Did Tories ‘Play Dirty’ With Media Tricks?

Recently, BBC journalists and executives told a Labour Party adviser that the BBC was threatened by Conservative (Tory) Leaders about “what would happen” if they didn’t fall into line over the election coverage.

The BBC gets funding from the government and other sources, something like PBS in the United States.

In related news, the British newspaper The Independent wrote that media owner Rupert Murdoch berated journalists at his papers for not doing enough to “stop the (left-of-center) Labour Party from winning the election.”

Murdoch “warned them that the future of the company depended on stopping Labour from getting elected,” writes The Independent.

Murdoch’s news outlets – including Fox News in the U.S. – tend to lean right-wing or have a conservative outlook.

After Mr. Murdoch paid a visit to his company’s The Sun newspaper, they devoted a two-page spread to the election – with the left-hand page containing a 10-point “pledge” to voters written by David Cameron.

Britain’s The Mirror published an article by Lucy Powell that gives examples of the Tory assault on the British media.

“The first was when John Major gave a speech on ‘The chaos of Labour with SNP pulling the strings,'” writes Powell.

“This marked the fourth day in a row of the BBC leading with that story even though Ed had already ruled out a deal with the SNP,” she writes.

“I could understand the Tory press parroting the Central Office line but I couldn’t understand why the BBC was pushing the story so hard,” she went on.  Was the BBC pushing the story because of implied threats from the government?

The Mirror article claims that scaring voters about the SNP was clearly designed as a “squeeze” message for UKIP and Lib Dem voters to encourage them to vote for the conservative Tories because they didn’t want a Labour government.

The second moment came The Tories took out huge wraparound (front page and back page) adverts in the weekly free papers in each seat.

The attack ads featured a famous note from a former Chief Secretary to the Treasury that implied that a Labour government would run the country to ruin by not controlling the budget.

Ads put out on Facebook, including some allowing users to hand over their email addresses, are costing the Tory party a “whopping £100,000 a month,” according to The Guardian.  That would mean one in every £17 pounds the Tories spent on the last general election campaign goes towards drumming up support on Facebook.

The budget is “a long-term issue dating back to the crash, which the Tories succeeded very early in blaming on Labour’s economic policies, despite the fact they were signed up to them themselves,”  writes Powell in The Mirror.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lucy-powell-how-tried-reassure-5699489

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/09/liam-byrne-apology-letter-there-is-no-money-labour-general-election

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/06/tories-pumping-facebook-advertising-email-ukip

‘Grandad Hooligans’ Terrorizing British Soccer

Soccer (football) club chairmen in Britain are warning of a new threat of football hooliganism from retired grandfathers.

Dave Doggett, boss of the soccer team Cambridge United, says a hardcore of around 10 men in their 50s and 60s are trying to relive the 1980s by arranging fights with rivals on match days.

“Club chiefs say ageing thugs who took part in violence during the 1970s and 80s are returning to the terraces,” according to the Daily Mirror.

Mr. Doggett warns the violence has increased recently as the men return to the club in their retirements after being distracted by years of having a career and raising families.

Doggett says there is a danger that they will spread violence as they try to encourage younger men to join their “gangs,” states The Telegraph.

Writing in his club’s latest program, Mr Doggett says: “Unfortunately football clubs still attract an undesirable element of society that appear determined to ruin the enjoyment of real supporters of football clubs.

“Our promotion to the Football League appears to have encouraged our ‘risk’ from the 1980s to come out of retirement.

“Many of them are grandparents trying to encourage the next generation to join their ‘gangs’.

“It sounds pathetic but unfortunately it is reality.”

Doggett states they are working closely with police on the matter.

More:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/grandad-football-hooligans-coming-out-5493256

London Chelsea Beats Man. U., Only 2 Wins From Title

In England, the soccer team – er, football team – Chelsea moved to within two wins of reclaiming the Premier League title after player Eden Hazard’s goal gave them a narrow victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge stadium in Fulham, England.

Victory in the coming games at Arsenal and Leicester City will return the title to Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2010.

London’s Chelsea were pushed all the way by a resurgent Manchester United, looking toward a seventh successive victory.

Manchester United player Wayne Rooney and the recalled Radamel Falcao came closest for Man. U., but once again they fell victim to the resilience and defensive strength that is Chelsea’s trademark under manager Jose Mourinho, assisted by the brilliance of Hazard, states the BBC.

(Updated post)

MSNBC’s Reaction To Netanyahu’s ‘State Of The Union Address’

Is it acceptable for a foreign leader to give a “State of the Union”-style speech to the U.S. government?  Would it be okay if Vladimir Putin did the same?

TYT Network discusses MSNBC’s reaction to the recent speech given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to both houses of the United States Congress. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was less than pleased.

Could Netanyahu’s speech have been an attempt to de-rail the President’s current P5+1 talks with Iran over its nuclear program?

Interestingly, Senate Republican leaders had been planning to take a bill next week that would have given Congress an up-or-down vote on any agreement international negotiators make with Iran.

CNN: “Senate Republican leaders ditched plans Thursday to take up a bill next week that would have given Congress an up-or-down vote on any agreement international negotiators — led by the United States — make with Iran on its nuclear program, an aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN.

“The move comes after Democrats, who were upset GOP leaders decided to fast-track the legislation, threatened to block taking up the bill. Democrats fear immediate consideration could disrupt the sensitive talks with Iran that face an important March 24 deadline.”

The National Review writes about Matthews:  “He saw the speech as an attempt to sabotage and undermine the nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and it’s allies and Iran. Matthews has been quoted as saying, ‘This man, from a foreign government, walked into the United States legislative chamber and tried to take over U.S. foreign policy.'”

TYT Network

Updated post

Is A Montana State Representative Going The Wrong Way In Regards To Campaign Financing?

A Great Falls representative is proposing that candidates for the Montana Legislature be allowed to receive more money from political action committees.

Republican Rep. Steve Fitzpatrick introduced House Bill 502 in the House State Administration Committee Friday, according to the Great Falls Tribune. It would increase the amount that state Senate candidates can receive from PACs from $2,150 to $5,500, and the amount that House candidates can receive from $1,300 to $3,300.

Fitzpatrick said that politicians need more money to “reflect the increasing cost of running for office.”

“Campaigns are expensive, they cost a lot of money,” Fitzpatrick said. “Every time I have to return a PAC check, that just means it’s more pressure on me to go fundraise and ask people for more money.”

Mary Baker, the program supervisor for the commissioner of political practices, said a built-in inflation factor already adjusts the cap every year.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/politics/2015/02/20/representative-proposes-higher-pac-contribution-limits/23740417/