Yet after the fiasco of the Hutton enquiry, it has consistently behaved like a state propaganda organ. One can almost hear the eggshells creaking as its journalists tiptoe across them.

The government has destroyed ancient liberties without a squeak from supposedly independent broadcasters.

I cannot imagine what pressure has been brought to bear to destroy so quickly the oldest tradition of journalistic independence in broadcasting. The public slapping-down of Humphrys seems to offer some slight glimpse of the forces at play.

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When are you coming to Westminster?

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Can you do anything in the style of Robert Fisk?

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You may have read about it in
the papers
there’s kids trained on arcade
games and space invaders
who get target practice at home
aiming pistols at their
playstations, and now they’re
taking all their orders from
George Walker Texas Ranger

knowing that if they don’t do
as they’re told they’ll get
called traitors, even if it means
they’ll be hated by their neighbours

but why on earth should they care
they’re laughing in the face of danger
doing what they do best just to
make the world a little safer

So when they get killed crippled
or decorated and some of the soldiers
start to wonder where the
hell the parade is, they’ll have to
learn the hard way that it’s been
going on for ages, that there’s
lots of money to be made in a war
that rages

So who pays the price?
Who’s the hole in their pocket?
because someone’s loss is always
someone else’s profit

It happens right in front of us
but we don’t watch it
whilst the shit Bruce Willis films
make a killing at the box office

I don’t mind preaching to the choir
when freedom fries in friendly
fire, time after time it’s no
surprise, it’s an eye for an eye
until we all go blind

This summer’s biggest blockbusters
don’t have big name stars or much
of a budget, just a bunch of bandits
with camcorders and swords and
some heads to chop off on the
cutting room floor

We never give in to kidnappers’
demands, if we don’t pay them
ransom we won’t look that bad
because we know that the rest of
the world understands and together
we can all wash the blood from our hands

But as for the arabs we have other
plans, they’ll be smoked out of
every right hole in the land
till we’re sure that they’re all dead and buried in sand

where one day our big business
skyscrapers will stand
it’s hard not to seperate fact
from fiction when faced with a
monkey like man on a mission

a leader who learned all about
his religion from Mel Gibson
films with his evengalism
whose not even capable of
taking his own decisions
whether it’s abortion or killing
people in prisons

He’s about the right size and
daddy’s shoes fit him
if he’s going down he’s taking
all of us with him

I don’t mind preaching to the choir
when freedom fries in friendly
fire, time after time it’s no
surprise, it’s an eye for an eye
till we all go blind

Cameras can shoot nothing worse
than the truth, it’s a tooth for
a tooth, we’ve the pictures for
proof, and it’s coming home to
roost, so that’s all left to do
is dig up Bob Hope for a morale
boost

Yeah GI Joe is gonna have to do
some explaining, coz photos of
abuse by troops sold a load of
newspapers and caused a sensation
across all of the stations

Just think what a third world war
would do for the ratings
you may have read about it in the
newspapers, there’s kids trained
on arcade games in space invader
who get target practice at home aiming pistols at their
playstations, and now they’re
taking orders from George Walker
Texas Ranger

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The recent terror attacks have been used by Our Dear Leader, Kim-Il Blair, as a springboard from which to launch a raft of ill-considered, knee-jerk attacks on the civil liberties this country has long stood for.

The start of the slippery slope comes with the much-vaunted introduction of legislation to gag and, if required, deport Islamic mullahs who ‘promote or incite’ terrorism.

While I hate what these idiots spout, freedom of speech defends their right to spout it. It is, of course, our inalienable right to call them cretins when they do so.

However, once you ban them, where does the line next slide to?

The censuring of John Humphries is a prime example. He criticised – in a light-hearted manner – those who would wish to remove our rights ‘for our own protection’.

How long before criticising our political leaders becomes a criminal offence?

I’ve already ranted about this on my Blog, and I’m not going to reproduce the article verbatim here. But I do call on Boris, and all other right-thinking politicians of whatever colour – please, stand up and make it clear to Kim-Il Blair and the Cretinous Cabinet that we won’t stand for the erosion and withdrawal of ANY of our civil liberties, whatever the excuse.

Neil

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Biig PS: on the subject of news and journalism, did you know that Stanley Johnson is going to be on the telly again?

“Peter Dale, the head of More4, said he was “confident” that any legal challenge would fail. C4 is spending 33m launching More4 as part of a long-term strategy to guard against declining audiences on its main channel. Its schedule includes a nightly news programme at 8pm presented by Sarah Smith.

“I think the news agenda in Britain is very narrow and we want More4 news to break that open,” Mr Dale said.

Other programmes include a topical talk show, The Last Word, which will air at 11pm every weeknight and be hosted by a revolving cast including Stanley Johnson, the father of the Tory MP Boris.”

Intrigued? check out the full story on: http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1557342,00.html

Also, Stanley writes in the Guardian every thursday and his articles can be read online eg.:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1564879,00.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1560236,00.html
He manages to make the advent of electricity at his home, remembering his Grandpa and picking up a hitch-hiker fascinating and relevant. So, if you like this (Boris writes) you’ll love that (Stanley writes). Stanley’s website can be found at; http://www.stanleyjohnson.com/ Oh, and if you’re watching the rain and missing the sun, check out Villa Irene therein and sigh with affectionate envy at how the other half live.

I hear they’re looking for a jet-setting charmer to be the next James Bond. If they made the film of Stanley and Boris: Born Blonde and Free, I wonder who they’d cast? It’d make a helluva film! Can I wear a bikini and a white belt and emerge from the sea to…. mnahh.

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