Nick Clegg's rise could lock Murdoch and the media elite out of UK politics

[Turborama]

At the Sun, we deliberately ignored the Lib Dems. The cosy pro-Cameron press may now be left floundering

David Yelland
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 18 April 2010 23.00 BST


I doubt if Rupert Murdoch watched the election debate last week. His focus is very firmly on the United States, especially his resurgent Wall Street Journal. But if he did, there would have been one man totally unknown to him. One man utterly beyond the tentacles of any of his family, his editors or his advisers. That man is Nick Clegg.

Make no mistake, if the Liberal Democrats actually won the election – or held the balance of power – it would be the first time in decades that Murdoch was locked out of British politics. In so many ways, a vote for the Lib Dems is a vote against Murdoch and the media elite.

I can say this with some authority because in my five years editing the Sun I did not once meet a Lib Dem leader, even though I met Tony Blair, William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith on countless occasions. (Full disclosure: I have since met Nick Clegg.)

I remember in my first year asking if we staffed the Liberal Democrat conference. I was interested because as a student I'd been a founder member of the SDP. I was told we did not. We did not send a single reporter for fear of encouraging them.

Full article (well worth a read if you hate Murdoch and want to hear how he's really shot himself in the foot this time): http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/18/clegg-media-elite-murdoch-lib-dem

This article on their manifesto is an interesting read for any fellow progressive greens: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/14/general-election-2010-liberaldemocrats">Environment is part of the fabric of the Liberal Democrats' election manifesto

[ellenfl]

1. kick to read later. eom

[zbdent]

2. Murdoch doesn't need to have his people do any reporting.

Fox has the license to just make shi* up and call it "news" ... the courts gave Faux that "right".

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[ihavenobias]

4. Interesting, thanks for posting. n/t

[tomm2thumbs]

5. it does sound like some eyes are opening, and fairly quickly

that debate, for all of its 'x factor' graphics did do a lot to showcase the differences in political tones - and the repeating back and forth antics (the only good word for it) between the two main parties. Sounds familiar.