The Rt Hon Hazel Blears Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has for a variety of reasons started to move from the fuzzy edges of the Idle Man's Political Radar to being further into focus.
So I started to do a smidgen of research on the Lady and came across a BBC Headline: Blears attacks political bloggers. Oh Sigh! - Hazel Blears having a swipe at the nasty little bloggers.
Fortunately I did take the time to actually read the BBC Article, as this led me to a speech she gave to the Hansard Society in November 2008, snappily entitled Tackling Political Disengagement (in PDF Format) - This I suggest is worth reading, and not just to ensure this nasty little blogger isn't taking elements out of context.
Whilst as previously stated the speech is worth reading in its own right, this post is concerned with:
The Mainstream Media, Political Bloggers and Political People:
The Mainstream Media
The following is an extract from the speech:
Famously, Tony Blair called the media a ‘feral beast’ in one of his last speeches as Prime Minister.
But behind the eye-catching phrase was a serious and helpful analysis of a 24-hour broadcast media and shrinking and increasingly competitive newspaper market which demands more ‘impact’ from its reporting – not the reporting of facts to enable citizens to make sense of the world, but the translation of every political discussion into a row, every difficulty a crisis, every rocky patch for the Prime Minister the ‘worst week ever.’
The changing structure of the media is what drives this desire for ‘impact’ and the retreat from dispassionate reporting. And I would single out the rise of the commentariat as especially noteworthy.
It is within living memory that journalists’ names started to appear in newspapers; before then, no name was attached to articles. And in recent years commentary has taken over from investigation or news reporting, to the point where commentators are viewed by some as every bit as important as elected politicians, with views as valid as Cabinet Ministers. And if you can wield influence and even power, without ever standing for office or being held to account by an electorate, it further undermines our democracy.
The commentariat operates without scrutiny or redress. They cannot be held to account for their views, even when they perform the most athletic and acrobatic of flip-flops in the space of a few weeks. I can understand when commentators disagree with each other; it’s when they disagree with themselves we should worry.
There will always be a role for political commentary, providing perspective, illumination and explanation. But editors need to do more to disentangle it from news reporting, and to allow elected politicians the same kind of space and prominence for comment as people who have never stood for office.
I to some extent agree with Hazel Blears' about lack of separation between reporting and opinion, not just in Political reporting, but across the entire spectrum of news items.
As for the specifics of Political reporting three factors come to mind:
The following is an extract from the speech:
This brings me to the role of political bloggers. Perhaps because of the nature of the technology, there is a tendency for political blogs to have a ‘Samizdat’ style. The most popular blogs are right-wing, ranging from the considered Tory views of Iain Dale, to the vicious nihilism of Guido Fawkes.
Perhaps this is simply anti-establishment. Blogs have only existed under a Labour Government. Perhaps if there was a Tory Government, all the leading blogs would be left-of-centre?
There are some informative and entertaining political blogs, including those written by elected councillors. But mostly, political blogs are written by people with a disdain for the political system and politicians, who see their function as unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy.
Unless and until political blogging ‘adds value’ to our political culture, by allowing new and disparate voices, ideas and legitimate protest and challenge, and until the mainstream media reports politics in a calmer, more responsible manner, it will continue to fuel a culture of cynicism and despair.
I am strangely proud that she says most political blogs are Samizdat Style (the clandestine copying and distribution of government-suppressed literature or other media), as it shows free speech is alive and well. Unfortunately this blog is not able to make this claim - Sigh!
I haven't done enough research to say whether I agree with the statement there are more right-wing blogs than left wing ones, but I would say that whatever party was in power, would attract criticism from the blogger community. Some of which would be anti-establishment, rather than simply against a specific policy. As for the blogs mentioned by name: Iain Dale's Diary and the obviously disliked Guido Fawkes (the name tends to indicate the viewpoint) well, have a read and make up your own minds.
As for entertaining blogs written by local Councillors, well from the small sample I have bothered to read, they fall into three categories: Self-serving, Concentrating so much on the minutiae they are Anally retentive, or worst of all Self-Serving and Anally retentive!
But moving on to the major criticism:
political blogs are written by people with a disdain for the political system and politicians, who see their function as unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy.
Hmm. The Political Blogs I read are:
Again extract from the speech:
Secondly, let me look at the people in politics. Politicians must not live on ‘Planet Politics’ and behave in ways which are alien and strange to the electorate.
This happens partly because there is a trend towards politics being seen as a career move rather than call to public service. Increasingly we have seen a ‘transmission belt’ from university activist, MPs’ researcher, think-tank staffer, Special Adviser, to Member of Parliament, and ultimately to the front bench.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with any of those jobs, but it is deeply unhealthy for our political class to be drawn from narrowing social base and range of experience.
We need people from a range of backgrounds – business, the armed forces, scientists, teachers, the NHS, shopworkers – to make good laws.
And we need more MPs in Parliament from a wider pool of backgrounds: people who know what it is to worry about the rent collector’s knock, or the fear of lay-off, so that the decisions we take reflect the realities people face. In short, we need more Dennis Skinners, more David Davises, more David Blunketts in the front line of politics. Or if you prefer, more MPs who read the Mirror or Sun, and fewer who write for the Guardian or Telegraph.
The political parties, and the trade unions, need to actively recruit, mentor and support working class people into political life, and offer ways into the hermetically-sealed world of politics for people who have never been an MP’s researcher or worked for a think-tank. Just as we have programmes to encourage women and people from ethnic minorities, so we need an ‘Emily’s List’ style programme for people attracted from across the world of work. This would provide practical support for people wanting to get involved, who do not have the unfair advantages of the political elites.
Other than not wanting MPs who read the Sun amd Mirror as their view on the world and being extremely distrustful of Trade Union Activism, I find myself agreeing with Hazel Blears on most of what she said! After all in this blog I posted: Mainly a Rant on 'Careerist Politicians'
There are other parts of the speech which are worthy of consideration and are thought provoking, but they might add value to the 'political culture' and obviously this is not what a blog is supposed to do.
In her speech Hazel Blears mentions a paper by:
Gerry Stoker, Colin Hay and Andy Williamson: - Revitalizing Politics: Have We Lost the Plot?.
This is worth reading and if I can rise above my deep pool of Political Cynicism, Apathy and Despair, I may even write a post about it!
Finally a well respected, well balanced Political Blog that even Hazel Belars would have to admit adds to our political culture:
BBC - Nick Robinson's Newslog
The Idle Man,
P.S. Note to Tom Bradby at ITN - Why haven't you got a Blog, or has ITN said you can't?
So I started to do a smidgen of research on the Lady and came across a BBC Headline: Blears attacks political bloggers. Oh Sigh! - Hazel Blears having a swipe at the nasty little bloggers.
Fortunately I did take the time to actually read the BBC Article, as this led me to a speech she gave to the Hansard Society in November 2008, snappily entitled Tackling Political Disengagement (in PDF Format) - This I suggest is worth reading, and not just to ensure this nasty little blogger isn't taking elements out of context.
Whilst as previously stated the speech is worth reading in its own right, this post is concerned with:
The Mainstream Media, Political Bloggers and Political People:
The Mainstream Media
The following is an extract from the speech:
Famously, Tony Blair called the media a ‘feral beast’ in one of his last speeches as Prime Minister.
But behind the eye-catching phrase was a serious and helpful analysis of a 24-hour broadcast media and shrinking and increasingly competitive newspaper market which demands more ‘impact’ from its reporting – not the reporting of facts to enable citizens to make sense of the world, but the translation of every political discussion into a row, every difficulty a crisis, every rocky patch for the Prime Minister the ‘worst week ever.’
The changing structure of the media is what drives this desire for ‘impact’ and the retreat from dispassionate reporting. And I would single out the rise of the commentariat as especially noteworthy.
It is within living memory that journalists’ names started to appear in newspapers; before then, no name was attached to articles. And in recent years commentary has taken over from investigation or news reporting, to the point where commentators are viewed by some as every bit as important as elected politicians, with views as valid as Cabinet Ministers. And if you can wield influence and even power, without ever standing for office or being held to account by an electorate, it further undermines our democracy.
The commentariat operates without scrutiny or redress. They cannot be held to account for their views, even when they perform the most athletic and acrobatic of flip-flops in the space of a few weeks. I can understand when commentators disagree with each other; it’s when they disagree with themselves we should worry.
There will always be a role for political commentary, providing perspective, illumination and explanation. But editors need to do more to disentangle it from news reporting, and to allow elected politicians the same kind of space and prominence for comment as people who have never stood for office.
I to some extent agree with Hazel Blears' about lack of separation between reporting and opinion, not just in Political reporting, but across the entire spectrum of news items.
As for the specifics of Political reporting three factors come to mind:
- The public tend to trust the commentators more than the politicians on whom they report/comment.
- Politicians like their Celebrity (sic) Counterparts have embraced the Media in a ways that is sometimes sickening to watch. But unlike those celebrities who fall foul of the Media, their publicists aren't in the same league as Max Clifford!
- The decline in Respect - 30 Years ago you might not respect the holder of public office, but you did respect the office they held. Today (and once again I blame the politician themselves for this), this is no longer the case. So a politician regardless of the office held, is as much fair game as a drug abusing pop star and has as many come-backs!
The following is an extract from the speech:
This brings me to the role of political bloggers. Perhaps because of the nature of the technology, there is a tendency for political blogs to have a ‘Samizdat’ style. The most popular blogs are right-wing, ranging from the considered Tory views of Iain Dale, to the vicious nihilism of Guido Fawkes.
Perhaps this is simply anti-establishment. Blogs have only existed under a Labour Government. Perhaps if there was a Tory Government, all the leading blogs would be left-of-centre?
There are some informative and entertaining political blogs, including those written by elected councillors. But mostly, political blogs are written by people with a disdain for the political system and politicians, who see their function as unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy.
Unless and until political blogging ‘adds value’ to our political culture, by allowing new and disparate voices, ideas and legitimate protest and challenge, and until the mainstream media reports politics in a calmer, more responsible manner, it will continue to fuel a culture of cynicism and despair.
I am strangely proud that she says most political blogs are Samizdat Style (the clandestine copying and distribution of government-suppressed literature or other media), as it shows free speech is alive and well. Unfortunately this blog is not able to make this claim - Sigh!
I haven't done enough research to say whether I agree with the statement there are more right-wing blogs than left wing ones, but I would say that whatever party was in power, would attract criticism from the blogger community. Some of which would be anti-establishment, rather than simply against a specific policy. As for the blogs mentioned by name: Iain Dale's Diary and the obviously disliked Guido Fawkes (the name tends to indicate the viewpoint) well, have a read and make up your own minds.
As for entertaining blogs written by local Councillors, well from the small sample I have bothered to read, they fall into three categories: Self-serving, Concentrating so much on the minutiae they are Anally retentive, or worst of all Self-Serving and Anally retentive!
But moving on to the major criticism:
political blogs are written by people with a disdain for the political system and politicians, who see their function as unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy.
Hmm. The Political Blogs I read are:
- Written by people who are extremely worried about protecting democracy, but I agree in many blogs there is a general disdain for Politicians (which as for those of you who have read the Political Postings in this blog, know I share).
- I don't think bloggers have to unearth scandals, it is more a case of picking which of the many there are, to write about.
- Conspiracies: Yes, some see conspiracy everywhere, including those apparently being hatched by the Government, but many more actually complain about what they see as incompetance in Government, both by Politicians and Officials.
- Perceived Hypocrisy: A lot of it is not perceived, it is Hypocrisy!
- I am a cynic, but it has taken this Government to push me to near despair. I am sorry Hazel, but that wasn't achieved by the Mainstream Media, or Bloggers but by the behaviour and political ineptness of the Government, MPs - mainly Labour, but not exclusively, the rise of Spin, the politicising of some Senior Civil Servants and a decline in Standards of Public Life.
Again extract from the speech:
Secondly, let me look at the people in politics. Politicians must not live on ‘Planet Politics’ and behave in ways which are alien and strange to the electorate.
This happens partly because there is a trend towards politics being seen as a career move rather than call to public service. Increasingly we have seen a ‘transmission belt’ from university activist, MPs’ researcher, think-tank staffer, Special Adviser, to Member of Parliament, and ultimately to the front bench.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with any of those jobs, but it is deeply unhealthy for our political class to be drawn from narrowing social base and range of experience.
We need people from a range of backgrounds – business, the armed forces, scientists, teachers, the NHS, shopworkers – to make good laws.
And we need more MPs in Parliament from a wider pool of backgrounds: people who know what it is to worry about the rent collector’s knock, or the fear of lay-off, so that the decisions we take reflect the realities people face. In short, we need more Dennis Skinners, more David Davises, more David Blunketts in the front line of politics. Or if you prefer, more MPs who read the Mirror or Sun, and fewer who write for the Guardian or Telegraph.
The political parties, and the trade unions, need to actively recruit, mentor and support working class people into political life, and offer ways into the hermetically-sealed world of politics for people who have never been an MP’s researcher or worked for a think-tank. Just as we have programmes to encourage women and people from ethnic minorities, so we need an ‘Emily’s List’ style programme for people attracted from across the world of work. This would provide practical support for people wanting to get involved, who do not have the unfair advantages of the political elites.
Other than not wanting MPs who read the Sun amd Mirror as their view on the world and being extremely distrustful of Trade Union Activism, I find myself agreeing with Hazel Blears on most of what she said! After all in this blog I posted: Mainly a Rant on 'Careerist Politicians'
There are other parts of the speech which are worthy of consideration and are thought provoking, but they might add value to the 'political culture' and obviously this is not what a blog is supposed to do.
In her speech Hazel Blears mentions a paper by:
Gerry Stoker, Colin Hay and Andy Williamson: - Revitalizing Politics: Have We Lost the Plot?.
This is worth reading and if I can rise above my deep pool of Political Cynicism, Apathy and Despair, I may even write a post about it!
Finally a well respected, well balanced Political Blog that even Hazel Belars would have to admit adds to our political culture:
BBC - Nick Robinson's Newslog
The Idle Man,
P.S. Note to Tom Bradby at ITN - Why haven't you got a Blog, or has ITN said you can't?
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