Sun Trussell Trust Hypocrisy

The faithful Murdoch retainers at the Super Soaraway Currant Bun are becoming yet more desperate in their drive to discredit anyone who might distract from their agenda of getting Young Dave and his jolly good chaps back into Government next month. And, despite running articles telling readers that Christianity is under attack around the Middle East, the hacks have no problem kicking Christian organisations in the UK.

So it is that Rupe’s downmarket troops have homed in on the Trussell Trust, which has committed the heinous crime of running foodbanks. “FOOD AND STINK” declares the headline, helpfully explaining to confused readers “Grub charity’s zero hours funds … Bosses are slammed for hypocrisy”. And what “hypocrisy” would that be? “The Trussell Trust has slammed [zero hours] contracts”. It has?

Well, not really: the Trust has, however, said “The government should undertake a sector-by-sector review of the use of zero-hours contracts and their impact, and take action to ensure that people who are in work are able to earn sufficient income to survive”. That’s not the same thing. So the Sun is ranting about a stance that does not exist. Nor is all the Trust’s investment in firms that operate such contracts.

That was not enough to stop the paper running its “investigation” - which involved turning up information which, as it is transparent about its activities, the Trust makes readily available - and a suitably hectoring and judgmental editorial. Yeah, that’ll show those wishy-washy bleeding hearts, eh? The trust has tried to put the Sun straight.

“We have not called for an end to all zero hours contracts, but we have said that there should be better regulation of zero hours contracts to stop them from being abused” they tell, pointing out that “Last year Trussell Trust foodbanks provided three days' emergency food and support to over 900,000 people in crisis in the UK thanks to our generous supporters”. Charity, eh? The Sun clearly finds this kind of thing hard to understand.

The Murdoch poodles also find it hard to conceal their own appetite for saying one thing and then doing another: two years ago, they told “ENERGY giant npower has dodged paying up to £108 million in UK corporation tax in the past four years - by funnelling cash to Malta”. But that was then, and this is now: today’s Sun does not have a word of criticism for npower, but it does have a half-page advert for it on Page 24.

As Private Eye might have observed, “I wonder if the two are in any way related? I think we should be told”. News UK is one set of bosses that, unlike the Trussell Trust, are most unlikely to be “slammed” any time soon. What did it say in that Sun editorial this morning? Ah yes, “You rarely have to look beyond the loudest voices to find the biggest hypocrites”.

Where do those “loudest voices” come from? From the Sun. And the Sun is in no position to call out anyone else for hypocrisy - because one of those “biggest hypocrites” is its not very good self. High principles, eh? No change there, then.