Sun’s Tory ‘conversion’ may yet hurt Murdoch empire
When the Sun switched its support from Labour to the Tories in September, many in the Labour movement shrugged: few thought the Sun was Labour anyway.
Then last month, the Sun took the gloves off and decided to make things personal by exploiting a handwritten letter from Gordon Brown to the mother of dead soldier. To the tabloid’s surprise, the public reaction was mixed at best. In fact, recent opinion polls have seen the Tories’ lead narrow. We probably shouldn’t pay too much attention that, but there’s no evidence the Sun has helped Cameron at all.
As pundits gently back peddle from forecasts of a certain Conservative victory — apparently a hung parliament is now a good bet — the Sun’s tactics are in increasing danger of back firing on the Murdoch empire.
There is much talk of a contract between the Sun and David Cameron’s Conservatives, that includes a reduced role for the regulator Ofcom that would release broadcasters from rules on impartiality. Such a contract may not exist in a formal sense, but it seems unlikely that the Sun’s support has been given without a nod and a wink towards the favours Murdoch expects in return.
Yet while the Tories now owe the Sun and will kowtow to Murdoch, Labour no longer worries about the tabloid’s wrath; it’s coming anyway and is not as effective as feared.
And as the Sun makes its attacks personal, so tackling the Murdoch Empire rises up the agenda, with Peter Mandelson happy to be seen declaring war. Controversial tax avoidance schemes as well as Sky’s near monopoly of pay-per-view television are likely to face increased scrutiny.
Comments (No comments)
There are no comments on this post so far.
Post a comment