[Closed] Why do STW dwellers not like Rupert Murdoch?

How long have you got? And where would you like me to start?

He's got bad breath.

He stole my idea to become a multi-billionaire.

because he pays no UK tax despite making huge profits here.

because he is a monopolist
Because he wields undue influence over politicians and uses this to espouse a neo con philosophy

Because he is a ****

Is that all you've got against him TJ?

OMG.
Where shall we start?

I'll start with the Daily Mail. 😆

I could go into chapter and verse from the Thatcherite-backed war on the print unions in the 80's, to the phone hacking fun and games that are still coming out now, but actually I think TJ has summed things up both concisely and elequently.

Cheers TJ

'Bloody foreigners comin over ere', seriously though for me it's the running down of the royal family.

I get that he's a monopolist, didn't know about not paying UK tax but thats all part of the game for rich.
I suppose wielding influence over politicians would be my concern - again example would be good.......I'm too lazy and not interested to do any proper research.

Whilst I loathe him because of his vile political views, it's surely unhealthy for any unelected individual (of whatever political persuasion) to hold so much control and influence over politicians and the media.

I do find it amusing that he constantly rails against the BBC having a 'monopoly'. Perish the thought that a private individual, with the help of a compliant Tory government, could ever be allowed to establish one of those eh? It'd never happen here

Cos he controls a lot of media outlets and seems to manipulate them and hence their readers to further a political agenda that simply benefits him and his own world view.

yoshimi - last figures I saw showed that news International payed considerably less than 1% in tax. Everything is funneled through the Caymen Islands and Belize to avoid any tax liabilities

Think of all the money they're making, and all the influence he has. Yet he contributes virtually nothing, save his poisonous political views

yeah, I'm not too keen on him trying to dilute the BBC - the license fee is actually one of the only bills I think offers good value for money

actually, come to think of it, I'm not that happy about his idea of trying to make people pay for news on the internet either

[i]I'm not that happy about his idea of trying to make people pay for news on the internet[/i]

Actually, I don't have a problem with paying for content on the web.

If I want to read the latest stw I would expect to pay for it, why not the same with a newspaper? At least it's being honest about how they're raising money to pay for the content. Other, free, news sources are available.

Other than that, what TJ said.

i could say i hate him because he's effectively the uk's kingmaker.

but really i hate him cos i just don't like his face.

The independence of the mass media is an essential component of a healthy democracy. Murdoch's controls and influences a scarily large part of the mass media and virtually sponsors one political party. This seems unhealthy.

Re charging for news content: he complains that he cant commercially compete with the free content provided by the BBC. But the BBC is effectively a tax-funded public service broadcaster supported by a commercial arm, not the other way around. So tough.

have you ever watched sky news?

he holds far too much sway with a large chunk of the electorate, he helped get tony blair and then cameron elected and expects favours in return

what could be less harmless than our PM, james murdoch and rebbekah brooks having an xmas bash together, in the midst of murdochs takeover of bskyb days after vince cable was sidelined on that decision for declaring his dislike of murdoch and in the midst of the still rumbling on phone hacking debate, and before? camerons right hand man quit after lying about it

And on the phone-tapping. Which, amazingly, hasn't seen much detailed coverage in the Murdoch Press. I wonder why?

Forget about the bullshit celebrity Sienna Miller crap. Think of the monumental arrogance of an organisation, a newspaper no less, that feels it is perfectly ok for it to tap the phones of cabinet members right up to the Deputy Prime Minister, Senior Police officers in the Met, and Members of the Royal family! And that's just the ones we know about.

That is an organisation that is used to doing what the hell it likes, with complete impunity. An organisation that regards itself as above the law. And that can't possibly be healthy in a democracy

1. His organisations aren't interested in reporting unbiased news.
2. He uses his organisations to influence the masses (telling them what they want to hear and dumbing everything down to lowest common denominator).
3. He abuses that power to put pressure on politicians to do his bidding.
4. If you buy his papers or services, then effectively you are electing him to be president of the UK.
5. He has never shown any interest in using this power for anything other than making himself richer.

look at when everyone knew this [what binners said]was happening and how hard it was to get the POLICE to actually do something.
Recall the relative silence of all govts , recall how Labour only got bolshy once out of power, how Dave hired the papers editor and invited the murdochs for tea and said NOTHING much about the cases.
This is how much power he has in this country our police and our govt want to turn a blind eye to his transgressions. No one wants to mess with him due to hos absilute power.
He does the same in other countries it is not healthy for democracy IMHO and it is hardly a "free" press given his polemics.

all of the above.
And Fox (ahem)News

I have hated Murdoch since he got That Woman to help him crush the printworkers' protest in Wapping. Scumbayg. No private individual should be able to wield that much power in a country, let alone one who so successfully avoids paying tax here...

Because he can do what we can't, just imagine TJ with all that power and what a warped and distorted view of the world that would give. Well it's already that warped and distorted but in an entirely other direction.

just imagine TJ with all that power and what a warped and distorted view of the world that would give.

I would have TJ with that much power over Murdoch any day. TJ is a decent Human Being. Murdoch is a ****.

I also would rather TJ than Murdoc. But TJ will never wield that much power, for the same reasons 🙂

yunki, i don't think this is a phenomenon exclusive to STW....

It's not just Rupert Murdoch i dislike i'm not keen on the bosses of any large scale criminal organisation intent on overthrowing our Democracy and way of life. Rupert Murdoch just gets all the hate as He's the most successful one so far.

t_i_m - Member

And Fox (ahem)News

Faux News

TJ with power, for God's sake have none of you read Animal Farm. 🙂

At least Rupert Murdoch has given the working man what he wants.....pictures of women with large breasts. Which is more than what any Labour government has done.

I'm feeling much more informed now thanks

Edit: that sounded sarcastic, it wasn't 🙂

Im wondering why I always was indifferent to him now, maybe its because 50% of my news intake revolves around Sky News constantly being on in the background - and yes I know I should probably read more

BTW, those of you that do have a problem with him, do you have Sky?

News International in various guises had exhibition space at Labour and Conservative Party conferences. Up until last year it might scrape a junior reporter from the barrel bottom and send them to the Lib-Dem conference. Pity Vince Cable blabbed about the Lib-Dem war against NI/Digger and got neutered for it, I guess they have been bought by now.

The brown noses of the current and last two PMs, Rupe one of the first in the door.

This thread will of course be tracked by his minions, listen out for the "click" echo on your land line and check your mobile answer phone PIN.

NO sky and no Murdoch stuff in my life but hey I am still boycotting Nestle

BTW, those of you that do have a problem with him, do you have Sky?

It'll be a cold day in hell when that bastard has me signing a monthly subscription. Not a chance! I'd never buy his poisonous right-wing rags either

I do have Sky.

Cancelling would not make any difference to him, and I'd be without Sky. However you do make a valid point.

Wot Binners says. ~there will never be a penny of mine go to him if I have any choice in the matter

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Oh crap too late !

I accept/admire your stance but I'm sort of with Molgrips on this - its not like theres much of a credible alternative, I cant get virgin

I'm off to read up on this douche bag

credible alternative - BBC, ITV, Channel4, 5 and the rest of freeview.

Holy crap! How much of a ****er is Adam Boulton in that clip? What a petulant prick...

Murdoch is a embittered Machiavellian megalomaniac. Support him at your peril.

he's Australian.

yup i survive very happily without sky and wont pay a penny toward murdoch
90% of sky is drivel anyway and im not interested in the sports stuff
the only bit that hurts is when dramas start on regular tv then head to pay per view or when stuff goes straight to sky like game of thrones, boardwalk empire
this forces me to become a criminal and download all that stuff ilegally, fortunately lots of HD torrents about these days!

TJ - I have looked at just going to Freeview but I think theres too much I 'd miss out on - if I could get virgin I'd be on that like a shot

I've seen that clip before - very very funny to watch a serious broadcaster be reduced to that:)

I did boycott News International for about 10 years after Wapping but no longer do - although the only thing from NI I'm ever likely to buy is the Times. I really don't see any [i]practical[/i] benefit from boycotting Murdoch's media empire, by far the best solution would be for a Labour government to force the sell-off Murdoch's individual operations in the UK. Thatcher had no problem forcing the TSB to be sold off even though the government never owned it, I see no problem with a Labour PM forcing NI to be sold off - other than the fact that Labour are spineless of course.

Kimbers, I'd say higher than that...95% that sky offres over freeview is crap but the other 5% I really enjoy 😐

If you were ever in doubt to News Internationals true attitude to independent and impartial broadcasting, remember the deal Murdoch signed with the Chinese authorities.

In return for exclusive satellite broadcasting rights on the Astra satellite to China, he would ensure that no independent news, not approved by the authorities, was ever broadcast.

He happily did so without a second thought

Cos he used his stealth ship to implicate the Chinese in the sinking of a British destroyer - bringing us to the brink of war. If it wasn't for some sterling work by MI6 what's left of the Royal Navy wouuld be lying at the bottom of the South China Sea by now.

If all you lefties on here think every Tory, Cameron included, is like (or thinks like) Rupert Murdoch, no wonder you hate them!

Murdoch is a tyrant, he believes anything and anybody can be bought no matter the price. His values and beliefs are lower than low, it is one thing to monopolise a market because you are better than the rest, but to do it by being underhanded, snide and totally ruthless?

I also can't stand the way he'd have himself as God, he seems to think he can, or should rule everyone and everything. The sad fact is that everyone lets him get away with this belief, and buys into it! Why did David Cameron accept hospitality off Murdoch pre-election time? Probably cos he knew if he didn't, Murdoch would turn his entire media army into an "Anti-Cameron campaign" to make sure he never got in, rather than for any good advice he thought he may have.

Sadly the media has ruled the populous in most countries for quite some time now rather than any government, and I think Murdoch recognised this and made sure he was the one in charge of the media in as many countries as he could.

Boycotting Sky TV is useless too, it could go bust tomorrow and Murdoch would barely notice such is his wealth and enterprise.

As much as I hate him though, I could actuallly forgive some of it if he was British and paid his taxes. The fact he makes a significant fortune over here, controls pretty much the entire media and bosses the Government around, yet isn't even a naturalised Brit and pays almost no taxes boils my blood!

He is the lowest of the low, scum of the earth, fortunately at 79 now there can't be all that long left of him doing whatever he wants and getting away with it?

im sure he'll find away to live on.........
[img] [/img]
or perhaps more like herman von klempt from hellboy........

[img] [/img]

binners - Member

It'll be a cold day in hell when that bastard has me signing a monthly subscription. Not a chance! I'd never buy his poisonous right-wing rags either

What makes me sad is some of the blokes at work who claim to be true labour then have a full sky package at home and buy the Times!!!

BTW I'm no raving lefty

So, he despises the Royal Family. Check.

Self-made man who started from nowt and now owns the western world. Check.

Made millions from giving the people exactly what they want. Check.

Destroyed a bunch of work-shy communist trade unions who were driving an entire industry to the wall. Check.

Serial monogamist of women less than half his age. Check.

What's not to like?

What's not to like?

You.

I've just sent the wife out for biscuits. I have a feeling we're going to need them...

Can she pick up some Bahlsen "Chocco Leibnitz" whilst she's out? I understand they're Rupe's favourites, too...

So, he despises the Royal Family. Check.

And they put far more money back into the country than he does

Self-made man who started from nowt and now owns the western world. Check.

Inherited his Daddies company then got set about bullying his way into taking over many more by various underhanded methods

Made millions from giving the people exactly what they want. Check.

Made millions (in the UK anyway) by selling people a concept, getting them hooked on it like a drug, then driving the price sky high once they were hooked.

I'm pretty far from a raging lefty, but Murdoch and his values make me wince that people like him actually exist quite frankly.

getting them hooked on it like a drug

The FIEND!!

[img] [/img]

Destroyed a bunch of work-shy communist trade unions who were driving an entire industry to the wall.

Dear oh dear oh dear. You're a very hateful little man, aren't you?

Fortunately, there are lots of books and articles to read on this subject, so you can hopefully learn something and open your narrow little mind a bit.

I've just sent the wife out for biscuits. I have a feeling we're going to need them...

Don't worry, it's only Woppit. Probbly bin starved of attention lately or something. I suspect we'll see an attack on religion shortly.

Got any Communion Wafers?

That's such a mouthwatering opportunity to fulfull Fred's desire, but - no. Not with that haircut.

yoshimi - Member
He seems to come in for some true hate on here - I've always been indifferent to him.

Specific reasons required please

See Adam Curtis's blog
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/2011/01/rupert_murdoch_-_a_portrait_of.html

Do you suppose the dirty digger has a fluffy white cat that he likes to occasionally stroke in a menacing, slitty-eyed sort of way?

slitty-eyed sort of way?

Racist. 8)

Phillipist, surely...

and buy the Times!!!

BTW I'm no raving lefty

Well [i]I am[/i] a raving lefty. I am however a raving lefty who doesn't believe in gesture politics.

Boycotting the Times will not in anyway reduce the wholly undemocratic and dangerous power which one man, who has never stood for any election in his life, exercises through his ownership of 175 titles, countless TV channels, film and other companies (too many to count)

No, one, totally unaccountable man, should have so much control over the information which we receive, whatever their politics - and their politics really isn't the issue here. But the way to deal with that is through legislation, not through meaningless excises of self-denial.

Having said that despite at one time buying the Times no less often than the Guardian, I rarely buy it these days. It is however still the 4th best paper in Britain imo, even with Murdoch as its proprietor.

I get The Thuderer ([i]sic[/i]) for nowt from the News International courier hub guy across the loading bay.

I particularly like the war diagrams with sexy Tornados and Apaches and stuff with different-coloured arrows pointing excitingly at bits of Libya getting blown up in little spiky flashes of orage and red...

Hang on, hang on, there is daft romanticism taking place here - the printers that he confronted were not heroes. They were anything but.

The printers ruined it for everybody because they took the piss to such an extent - dozens of printers claiming two and three salaries under alias names like Donald Duck the Junior.

If management, not unreasonably, challenged them on this, the union would see that everyone downed tools and no more papers were printed until some extortionate ransom was extracted from the company.

Now, that's not to say what happened at Wapping was right - but it needed to happen, and the problem is that because the Troublesome Inkies pushed it so far, that when retribution came it was brutal. And as a result the cause of industrial relations in the UK was set back decades, and we are miles away from a progressive situation where unions and management can work together in mature fashion for win, win outcomes.

If any union activists or sympathisers want to know why they hold so little sway these days, blaming Rupert is misguided. The blame lies within the union movement itself for failing to stop the excesses of the print unions in the 70s and 80s.

And that's a real shame because I often wonder what my union subs really pay for.

I particularly like the war diagrams with sexy Tornados and Apaches and stuff with different-coloured arrows pointing excitingly at bits of Libya getting blown up in little spiky flashes of orage and red...

Oh dear, what a provocative thing to say Woppit. I feel I ought counter it. Unfortunately I can't be arsed. Try upping the antes maybe ?

Did the Missus manage those Choccos, bullheart?

I'll refresh the teapot.

i like that adam curtis blog,

it is somewhat heartening that even with the pr clusterfrack of gordon browns last days that murdoch couldnt get his pet tory elected with a majority government

Don't you hate it when you wade into a thread in the hope of a good debate ...and find that you're too late as the thread has run out of steam!

I guess left leaning people hate him for being anti union, supporting Thatcher and generally being a super rich, tax doging tycoon and right wingers despise him for dumbing down so much of the media, making football omnipresent, supporting Blair, being Australian / American and being more successful than them.

Ah yes, I've been trying to figure this out since yesterday but you've nailed it - it's because he's more successful than me. More successful at being a cock anyway - and that's saying something. 🙂

Don't forget, the right don't have a monopoly on dodgy press barons, the left have (had) Robert Maxwell.

More successful at being a cock anyway

😀 JY.

because his papers pull stunts like [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14017661 ]this[/url]