Wednesday 2 May 2012

Political reflections

I've been spending the last few weeks watching a series on England's BBC2 tv channel about the 1970's after which there has been a series called sounds of the 70's 2 of half hour programs looking at one type of 70's music.
In some respects the present time reminds me of the 70's as for one thing we seem to be stuck  in a stagflation (rising prices and diminished economic growth), we have  Queens Jubilee like we did back in '77 and government is making all manner of cuts (and then panicking when some unfortold event happens because of them).
The one thing I say was different though was the contempt people hold politicians and the political system in is at a record high something not helped by the intermeshing uncovered between the two main parties and News International the global media concern that owns a large chunk of the UK newspaper market and the popular pay tv service BskyB.
Effectively News International was allowed to get way with phone hacking and widescale breeches of UK law because the political parties owed so much to them they didn't wish to upset them.
Then there's Jeremy Hunt MP who thought it was perfectly in order while sitting in a quesi-legal way over allowing News International to buy a majority shareholding in BskyB to argue in News Internationals favour, receive lavish hospitality, give one sided advice to them.
That was never right as anyone who has had to carry such task knows and a clear breach of the Ministerial code he'd agreed to and yet the Prime Minister gets into a right hissy fit in parliament when the opposition make the point.
This Thursdays local elections may prove most interesting....

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