The campaign by Rupert Murdock against Tommy Sheridan, and through him against socialism, in Scotland took a new turn last week.
Rupert Murdocks’ Sky News evidently decided to apply the maxim used by Big Brother in George Orwell’s ‘1984’ – "Ignorance is Strength" – when reporting on Tommy Sheridan’s press conference, in Dundee on 4 October.
While millions watched on television, many on giant plasma screens reminiscent of the ‘telescreens’ used by Big Brother, the idea they should be allowed to hear the truth of what Murdock’s press said about the working class and socialists was just too much for his editors in the ‘Ministry of Truth’ to stomach.
Tommy Sheridan was reminding those present at the news conference of the track-record of Murdock’s Sun/News of the World, when theire papers described the miners as "Scum" or the striking fire fighters as "Sadamns stooges." He also spoke of the Liverpool Hillsborough stadium disaster when the Sun, under the headline, "The Truth", reported that survivors were stealing money from the dead and urinating on the emergency services; allegations that were later confirmed as a pack of lies and resulted in a mass boycott of the Sun in Merseyside.
So, rather than let the viewers hear the real history of Murdock’s press, and its role in attacking socialists and the working class, the solution was simple. Cut Tommy Sheridan off in mid sentence. Sky ‘telescreens’ went blank and the test card went up instead. This is Murdock’s democracy in action – his thought-police obviously decided such comments were not healthy for the viewers to hear. However, they will not prevent the socialist case being put in Scotland or the role of Murdock, Blair’s friend, from being exposed.
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