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| The rightwing press can’t be allowed to bully us out of the EU | The rightwing press can’t be allowed to bully us out of the EU |
| (7 months later) | |
| “Who will speak for England?” blasts today’s Daily Mail front page, insanely reprising a famous Commons debate on the day Hitler invaded Poland. That’s how it’s going to be. Some in the in campaign briefly imagined the normal laws of gravity in the British press might be suspended. Perhaps, this once, when faced with the gravest nation-changing political decision, the mouth-frothing fraternity might pause and consider? | “Who will speak for England?” blasts today’s Daily Mail front page, insanely reprising a famous Commons debate on the day Hitler invaded Poland. That’s how it’s going to be. Some in the in campaign briefly imagined the normal laws of gravity in the British press might be suspended. Perhaps, this once, when faced with the gravest nation-changing political decision, the mouth-frothing fraternity might pause and consider? |
| Thursday's Daily Mail front page:Who WILL speak for England?#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #euref pic.twitter.com/BaBim27N85 | Thursday's Daily Mail front page:Who WILL speak for England?#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #euref pic.twitter.com/BaBim27N85 |
| Of course not. Yesterday came the rude awakening. Out of the traps and off the leash sprang the Sun, Mail, Express, Times and Telegraph with headlines such as “Who do EU think you are Kidding Mr Cameron?”, “The Great Delusion” and “Cameron’s EU Deal is a Joke”. In case you missed it, The Sun called Cameron’s deal “a steaming pile of manure”, “a derisory offer” and “a stinker” that’s “an abject defeat on immigration”. | Of course not. Yesterday came the rude awakening. Out of the traps and off the leash sprang the Sun, Mail, Express, Times and Telegraph with headlines such as “Who do EU think you are Kidding Mr Cameron?”, “The Great Delusion” and “Cameron’s EU Deal is a Joke”. In case you missed it, The Sun called Cameron’s deal “a steaming pile of manure”, “a derisory offer” and “a stinker” that’s “an abject defeat on immigration”. |
| How powerful are they? Even as the newspaper era is declared near-dead, they stay far more influential than falling sales suggest. (I say they, not we, because the Guardian is always a puny counterweight to these massed ranks on the right). The Today programme solemnly reads out newspaper headlines each morning because, in print or online, the agenda is still mainly set by what used to be Fleet Street. From my time in the BBC newsroom, I know how anxiously the national broadcaster navigates by the sound of press decibels, striving for a mid course, even if that’s often between flat and round earthers. Four media owners control the above megaphones. Those men on their own will try to set the low tone for this debate. | How powerful are they? Even as the newspaper era is declared near-dead, they stay far more influential than falling sales suggest. (I say they, not we, because the Guardian is always a puny counterweight to these massed ranks on the right). The Today programme solemnly reads out newspaper headlines each morning because, in print or online, the agenda is still mainly set by what used to be Fleet Street. From my time in the BBC newsroom, I know how anxiously the national broadcaster navigates by the sound of press decibels, striving for a mid course, even if that’s often between flat and round earthers. Four media owners control the above megaphones. Those men on their own will try to set the low tone for this debate. |
| One problem they bemoan is lack of a leader. “Is there any Eurosceptic in this pusillanimous cabinet with the guts to speak his mind and put principles and country before personal ambition?” the Mail asks. | One problem they bemoan is lack of a leader. “Is there any Eurosceptic in this pusillanimous cabinet with the guts to speak his mind and put principles and country before personal ambition?” the Mail asks. |
| Trying to smoke out Boris Johnson, their last hope, he teases, and flirts with them, weighing up the odds a little longer. The Guardian thinks he will knuckle under and back Cameron, but then given this clamour, might he turn again? His sociopathic lack of principle and transparent self-interest seems not to damage him in their eyes. The Times leader was headed “Boris is Right”, for saying there is “much, much more” to be done, complaining that “very few senior ministers find the courage to follow their consciences and campaign to leave”. Their warning to Boris is that the winner of the Tory leadership race may not be “a supporter of Mr Tusk’s inadequate offer”. Will he or won’t he “find the courage”? No doubt consulting pollsters and his own stars, he may be led on by his Churchillian fantasies to take a lone stand against the German foe. This beckoning by the rightwing press must be sorely tempting. The Times this morning suggest their man Gove is in a similar dither, “torn between Cameron and Brexit”. Polls tell these weather-vane men that sticking to Cameron is probably safest but what if polls are fickle guides and fool’s gold? They favour the in side now, but the campaign has hardly buckled on its armour yet. This is just the opening salvo. | Trying to smoke out Boris Johnson, their last hope, he teases, and flirts with them, weighing up the odds a little longer. The Guardian thinks he will knuckle under and back Cameron, but then given this clamour, might he turn again? His sociopathic lack of principle and transparent self-interest seems not to damage him in their eyes. The Times leader was headed “Boris is Right”, for saying there is “much, much more” to be done, complaining that “very few senior ministers find the courage to follow their consciences and campaign to leave”. Their warning to Boris is that the winner of the Tory leadership race may not be “a supporter of Mr Tusk’s inadequate offer”. Will he or won’t he “find the courage”? No doubt consulting pollsters and his own stars, he may be led on by his Churchillian fantasies to take a lone stand against the German foe. This beckoning by the rightwing press must be sorely tempting. The Times this morning suggest their man Gove is in a similar dither, “torn between Cameron and Brexit”. Polls tell these weather-vane men that sticking to Cameron is probably safest but what if polls are fickle guides and fool’s gold? They favour the in side now, but the campaign has hardly buckled on its armour yet. This is just the opening salvo. |
| Not far under the surface, something else rumbles away. The press has never forgiven Cameron for the Leveson inquiry into the phone-hacking scandal, after Nick Davies’ Guardian expose. Leveson’s un-enacted press regulation hangs over their head: some further scandal could oblige it to be enforced. Murdoch’s humblest day didn’t last long, with Rebekah Brooks back in the saddle an James Murdoch back in charge of Sky and angling to take over the whole company. What better leverage or revenge does the press have than to humiliate Cameron over the EU referendum? A natural thuggish instinct urges these papers to prove their bully-power over governments. Tasting blood with that “It’s the Sun Wot Won It” boast over Kinnock’s 1992 defeat, sheer delight in brute power fires up Murdoch, Paul Dacre and their imitators. | Not far under the surface, something else rumbles away. The press has never forgiven Cameron for the Leveson inquiry into the phone-hacking scandal, after Nick Davies’ Guardian expose. Leveson’s un-enacted press regulation hangs over their head: some further scandal could oblige it to be enforced. Murdoch’s humblest day didn’t last long, with Rebekah Brooks back in the saddle an James Murdoch back in charge of Sky and angling to take over the whole company. What better leverage or revenge does the press have than to humiliate Cameron over the EU referendum? A natural thuggish instinct urges these papers to prove their bully-power over governments. Tasting blood with that “It’s the Sun Wot Won It” boast over Kinnock’s 1992 defeat, sheer delight in brute power fires up Murdoch, Paul Dacre and their imitators. |
| Of course politicians are intimidated: Blair and Brown kowtowed. This week a Press Gazette investigation lists an astounding roll-call of meetings and socialisings between Cameron and Osborne and media owners and editors, concluding these have “returned to pre-Leveson levels”. John Whittingdale, culture secretary, has already reassured the press he is “not persuaded” that Leveson regulation should be put into force. Will Murdoch finally get his hands on the rest of Sky? It’s not impossible that even after such vitriolic rejection of the EU deal, the Sun could somersault at its master’s bidding: it’s been done before to its perplexed readers. | Of course politicians are intimidated: Blair and Brown kowtowed. This week a Press Gazette investigation lists an astounding roll-call of meetings and socialisings between Cameron and Osborne and media owners and editors, concluding these have “returned to pre-Leveson levels”. John Whittingdale, culture secretary, has already reassured the press he is “not persuaded” that Leveson regulation should be put into force. Will Murdoch finally get his hands on the rest of Sky? It’s not impossible that even after such vitriolic rejection of the EU deal, the Sun could somersault at its master’s bidding: it’s been done before to its perplexed readers. |
| The nation’s fate may hang on these bullies’ whims, vanities and mercenary interests. Or else the rightwing press may be exposed as toothless paper tigers come referendum day, when voters try to think beyond these deafening blasts. This is a trial of strength. | The nation’s fate may hang on these bullies’ whims, vanities and mercenary interests. Or else the rightwing press may be exposed as toothless paper tigers come referendum day, when voters try to think beyond these deafening blasts. This is a trial of strength. |
| Every step of the way Cameron has mishandled this debate, lazily promising things he never bothered to find out if he could deliver; an opt-out from the charter of fundamental rights, an opt-out of social and employment laws, “full-on treaty change”, reforming the common agricultural policy and no more EU parliament meetings in both Strasbourg and Brussels. He may yet come up with a little more in the next fortnight, but nothing to match those reckless promises. | Every step of the way Cameron has mishandled this debate, lazily promising things he never bothered to find out if he could deliver; an opt-out from the charter of fundamental rights, an opt-out of social and employment laws, “full-on treaty change”, reforming the common agricultural policy and no more EU parliament meetings in both Strasbourg and Brussels. He may yet come up with a little more in the next fortnight, but nothing to match those reckless promises. |
| For Labour supporters appalled at the prospect of Brexit, it’s an odd sensation to be rooting for Cameron, but the frightening sight of the opening blast from the rightwing press ought to stir more life into Labour’s in campaign. Fear is the right campaign to run – on the economy, climate change, security and simple fear of launching alone into a perilous world. Defying the bully-power of our warped one-sided press barons is a battle worth winning too. | For Labour supporters appalled at the prospect of Brexit, it’s an odd sensation to be rooting for Cameron, but the frightening sight of the opening blast from the rightwing press ought to stir more life into Labour’s in campaign. Fear is the right campaign to run – on the economy, climate change, security and simple fear of launching alone into a perilous world. Defying the bully-power of our warped one-sided press barons is a battle worth winning too. |