Bishop bashing the energy companies

An archbishop with a background in business is urging the energy companies to “act with generosity, rather than just maximising profit.” (BBC News Website 20 October 2013)

But surely, the conservatives will chorus, businesses are obliged to maximise shareholder value and it’s our pensions that depend on them doing that?

Conference Mischief (2 of many)

The Independent is at it again. The paper that has previously been the nearest to Liberal-supporting has claimed:

The survey found that 59 per cent of all those who voted Liberal Democrat at the last election believe the party has got worse in the three years since, with only 9 per cent saying it has got better.
Independent Website 16 September 2013 Lib Dem reality check: 59% of voters say party is worse now than in 2010

Does the independent report or foresee the news (note dateline!)

Leaving aside the dating of the article, is this really surprising?

A Free Press?

What do we mean by a free press? Is it another marker of what we mean by a “modern democracy”? We have so many models.

A Free Press – is it what we really want?

Certain elements of the Press are getting very hot under the collar at the idea that they might be regulated – and the elements that are getting heated are those that most need regulation.  It does however appear that they have successfully put the heat on the Government – or at least the Tory element of it.

The Press can still have a huge influence and the market share of the News International and The Daily Mail and General Trust is huge and that share is vocal in its dislike of the Leveson proposals.  For large numbers of the population their message floods all others.

Regulation will constrain the “Freedom of the Press” – but to do what?

Expectations of Privacy

The Italian Press (or to be more exact the Bunga-bunga man’s press) is to publish photographs of a pregnant bikini clad women walking on a beach. (BBC News website 13 February 2013: #### photos: Chi says photos ‘not scandalous’)

This again raises questions as to what is privacy and the nature of our modern society.

Lock-in at the last chance saloon?*

Tomorrow the Leveson Enquiry is published. Some very powerful voices seem to be being raised to give the press (yet) another chance. This, decades on from David Mellor’s comment that they “were drinking in the last chance saloon”.