Via Chicken Yoghurt. Tony really was a very businesslike leader, as in everything was for sale, but pay attention to the four horsemen of the A-Briberlypse…Up pops Work will make you Free favourite James ‘Teddy Boy’ Purnell-
A newly disclosed Downing Street memo has revealed how Tony Blair helped Rupert Murdoch overcome an official investigation which was jeopardising one of his big investments. It shows that Blair, while prime minister, immediately ordered his top officials to help the tycoon who was frustrated that a potentially lucrative scheme was being blocked by a long-running European commission investigation.
Blair told the media magnate that “he was instinctively sympathetic to what Murdoch was aiming to achieve”. The tycoon eventually won approval for the plan. BSkyB had teamed up with other big companies to develop an interactive scheme in which people could shop and manage their finances through their televisions.
The memo is the first to be disclosed under freedom of information legislation documenting the contents of meetings between Murdoch and Blair. Blair has been accused of granting political favours to Murdoch in return for support from his newspapers; Lance Price, a former Downing Street spin doctor, said Murdoch seemed to be one of the four most influential people in the administration.
The memo reveals an episode in 1998 – a year after the Sun’s conversion to Labour – in which Murdoch appears to call in one of those favours. Murdoch had privately approached Blair when he feared that the European commission investigation was hindering his business opportunities.
Blair gathered members of his inner circle to see the tycoon – his chief of staff, Jonathan Powell; James Purnell, then a Downing Street special adviser on the media and now a cabinet minister; and his press secretary, Alastair Campbell.
Funny how an adviser on the media is now an expert minster in charge of implementing the Final -Purnell- solution on welfare (now workfare, hello indentured servitude!). Media/welfare, yeah they’re pretty well much identical, totally the best man for the job (wonder where they got the idea for the Jeremy Kyle workfare show from…).
1 November, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Das Capital strikes again.
More opiate for the masses.
1 November, 2008 at 5:06 pm
There’s a real dynastic feel to it, isn’t there? Purnell learns at Blair’s knee. Murdoch Jnr learns at Murdoch Snr’s knee. Blair and Murdoch Snr get down and get dirty. No doubt when Purnell Murdoch Jnr get to take over the respective family business we can expect things to carry on as family tradition dictates.
1 November, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Rafael- In this country otherwise known as- The Sun.
Chickyog- Is that what is meant by ‘family values’? Except the families here seem a cross between the cannibals from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Corleone’s. Then there’s the Corfu nexus of elite heads of the families, I’m sure they all sat round consumed with how best to represent the interests of working people everywhere and avoiding crony-ism, while the servants brought the courses. I’m sure Purnell will get an invite soon, he’s done the apprenticeship as you point out. What is it with tories, not content with their own party they have to have Labour too. And the trade unions keep giving them money, boy they’ve been had.
1 November, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Mark Steel in 2005:
‘It makes you realise the Tories don’t want to win the election. They don’t need to, as they run the country anyway, and don’t have to bother with the paperwork. It’s as if they’ve got a servant to do everything for them. In the New Labour headquarters a bell goes, and a voice says: “Chuck out another batch of immigrants would you, old boy.” Then Labour runs around doing it while the Tories are off to lunch. ‘
1 November, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Damn him and his time machine, reading my comments then going back 3 years and elaborating wittily on them in a newspaper! Still I’ll show him with my series of accessible entertaining documentaries on important historical figures (staring initially with a radio version before moving into a television series)…
Oh noes it’s happened again!
ps. ‘What’s Going On?’ is a great read if you haven’t already.
1 November, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Yeah, funny how a former media adviser is now secretary of State for Screwing the Poor…and even funnier a merchant banker advising NL on how to screw the poor.
1 November, 2008 at 7:22 pm
What can we deduce from this I wonder, that the issue is to be used as a political issue in the media, that reform is only form the point of view of the rich not the users of the system.
I mean call me mad, bad or dangerous to know but on something so large and complex and vital to millions of people’s lives I would want a government to appoint people with real experience and a long term commitment to the issues, especially poverty. People with knowledge not from the elite’s perspective but from the average person’s experience and informed with robust academic studies not beholden to vested establishment interests. It’s very much the corporate approach to govt. where in the private sector a person would run a radio station one minute and a tyre firm the next, the management fetish of MBA clones.
1 November, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Now I have a reason as an American to hate Tony Blair, aside from him supporting the Iraq War. Anyone who helps that Australian fascist is an enemy of America.
1 November, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Hurray, Blair wins another admirer! Meanwhile Rupert gets everywhere-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cameron-murdoch-and-a-greek-island-freebie-971470.html
2 November, 2008 at 11:36 am
[...] to justify a war of aggression, or nomination papers for a future Labour leadership bid, or a directive from on high outlining measures required for the expansion of Rupert Murdoch’s business empire, his [...]