I return to a banana republic – or is it a ‘rag trade republic’?
I’ve been away for the past four weeks, and I appear to have returned to a rather different nation.
As I spent most of the time in the rainforests of Central America, I can’t quite be sure whether I’ve come from or returned to some sort of banana republic.
Newspapers being shut down, an economy apparently sliding back into reverse, Parliament set to vote on blocking a takeover, an almost institutionally corrupt relationship between our main police force and some elements of the media, and Hugh Grant metamorphosising into some sort of privacy crusader.
United Fruit was the banana company that routinely interfered with politics in Honduras in the early 20th century, giving rise to the phrase “banana republic”. In Britain, what appears to have been revealed is that Britain had become a kind of rag trade republic. Politicians, police, judges, regulators, all cowering in fear in the face of the Rupert Murdoch media empire.
It all paints a very unflattering picture of the British establishment, Labour included.
None of which is to deny the Murdochs’ business genius in building up BSkyB, Star and Fox studios etc. They are innovators and pioneers in TV technology, newspaper charging, colour print etc. But why were British politicians so beholden to this empire for so long? It is striking that the day The Sun endorsed the Conservative Party nearly two years ago, David Cameron’s poll lead was 18 per cent. After 8 months of relentless tabloid support, the Conservative popular poll lead was just 7 per cent. To coin a phrase, It Woz the Sun Wot Drew It.
Guess what? People don’t like being told who to vote for. This is particularly the case with the new social media. And James Murdoch himself, hip hop music and new media pioneer, used to go around acknowledging this. I was once told by a close acolyte of Murdoch Junior: “James doesn’t believe in all this media mogul stuff. He believes that we, the public, are the media moguls of the future”.
Great line. And he was right, of course. It’s something to reflect on, today on the day that all three major party leaders vowed to block his bid for control of BSkyB.
