The Guardian's Wiki-spin
Daniel Korski 4:23pm
In today's Wikileaks revelations, it is Mervyn King's turn to be pushed through the
mill. Did he act politically when pushing for a deficit reduction plan? Was he critical of David Cameron and George Osborne or just pointing out the obvious: that the Tory leaders had not held
power before and - shock horror - were keen to get elected?
The Guardian's reading of the cables suggests that the government's Batman and Robin (to keep with US diplomatic style) were unprepared for the task ahead. But re-read the key passages and it is clear that Cameron and Osborne were no different from any other opposition leaders - reliant on a small staff, and unprepared for the special pleading they would face as they entered government and tried to cut the deficit. A US cable about Tony Blair in 1996 would no doubt have said the same.
The choice of quotes from the cables and the spin put on them by The Guardian is also interesting. In the dead-wood edition of the paper, Extract 249236 is given an anti-Tory headline. "[Mervyn] King's fears over leadership's 'lack of depth'".
But an equally truthful reading about the Bank Governor's views could have been: "Gordon Brown on sidelines of international debate". The cable reports Mervyn King saying that the UK has "been on the sidelines in the debate over Greece" exactly when the then Labour leader claimed he was at the centre of international policy-making and his backers contrasted his "save the world" role with the Tories' lack of international experience.
The cable itself begins with the Bank of England chief saying that "reining in the UK's debt will be the greatest challenge facing the party that wins" the election. Given that the Tories were the only party intent on immediate and serious deficit-reduction, a headline could have been: "King vindicated Cameron's deficit strategy." But it is not.
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Verity
December 1st, 2010 4:54pm Report this commentDaniel Korski - This is all trivial rubbish. Who cares? Go away.
Badger
December 1st, 2010 5:05pm Report this commentSurely that's what you'd expect from the Guardian, it is a left-leaning paper after all.
Equally, it is not surprising that there's an article pointing out this "bias" on the Coffee House blog. But that similar examples of bias against Labour (or in favour of the Conservatives) in right-leaning media are allowed to pass withuout comment.
The interpretation of facts usually reflects a media outlet's political leaning. The problems only start when the facts are wrong or presented in a way which is misleading.
Bloody Bill Brock
December 1st, 2010 5:31pm Report this commentWell its typical of the bloody Guardian isn't it.
Dimoto
December 1st, 2010 5:53pm Report this commentThe Guardian's silence on the wikileaks material on Blair, Brown and Mandelson, is truly deafening.
One would have thought that the enterprising "gents" of the British press could have made an alliance with some continental newspaper to dig the dirt, since the Guardian is so obviously censoring the material.
Where's Murdoch when you need him ?
Holly ......
December 1st, 2010 5:57pm Report this commentSpin???
From the guardian???
You don't say.
GeoffH
December 1st, 2010 6:04pm Report this commentThe Guardian's belief that its Wikileaks stuff is the killer answer to everything it despises is truly the epitome of self-delusion.
It thinks its releasing dynamite but it barely rates the description, damp squib.
It's rather sad and pathetic that a once great newspaper has been reduced to this.
Senor Frizby
December 1st, 2010 6:14pm Report this commentThe Guardian doesn't care one bit.. There latest headline: "Mervyn King should quit over 'political bias'," is yet another desperate attempt for non-story traction!
Nick
December 1st, 2010 6:17pm Report this commentThe Guardian has very good economic coverage but its opinions are firmly in the more government spending is always good camp.
The recent good economic news and even better forecasts are causing them all sorts of angst. This isn't what they forecast would happen. Today's good manufacturing numbers were relegated to the back pages when they usually appear on the front of their website.
I think their personal animosity to George Osborne has clouded their judgement.
TrevorsDen
December 1st, 2010 6:17pm Report this commentI do not think we can expect any more balance on this from the Guardian than we got from the Telegraph over expenses.
Likewise outlets like the BBC/SKY and other newspapers just run with the headline as its easy for them
Yarnefromhorsham
December 1st, 2010 6:37pm Report this commentThis issue was not raised at PMQs so possibly Ed could see the limitations of the disclosure. The only person pushing this story is the now retired Tottenham mid field player now residing in the US.
vinsceptical
December 1st, 2010 6:49pm Report this commentYes the Guardian is selective about publishing good news that go against the grain for the likes of Polly Toynbee and their other reporters. By way of example, recent good news about Osborne successfully raising £10b over the course of the current parliament (ok it's only half the annual housing benefit welfare bill) from the taxation of offshore tax havens raised a single column article on page 13. Well of course this government is only interested in cuts and not chasing tax avoiders. It's still a good paper however but it needs to learn that you can't please all the people all of the time.
Chuck Unsworth
December 1st, 2010 7:47pm Report this commentMaybe Miliband knows that such criticism would not be restricted to the (then) Opposition. Maybe he understands that King would certainly have had some views as to Brown, Darling etc. And maybe Cameron has those up his sleeve.
Fex Urbis
December 1st, 2010 9:48pm Report this commentMervyn 'I didn't see it coming' King should go because he is quite frankly very bad at his job.
Ferret
December 2nd, 2010 1:45am Report this commentA useful and engaging comment by Verity, again.
dorothy wilson
December 2nd, 2010 11:21am Report this commentAs Chuck Unsworth implies, the really interesting leak would be King's opinion of Blair and Brown.
And the Coalition should give some thought to clipping the Guardian's wings by moving the bulk of public sector job advertising on line.
Exceptions could be made for jobs with salaries below, say, £25k and above £100k. Those below £25k could be advertised in the local press and those over £100k spread more evenly across national papers.
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