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The Sun has stung Brown…
Posted by Darrell Goodliffe
Tuesday, 10th November 2009
I disagree with many policies pursued by Gordon Brown but the conduct of The Sun over the last couple of days has shown that beyond doubt ‘lettergate’ is a sting. It will never be proved and always strenuously denied but witness the swing of opinion on Politics Home’s PH100 and a comment by one journalist;
“The broadcast of the phone conversation was wrong, it made the entire thing seem like a sting.”
Well, if it walks and quacks like a duck then it must be a duck. Further examination of the letter; faithfully reproduced in The Sun shows that some of the claims of the grieving mother could also be substantively false; for example, the claim that the name of Grenadier Guardsman Jamie was misspelt looks to be erroneous or at best uncharitable and lacking of understanding of Brown’s obviously poor handwriting. Also, the argument that;
“He said sorry I couldn’t read his handwriting and he was sorry I felt so strongly. He said sorry 16 times, but he never apologised once.”
strikes me as being fundamentally bizarre. It seemed to me that a confrontation was provoked and intended. How somebody that Sky News claims is totally non-political can be readily primed with arguments about equipment and so on and so forth also strikes me as less than convincing. Also, why record the phone call? Sadly, it suggests she did so with the express intent of passing it onto the media. Notice how the apology was accepted just as the media narrative turned against The Sun including it’s former political editor warning public opinion could turn against the paper. The final witness for the prosecution is the conduct of Fox News in America; another star of the Murdoch stable which habitually indulges itself in these kind of personal attacks on politicians which incite it’s ire.
While the mothers grief is understandable she has also allowed it to be politically exploited by the Murdoch press and at this point my sympathy for her loss stops. Indeed, in the phone call she showed no understanding or compassion for Brown; something that is kind-of ironic given the various insults she has hurled at Brown. The Sun meanwhile has shown once again it cheapens politics….and if this is the future that the Murdoch’s want us to sign-up for in the media market it is fair to say it is a grim one indeed.
