Dulwich MP Helen Hayes votes against the Brexit Bill

[Earl Aelfheah]

Anna Soubry, suggesting that many MPs are afraid to speak out against Brexit:

?People are not prepared, with a few exceptions, to put their head above the parapet, for fear they will be shot down by the four newspapers that appear to be running the country,? she said, referring to the Sun, Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express. ?People have gone to ground. Where?s the voice of business??

Read this in the FT and thought it was spot on. Despite half the country voting to remain, there seems to be very little opposition to May's apparent course of 'hard brexit'.

[red devil]

It is interesting that newspapers here do have such a strong influence on the direction the country takes politically. Whereas in America it seems much less so, certainly when it came to Trump...

100 :)

[Abe_froeman]

Newspapers only print what their readership will pay to read. They aren't running the country, they are running a business where the more people view what they write the more money they make. If they write stuff people don't want to read they quickly go bust.

[titch juicy]

Abe_froeman Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Newspapers only print what their readership will

> pay to read. They aren't running the country, they

> are running a business where the more people view

> what they write the more money they make. If they

> write stuff people don't want to read they quickly

> go bust.

That's not strictly accurate. Newspapers have a very loyal readership. People will read the express or mail their whole lives and their kids will carry on the tradition. Then, what's written influences those readers as they won't stop buying the paper unless what their used to suddenly changes wildly.

[red devil]

Abe_froeman Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Newspapers only print what their readership will

> pay to read.

I can read the Mail, Telegraph and Express online for nothing. I don't agree with their politics but I will look to see what they're saying, you have to in order to counter their arguments.

> They aren't running the country, they

> are running a business where the more people view

> what they write the more money they make.

That doesn't mean they don't exert a strong political influence though. Blair wasted no time in cosying up to Murdoch because it suited him politically.

> If they write stuff people don't want to read they quickly go bust.

Agree, but it's mainly the non-political clickbait that pays the bills...

[malumbu]

Happy to have a go at the Daily Hate and the Daily Brexit at any point. Irrespective whether we buy them or not, their stories end up being sydicated on-line to numerous sources.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Good article on the challenges and opportunities facing us as a country https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/11/brexit-kibasi-ippr-article-50-referendum-remain-leave