The New Year 2017 has arruved

A New Year's Message.

As everyone, or as it seems almost everyone, is sending out a New Year message to the whole world, I thought that I might commit to print a few thoughts which will only be seen by visitors to this page, "friends" and "followers" on Facebook and Twitter and on "New Agenda on Sunday" and perhaps a few others if readers choose to "share" this content with their followers and friends.

Over the past 12 to 18 months, I have become increasingly worried by the constant assault waged by the media, and I use the phrase media to include television and radio together with the printed press and periodicals, against the ordinary people of this country.There seems to be an orchestrated and widening attempt, to turn the "little grey cells" of people, into some form of gelatinous ball, wrapped in a layer of sponge which will readily absorb everything pushed towards it from the pages of the Mail or Sun, and from the television studio's of the BBC and Sky News. Not that the Mail and Sun are alone in the coordinated promulgation of disinformation, lies and propaganda. The media is overwhelmed with its self appointed role as guardian of the country's conscience, and sole prophet for the guidance and well being of the nation.
The enthusiasm and spin with which the media promote government statements is both brazen and sinister implying a belief that people will accept what is being fed to them on face value, as if the government would never lie and the media will always tell the truth.

Take for example, the annual above inflation rise in rail fare, which occurs at least once every year. The increase is justified on the grounds that for every pound income from fare increases, 97p is invested in "improvements" to the rail network. No mention is made of the £billions of taxpayers money given to the  rail companies every year in the form of subsidies earmarked for "improvements" to infrastructure and rolling stock. Nor is any mention made of the every increasing dividends paid to share holders, or to the increases in salaries and bonuses for senior management and executives.  

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling defending the increase

Chris Grayling appears on television defending the fare increase with the pathetic comment that "wages are rising" while at the same time the railway companies announce further cuts to services and reductions in staff levels. The media of course, revel in this "double talk" expecting everyone, particularly those reliant on train services, to believe that government and the train operators are in fact working in the best interests of the traveling public and the taxpayers, rather than creaming off vast sums of money for the benefit of privatised companies and their shareholders.
The case for taking the railways back into public ownership is compelling and the time for taking back control of this vital national service is now overdue.

Another example of media pushing disinformation, lies and propaganda, is the now almost constant assault against the leadership of the Labour party. An assault which has been raging for almost two years and is motivated by the desire to restore a Labour party more in line with the "status quo" of the past few decades, notwithstanding the fact that the current Labour party leader, enjoys the support and backing of more than 60% of the party membership and which, incidentally is the largest political party in the whole of Europe, if not the world. The continuing reliance on the anonymous source, the smear and innuendo of misrepresentation, the mischievous endeavors to drive wedges between groups and individuals, evidences the malicious intent of the media and the government to persuade people that white is black and that only the media know the truth.

2017 will be a year of momentous change to the world as we know it. Great challenges lie ahead both domestically and internationally and we must ensure that we respond to such challenges in ways which are in the best interests of people, rather than in accordance with an agenda set by the media for their own mercenary purposes and a government, intent on the advancement of the few at the expense of the many.