DOCSLIB.ORG

Boris Johnson and Media Play the Blame Game by Julian Petley

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Boris Johnson and Media Play the Blame Game by Julian Petley Media North CAMPAIGN FOR PRESS AND BROADCASTING FREEDOM (NORTH) l Special Issue, February 2021 100,000 dead Boris Johnson and media play the blame game By Julian Petley AS the government casts around in its hunt to blame someone or some- thing other than itself for the catastrophic levels of death and infection from COVID-19 it has settled on a new scapegoat: you and me. In this it has been great- ly aided by our Pravda-like national press. While the government endlessly urges people to observe the lockdown, it also makes the most of every op- portunity to stigmatise those who are not doing so, support- ed by pictures of crowds fre- quently taken from a distance with telephoto lenses, thereby making them appear to be far closer together than they actu- ally are. ‘Compliance with lockdown A grim However, there is a good rules has been increasing since threshold deal of evidence to suggest that last September, especially as is passed. irresponsible and selfish behav- stricter measures have been Tory iour (a) is far less widespread brought in, with particular newspapers than such coverage would sug- improvements since the start avoid men- gest; and (b) where people do of December when news of tioning that break the lockdown rules, it is the new variant became wide- this was frequently unwillingly and out spread. ‘Majority’ compliance absolutely of necessity as opposed to sim- with the rules is being reported avoidable ply wanting to have a good time by 96% of people; an improve- at others’ expense. ment since the start of the au- “Overall, the vast major- ‘strongly’ support them.” Thus, on the first point, ac- tumn across all demographic ity (85%) of Britons support On the other hand, however, cording to a study published by groups.’ the national lockdown meas- another YouGov poll, released University College, London, on Similarly, a YouGov poll ures introduced across the UK on 11 January, suggested that 13 January: reported on 5 January that: this week, including 62% who l Continued on Page 3 TORY PRESS CHEER AttACK ON TRADE UNION RIGHTS – PAGE 2 www.medianorth.org.uk 2 | MediaNorth | FEBRUARY 2021 www.medianorth.org.uk Tory press cheer attack on trade union rights Review seen as ‘a race to the bottom’ and ‘bonfire of workers’ rights’ By Nicholas Jones been the objective of the Mail on Sunday. Its political editor, WHEN Conservative govern- Glen Owen, urged the Prime ments set about curtailing Minister to push ahead with employment and trade union regulatory reform: ‘Let’s make rights the route map for mas- Britain the Singapore of Eu- saging public reaction follows rope’. (17.1.2021) tried and tested procedures. Brexit-supporting newspa- Headline-grabbing objec- pers had greeted with approval tives are floated in briefings to the Financial Times’ exclusive well-informed journalists, and – ‘UK workers’ rights at risk in then, amid a flurry of media in- plans to rip up EU Labour mar- terest, ministers row back from ket rules’ (14.1.2021) – and their worst-case scenarios insisting enthusiastic commentary gave that high standards in the UK added impetus to the Prime will not be eroded. Minister’s plea to business Leaked reports in early leaders to come up with ideas January of an immediate post- for easing regulations to sup- Brexit review of the 48-hour port economic growth. limit on the working week were Initially Downing Street re- the precursor to the latest ex- fused to confirm or deny that ample of a well-honed routine. the newly appointed business Mail on Sunday leaves no doubt about what it would like to happen The bluster behind Boris secretary Kwasi Kwarteng had Johnson’s soothing words been asked to start a review ‘Government sources’ told of employment rights was the spoke volumes: his government of the EU working time direc- a different story: a consulta- start of the ‘race to the bot- was not about to ‘send children tive, scrapping the maximum tion on employment rights tom’ which ministers had long up chimneys’. 48-hour week and a raft of was signed off by Kwarteng’s dreamed of for post-Brexit This is the signal to col- changes including removal of predecessor, Alok Sharma, and Britain. umnists and commentators the requirement to log the dai- had already been circulated to ‘It’s starting – the bonfire on Conservative-supporting ly reporting of working hours some select business leaders. of workers’ rights’ declared newspapers to pile in, to urge and the inclusion of bonuses Ed Miliband, shadow busi- the headline over a comment the Prime Minister to go even and overtime in calculating ness secretary, seized on the column in The Guardian further and to ignore ‘the howls holiday pay. reports to warn that the review (16.1.2021) in which Miliband of rage from the Labour Party, pointed to Kwarteng’s long- trade unions and the usual col- standing belief that the UK’s lection of centre-Left establish- labour market was too highly ment think-tanks’. A victory for workers regulated. ‘Reforming labour laws is WE went to press as the news broke that controversial proposals Kwarteng was among the vital to shake off inertia of the by the Tories to tear up workers’ rights – including the 48-hour free-market campaigners who EU’ declared business and fi- maximum working week – contained in a post-Brexit review of wrote a 2012 manifesto, Britan- nancial columnist Matthew workers’ rights, have been cancelled after a storm of protest led nia Unchained, that declared Lynn who argued there had by trade unions and opposition Labour MPs. that the British were ‘among never been a ‘better moment This victory follows ministers refusing to say whether the re- the worst idlers in the world’ to reform employment laws’. view even existed. Then they conceded the existence of the review and he was co-author of a (Daily Telegraph, 16.1.2021) by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pamphlet proposing to exempt Freeing Britain from Brus- but insisted it would not lead to any dilution of workers’ rights. start-up firms from employ- sels’ ‘stranglehold’ has long ment legislation. www.medianorth.org.uk FEBRUARY 2021 | MediaNorth 3 Press opinion dominated by pro-Brexit and pro-business sources Johnson and media play blame game l From Page 1 the blame game had success- fully done its work, since it revealed that 58% of the gen- eral population hold the public most responsible for the rise in Covid rates in the past month, and only 28% blamed the gov- ernment. Among Tory voters the fig- ures were 80% and 9% respec- tively. On the second point, an- other category of rule-breaker has been largely conspicuous through their absence: those When MPs had a chance to simply too poor to be able to confront the business secre- give up work and who have tary at a hearing of the Com- been utterly failed by a chancel- mons business select com- lor for whom public spending at mittee (19.1.2021), Kwarteng the present level goes against confirmed publicly that his every ideological and economic department had started a post- fibre of his being, and is thus Brexit review of UK employ- kept to the bare minimum. ment laws, but the government However, the real paradox did not want to ‘whittle down’ of this situation is that many of labour market standards. the MPs and newspapers blam- “We are absolutely looking Like Kwarteng, Sunak insisted Samuel might prove cor- ing the public for behaving so at safeguarding employment that this was not a race to the rect in her prediction, but the irresponsibly are also them- rights. I know there have been bottom. labour and trade union move- selves libertarians straining stories in the newspapers that “This isn’t about lowering ment should be demanding far vociferously at the lockdown there is going to be some sort of standards, but about raising greater clarity and a real say in leash. This has resulted in in- bonfire of rights. This could not our eyes to look to the future the consultation process. decisive, stop-go policy-making be further from the truth. – making the most of new sec- Press opinion is dominated and confusingly mixed messag- “We wanted to look at the tors, new thinking and new by pro-Brexit and pro-business es, and all this at a time when whole range of issues relating ways of working.” voices and a concerted fight- clear and consistent advice to to our EU membership and Cheering on the government back will need detailed facts the public should be at an abso- examine what we wanted to are the Conservative-support- and figures from the trade lute premium. keep. We are absolutely com- ing newspapers that are de- union movement to stress the As Robert Shrimsley argued mitted to having a really high manding to see solid evidence importance of the 48-hour limit in the Financial Times, 6 Janu- standard for workers in high of a post-Brexit dividend. for key workers such as those ary, the result of Johnson be- employment and a high wage However, Juliet Samuel’s in the NHS and the impact of ing so deferential to his fellow economy.” commentary in the Daily Tel- removing overtime and bonus- libertarians in both parliament Together with the employ- egraph (16.1.2021) did strike a es from wage calculations. and the press is that ‘the story ment rights review, there will cautionary note. Union researchers have no of Britain’s crisis has been one be a far-reaching push under a Predictably the review of time to lose in coming up with of delaying the inevitable until newly established better regu- EU labour regulations had answers to some vital ques- it is unavoidable, a vicious cy- lation committee, to be chaired been greeted by ‘Labour and tions: How many workers are cle of slow response followed by the chancellor Rishi Sunak, the country’s rump of Brexit safeguarded by the 48-hour by sharp correction which lasts to focus on ways to cut EU red refuseniks as an assault safety cap? How will holiday longer for starting later’.
Load more
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

3 pages remaining, click to load more.

Recommended publications
  • Political Power of Nuisance Law: Labor Picketing and the Courts In
    Fordham Law School FLASH: The Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship and History Faculty Scholarship 1998 Political Power of Nuisance Law: Labor Picketing and the Courts in Modern England, 1871-Present, The Rachel Vorspan Fordham University School of Law, rvorspan@law.fordham.edu Follow this and additional works at: http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scholarship Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, and the Labor and Employment Law Commons Recommended Citation Rachel Vorspan, Political Power of Nuisance Law: Labor Picketing and the Courts in Modern England, 1871-Present, The , 46 Buff. L. Rev. 593 (1998) Available at: http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/faculty_scholarship/344 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by FLASH: The orF dham Law Archive of Scholarship and History. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of FLASH: The orF dham Law Archive of Scholarship and History. For more information, please contact tmelnick@law.fordham.edu. BUFFALO LAW REVIEW VOLUME 46 FALL 1998 NUMBER 3 The Political Power of Nuisance Law: Labor Picketing and the Courts in Modern England, 1871-Present RACHEL VORSPANt INTRODUCTION After decades of decline, the labor movements in America and England are enjoying a resurgence. Unions in the United States are experiencing greater vitality and political visibility,' and in 1997 a Labour government took power in England for the first time in eighteen years.! This t Associate Professor of Law, Fordham University. A.B., 1967, University of California, Berkeley; M.A., 1968, Ph.D., 1975, Columbia University (English History); J.D., 1979, Harvard Law School.
    [Show full text]
  • The Provincial Press and the Community: an Historical Perspective
    The Provincial Press and the Community: an historical perspective. Rachel Matthews Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies Cardiff University This thesis is submitted to Cardiff University in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. September 2014 2 Acknowledgements. This thesis owes its inception to the many stalwarts of the local papers with whom it has been my privilege to work during my time as a journalist. Their commitment and professionalism deserves much more recognition than they ever get and my hope is that this thesis goes some way to redressing that balance. My research has taken me into archives and libraries across England and I would like to thank all those people who work tirelessly to preserve the history of the local newspaper. It is a valuable and necessary job. Finally, this thesis would not have been completed without the patient support of my supervisor, Professor Bob Franklin, and the goodwill of my family, many friends and colleagues who have been cheerleading from the touchline during the time it has taken to complete. Your faith has seen me over the finish line. 3 4 Abstract. Serving the good of the community is a professional value prized by those who work in the provincial press. It is also seen as a vital role for local newspapers by those outside the industry. A localised form of the Fourth Estate, the good of the community therefore justifies and underpins the routines and news values of those who work in regional and local news organisations. This thesis investigates the extent to which this notion serves as a functional value for the English provincial news industry; it positions it within an historical context to understand its relationship with the economic structure of the local newspaper.
    [Show full text]
  • The British Economy
    The British Economy increased by over 5.5$ between the second quarters of 1985 and 1986. However, only a small increase (0.2$) was recorded between the first and second quarters of this year. After allowance for inflation, specifically the GDP deflator at market prices, the provisional figures suggest that real expenditure on the domestic product was 1.5$ higher than in the corresponding quarter in 1985. This should be compared with a real increase in total domestic expenditure - which by excluding/including spending on exports/imports is a good indicator of demand pressure within the economy - of 2.9$ over the same period. There was little recorded change in real expenditure on either indicator between the first and second quarters of the year. In contrast, the output-based measure of GDP, which is conventionally regarded as the most reliable indicator of change in the short term, recorded an increase of 2$ in the year to the second quarter and a small OVERVIEW increase (0.5$) between the first and second quarters of the year. Recent developments in the UK economy suggest that the slowdown of growth in INDEX OF UK 60P AT CONSTANT FACTOR COST OUTPUT MEASURE - SEASONALLY ADJUSTED 1985 may only have been a temporary (1994=188> phenomenon. External events are continuing to play a significant role. Yet it is the trends within the domestic economy that are a major source of unease. Underlying inflationary pressures continue to operate via the relatively fast growth in average earnings, low productivity growth, the growth of private sector liquidity and the recent significant decrease in the value of sterling.
    [Show full text]
  • Christmas 2015 Upcoming Events
    Christmas 2015 Upcoming events Launch of our online catalogue! Thursday 17 December, 6.00-7.00pm Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives Join us to celebrate the launch of our new online catalogue! www.THcatalogue.org.uk Our archive and local studies library catalogue - the result of many years spent listing and describing our collections onto a database, including hours upon hours from numerous volunteers - is now available for remote searching online, wherever you are in the world. So we thought we'd have a festive get- together to celebrate, and demonstrate to users how to get the most out of it. At 6pm Borough Archivist Malcolm Barr-Hamilton and Heritage Officer (Library) Melanie Strong will demonstrate how to search the catalogue for items including books, periodicals, pamphlets, images and archive material. Expect some pro tips! This will be followed by the chance to view a selection of our rare books, which will be on show to coincide with the release of a new user guide to exploring this rarely accessed collection. Visitors will also be able to browse our book stall for last minute Christmas gifts! Including a soon-to- be-released postcard set of twelve William Whiffin photographs, highlights from our current exhibition. And there may or may not be mulled wine. No booking necessary - just drop in. Hope to see you there! Stocking Filler Suggestions! We have by popular demand produced a superb pack of postcards of photographs by William Whiffin which featured in our recent exhibition, Whiffin's East End. The pack of 12 postcards costs just £5 with £1 of the price going towards conserving Whiffin's photography collection.
    [Show full text]
  • UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, IRVINE There's a South Central In
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE There’s a South Central in Every City: Britain and the Transatlantic Legacy of the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising THESIS submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History by Leonard Cruz Butingan Thesis Committee: Assistant Professor Andrew R. Highsmith, Chair Professor David B. Igler Professor Douglas M. Haynes 2017 © 2017 Leonard Cruz Butingan DEDICATION To the black, brown, yellow, LGBTQ, and womxn resistance fighters in Los Angeles, Britain, and all over the world. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS v INTRODUCTION 1 THE BETRAYAL OF THE BRITISH LEFT AND THE MYTH OF EGALITARIANISM 4 SIMMERING DISCONTENT: THE MAKING OF THE 1992 LOS ANGELES UPRISING 7 TRANSATLANTIC ‘LOS ANGELES-STYLE’ VIOLENCE 9 THE LENS, THE MIC, AND THE PEN: MEDIA AND THE 1992 LOS ANGELES UPRISING 14 THE UNDERCLASS STRIKES BACK: RACE, CLASS, AND UPRISINGS IN BRITAIN 19 ‘THE ENEMY WITHIN’: TRANSATLANTIC STATE REPRESSION 22 BRITISH MEDIA AND THE 1992 LOS ANGELES UPRISING 26 AFTERWARD & CONCLUSION: 1997-2011 BRITAIN HIGH HOPES AND UNRESOLVED ISSUES 41 BIBLIOGRAPHY 46 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank the history faculty at Pasadena City College. Dr. Hugo Schwyzer’s life changing lectures expanded my horizons beyond World War II and American history. From the Battle of Poitiers, to the Franco-Prussian War, to 1920s courtship, Dr. Schwyzer captivated us. I thought I knew everything about African American history…and then I ran into Dr. Christopher West. He spoke truth to power and encouraged us to think outside the box.
    [Show full text]
  • Create.Canterbury.Ac.Uk
    Canterbury Christ Church University’s repository of research outputs http://create.canterbury.ac.uk Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. Arnold, C. (2019) “On the margins”: a qualitative analysis of independent hyperlocal news through a subcultural lens. Ph.D. thesis, Canterbury Christ Church University. Contact: create.library@canterbury.ac.uk “On the margins”: a qualitative analysis of independent hyperlocal news through a subcultural lens by Carol Arnold Canterbury Christ Church University Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy April 2019 Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to thank Canterbury Christ Church University for funding this doctorate and providing me with such an amazing opportunity. Specifically I want to thank my top notch supervisory team: Professors Shane Blackman, Ágnes Gulyás and Adrian Holliday, whose insight and constructive feedback helped me shape this project. A ‘blanket’ thank-you to everyone in the Graduate School who has helped me to reach this point. Particularly those involved in CCCU’s excellent Researcher Development Programme. They inspire and open post-graduate eyes to limitless possibilities.
    [Show full text]
  • Free Press 206
    FREENo 206 Spring 2016£1 Journal Press of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom LEVESON THEY’RE AFTER CHANNEL 4 Privatisation … AS IF 3 giveaway in IT DIDN’T photo grab HAPPEN IT WAS THIRTY years almost to the day since Rupert REVENGE Murdoch triggered the traumatic dispute at Wapping OF LOCAL that his son James made his own big move in London. READERS The former chairman of BSkyB and chief executive of News International returned to head Sky TV, the cable They want network now rebranded as his father’s domain. the papers The former BSkyB satellite network is even bigger 4 that Big and richer than it was when James was whisked to New York for fear of arrest in the wake of the phone- Media hacking scandal that had exploded in July 2011. don’t Sky TV was first launched using the enhanced BACK: James Murdoch BACK: Rebekah Brooks profits that Murdoch’s News Corporation had generated as a result of Wapping, when on January 25 1986 he In these ways did the UK authorities give the green sacked 5,500 workers and moved production to a the light for the resumption of business as usual for the new plant there, with a ready-trained non-union strike- Murdochs. They might think it’s all over, which would breaking workforce. be another scandal in itself. But it shouldn’t be. James Murdoch’s return followed that last There are three ways in which the seemingly September of Rebekah Brooks, former editor of the relentless progress of the Murdoch media can Sun and News of the World, who indeed was arrested be checked: and charged over phone-hacking and the bribing of 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Tale of Wapping Woe from the Outset, the Printworkers Faced Enormous Obstacles
    A Tale Of Wapping Woe From the outset, the printworkers faced enormous obstacles. Mike Power and Helen Hague assess the dispute that lasted a year leet Street history was made Differences between the NGA, Sogat on January 24 1986, when and the NUJ prior to Wapping were Rupert Murdoch's News Inter- widening. Attempts to create one in- national printworkers at The dustrial union by various amalgama- Sun,F News of the World, The Times and tion combinations had broken down and the Sunday Times took strike action instead fratricidal, internecine warfare following overwhelming secret ballot had broken out between them about majorities. The new features were that whose members had the right to 'follow all 5,500 workers were instantly dismis- the job' into new technology. Disputes sed, and uniquely all four papers in the provincial press in Portsmouth, continued to be printed and distributed. Kent and Wolverhampton had witnes- Murdoch had secretly prepared the sed union members crossing each transfer of the papers to his new other's picket lines in order to take Wapping plant where the whole job over their former colleagues' jobs. could be undertaken without tradi- Five months before the dispute began tionally unionised printing and dis- the Sogat executive had sanctioned its Uphill struggle tribution staff. The Wapping plant negotiators to seek the transfer of The contained the most modern direct input Sun and News of the World to the new fered when the NUJ failed to get more typesetting equipment to enable jour- plant even if the other unions were than an initial 30 or so journalists to nalists to bypass NGA printworkers, opposed.
    [Show full text]
  • A Photo Essay by Nic Oatridge the Strike That Broke Britain's Newspaper Unions
    A PHOTO ESSAY BY NIC OATRIDGE Wappıng’86 THE STRIKE THAT BROKE BRITAIN’S NEWSPAPER UNIONS ColdType T “Three times the number of jobs at five times the level of wages” … leet Street in London had, at the beginning of the 1980s, been the centre of the British print industry almost since its origins in the 15th Century; and throughout the 20th Century the street and its newspapers had become dominated by charismatic proprietors and increasingly powerful unions. But the relationship between bosses and their workers was becoming increasing- ly volatile and exceedingly acrimonious. When the Australian media mag- nate, Rupert Murdoch, acquired The Sun, News of the World, Times and Sunday Times through his News International organisation, he became the most powerful newspaper baron of his generation. Unlike his peers, however, his motivation was largely the opportunity to unlock the money-making potential of the newspaper industry in the UK and the titles were revitalised under his management. Murdoch was also willing to take risks to play for high stakes. In 1985, he borrowed £670 million from New York’s Citicorp to buy the Metromedia TV stations which formed the basis of the Fox network. He could barely afford the loan and, needing cash, realized his British newspapers provided the best opportunity to gener- ate the revenue required to service the huge debts he had amassed to build a media empire in the USA – but that would mean greater production efficiency and reliability. Murdoch loathed the restrictive working practices and the challenges to his editorial control from the workforce in his newspapers.
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief History of the Independent
    Gale Primary Sources Start at the source. A Brief History of The Independent Chris Blackhurst Group Content Editor, The Independent Group Various source media, The Independent Digital Archive 1986-2016 EMPOWER™ RESEARCH Ever since it was launched in 1986, The Independent has pronouncing on a major takeover one minute, and then enjoyed a reputation for quality and innovation, decrying a lack of social justice the next. something Andreas Whittam-Smith and his two co- founders, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds, made as a guiding principle when they conceived the idea of a Partly, then, the paper was the embodiment of its chief: new, upmarket British newspaper. a true independent character. And that individualism spilled over into innovation. In its early years, The Indy was commented upon and marvelled at as a product of Partly, their determination to be creative and to great beauty. Even if someone did not agree with its maintain the highest of standards was borne out of avowedly liberal heart, they could not deny its ground- necessity. The market for newspapers was very breaking aesthetic. crowded and The Independent was trying to elbow aside The Times, Guardian, and Daily Telegraph, and possibly the Financial Times as well. It wasn't just in looks, however, that The Independent sought to put clear space between itself and the opposition. Early on, the paper took a decision From the off, that desire expressed itself in a clean, to remain outside the Parliamentary lobby system. The fresh design for a broadsheet. Black and white Indy would source its statements, and that included photography was to be celebrated, not crowded out with from the Prime Minister's spokesman.
    [Show full text]
  • Print Monthly, June 2011
    Emotions still raw 25 years after Wapping Brendan Perring and Ben Welch Print Monthly, June 2011 With the launch of the much anticipated novel Bad News: The Wapping Dispute on the 25th anniversary of one of Britain’s worst industrial disputes, the authors report that anger towards News Corporation and Rupert Murdoch is as vivid now as it was on the day 5,000 workers were laid off. Co-written by John Lang and Graham Dodkins, the novel charts the story of ordinary men and women and how they were caught up in a moment of history that was to entirely change the face of the British printing industry and fatally undermine the power of its unions for ever. Lang, an administrative worker for News International in 1986, talked to Print Monthly following the novel’s publication. He explains the impact of Murdoch’s choice to set up a secret state-of-the-art printing factory in Wapping, staff it, and then fire all his former workers in one fell swoop. “I attended the book launch and the print exhibition in London at the Marx Memorial library and it was visited by a lot of older print workers, who are now in their 70s. I have been surprised at how almost all of them have really carried around the fallout around the Wapping dispute for the last 25 years.” Lang continues: “They still have real anger, not only at Murdoch, but also at their own Union. We just became more and more isolated about what was happening down at Wapping, and between union heads and management they cobbled deals together but management really had the upper hand.
    [Show full text]
  • News International Wapping Dispute
    Tower Hamlets NEWS INTERNATIONAL WAPPING DISPUTE The Exhibition 1 December 2015 - 11 February 2016 Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, 277 Bancroft Road, E1 4DQ 020 7364 1290 Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9-5;‎Thursdays 9-8; first and third Saturdays in the month 9-5. Special events on 14th and 21st January. Group visits welcome. See website for details. Dramatic images and accounts of the dispute. Organised by the News International Dispute Archive and supported by Unite the Union, National Union of Journalists, Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom and the Marx Memorial Library Further Information: 07831 676587 or info@wapping-dispute.org.uk NEWS INTERNATIONAL WAPPING DISPUTE Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers stand accused of debasing the British media. Revelations of industrial-scale phone hacking at the News of the World and corruption of the police and national politics have laid bare the malign influence and power of a global media empire. That power was accumulated over 30 years but the crucial episode was the year-long Wapping dispute. When negotiations broke down and the strike began in January 1986, Murdoch shifted production of the papers overnight to a new, non-union printworks, sacking the existing production and administration workforce of 5,500 employees. Supported by the Tory government and its anti-union laws, Murdoch’s vast resources had enabled the company to equip and staff the Docklands plant in secret, with strike-breaking labour recruited by the electricians’ union in an act of treachery unparalleled in labour movement history. The High Court ordered the sequestration of the funds of SOGAT, the largest union involved, when distribution workers in London refused to handle Murdoch’s papers.
    [Show full text]