You are spot on, as usual. I love your descriptions of the dim witted Reform members. The thing that scares me about them is the disproportionate amount of airtime and media coverage they get. Always shoving their angry clueless faces at us.
The public desperately needs a media service that serves the public. But we are about as far away from that as it’s possible to get. We have The Guardian only for proper mainstream journalism. Byline News/Times/TV for good journalism is every field but it reaches so few. Then we have the scant few independents like you with your blogs. But up against those good things we have a loud and crowded media owned by billionaires with massive Conservative/Financial agendas. And they grab all the attention. I don’t know how we get past that.
As for the BBC. How the mighty have fallen. Standards are on the floor and coverage is endlessly biased. A couple of days ago I caught a bit of a BBC report about the huge armament warehouses drone attack and fires in Russia. The pretty but dim news reader couldn’t pronounce any of the Russian towns or area names. She either butchered them slowly or mumbled so I couldn’t hear. And then she said something about the armaments depot. And pronounced it with the silent “t” in full voice. It was cringing. I have no idea what she said about Ukraine after that. I could only hear “depoT” ringing in my ears. I king since stopped getting news from the BBC. If I do catch it I check it with other sources if it interests me.
But the cancellation of the Winter Fuel Allowance has played right into Reform’s hands! The number of older folk who are now changing their vote to Reform is total! I hope and pray that the October Budget puts everything back into perspective or else for Labour!!
It seems such an odd thing for them to have done right at the start and with nothing else following on. I support what they are doing. No way did everyone need that money. I think the way of testing for it is too blunt. But it played right into the hands of the opposition and it didn’t have to do that. It should have been announced in the budget with loads of other changes.
I don’t support what they’re doing, this is not a policy that would have been made by a “real” Labour government. I’ve voted Labour for over forty years and had a dilemma voting for them at the last election. I shall never vote for them again, even though it may well let another right wing party in. Labour are not an alternative any more, they’re just a same old continuation of the previous government. There needs to be a much touted shake up in politics, funny thing is the they um and ah, but nothing changes, I wonder why.
I don’t think the policy change is unfair, it has however been a dire failure in public comms.
As much as he is problematic, I’m certain Alastair Campbell would’ve made sure the media wasn’t able to run amok with emotionally manipulative scaremongering in the way it has.
Also - a shite Labour government is still better than an actual right wing government, especially as the R veers ever more towards outright fanaticism, deregulation etc.
Definitely agree that we need to start having honest and nuanced debates and not just about immigration. Culture Wars just entrench people on both sides and just encourage black and white thinking with no compromise. Farage may pretend he has his finger on the pulse but those riots? If anything the public came out in larger numbers to condemn them. I’ve spoken to people around me and many of them switch off the news because it depresses them. We need this toxic media feeding frenzy to stop, we need change and that indeed requires bravery and communication. What troubles me a little is that communication is not Keir Starmers strong point.
Imagine rephrasing the question to the public as ‘what percentage of total immigration is NOT made up of asylum seekers?’ and hearing the answer ‘93%’.
Agree with all of this. With so many still relying on the BBC as their main source of news, the BBC must take a share of the blame for the widespread misconceptions on this topic. They faithfully and regularly report the numbers of small boats arriving, giving it disproportionate prominence and of course the amount of airtime given to Farage is inexcusable. If the media can start to use the correct figures as pushback every time the false narrative is put forward, this would be a welcome start.
Excellent article. Journalism fails to lead an honest, fact-based discussion on this issue. Because of this failure, many are misinformed, which leads to hysterical populist outpourings. We deserve much better from mainstream journalism.
"Anything constructive will be branded surrender" well said and for me anything less than constructive can get in the bin. Ferage is a parasite feeding on the blood of idiots the best way of removing or disposing of parasites is (sorry if anyone I'd having breakfast reading this) is to flush it out and the best way to flush Ferage out is to starve him of coverage, of headlines and until the media in this country does this the parasite will keep feeding, he might feed in a different suit with a different badge on but he will keep feeding. That film sounds very me haha I'll give that a go!
I've listened critically how the term migrant (usually when referring to small boat crossings) supplanted any reference to refugee or asylum seeker in the media, even the more liberal side of it. This was propaganda by the last government that was swallowed hook line and sinker by the media, and I have noticed how the term asylum seeker has started to be used again since July. That reform are twats, is a given 😁
<John Peel voice on> 'Mortifying dimwit entourage'.....another two from them after the news
You are spot on, as usual. I love your descriptions of the dim witted Reform members. The thing that scares me about them is the disproportionate amount of airtime and media coverage they get. Always shoving their angry clueless faces at us.
The public desperately needs a media service that serves the public. But we are about as far away from that as it’s possible to get. We have The Guardian only for proper mainstream journalism. Byline News/Times/TV for good journalism is every field but it reaches so few. Then we have the scant few independents like you with your blogs. But up against those good things we have a loud and crowded media owned by billionaires with massive Conservative/Financial agendas. And they grab all the attention. I don’t know how we get past that.
As for the BBC. How the mighty have fallen. Standards are on the floor and coverage is endlessly biased. A couple of days ago I caught a bit of a BBC report about the huge armament warehouses drone attack and fires in Russia. The pretty but dim news reader couldn’t pronounce any of the Russian towns or area names. She either butchered them slowly or mumbled so I couldn’t hear. And then she said something about the armaments depot. And pronounced it with the silent “t” in full voice. It was cringing. I have no idea what she said about Ukraine after that. I could only hear “depoT” ringing in my ears. I king since stopped getting news from the BBC. If I do catch it I check it with other sources if it interests me.
But the cancellation of the Winter Fuel Allowance has played right into Reform’s hands! The number of older folk who are now changing their vote to Reform is total! I hope and pray that the October Budget puts everything back into perspective or else for Labour!!
It seems such an odd thing for them to have done right at the start and with nothing else following on. I support what they are doing. No way did everyone need that money. I think the way of testing for it is too blunt. But it played right into the hands of the opposition and it didn’t have to do that. It should have been announced in the budget with loads of other changes.
I don’t support what they’re doing, this is not a policy that would have been made by a “real” Labour government. I’ve voted Labour for over forty years and had a dilemma voting for them at the last election. I shall never vote for them again, even though it may well let another right wing party in. Labour are not an alternative any more, they’re just a same old continuation of the previous government. There needs to be a much touted shake up in politics, funny thing is the they um and ah, but nothing changes, I wonder why.
The state pension still rises thanks to the Triple Lock, though.
https://www.hl.co.uk/news/state-pension-set-for-triple-lock-boost-how-much-can-you-get
I don’t think the policy change is unfair, it has however been a dire failure in public comms.
As much as he is problematic, I’m certain Alastair Campbell would’ve made sure the media wasn’t able to run amok with emotionally manipulative scaremongering in the way it has.
Also - a shite Labour government is still better than an actual right wing government, especially as the R veers ever more towards outright fanaticism, deregulation etc.
If these pensioners think that Reform is the answer, I fear they are likely to be disappointed.
Definitely agree that we need to start having honest and nuanced debates and not just about immigration. Culture Wars just entrench people on both sides and just encourage black and white thinking with no compromise. Farage may pretend he has his finger on the pulse but those riots? If anything the public came out in larger numbers to condemn them. I’ve spoken to people around me and many of them switch off the news because it depresses them. We need this toxic media feeding frenzy to stop, we need change and that indeed requires bravery and communication. What troubles me a little is that communication is not Keir Starmers strong point.
Imagine rephrasing the question to the public as ‘what percentage of total immigration is NOT made up of asylum seekers?’ and hearing the answer ‘93%’.
God I love your brain nuggets, Dunt.
*immediately notes down all those stats to shut people up with*
Agree with all of this. With so many still relying on the BBC as their main source of news, the BBC must take a share of the blame for the widespread misconceptions on this topic. They faithfully and regularly report the numbers of small boats arriving, giving it disproportionate prominence and of course the amount of airtime given to Farage is inexcusable. If the media can start to use the correct figures as pushback every time the false narrative is put forward, this would be a welcome start.
Excellent piece, thanks again Ian.
Excellent article. Journalism fails to lead an honest, fact-based discussion on this issue. Because of this failure, many are misinformed, which leads to hysterical populist outpourings. We deserve much better from mainstream journalism.
"Anything constructive will be branded surrender" well said and for me anything less than constructive can get in the bin. Ferage is a parasite feeding on the blood of idiots the best way of removing or disposing of parasites is (sorry if anyone I'd having breakfast reading this) is to flush it out and the best way to flush Ferage out is to starve him of coverage, of headlines and until the media in this country does this the parasite will keep feeding, he might feed in a different suit with a different badge on but he will keep feeding. That film sounds very me haha I'll give that a go!
> twat outliers
Love it. That's exactly what they are.
I've listened critically how the term migrant (usually when referring to small boat crossings) supplanted any reference to refugee or asylum seeker in the media, even the more liberal side of it. This was propaganda by the last government that was swallowed hook line and sinker by the media, and I have noticed how the term asylum seeker has started to be used again since July. That reform are twats, is a given 😁
What do you think a Farage is doing with his announcement that he’s handing back his shares?