Let me tell you something about me. I don't swear. It's not something I do. I'm not attracted by the concept, I've never felt the need to. So this is a first. I'm not proud of what I'm about to type, but The Sun's latest front page has pushed me over the edge.
What a bloody joke.
So, I may have created some melodrama worthy of a tacky tabloid there, but you get the point. Seriously. We're back to the bacon sandwich? It's one of their most pathetic front pages, and for them that really is saying something.
Let me make one thing clear. They don't give a damn about this country. They don't care one bit about the state of our economy, our NHS, 'hard working families' or anything that should be on the agenda during this election. You know what is important to them? Serving their lord and master who owns News International and doesn't even live in the UK.
The Sun - and several other newspapers, some using bigger words than others, but all screaming the same lies - is owned by Rupert Murdoch. Rupert Murdoch doesn't like Ed Miliband. Do you know why? Is it his political standing? Is it because he has genuine concerns about his plans for the economy? Because he really feels on a moral level that he couldn't rest easily with Labour running the country? Of course not. He's worried about his business.
Ed Miliband won't sit in his pocket like many before him have done. I don't know how many people remember the hacking scandal that reached a peak last year, but it basically proved something most people with half a brain cell had known for years - what a nasty, malicious, self serving piece of work News International really is. Incidences of hacking the phones of a murdered schoolgirl, paying the police for information and harassment amounting to pretty much stalking were just a few of the issues on the table. So of course, you'd expect that the upstanding leaders of this country would rush to condemn this, to call for something to be done. Nope. Do you know why? Because they didn't want to get on the wrong side of the scary man who can make people stop voting for them.
Thankfully someone did finally take a stand against him. Someone did brush aside concerns about an avalanche of nasty, untrue, scaremongering articles coming at them from all sides. Was is Mr Cameron, or maybe Mr Clegg? No? Oh yes, it was Mr Miliband. Ed Miliband continually refuses to sit in the pocket of Mr Murdoch, and that doesn't half piss him off. Oh, there's more. Mr Miliband has also hinted that too much of the press in this country is owned and influenced by too few people, and that there's a chance he might actually - shock horror - try and do something about it.
So there we have it. Greed and corruption. The man who has happily sat and watched his papers demonise people who have come to our country to work hard, to contribute to this society, have fought through blood, sweat and tears for that precious British passport, doesn't even want one. He's not even eligible to vote in this country, but he's trying his damn hardest to influence the outcome of our democracy to save the linings of his pockets, and it's disgusting.
On that note - I should also mention - The Evening Standard is owned by a man with nom-dom status in the UK. Their pro-tory stance suddenly elevated after Labour announced their nom-dom policy. I don't think I need to explain any more. (In fairness, the same person owns The Independent which is much more balanced, but isn't handed out for free in London tube stations - I wonder which one you'd choose to wield your influence?) Basically, the majority of our UK press sucks.
Back to The Sun - who have clearly run out of any legitimate forms of attack, because they've resorted to a year old photograph of Ed Miliband struggling with a bacon sandwich. It was a pathetic attack then, even more so now. Anyone could get caught looking vaguely unattractive whilst eating. It's not an attractive process. It says nothing about who he is and even less about his ability to run the country. In fact it says more about the bacon sandwich than it does Ed Miliband. To show just how stupid this thing really is, here are two facts about me.
- Fact one: One day I want to edit TV drama.
- Fact two: I don't look particularly attractive whilst eating spaghetti.
There is nothing - NOTHING on that page that stands as any sort of proof that Labour will be bad in government. Let me say it again. NOTHING. It's pathetic. It's personal. It's desperate, and it's terrible journalism.
The election is a big deal. Whoever gets into power will be in charge of our economic recovery, welfare, health service, immigration policy and so much more. It's important. On the day before polling day, one of our biggest newspapers have gone for a bacon sandwich with a scattering of SNP scaremongering (oh I should point out - The Scottish Sun are supporting a lady who English Sun calls 'The most dangerous woman in Britain'.) It's so typical of this pathetic newspaper - to take a really complicated issue, and blitz it with a simple lie. Preferably one that stirs up deeply held emotions and fears. We've had everything from unnecessary personal attacks, to shameless scaremongering.
I think Labour is genuinely what this country needs. Turning the country round so employees can't be exploited by employers, where young people have the chance to succeed in life, rather than be forced to work for huge companies for free, where at the very least attempts are made to deal with rocketing house and rental prices in London, where we have a fighting chance of living in a just society - but if anyone has thought through all these issues and more, and is still in two minds - then vote Labour just to stick one to our overly powerful, lying and manipulative press.
I think I should address one point- I am aware that many of the articles I've linked to along the way to back myself up have been from The Guardian and The Independent. I am aware that these are left leaning papers. I should say this though - both of these papers have a much better and far less dirty track record than the majority of our national newspapers, and both have - shock horror - been known to condemn left wing parties or praise right wing ones appropriately when they've felt these things have needed to be said. Their articles can generally be backed up and their sources transparent, as well as the journalists' and editors' ability to write and publish balanced, informed articles, aimed at finding the truth as opposed to twisting it to fit a certain narrative. Neither are perfect, but both are probably the closest to trustworthy you're going to get. They're left leaning because that's where their views happen to fall, rather than this ridiculous blind allegiance so much of our press tends to follow. If you want proof, just check out the front page of The Independent's sister paper - it's a bit of a contrast from what the right-wing press are offering:
Both papers pictured in this post cost 40p. I'd say the price we pay to have The Sun in Britain is much higher. I know which paper I'll be picking up tomorrow.
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