Ed Miliband v The Daily Mail

Nice t-shirt!

Oh what fun! Any sympathy for Miliband? None whatsoever. Get over it. Yes, the Mail on Sunday journalist who gatecrashed Miliband's uncle's memorial service was wrong and has rightly been disciplined. But why the furore over the Daily Mail claiming that Ralph Miliband hated Britain? Why should the Mail kow-tow to Miliband and change its culture? Freedom of the press means the press can say things we disagree with, things we loathe, things that offend us as long as they are legal, that is freedom of the press, freedom of speech.

Of course the lefties who are currently squealing like indignant piggies quite happily talk about Margaret Thatcher in the most vile terms, way beyond what is regarded as polite or civilised regardless of how much they offend her family. Indeed over the years many of us involved in politics, especially in the days of the militants in the early 80s, received vile treatment at the hands of lefties, including intimidation of family and friends when they couldn't intimidate us. So let's cut the crocodile tears.

Miliband whining on about how disgraceful it was to attack his father in such a way should maybe stop publicly citing his father as a great political influence on him when it suits. If you cite your father repeatedly to justify your views, then expect the microscope of the media to focus on your political influence (dad) eventually. When that influence turns out to be a Marxist, a philosophy that in practice slaughtered many millions more than fascism ever did, then I think we have a right to know.  Furthermore the very nature of Marxism is to destroy the liberal democratic system of government that we have in this country so I think criticism of Marxists is not only valid but a duty of those who value freedom.

Miliband denies that his father hated this country by citing his service in the Royal Navy during the war. I admire anybody who has served or is serving in the armed forces, but not all serve out of love for their country any more than those who fought in the International Brigades did so out of a love for Spain. I would suggest that Ralph Miliband, who came here as a refugee in 1940 fleeing the Nazis, was much more likely to have joined the forces to fight the Nazis than for love of a country he barely knew, and I do not criticise him for that, I am sure many men fought in the last war for the same reason rather than a sense of patriotic duty.

What is very telling in this episode is Miliband's cries for the Mail to change its culture, and his supporters  calling for action against the Daily Mail even resorting to vile accusations of anti-Semitism. The message being that press freedom is fine, as long as you are kind to Miliband and co and say nice things about them. Maybe they'll remember that next time they want to be crude and nasty about Cameron's wealthy family members or Osborne's in a much more personal and nasty manner. 

I'm not a Mail reader but get tired of those who blindly follow the trend of slagging off the Mail and its readers. I can only think that as they seem to loathe the paper so violently that they must read it on a pretty regular basis. Or are they just being prejudiced and bigoted? I don't know. But those who think The Grauniad is some bastion of virtue and morality maybe you should read this interesting article.