The current crisis engulfing Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp media empire here in the UK has the potential to be the story of 2011.
For those not in the know, King Rupert is the Australian born and naturalized American (for business purposes) Billionaire that controls a vast global media empire which includes 20th Century Fox Studios, Fox television network, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and numerous other media outlets around the world. In the UK his News International subsidiary operates News Corps' British holdings which include(d) The Sun, News of the World and The Sunday Times.
For a complete list News Corps holdings check this out.
Anyhoo, back in the mid-2000s, scandals erupted over News of the World journalists and editors working with a private investigator to hack the phones of members the royal family and other celebrities, among whom were Sienna Miller and Hugh Grant. The issue was brought to the police to investigate but the then heads of London's Metropolitain Police claimed there was not enough evidence of wide spread phone hacking and criminal invasion of privacy to warrant a bigger investigation. News International settled out of court with Sienna Miller, Hugh Grant and six other celebrities who had their privacy violated by News of the World staff under the guidance of then Editor-in-Chief Rebekah Brooks.
Unfortunately for King Rupert, the scandal would not go away and in 2010 he announced plans for News Corps to add to its empire by purchasing the 61% of BSkyB (the UK's major satellite network). The bid had to be approved by the government and with the opprobrium hanging over News International (now headed by Rebekah Brooks) it seemed like their could be some hitches in the plan.
According to The Guardian, in 2010 Murdoch, who as a staunch supporter and friend of former prime minster and Labour Party head Tony Blair, saw Blair's replacement Gordon Brown as a kind of Judas that betrayed his political lap dog, offered to end his media war on Brown and Labour if he would work to end the investigations into News of the World's phone hacking and police bribary policy. Brown refused and Murdoch continued on with his war which managed to take out enough damage on Brown that it cost him enough votes that he was not able to form a coalition government with the Liberal-Democrats, resulting in the current mess of a government running the UK.
Then it happened, King Rupert could not hold back the floodgates for ever. Things exploded into public view when it was discovered that News of the World reporters were hacking the phones of murder victims, politicians and the families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. There was a massive outcry and in an attempt to stop the bleeding, King Rupert closed the News of the World after over a century of being in the newspaper business, resulting hundreds of good people losing their jobs. Meanwhile, Rebekah Brooks, who was the head of the entire News International operation remains in her high paying gig.
There is much speculation that King Rupert is protecting Brooks at all cost in order to keep her from having to testify against her boss, James Murdoch, King Rupert's son and possible heir. If King Rupert is out to save Prince James' neck, then he must also be quite aware of the extent of the corruption and criminality in his media empire. So far, a handful of News International employees have gone to prison for their actions. If they were operating under orders that came straight from the top, then that means the man sitting on top of the pyramid is also guilty of the same crimes.
While King Rupert and Prince James going to the clink is still far-fetched, the situation has turned pretty sour pretty fast for the News Corps Empire. He has managed to do something that might not have happened since World War II and the London Blitz - the political parties of the UK are united on a single issue. The Liberal-Democrats, Labour and Tories have joined to oppose News Corps' purchase BSkyB. The pressure has forced King Rupert to abandon his plans to buy the satellite network and the three parties are proposing legislation to limit media ownership to prevent the domination of the market by a single entity, such as Murdoch's empire. Brooks and King Rupert have agreed to appear before the House of Commons but when seems unsure. Meanwhile, the police officers who sold information or seemed to work on behalf of News International to confound investigations into its criminal activities are being brought out into the light of day. In Australia, spurred on by the UK scandals, parliament is discussing laws to limit media ownership. In America, where Murdoch's most digusting apparatus (Fox News) operates, Democratic senators are discussing possible investigations of News Corps to see if they have been just as criminal on that side of the Atlantic as this one.
If nothing else happens, King Rupert has lost News of the World and full ownership of BSkyB. It seems impossible for Rebekah Brooks to retain her position. He has also reinvigorated the Labour Party by providing party leader Ed Milliband, who had been performing some what lacklusterly, with an issue that he could take ahold of and lead a charge. While Prime Minister (and pal of Murdoch) David Cameron has appeared to be stumbling with the issue of playing catch up with Miliband and Labour. Even Nick Clegg and his much belaboured Liberal-Democrats have been given a boost thanks to their long opposition to King Rupert's attempts at total media dominance of the UK. Cameron's "Big Society" has flopped coming out of the gate. The coalition government has been wobbly for quite some time now and with an insurgent Lib-Dems and Labour, its quite possible that the coalition will break up. If this happens then the Tories would not have enough seats to rule. Lib-Dems and Labour could call a vote of no-confidence on Cameron, remove him and then form a new, leftist coalition which would be very opposed to giving King Rupert any breaks.
Meanwhile, swamped by scandal and under investigation, News Corp's right-wing media machine in America maybe a lot less likely to participate in its insane agenda of propaganda and fear mongering during the 2012 elections, allowing the Democrats to actually campaign on the issues and not defending themselves from the bizarre claims of whack jobs like Bill O'Reilly etc. This of course would give Obama and the Democrats a huge edge over the extremist rhetoric of today's GOP.
Could King Rupert's troubles lead to a resurgence of the Left in America and UK? Stay tuned . . .
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
American-can.
Some one had recently asked me how living abroad for this extended period of time has changed how I felt about America and Americans in general. My recent 4th of July post kind of touched on this but the question got me thinking about this topic.
The simple answer is "No". That would be a bit disingenuous. What living abroad does is throw in to contrast the differences between "here" and "there". So, while I might not feel much different about my countrymen (and women) and the nation in general, why I feel the way I do is much more clear.
Things I have always disliked about America: populist anti-intellectualism dominating the national discussion; the vocal minority of fundamentalist Christians dictating policy for the rest of the nation through their political mouth pieces; the strangely erotic fascination with guns; capitalism being elevated to the position of a pseudo-religion; unmitigated consumerism being seen as a kind of social attainment; sexism, mysogony and homophobia paraded in the guise of religion.
I am a Zen Buddhist and do not adhere to the Judeo-Christian belief system. I do not believe in Yaweh or that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the grave. To me these and connected beliefs are just as much myths as stories of Hercules and Zeus. In America, I always felt a bit of unease being openly "not Christian". There was the constant threat of somebody ready to pounce and proselytize at the mere hint of a non-believer. Living in the UK, I do not feel that kind of hostility. I am very openly Buddhist and can engage in discussion about what that means with friends and strangers alike without worry that somebody will try to "save" me. Escaping this pressure is a great relief.
Part of the consumerist mentality of America is the desire to consume everything. This is most clearly demonstrated by the American love affair with huge slabs of meat. Being carnivorous goes hand-in-hand with his mindset because it represents devouring another being. The ultimate act of consumption. Being a vegeterian is not the easiest task in America - not in the act of livin this lifestyle but due to how people react to it. A great many of my countrymen (and women) react almost violently upon learning that my family is vegetarian. I understand this is due to the fact that we're challenging their mass consumption world view but man it's tiring always having to explain why I won't eat something that possessed sentience of any kind. The UK is very veggie friendly. A large percentage of the population is vegetarian. Everybody knows at least a few vegetarians and it is treated as a normal lifestyle option. It is very liberating not to be treated an oddball everytime you go out to eat and have strangers question the ethics of your eating habits.
To be continued . . .
The simple answer is "No". That would be a bit disingenuous. What living abroad does is throw in to contrast the differences between "here" and "there". So, while I might not feel much different about my countrymen (and women) and the nation in general, why I feel the way I do is much more clear.
Things I have always disliked about America: populist anti-intellectualism dominating the national discussion; the vocal minority of fundamentalist Christians dictating policy for the rest of the nation through their political mouth pieces; the strangely erotic fascination with guns; capitalism being elevated to the position of a pseudo-religion; unmitigated consumerism being seen as a kind of social attainment; sexism, mysogony and homophobia paraded in the guise of religion.
I am a Zen Buddhist and do not adhere to the Judeo-Christian belief system. I do not believe in Yaweh or that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the grave. To me these and connected beliefs are just as much myths as stories of Hercules and Zeus. In America, I always felt a bit of unease being openly "not Christian". There was the constant threat of somebody ready to pounce and proselytize at the mere hint of a non-believer. Living in the UK, I do not feel that kind of hostility. I am very openly Buddhist and can engage in discussion about what that means with friends and strangers alike without worry that somebody will try to "save" me. Escaping this pressure is a great relief.
Part of the consumerist mentality of America is the desire to consume everything. This is most clearly demonstrated by the American love affair with huge slabs of meat. Being carnivorous goes hand-in-hand with his mindset because it represents devouring another being. The ultimate act of consumption. Being a vegeterian is not the easiest task in America - not in the act of livin this lifestyle but due to how people react to it. A great many of my countrymen (and women) react almost violently upon learning that my family is vegetarian. I understand this is due to the fact that we're challenging their mass consumption world view but man it's tiring always having to explain why I won't eat something that possessed sentience of any kind. The UK is very veggie friendly. A large percentage of the population is vegetarian. Everybody knows at least a few vegetarians and it is treated as a normal lifestyle option. It is very liberating not to be treated an oddball everytime you go out to eat and have strangers question the ethics of your eating habits.
To be continued . . .
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Wave That Flag High And Dry!
The 4th of July has come and gone but my nostalgia for hot and sticky, acrid smoke filled American summer nights has not passed. This was the first Independence Day not in the US of A.
I have never considered myself all that patriotic. The sight of the American flag does do anything for me really. I don't get a lump in throat, get teary-eyed or reflect on the men and women who gave their lives to support it. It's just a flag to me. That's it. The Star Spangled Banner or God Bless America don't do much for me. One reminds me of baseball games and the other pictures of Kate Smith in old Time-Life books I used to look at as a kid.
If I feel any sort of nationalism at all its in regards to the American people. I know that my forebearers came from Scotland, Wales, Germany and Poland. I also don't give a damn. While I find Scotland and Wales to be incredibly beautiful, I didn't feel any kind of "home coming" when I arrived. They were just especially gorgeous spots on the planet. I trace my heritage back to America. That's where I was raised and its people is who I call my own. I always kind of shook my head at the various ethnic parades etc. that go on year round. They are usually fun but I feel they are kind of counter productive. What should be celebrated is our unity as an American people - "One People United". That said,I do enjoy the debates of diversity versus integration that is a hallmark of the American experience and should continue to be so throughout its history. It's that tension between these two pulls that keep the country vibrant and alive.
So, what was I nostalgic about yesterday? It sure wasn't here that awful "Proud to be an American" song that gets played to death at local firework displays and parades every 4th. Nor was it nationalistic speeches by politicians on TV. What I missed was sitting in a hot, sweaty mass of my fellow Americans looking skyward as fireworks explode and fill even the most cynical of us with childlike wonder. I missed cooking out with friends and family leading up to a backyard firework display. I miss dopey parades with little girls in their gymnastic uniforms doing cartwheels down the street and firemen tossing handfuls of candy to the screaming children lined up along the curbs.
I missed baseball, over cooked (veggie) burgers off the grill, playing horseshoes, children writing their names in the air with sparklers, marshmallows turned into torches, aluminum kegs of beer, weird salads and casseroles laid out at parties,the recognition that inspite of all of us being able to claim a different ethnic heritage that we are indeed one people.
I got none of that this 4th of July. All we had over here were memories. It was a nice night so we slept with the bedroom window opened. Sometime in the very early morning hours of the 5th of July, I was stirred from my sleep by what I could swear was the faintest hint of the acrid, sulfurous smell of fireworks. It smelt like my American dreams.
I have never considered myself all that patriotic. The sight of the American flag does do anything for me really. I don't get a lump in throat, get teary-eyed or reflect on the men and women who gave their lives to support it. It's just a flag to me. That's it. The Star Spangled Banner or God Bless America don't do much for me. One reminds me of baseball games and the other pictures of Kate Smith in old Time-Life books I used to look at as a kid.
If I feel any sort of nationalism at all its in regards to the American people. I know that my forebearers came from Scotland, Wales, Germany and Poland. I also don't give a damn. While I find Scotland and Wales to be incredibly beautiful, I didn't feel any kind of "home coming" when I arrived. They were just especially gorgeous spots on the planet. I trace my heritage back to America. That's where I was raised and its people is who I call my own. I always kind of shook my head at the various ethnic parades etc. that go on year round. They are usually fun but I feel they are kind of counter productive. What should be celebrated is our unity as an American people - "One People United". That said,I do enjoy the debates of diversity versus integration that is a hallmark of the American experience and should continue to be so throughout its history. It's that tension between these two pulls that keep the country vibrant and alive.
So, what was I nostalgic about yesterday? It sure wasn't here that awful "Proud to be an American" song that gets played to death at local firework displays and parades every 4th. Nor was it nationalistic speeches by politicians on TV. What I missed was sitting in a hot, sweaty mass of my fellow Americans looking skyward as fireworks explode and fill even the most cynical of us with childlike wonder. I missed cooking out with friends and family leading up to a backyard firework display. I miss dopey parades with little girls in their gymnastic uniforms doing cartwheels down the street and firemen tossing handfuls of candy to the screaming children lined up along the curbs.
I missed baseball, over cooked (veggie) burgers off the grill, playing horseshoes, children writing their names in the air with sparklers, marshmallows turned into torches, aluminum kegs of beer, weird salads and casseroles laid out at parties,the recognition that inspite of all of us being able to claim a different ethnic heritage that we are indeed one people.
I got none of that this 4th of July. All we had over here were memories. It was a nice night so we slept with the bedroom window opened. Sometime in the very early morning hours of the 5th of July, I was stirred from my sleep by what I could swear was the faintest hint of the acrid, sulfurous smell of fireworks. It smelt like my American dreams.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)