By Walter Russell Mead
The British media is abuzz this week over the creation of a new government-run press regulator. The NYT reports
that the new code invests the regulator with the authority to “order
prominent corrections in publications that breach standards,” a power
now enshrined in the royal charter, which also sets the rules for the
BBC and the Bank of England. British tabloids are not known for the
integrity of their content, but many feel that government regulation of
it is a bridge too far.
Via Meadia can’t help but agree. Britain has the makings of a
great country, but its governing elite has a disturbing penchant for
power grabs. This “Respectable Tendency” in British politics is the
country’s curse and ruin. The well-bred establishment backed Stanley
Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain in the 1930s and ignored Winston
Churchill as long as it could. After World War Two this respectable
class led moderates in Tory and Labour governments to launch Britain’s
ruinous experiments with socialism and state control. Today, the
Respectable Tendency is throttling freedom of the press.
Bent British newspaper hacks are indeed a curse. Nobody anywhere in
the world thinks Britain’s tabloid press does a good job. But the
slimiest, most gin-sodden Fleet Street hack who ever lived isn’t as
dangerous to Britain as the bland, responsible, respectable people who
decided to set up a government-backed press board.
Britain can thrive in the 21st century, but it will surely fail if
the British people allow their brain dead but well groomed establishment
free rein.
Related Reading:
The Illiberal, Liberal Left Smashes Liberty In The UK
British Speech Nannies and the Respectable Tendency
For Whom Does The Bell of Freedom Toll? It Tolls For Thee
Beware of the New Elites
Will the Press Feel That It Can Ever Rely On Muffin Cameron Again?
Mayor Nutter, The First Amendment, Ant That "National Conversation on Race"
Question Time With Mo: Are Speech Codes Constitutional?
The Speech Police Eats Its Own
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