The media is running the country

I’ve been searching online for a piece that most reflects my feelings on Cummingsgate.

Somewhere, during this absolute waste of my time, I spotted a commenter speculating about what would happen if the media loses its all-out quest for a scalp?  Is it a quest or a crusade?

If it wins, the scent of blood will further empower the media, which seems already to be running the show; but if the PM stands his ground, the puffed-up media might deflate like a burst balloon.

Just to clarify, as Mishal Husain repeated several times as she grilled Robert Jenrick with chilling savagery this morning. In her case ‘clarify’ means ‘crucify’, but my position is that I think dancing on the head of a pin to justify Dom’s shoogley defence is 100% counter-productive. 

I just think, in the scheme of things, the media should never never be allowed to play judge, jury and executioner, nor should the BBC be allowed to act as stand-in for H.M. opposition in the absence of a credible Labour Party.

What does the media, particularly Sky and the BBC, actually want? A Labour government? Do they really think that the same bunch that happily abandoned any principles they might have had to campaign for Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister, would have handled the pandemic more competently? I bet they’re wholly relieved that they avoided that unexpected(!) gift of an escape so that they can continue sniping comfortably and sanctimoniously from the sidelines.

Just two relevant examples.

Eric Kaufmann UnHerd

We should be able to distinguish between various degrees of violation of norms, on the one hand, and sentencing, on the other. On the basis of these standards, and the precedent set to date in Anglo societies, he did wrong and should apologise but did not breach the threshold required for him to resign.

Who's to blame? Jonathan Eida

However, the real scandal in all of this fiasco has been the role of the media in deliberately misguiding the public, producing stories aimed to bring down the credibility of the Prime Minister and his office. It also seems, with many outlets, that they had some personal vendetta against Cummings, who himself has been hostile to them in the past.

Mishal Husain was outrageous. It’s not so much the insultingly rude, argumentative interruptions delivered in that exaggeratedly sugary, saccharine “You’re trying my patience” voice, - we’re almost used to that from Husain - it was the undisguised contempt for the government in her line of attack. All the gleeful announcement of that poll.