Once A Jolly Swagman

The Channel 4 programme on Murdoch’s control over the British polity was an interesting watch, although there were opportunities missed. Perhaps the thumping deep bass doom backing could have been enlivened. The obvious one would have been the 1967 Sandie Shaw hit “Puppet On A String” whenever one or other Prime Ministers came into sight.

Rupert’s performance in the House of Commons reminded me of the contrite apologies of the many Australian barmen who have short changed me in London pubs in the past. Deep sincerity backed with a determination to whack the next punter with a bigger deduction.
What I did not buy in this case was the “Rupe The Dupe” line, an old stager with very many interests who was let down by his trusted relations and assistants. He might have 174 or what journals plus manifold other media interests but some politically and personally were much more critical than others.

Clearly, in the UK and the USA there are a small number of interests that are the key to political influence and with it effective control or veto over policies and proposals. These were exploited to the full and used mercilessly to maintain and extend the Murdoch empire.

In my own experience I have been in organisations with a wide variety of entities in which either to know or to be able to find out fast the detail was critical to function. Given the money he was paying these people and given their work it just does not wash that he could not have known or could not have been told.

It may be that he was too busy shafting the stuck up British, conning the bean counting Americans and avoiding being clobbered by the clever Chinese to keep in touch with those who worked for him. It may be that essentially his organisation is bad, ramshackle and mostly out of control. It may he that he just did not care.

What we are left with is a wrecked constitution that is unworkable, an economy in very bad shape, an energy crisis looming, a celebrity and drug culture that dominates the media and the centralisation of all decisions and influence into a very small location and group of people.

As any Oz miner can tell you, however, in every heap of rubble there might just be a lump of something valuable. In Murdoch’s case it might be that he restrained Blair’s mad dash into Europe and perhaps even allowed Brown to stay out of the Euro. If so, then history might judge him not so much as a villain but as a deeply flawed hero.

John Churchill and Arthur Wellesley both saved us from European domination and both had many faults. But they gained Dukedoms. By the 20th Century such leaders had to settle for Earldoms or in the case of my hero, Field Marshal Alan Brooke, a Viscountcy like Horatio Nelson. Rupert Murdoch currently has a knighthood but there are many who want to strip of that honour.

Perhaps we might settle for a good big statue. Whitehall would be tactless, as would the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. Clearly, it could not be along that of President Reagan, despite Rupert’s current American citizenship.

My location would be somewhere on the banks of the Thames, a large statue that could be seen for miles looking over the reach from which many of the early convict transports cast off for Australia and his arm would be raised to point in the compass direction to the East. The dedication on the plinth would be very simple “Keith Rupert Murdoch” with underneath “Once A Jolly Swagman”.

Look at the Wikipedia entry for “Waltzing Matilda” and read the lyrics, there is a distinct poignancy about them.

David, Rupert, Beccy, Lizzie Borden & Ogden Nash

Rupert Murdoch with an axe,


Hit Beccy Brooks with forty whacks,

When he saw what he had done,

He did for David Cameron.

Losing Direction

Was it last Friday when I dared to suggest The Next Scandal was due? What took so long? But it is not so much a new scandal as a bigger eruption along the fault line in the geophysics of politics and media that constitute our government.

In the language of volcano watchers will this one generate a pyroclastic flow that will obliterate everything in its path or will it simply dump damaging dust and filth over a wide area to the harm of all within its reach?

Given the way this one is likely to run and run and command the media what is a real concern is that all involved will take their eyes off all the other serious issues that need urgent action and may require effective measures or decisions sooner and not later.

Most of these areas of concern are highly complex ones where there is no right decision left to be made only what might or might not turn out to be the least worst. The Coalition has barely begun to clear up the mess that they inherited. It is not improving and they are faced with a population unused to difficult decisions or the notion of real economies.

These are being forced on many by the simple effect of increasing inflation bearing on tightened or more insecure incomes. Added taxes will make matters worse and so will all the hidden charges and the extra here and there demanded by service providers and others.

The last thing we need at the moment is a weakened government engaged in minding its back more than minding the shop. Two parties in Coalition both with a lot to lose and the weaker with everything at risk is not a good situation. An opposition made up of media movers and tremblers is no real alternative.

My attention at present is distracted by a more regular drama, The Tour De France, currently in Brittany and visiting places I once knew. This one has its daily beginning and ending with interesting subplots as it proceeds. It is difficult to guess what the result will be but at least you can understand what is going on and why.

Also, you have to admire the protagonists, a bunch of real hard men knocking bells out of each other as the race proceeds. Today they finished at Cap Frehel not far from St. Malo and for a while the camera’s picked up Fort la Latte, a medieval castle on the very edge of the sea.

This was used as one of the locations in the 1958 film “The Vikings” starring Kirk Douglas as the baddie and Tony Curtis has the hero with Janet Leigh and Ernest Borgnine to fill out the story line. Janet Leigh was the blonde beauty heiress princess who was fought over by Douglas and Curtis.

It was long on blood and thunder and men did what men had to do. In comparison our leaders give us thud and blunder and are a bunch of useless wimps. Historically, the film made an interesting counterpoint to all the national based guff that is the basis of much screen productions.

Not only were the Vikings what they more or less were at the time but the Kingdom of Northumbria was called back into life. For many seeing the film it was a revelation to know that this was once a great Kingdom.

In the last few months Buckton Castle by Stalybridge close to Manchester has been the subject of reports after archaeological work there. It is argued that it was one of a number of fortifications thrown up by the 11th Century Normans as a boundary against the Scots along the line of the Humber to the Mersey. By this time Northumbria had been fought over by many warlords and was no longer a Kingdom but a major Earldom.

Eventually, it was divided in 1328 by a marriage deal between the Normans in England and their rebel sidekicks to the north when a border was set between them. This was done largely to head off the Mowbray’s on both sides of the border and their ambitions for a revived Northumbria which was partitioned without much regard for the views of the inhabitants.

When you see all the antics now in London and the unfolding disaster of Europe you wonder when it might occur to those in the North of England that other options might be pursued one way or another.

In London in latter years our political leaders of the left and right have disputed with each other for the favours of the flame haired princess of the Murdoch media empire who runs the News of the World. It is not clear who might have won, now it might turn out that all of them have lost.

We often used to visit Bamburgh in Northumberland and look out to sea wondering about the ancient Kingdom that was based there. Perhaps Murdoch should think about moving his UK media operations to the area as a new and more reliable base.

Telling Tales

The picture above is from the Mail Online of Wednesday, 2 Feb. It is about sporting chaps who play away and do not want the results to appear in the media.

The Mail has an interest in this because these chaps, their lady friends and celebrity acquaintances are major copy material and critical to their sales figures. Looking at the right hand bit of their web page and the features about them loom very large.

What the Mail does not mention is that this interest does not apply only to them but others by extension.

I am reliably informed that the young lady Assistant Referee who was the subject of the rude remarks about offside decisions, seemingly correct, that started the row at Sky Sports and the ending of the contracts of Keys and Gray is not so protected.

Despite her being the innocent party and who has been most reticent, I am told that a media camp set up by her house on permanent watch and tried to monitor her every move. Doors were knocked on, neighbours approached for any information. Children were stopped and quizzed in the street.

She, however, is on very modest earnings, far beyond the sums needed to hire a hotshot London Lawyer to extract a ruling from a concerned judge. It’s the rich what gets the pleasure and the poor what gets the blame, so to say.

It is a pity that The Mail, anxious to meet their sales targets could not go on to point out that as well as sporting, media, entertainment and political figures the libel laws that in effect are available only to the rich and powerful do much more serious damage elsewhere.

Academics who study certain subjects and wish to raise questions arising from their research to the effect that some kinds of product, service or procedures or the use of some substance posing dangers can be muzzled.

Not only are they faced with writs from commercial or other interests, but so are their immediate seniors in their departments and the institutions where they work.

It does not matter that they are right, or their research has been excellent or that it is an issue that deserves and needs wide discussion. Because the sums of money they would need simply to defend themselves and appear in court are ruinous.

Equally, other people concerned with matters normally of public interest that would mean inconvenience or even embarrassment for others can be similarly muzzled.

Our judges feel that personal privacy of embezzlers, drug dealers, swindlers, thieves and the rest far outweighs any public interest and any person adversely affected must not speak up or inform others for the same reasons

Why do we not hear from The Mail about these people, there are enough of them?

Bloggers, Quo Vadis?

There have been several blogs recently that have gone off the radar and I suspect more to follow. There will be many reasons for this. Some will decide to get a life or rather another one, others have finally run out of time, others will have had ultimatums from spouse/partner or other family or creditors or the boss. There will be a few who feel that they have said enough and have little more to add.

One group will be those who became so enraged about the last government that now the chase is over and the prey is taken they are at a loss to know how to direct their feelings. A reason for this is the Coalition have barely begun yet to begin their work and we need to see what will be what.

This may account for the attention paid to the more stupid errors of judgement and past sins of some.

Broadly bloggers seem to fall into three major groups with a largish fringe. There are the professionals for whom the end of the dead tree press is nigh and who wish to be at the commanding heights of the blogosphere. Others are representative of one organisation or established grouping or another and whose output reflects this.

Then there is the broad range of general bloggers and blogs which may be from a base of an organisation but open to wide debate or individual in scope. The fringe is just that, a random and disorganised collection of individuals and groups who want to have their say and hope someone is listening.

Amongst the professionals and those who need to have a high rate of posting there is always the danger of misreading the runes or making bad mistakes. There are those with an angle sometimes difficult to estimate but often blatant.

You just have to use some common sense and attempt a little basic analysis to make your own judgement as to their reliability or strength of argument.

There is nothing much new about this kind of thing. If you look in Wikipedia at “The Thomason Collection of Civil War Tracts” you will see that in the 17th Century all our ancestor bloggers were alive and active.

I have spent many happy hours wending my way through this material. It has more depth, is largely better informed and frankly in many ways more entertaining than much of the 21st Century blogs.

It is fascinating to see just how Archbishop James Ussher arrived at his views on the delicate theological matter of just how old the earth was. Nowadays on the basis of more recent science most of us, but far from all, especially in the USA, believe that he was wrong.

So who was he? He had been busted from his See by the Civil War, pitched up as Lecturer at Lincoln’s Inn, was bad at it because his teeth had fallen out and then roped in by Oliver Cromwell to stop the row about the age of the earth causing mutiny and friction amongst the members of the Eastern Association.

Ussher could almost be a template for the blogger of modern times. In the 18th Century the printed debates were almost as active and in the press there would be well informed parallel comment.

The most famous is Junius of the “Public Advertiser” who is now thought to have been Sir Philip Francis. If he was I suspect he was using feeds from others, notably Jeremy Sneyd, friend of Sheridan and who was connected to the Johnson circle.

Then there is Cobbett and others like him. Dickens in the 19th Century started out as “Boz”, almost a classic blogger style operator, although wordy by 21st Century Standards. Many of the 19th Century writers were predecessors to the blogs in the shape of their writing and opinions.

During all these periods there were ups and downs, more activity and less activity and a wide range of opinion and coming and going. So not much changes; only the means of communication.

What has happened was that in the mid to late 20th Century a great deal of the printed word and media fell into the hands of smaller, more powerful and concentrated groups, substantially commanded from the centres of power.

Now the web and the ability to write, to communicate and to research has become so much easier and literally anyone can join in and they do. If the representatives of the past media establishment do not like it they should remind themselves that their position has been only an historical accident. What is happening now is in many ways a reversion to the past.

The one issue that does worry me is that a good many of the professional and the representative bloggers are simply not looking at many of the serious sources of information. There is a huge amount of solid information that needs looking at and deserves using in informed comment.

This is the difference between many bloggers and their equivalents of the past. They were normally better informed for their time and able to handle complicated ideas and information. The present knockabout business is not enough in the world we are in.

Although, if the Coalition goes wrong I will be joining the knockers soon enough.

Sing Choir Of Angels

St. Peter today expressed his mortification and abnegation at the revelations in “The Universe” that he was willing to accept half a million masses to arrange direct access to God. “The Universe” investigating reporting team led by Lucifer Dawkins filmed St. Peter in secret under the guise of a team of penitents.

St Peter said “It has been hell up here since this happened”. God was not available for comment but the Celestial Media Choir chorused that he was disappointed to have been betrayed a fourth time. The Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM PLC) was out of heaven visiting Australia to help with wine crops in areas of water shortage. She has been known to have been critical of British developments in recent centuries.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said “We need a full deep discussion about all the many tautological epistemologies of ontology with all faiths and oh conundrum I’ve sat on my glasses again.” Other faith leaders were agreed that they could not believe it.

Tony Blair, recently appointed representative of God on earth and United Nations Tsar for New Warfare, supported St. Peter claiming that it was normal business practice and in the past people had paid tens of thousands just to sit on his sofa.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that they would not be investigating as the matter lay outside their jurisdiction, but that recently special confessors had been appointed to the Forces community of Flagellants to ensure that they would be fully available for the Opening of Parliament and other state occasions.

St. David Beckham said that he would be praying for Fabio Capello and that he will be willing to contribute when his advisers had arranged admission to the College of Cardinals and media rights. Victoria Beckham will be designing new see through vestments to help the Churches achieve transparency in their functions.

The Pope was fully engaged in Spain giving blessings to golf courses to help overcome the financial crisis. However, the Vatican Marketing Department announced a new Premium Full Gold Rosary product designed as an investment in both the Cities of Earth and Heaven. Buyers would be given a Personal Purgatory Account Manager during the period of transition.

Her Majesty The Queen was at the Tower of London discussing the restoration of some of its older traditions.

All Things Bright And Beautiful

The Royal Albert Hall was once a major boxing arena, with some wrestling, as well as being a major venue for Temperance and Political rallies, and other great occasions. In recent decades it has become more of a venue for vulgar entertainments, so inevitably the BBC has become attracted to it.

According to a plaintive letter in the latest Saga magazine sent to me free looking for a subscription (that will teach me not to ask them for insurance quotes) a reader tells of an experience in September. Invited to attend a BBC “Big Sing” for “Songs of Praises” in September at the Royal Albert Hall, he found it decked out with holly and Christmas trees. Just to remind them the warm-up man bellowed out “It’s Christmas!” when in reality it was the Autumn Equinox.

After an hour singing away at Christmas Carols led by Aled Jones, the BBC’s resident Holy Man, they had an interval. Whilst the carollers went out to get some fresh air and to view the lines of the impoverished of Kensington waiting to cash their food stamps in the shops of Partridges, Waitrose and M&S, or seeking out cheap Chinese clothing on Kensington High Street, the Hall was having a makeover, as the BBC calls it.

When they resumed the “Big Sing” after the interval it was Easter, apparently, with hymns and the rest to match, and suitable décor. Perhaps it was as well that the BBC did not try to cram in a session for Midsummer Day, the mind boggles at what they may have come up with.

We have all seen those TV documentaries where the presenter is atop a far hill with fields of yellow rape seed oil in the distance in the May, waving to a village at the bottom. Then when the presenter reaches the village it is clearly Autumn. Also the costume dramas where the handsome hero arrives at the lady’s house in the Autumn, and apparently leaves in the Spring. In the book he took only tea, and did not winter there.

I have been struggling to find some “wrong” dates for some events or music, or others, but cannot come up with a really good one. Others may have wilder imaginations. As for religion, the BBC seems to regard all feasts as moveable according to its outdoor broadcast recording schedules and sporting events.

But as every comedian knows, it is all a matter of timing.

Alice In Blunderland

On Sunday night BBC2 started a series on where humanity came from and how. Although fronted by the intelligent and able Alice Roberts, she was given a script of utter banality. The programme was cluttered with the usual clever clogs camera tricks and the nasty ten plus decibel bursts of sound that can damage the ears of the unwary. It took an hour to tell us what we might have learned in ten minutes and spared us the detailed information, hey guys, who needs facts?

Alice took us to the Kalahari and the Bushmen to illustrate the basics of the hunter gather lifestyle. As they trotted along in the fierce heat of the desert she measured their body temperature to see how they coped. It remained remarkably stable in spite of hours of effort, helped no doubt by their physical fitness and lack of fat. But the thesis was that the sweat glands enabled body cooling that made the humans far more efficient predators in severe conditions than all those fur clad cats and others. I sweat therefore I am. What Alice did not mention was the importance of the sense of smell in the wild and that the sweat may have had an effect on the females. As this is a polite blog, up to a point, I shall draw a veil, save to say it all helped to create the next generation.

When watching the football earlier, which of course features other sweaty men, one advertisement had a man, (a banker?) living a busy modern life, kept happy only by squirting large amounts of petro-chemical to stop the sweat glands working, and containing powdered heavy metals to block the pores. As the content of this stuff overcomes and may destroy the sense of smell it keeps the suckers buying. Also it may contain substances that do strange things to the parts of the body that exercise the reproductive function, so the chaps may be able to perform, but without much useful results. So it looks as though modern urban man, often carrying a good deal of fat, could be overheated to no great purpose and useless out of doors.

Alice did not mention in relation to the Bushmen that recently the government of their country have tried to push them into small reservations with concrete huts to allow mining companies a free run at all the mineral resources in their home lands. Like many other cultures deprived of their base, it may well have led to the end of the Bushmen of the Kalahari as a human group, and the end of the last of the hunter gatherers. In the meantime, some of the minerals from their land would have been ground up very fine, and put in cans with stuff to block the pores and stop the sweat of men in the developed world, all in the name of progress and growth.