Hello, good afternoon and welcome to Zelo Street where we’re
about to kick off a topical series of blogposts showcasing the desperation of
those in and around the Fourth Estate at the prospect of genuinely independent
press regulation. Such levels of desperation, in fact, that it crosses the line
into forthright dishonesty. So without further ado, let’s greet the first
contestant to play Spot The Whopper!
Yes Tony, he's one of yours
And what is your name, good sir? Tim Stanley, I’m sorry, Doctor Tim Stanley, I see, and
you’re from the bear pit that is Telegraph
blogs. Now, take your time Doctor, and give us your best shot in this
opening round of Spot The Whopper!
What’s that? “The Daily/Sunday Telegraph ...
probably the best newspaper in the world”. Yes, that’s a magnificent
whopper to start with! But let’s stick to press regulation.
“The Left is ... likely
to use the [Ralph Miliband] story
this week to push hard for statutory control of the press [so that] Parliament had the power to muzzle
journalists”. Yes, that’s a seriously good double-sized whopper Doctor, the
cross-party Royal Charter does not mean statutory control, and would prevent
political interference of any kind with the press.
“The Guardian ...
forgot that a year ago they branded David Cameron’s Dad as a tax dodger”.
Yes, that’s a whopper, because Cameron senior did nothing illegal and they didn’t
say he did, but I can’t give you that, because it’s already been pitched by
Grant “Spiv” Shapps, although I can give you credit for re-using a
whopper from a particularly dishonest politician. Even for the Tory Party, folks!
“This week, the Privy
Council meets to consider the future of press regulation and the Hacked Off crowd will be pushing hard for
Parliamentary control”. Yes, that’s a brilliantly dishonest statement: Hacked
Off won’t be doing anything of the sort.
But I can’t give you maximum points because you forgot to blame Hugh Grant or
Steve Coogan, and didn’t even have a snark at Evan Harris.
“The newspaper
industry has already put forward proposals for self-regulation that amount to
the toughest in the Western world”. Oh my goodness, stop for a moment
Doctor, the mirth level is just too much. Are you sure Tony Gallagher hasn’t
got his hand up your jacksy? But yes, that’s a straight whopper: the industry
proposals are just a Mark 2 PCC, right down to editorial and political
interference.
“They [the Left] want to end press freedom as we know it and
impose a new politically correct order upon our public sphere”. Yes,
another superb whopper, because the cross-party Royal Charter guarantees press
freedom, but then, perhaps you meant “freedom
to get away with bad behaviour and sod the little people who got trampled on”.
Either way, you’ve set the whopper bar seriously high.
That’s all for this opening Spot The Whopper, folks. But
we could be back soon.
1 comment:
Stanley is becoming a second rate Ferguson, another historian carefree with the facts in order to become a paid ideologue of the right.
I used to buy History Today but he's in it too frequently along with some apologist for Enoch "in no way a grubby little opportunist who played the race card for votes" Powell. The mag is even touting the opinions of Simon Heffer on history – as if that is actually going to convince anyone to buy it.
I console myself with the knowledge if liars, stupid hacks and loud mouthed idiots are the best the right can do, then they are doomed.
Still Stanley and co ruined what used to be a decent read now and again.
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