Lib Dem Paul Burstow

Imagine a government minister telling members of the party what newspaper they should read and which papers they shouldn't!

Apparently Lib Dem Minister Paul Burstow did just that this week at his party's conference. Alan Arusbridger, Editor in Chief of Guardian Newspapers informed us all from his twitter account.  Seems our minister a little bit upset with something the Guardian has been publishing. 

Excuse me, but didn't the Guardian come out for the LibDems at the last General Election?

So what is this minister playing at?

Has the Guardian found the policies of this government just as revolting, unjust and destructive as the voters? 
Newspapers are often the tools of propaganda aimed at influencing the way in which people think about the world they live in.  Radio and TV can and are used for the same purposes. 

You know, when anyone, particularly a government minister tells me not to read something, then like everyone else in a democracy I behave as I should.  I go and read it.  There is no government minister who can tell me what to read and what not to read and then expect the privilege of being judged fit to lick the soles of my shoes!  You may have been judged fit to lick them before you saw fit to tell me not to read something, or you may not have been.  With one simple speech that minister is in the category of 'not fit' forever more.

You can't kill ideas by telling us not to read them.
You can't kill information by telling us not to read it.

Or perhaps this minister is aware that as soon as we are told not to read or listen to something, then the British immediately do it?  When I was a teenager, ever manager of every music band knew the way to guarantee, not only a hit, but a fast hit, straight to No1 on the charts was to have the song banned by BBC Radio 1.  If this is his idea, then he is being, well no more than a wimp.  Stand up and say you do not agree with this government's policies.  Resign your cabinet seat vote against the cuts.  Losing the whip is a lot less severe than what is about to be done to too many people of this country.

If the newspapers are providing inaccurate data or immoral opinion, then the minds of the people will grasp that.  We will understand.  We can assess data, and we can detect good ideas and bad ideas, poor reasoning and good reasoning.  We are adults, after all, not little children in need of protection. So let's not have anymore Kim Il-sung fatherly love.

For as long as we have a free press in this country we will make use of it, without advice from any government worker, elected or not. 

What we read is our concern, not yours Mr Burstow. 

Your business is to ensure you administer a country based on the principles of social justice, not on robbing the poor and working class to enrich the elites, to ensure a good living standard for all rather than pushing the poor further into poverty, to ensure a world-class education system is freely available to all even at university level, that healthcare is not only world class but free to all, to ensure all criminals such as those involved in international conspiracies to cover up the rape of young children freely enter this country with no attempt made at prosecution, to ensure all war criminals are prosecuted, to ensure all genocidal mass murders are prosecuted, to ensure our environment is protected for our benefit and the benefit of future generations and to ensure that this country withdraws ties with states judged to behave as terrorists whilst also ensuring this nation and our armed services work towards the security of us all, rather than continuing to behave no better than a global terrorist ourselves.

In short, while we read our free press, you should be busy ensuring we who elected you, who pay your salary have physical, mental and economic security each and every day or our lives.