British distractions

Being in London, one is able to read an amazing array of media, most of which, it has to be said, is pretty ordinary and lacking in global context. When I used to live here years ago, I viewed many of the British papers as the best in the world, able to critically analyse government and debate issues that much of the Western media would ignore. Last week’s departure of Blair, however, unleashed a sickening amount of praise for a man whose so-called legacy will be the bloodbath in Iraq, and little else. Something to be truly proud of, dear Tony.

Like in Australia, where the possibility of the departure of John Howard is causing fear in the hearts of the commentariat, many of whom can’t imagine cosying up to the other mob, many writers here in Britain have benefited drinking Blair’s drool over the last ten years. Remember, most journalists aren’t into the truth, they prefer to keep those in power happy and denigrate the weakest in society. After all, far too many reporters see themselves as being part of the elite and able to create news. Sycophancy is a lucrative business, well rewarded by the Murdoch stable, amongst others.

There are some unintentional gems in the English media environment (like the Telegraph blogs) or releasing information such as this in today’s Observer:

The ubiquity of the drug [in Afghanistan] has now created the world’s worst domestic drug problem, a crisis threatening to engulf any hope of economic revival. The first nationwide survey on drug use, by the Afghan Ministry of Counter-Narcotics and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, estimated that one million in this nation of 30 million were addicts, including 100,000 women and 60,000 children.

Britain is a fascinating nation, even if it’s unsure of its place in the world (though the Daily Mail wants to imagine the British Empire still in full swing.)

Text and images ©2024 Antony Loewenstein. All rights reserved.

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