Mr. Dominic Cummings

[Hillman avenger]

The great majority of the British press was pro-Brexit. Rather than "listen" to the people, they told them what to think.

What they do now is to ask the questions we would want to ask. If that makes politicians uncomfortable, tough.

That's part of democracy.

[Royal24s]

It's been interesting to watch the government shut down press scrutiny. Johnson refuses to do one to one interviews unless it is with Phil and Holly. This has now spread to government ministers who now boycott any media outlet that gives them a rough ride. They've stopped any follow-up questions during the daily briefing. A few months ago why tried to split the Parliaemtry lobby group into two groups - ones the government liked, ones they did; kudos for the lobby for telling the to get fucked. They then reduced the number of briefings.

Until the press start behaving reasonably and doing the job they are paid to do, I don't blame the Government telling them to fuck off. And it's got nothing to do with being given a rough ride, when you enter politics it's what you should expect, but there is a difference between being given a rough ride and being confronted with a load of divas, trying to make a name for themselves, and putting their own political allegiances on display. As for the Downing street daily briefings, they are turning that in to a farce as well, so they can fuck off from that too.

I posted the above before I saw this, but it's interesting that we said more or less the same thing in different ways.
Normal people have seen through this press hubris and bias, and no one expects politicians to subject themselves to partisan interrogations by dishonest people conducting a secret political campaign rather than reporting accurately.

[Royal24s]

There IS a way for the government to stop getting negative media coverage.

That is for it to behave in a competent, professional way. To treat people like adults. To remove unelected people in such a dominant position ( and no, you may not have liked Alistair Campbell, but there is no comparison). To have ministers will ability who can say what they think rather than regurgitate badly-scripted nonsense.

Revolutionary, I know.

Why is there no comparison ?

Because Campbell was a spin-doctor. He may have had views on stuff and expressed them, but he did not sit at the centre of policy-making like Cummings does and he couldn't hire and fire ministers and civil servants.

Didn't have anything to do with fabricating dodgy dossiers or covering up the suspicious death of Dr Kelly or anything then ?

[Royal24s]

The great majority of the British press was pro-Brexit. Rather than "listen" to the people, they told them what to think.

What they do now is to ask the questions we would want to ask. If that makes politicians uncomfortable, tough.

That's part of democracy.

No rational person could perceive the British press as generally pro Brexit before the event.

Yeah , probably they're asking the questions YOU want to ask, but you're extremely committed to a form of minority loony left politics which the public has long since rejected.

They're supposed to be fair ,if not impartial .

[lambrini]

[Vespa]

It's been interesting to watch the government shut down press scrutiny. Johnson refuses to do one to one interviews unless it is with Phil and Holly. This has now spread to government ministers who now boycott any media outlet that gives them a rough ride. They've stopped any follow-up questions during the daily briefing. A few months ago why tried to split the Parliaemtry lobby group into two groups - ones the government liked, ones they did; kudos for the lobby for telling the to get fucked. They then reduced the number of briefings.

Until the press start behaving reasonably and doing the job they are paid to do, I don't blame the Government telling them to fuck off. And it's got nothing to do with being given a rough ride, when you enter politics it's what you should expect, but there is a difference between being given a rough ride and being confronted with a load of divas, trying to make a name for themselves, and putting their own political allegiances on display. As for the Downing street daily briefings, they are turning that in to a farce as well, so they can fuck off from that too.

I don't deny some press just play the gotcha game, which is tedious. But, the government are hiding from the press. Andrew Neil is a good example. He;'s chairman of the Spectator, the most Tory of Tory publications owned by the Barclays brothers, the most Tory of Tories. Neil is fair, balanced and fact-based. Johnson avoided him solely because it was a hard ride. His ministers do the same. His press officers now refer an awkward question to the departments of which the Home Office just ignore them.

A government that hides from the press, hides from the electorate.

[Vespa]

I follow him on youtube when I'm allowed out I'd love to catch him live.

[Hillman avenger]

The great majority of the British press was pro-Brexit. Rather than "listen" to the people, they told them what to think.

What they do now is to ask the questions we would want to ask. If that makes politicians uncomfortable, tough.

That's part of democracy.

No rational person could perceive the British press as generally pro Brexit before the event.

Yeah , probably they're asking the questions YOU want to ask, but you're extremely committed to a form of minority loony left politics which the public has long since rejected.

They're supposed to be fair ,if not impartial .

Even by your standards that is absurd.
Mail, Sun, Express, Telegraph, which is over 80% of the printed press readership, joyously reprinted the £350m shite and all the rest of it.

Me "extremely committed to a form of minority loony left politics" is yet another absurdity, which is also irrelevant to the Brexit decision. What you ARE doing though, is displaying in full technicolour, the extent of your bigotry, paranoia and condescension.

[Vespa]

The great majority of the British press was pro-Brexit. Rather than "listen" to the people, they told them what to think.

What they do now is to ask the questions we would want to ask. If that makes politicians uncomfortable, tough.

That's part of democracy.

No rational person could perceive the British press as generally pro Brexit before the event.

Yeah , probably they're asking the questions YOU want to ask, but you're extremely committed to a form of minority loony left politics which the public has long since rejected.

They're supposed to be fair ,if not impartial .

Even by your standards that is absurd.
Mail, Sun, Express, Telegraph, which is over 80% of the printed press readership, joyously reprinted the £350m shite and all the rest of it.

Me "extremely committed to a form of minority loony left politics" is yet another absurdity, which is also irrelevant to the Brexit decision. What you ARE doing though, is displaying in full technicolour, the extent of your bigotry, paranoia and condescension.

The pro-EU press I can think of were the Mirror and Guardian. I'm wondering who talks about Brexit anymore, it's fallen off the public reader and floats around with the World of political nerds. The UK government doesn't want to talk about Breixt, at all.

Obviously the overwhelming right-wing press in the UK kept very clam and quiet about Brexit.

[Zambo]

Cummings not mentioned once on the BBC One o'clock. I think they are saving their energy for when the kids go back to school and one of them gets a cough.

[Vespa]

Cummings not mentioned once on the BBC One o'clock. I think they are saving their energy for when the kids go back to school and one of them gets a cough.

Government admitted today the R isn't below 1, makes you wonder why they are ending the lockdown now.

[Eaststand]

It's been interesting to watch the government shut down press scrutiny. Johnson refuses to do one to one interviews unless it is with Phil and Holly. This has now spread to government ministers who now boycott any media outlet that gives them a rough ride. They've stopped any follow-up questions during the daily briefing. A few months ago why tried to split the Parliaemtry lobby group into two groups - ones the government liked, ones they did; kudos for the lobby for telling the to get fucked. They then reduced the number of briefings.

Until the press start behaving reasonably and doing the job they are paid to do, I don't blame the Government telling them to fuck off. And it's got nothing to do with being given a rough ride, when you enter politics it's what you should expect, but there is a difference between being given a rough ride and being confronted with a load of divas, trying to make a name for themselves, and putting their own political allegiances on display. As for the Downing street daily briefings, they are turning that in to a farce as well, so they can fuck off from that too.

I don't deny some press just play the gotcha game, which is tedious. But, the government are hiding from the press. Andrew Neil is a good example. He;'s chairman of the Spectator, the most Tory of Tory publications owned by the Barclays brothers, the most Tory of Tories. Neil is fair, balanced and fact-based. Johnson avoided him solely because it was a hard ride. His ministers do the same. His press officers now refer an awkward question to the departments of which the Home Office just ignore them.

A government that hides from the press, hides from the electorate.

No, to be honest, the press have become so removed from journalism, it is harmful to the public and the governement for the government to speak them now.

The could say "we're giving you all a car" and the press would turn it into "government wages war on the environment"

EVERYTHING is turned into a negative with them. Whats the point in engaging.

[Hillman avenger]

"What's the point in engaging"

God help us. We are wandering towards fascism here and the demonisation of the press is a big step towards it.

We have an unelected person in effect running the government, directing the Prime Minister and keeping senior ministers in fear of his ability to stop their careers. Surrounding them with his own men so he will know if they drift off line. Cutting off external connection to discourage the public from having any benchmark to judge what they are getting. Driving out dissenters in his own party. Generating badly thought-out policies one after another. Prematurely signalling future policy changes so that people treat them as effective now.

And we shouldn't be able to challenge any of that?

[Vespa]

Martin Lewis, well-known badgering lefty.

[lambrini]

fascism

How are we are "wandering towards fascism"? Weird flex.
I think society is becoming Orwellian.