to the Irish, then people from the Caribbean, then Asians from the sub continent and Uganda etc, then illegal immigrants, then asylum seekers, and now it's east Europeans and those fleeing the war zones in the Middle East and Africa.
What is really annoying is that these 'viewspapers' print opinions as if they were fact, and If the right wing press so wished, they could even demonise Mother Theresa.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
