Labour used to be good at news management

Links to what the papers are writing about the local elections and reshuffle can be found on ConservativeHome's frontpage.

Comments

[Ted]

Presumably Butcher Blair's demand for Prescott's last sacrifice is that he becomes the focus of the press regarding re-shuffle so that the importantance of both the changes and Labours disastrous election are lost by the hounds baying for Prescott to lose the trappings of power. Not a nice man Mr Blair.

Nice quote this morning from Labour MP - "not competent enough for a department but still competent to be Deputy Prime Minister"

[Henry Whitmarsh]

Why in the hell is cocktail still DPM? Why the hell is this national joke/disgrace still being paid a massive salary out of the public purse whilst also living at the tax payers expense and keeping the other perks of office? Even if people expected Prezza to be sacked, whilst not themselves being particularly bothered by his antics, they still expected him to be dispatched to the back benches in short order. Now, people are angry about that whereas before they were mostly indifferent or amused. Well done Mr Blair.

[kingbongo]

I can't remember a single reshuffle where Blair has cocked up the whole thing.

When Keith Vaz was in the government the Telegraph used to include the fact in just about every leader "Keith Vaz (who is still a member of the government)". It was a great way of reminding people that despite the rhetoric the incompetent wastoids were still in post and drawing a huge salary. Hopefully they'll reinstate this for Prescott. He realy must have some dirt on Blair, it's the only explanation for this particular shafting of the taxpayer.

[William]

This proves to me that it never was Labour managing the news media. The narrative of the media come from someone else, who chose the time of Blair's annointment, and his continued electoral success and is now choosing the time of his departure.

Likewise the media chose the departure of IDS and the selection of Cameron.

The question is 'who controls the media - if it isn't the Labour Party?'

And why whoever it is is choosing now as the moment to get rid of him?

As to who it is, I won't say who I think is behind all the political manipulation, as I don't have enough evidence, but I will say that I believe I know - from what makes sense to me.

Why is it happening now? I don't think there is much difference in the circumstances now compared to those at the General Election. Internet polls put Labour on a par with the LD's, but I believe that postal vote fraud was used to cover up and allow Labour to win one more time. Only now is the true situation of Labour's support level being allowed out into the open.

The strategy of fixing the election worked. But it has had an unforeseen consequence as far as the manipulators are concerned - that is the surge in support for the BNP amongst previously Labour supporters. At the GE most sat at home. But seeing Labour being reelected has been enough to turn them to anger and to activate them. The messages from the BNP are becoming the voice of old Labour.

Cameron's strategy of attempting to form a coalition with the Lib Dems (is it really his or was it given to him by others?) is built around an assumption that we will never win a clear majority at Westminster again.

This also assumes that there is a bedrock of support for Labour which will not be breachable.

But these assumptions are already looking out of date.

First Labour are down from 35+% to 25%. Their collapse could continue down to 15%.

Second the BNP are now showing about 2.5 times more suport than the polls were admitting to pre-the council elections. In two years they have grown by 2.5/3 times. This growth will surely continue to maybe place them in the 20+%'s by election day.

The European elections in 2009 will be the moment when they can either show that they have become a major party or not. The chances of it happening are getting higher.

If Cameron carries on with his current strategy of leaving his right flank exposed and being Tory-lite, the danger will now be that Conservatives will see an opportunity to get what they are looking for from the BNP and a chunk of support will migrate.

In those circumstances the BNP could become the largest party in Britain. Conservative support could go through a collapse similar to the one seen in Labour. In which case a full merger with the Lib Dems would be necessary to form an opposition to the BNP, not a coalition.

If Cameron were to become a Conservative Party proper with eurosceptic policies etc, then the flight to the BNP would be less likely to occur, and he would have some chance of outflanking them. As things stand, we are 100% vulnerable.

The news managers whoever they may be, are used to being in control. It will be interesting seeing them squirming around trying to cope with the new circumstances in British politics. Their first gambit is clearly to ditch Blair and play Gordon Brown, hoping the stem the collapse of Labour into the BNP. Interesting times.

[Annabel Herriott]

William, are we talking Martians or Murdoch here????

[Ted]

Lizards?

[kingbongo]

Editor, I think William needs help and I'm not sure venting conspiracy theories on CH is the sort of help he needs. CH is a serious site for proper debating of conservative opinion and, sorry William, but this sort of stuff is just silly.

I, of course, am part of the cabal that fix the media policy and decide which party should win elections. We are meeting in a top secret location (a Little Chef on the A419) to decide the seat allocations at the next Euro elections next Wednesday at 3pm, all welcome but don't tell anyone else.

[William]

Money?

[Chris]

So lets get this right... the BNP are to become a haven for Old Labour socialists and for the more definite right wing Conservatives? You know what, with a combination like that, where all of the policies take the worst aspects from both spectrums you ed with a little something like... New Labour.

[William]

If you trust everything you hear in the media, then I'm sorry but I don't. In addition it appears quite clear that the media moves as one to manipulate political outcomes.

If you don't accept this hypothesis, then of course an explantion seems superfluous, but many share my view that the media is feeding you a narrative which does not match up with real events.

[Annabel Herriott]

Certainly, every Tory Conference I have ever attended has been a totally different event to the one that appeared in the media. It only remains, William, to identify the culprits?? BBC? Murdoch? you fill in the rest, its your interesting, and quite plausible theory. I have plants to plant now, before it hopefully rains.

[William]

And i'm playin tennis (before it hopefully doesn't!). I think there's enough here for today, don't you. Just look at all those headlines about Blair, and imagine it's all just coincidence. Then think again - if they can turn on Blair as easily as they turn on Conservatives, who is behind it? Sorry if I ruffled a few feathers.

[Edward]

Erm...broadly impartial journalists who are trained to take a non-partisan approach to it all?

[greg]

Shock horror! The media like "narratives". Shock horror! They often come to a consensus on what the narrative is.

[Wat Tyler]

Ed- a great graphic of front pages. I'm going to print it for my bog.

What an absolute shambles- lucky they're not running the country.

[Henry Whitmarsh]

Don't worry, it's saturday, nobody reads the papers on a saturday. It's funny. Clarke tried to bury bad news last friday, a week later and its him who is getting buried. Those who live by the news cycle must die by the news cycle.

I love the way the media have been hoodwinked into writing the musical chairs story when in the final analysis nothing has changed.

[Yet Another Anon]

Actually New Labour are crap at news management, the whole point about news management is that people shouldn't realise that it is going on, instead of which ever since 1994 talk has been about spin not about the things that Labour is trying to spin.

[Patsy Sergeant]

'Wlliam' doesn't make any comment in his thesis as to why the BNP have managed to gain so many seats, he does mention the word 'migrate', but only in the context of support. I would have thought that the probable reason for the increase in BNP seats, would be of some importance to an eminence gris. This government can't or won't control unlimited immigration (some journalists maintain that they actually want it!. Anyway who knows), therefore to carry on the argument, the stresses on society are only going to get worse. There is a limit to how much free hospital treatment an be dished out to the WORLD, and we have just about reached it already! Keeping to the thread, the indigineous population will continue to feel more and more threatened by incomers AND slightly old incomers from different nationalities will also feel threatened by others. Who will benefit?? That doesn't require much imagination to work out. Eventually the different groups will be at each others throats (when rats become too numerous apparently they attack each other!). Surely that would not suit an 'eminence gris'?

Of course there is another cynically amusing scenario - eventually most of the original indiginous and older established people will Emigrate to other countries to live, and little England will be left full of incomers at each others throats fighting for individual supremacy. Well no doubt Quentin Tarantino could make a moneyspinner out of that scenario!

[Chris]

"Of course there is another cynically amusing scenario - eventually most of the original indiginous and older established people will Emigrate to other countries to live, and little England will be left full of incomers at each others throats fighting for individual supremacy. Well no doubt Quentin Tarantino could make a moneyspinner out of that scenario!"

I'd say this would be a highly likely scenario if Labour were to win a fourth term. I know the only reason my parents remain here is for my younger siblings as they are still at school. I also know that various friends and myself are considering emigrating as soon as possible after university, we're willing to stay here for a good education (Which will cost me an absolute fortune when I start next year) but I'm not intending to "go down with the ship".

[christina speight]

You don't have to look for conspiracies to explain the press unanimity on big issues. The "Lobby" hangs around for ages waiting for crumbs from the spinners table and - believe it or not - they TALK! They come to a consensus and it hasn't been diffucult to come to a consensus this week!!.

[malcolm]

Henry I used work in the newspaper business and can tell you that the Daily Telegraph,Daily Mail and FT sell far more copies on a Saturday than any other day of the week.
William, your theories remind of the ramblings of RUK ,Henry Curteis etc.You're not him posting under another name are you?

[Patsy Sergeant]

here is something that is loosely relevant to this thread. Going through my Saturday Telegraph rather late I have just come across an amusing poem by Pam Ayres (a poet who is not normally a favorite choice of mine, but this time I like it!). The poem is entitled ....'I am ready Mr. Prescott' by Pam Ayres, and it is worth a read and a chuckle!!!

[William]

Report from BNP west midlands 6th may extract...

Back inside the count at Dudley, it looks as if the Labour Party has mobilised its vote as indicated by the usual over-representation in the dreaded “postal vote” trays.