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Tuesday 16 January 2018

Tory Press - Don’t Mention Carillion

It was Paul Mason who noticed recently that when something reflects badly on the Tories, their backers in our free and fearless press have a habit of taking that something off the front page. Yes, they’ll discuss the something on inside pages, maybe even have a moan about it in editorials, but the name of the game is keeping embarrassing somethings off the front page. So it has been with the collapse of Carillion.
Carillion leads in the Guardian ...

There are tens of thousands of jobs at risk - that’s as in, at risk of vanishing without those affected getting paid - amid the scandal of top management enriching themselves, shareholder bonuses being doled out year-on-year despite the increasingly parlous state of the company, and a gaping chasm of a pensions shortfall, but for loyal Tory-backing papers, is has to be kept off the front page. You think I jest? Just take a look.
... and at the Mirror ...

While the now tabloid Guardian makes the Carillion collapse its lead story, telling that as many as 30,000 small firms - sub-contractors, suppliers - may lose out with some having to close as a result, and the Mirror makes sure its readers know the identity of the winners (bosses) and losers (workers), the story is different in Tory backing territory.
... but relegated to very minor status at the Telegraph ...

The closest the True Blue brigade gets to even admitting there has been a scandal is when the increasingly desperate and downmarket Telegraph adds a small item to its front page - “Carillion left without Whitehall oversight”, so it’s the useless bureaucrats’ fault, and not the party the paper supports - buried at bottom left. Don’t worry yourselves, Tel readers, it’s not really important. Bashing the French gets more prominence.
... and missing completely from the Sun ...

What of the Murdoch Sun? Not a peep, although the paper whines about Carillion in its editorial. Like the Tel, they concentrate on the story of toddler Poppi Worthington, about whom they pretend to care despite dedicating themselves to slagging off social workers and cheering spending cuts that deplete Police numbers. Oh, and there’s more Meghan, because Royals sell papers and distract readers from reality.
... same at the Mail ...

No Carillion at the Mail either, where the fate of tens of thousands of those hard-working Brits the Dacre doggies claim to champion was unimportant compared to recycling a press release from Iceland stores and reinventing it as a triumph of the now environmentally responsible Mail. That’s the same paper that whines about renewable energy and does not have a problem with fracking. Just keep the bad news off the front page.
... and nowhere to be seen at the Express

Likewise at the Express, which has room to tell readers that there is cold and wet weather in January (who knew?), frighten its ageing readership over Alzheimers’, and thunder triumphantly that we’re going to cut off aid for all those ghastly foreigners. And they too want justice for Poppi, although somehow they missed the story until everyone else picked up on it (which was after the BBC covered it extensively).

So, as Paul Mason warned us, only to be sneered at by those out there on the right, when the news is really embarrassing for the Tories, their press pals make sure it’s kept off the front page. That means little or no Carillion - unless and until The Blue Team has something positive it can say about the débâcle.

And the press establishment wonders why trust in its product is shot. Hey ho.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You think that's bad?

Try Newsnight last night.

In which their "political correspondent" tried to claim PFI began under Blair/Brown. You couldn't make it up, but HE did. Don't ask me the name of the suited up arsehead - they all look and sound the same to me.

Added to which - go on, try to recall the number of times broadcast media "business correspondents" used their "expertise" to forecast trouble ahead for one of Britain's most patronised building contractors and "services" companies/agencies......Let me give you a clue: The answer is Sweet Fuck All. They were too busy parroting the usual stats bullshit and right wing "business" propaganda.

tory media (that is, all of it) can go on avoiding the truth or lying as much as they like. But the true consequences of capitalism are slowly seeping through to public consciousness. Last time it took two world wars and a Great Depression in between. Well, we've had ANOTHER Great Depression plus Perpetual War in the Middle East plus resulting terrorist attacks.

Change will come. But meanwhile, the human cost, as usual, is visited on the most vulnerable and innocent. How many more terrible lessons are needed before the tories and their corrupt rottenness are dumped in the dustbin of history?

Anonymous said...

Politicians and the press are both shithouses.

It is all but set in stone .