A shabby deal....
23 March 2013
Is what the press regulation legislation amounts to.
Is what the press regulation legislation amounts to.
Many on the left have wanted a state regulated press for as long as I can remember. Now they have their opportunity and, aided by a bunch of vacuous celebs, they are out to get it. This is a much more important matter than what Hugh got up to with a prostitute in LA. This goes to the core of our very freedom already much undermined by the politically correct fascists. We must remember that this opportunity arose only because of some journalist's illegal activity. It is these who need to be punished for their already illegal criminal actions not the very freedom of our press as a whole.
This complicated and costly regulation will carry a price much more than mere money. Right now it comes down to the House of Lords to save the day and if they do it will not be the first time they have held out for our democratic freedoms.
Interestingly The Spectator and The Economist have said they will not sign up to this regulation if it does get passed. Good for them, these are not mere scandal sheets but serious heavyweight journals. Let us hope that other publications do the same because this is one instance where defiance of the law is in all our interests. The media need to make this legislation unworkable.
- Good news. Andrew Neil tweeted this earlier:
"This morning the Financial Times joins the Times, Telegraph, Mail and Mirror groups in opposing the all-party Leveson compromise." - I wholeheartedly agree that what is proposed is a thoroughly bad deal.
Enjoy the statement above for that is all you get, as far as agreement goes, on this issue.
"this opportunity arose only because of some journalist's illegal activity." This is not quite so.
That both the tenor and the thrust of this drive for Press Regulation is wrong, is, to use your favoured phrase, a no-brainer.
It is an assault on the habitat of the quarry, the ruination of the feeding grounds and the nesting places of what all agree should be a protected species, while feigning pursuit of the target game.
It is not however solely for the convenience of the Left. It also suits Dave, down to the ground.
That you, Barry, merely re-echo the howls of anguish of your Political allies in the popular press, while mentioning only a couple of erudite periodicals, gives the lie to both your cries of 'shame' and your apportioning of 'blame'.
Much was made of Party-Press cosiness during the many hours of testimony to, and in the report of, the Leveson Enquiry, and yet there is nothing in the proposed regulation to address this crucial issue, and it is on this point that the deft hand of Dave has left it's mark.
If ever the fell day would arrive when I had a say in these matters I would aim to decouple Media Ownership from the hands of the non-dom.
This simple mechanism would achieve much more that is useful and appropriate than the present proposal which exhibits the folly of the dog with two masters. - oh look the 3 stoodges.
So anyone thinking of crusading for any favourite issue which they feel needs a much needed boost, such as the Leveson/let's curtail free speech/stifle genuine debate on important political issues crusade need look no further than here:
http://www.looktothestars.org/cause