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’.