Rupert needs to believe that you’ll give him what he wants

How Rupert Murdoch gains political influence.

It’s rarely about ideology and largely about power.

Britain’s Tory party had to romance the old man:

When the raw and newly elected Tory leader first met News International’s patriarch Rupert Murdoch, he was intent on projecting himself as a socially tolerant leader with modern ideas who would shake up an outdated Tory Party. In his anxiety to be modern, Cameron described with great enthusiasm how he had enjoyed the new US blockbuster film Brokeback Mountain. Far from being impressed, the ageing Murdoch was appalled that a would-be prime minister should be watching a film containing graphic scenes of gay sex.

That’s all changed now, with Britain’s biggest-selling tabloid, The Sun, backing Cameron.

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

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