What influences your choice?
From The Common People
- This is a reflection, hopefully in advance of a dialogue, by John Harris writing on behalf of the party.
- The UK has a large range of newspapers, TV channels and their associated websites. Their political content can be categorized as news, investigation, editorial, commentary, and opinion. The news and investigation are often high quality, wide-ranging and trustworthy. The editorial, commentary and opinion columns are often vile, irrelevant, smug and prejudiced.
- The slant carried by each of these editorial, commentary and opinion columns is at the whim of the owner of the newspaper, TV channel or associated website, exercised by the owner's appointed editor. There is invariably a slant. The point of carrying editorial, commentary and opinion columns is to sway the judgement of the consumer.
- Given that it is possible for consumers to digest the news and come to their own informed option, why would they swallow the proffered editorial and commentary opinions shown or printed alongside the news content? More particularly, why would they trust the judgement of those who authored those columns? The authors have been bought and paid for, the opinions are in line with the owner, and why would you trust the owner? The people who own these outlets are anything but trustworthy, they are the antithesis of trustworthy.
- The whole of this website and the party it represents is opinion, none of it is news. Nobody should go away from here thinking they have been informed, enlightened or even represented. We offer the website as a basis for discussion. We don't want anyone to vote for any of our candidates because we have been endorsed by a media outlet. We will be affronted if any media outlet announces their endorsement. We invite voters in this country to vote in support of the policies we outline here after discussing them, reforming them and coming to a balanced choice. The only trust we ask seek is that we will in fact implement our manifesto commitments. It's up to you to decide whether you want them acted upon.