Across the pond

The media was correct that in predicting that the public anger over MPs expenses would show itself in distrust of all three major parties resulting in a big gains from the fringe parties. They gave massive coverage to the BNP, and although the comment was nearly all negative they gave a national platform in print, on the radio and on television for  its leader, Nick Griffin, who insists his party is not at all extreme.  In the event the BNP got 6.3 per cent of the votes, compared with the Green’s 8.7 per cent, though they got very little media coverage, and most of what  they got dsmissed them as well-meaning idealists. UKIP got somewhat more coverage, quite a lot of it negative, including frequent mentions of their disgraced Euro MPs, who have been milking the Brussels expense system.

UKIP who was the big winner, pushing Labour into third place, with 17.4 per cent of the votes, but that was only up 1.2 points on last time.  That was only a fraction better than the 1 per cent improvement in the Conservative vote. This achieved in spite of the fact that the Conservatives had quite as much negative publicity about their expenses as Labour.  And the Lib Dems, who were much more parsimonious in supping on the Westminster gravy train, actually suffered a fall of 1.1 points in their vote.

So maybe MP’s expenses was not quite as big an influence as the media has been suggesting in Thursday’s votes.  The worst bombs were exploded nearly a month ago. And over the last two weeks the media coverage has been on the shattering effect on the party in charge.  And on the disunity of Labour. Though James Purnell did not resign until after the poll closed, other Labour ministers had resigned. And the disunity of the cabinet had been revealed to all the electorate and confirmed by the Prime Minister, who referred to his chancellor in the past tense, and, then two days later, had to keep him in post.

And, just maybe, the question we should be asking is:

But do the public trust the media?

A subject for another blog.