Downing Street Says » EU Referendum Question

» Wednesday, December 8, 2004

EU Referendum Question

Asked if the question on the EU referendum would be confirmed later, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that it was still being finalised, but that it would be a simple, straightforward question.

Asked if Cabinet would be discussing the EU referendum question, the PMOS said that Cabinet did not meet today.

Asked if Cabinet tomorrow would discuss the infantry regiment changes, the PMOS replied that he would brief after Cabinet had met, but he was not aware of it on the agenda.

1 Comment »

Questions which political journalists won\x92t ask include any which could embarrass their employers, the media corporations. Journalists are happy to harry the government out of putting a loaded question in the referendum on the proposed EU constitution. What they won\x92t do, however, is ask if Blair will insist that the media opens its columns equally to all shades of opinion for and against the EU, so that the voters can get a balanced view of the issues before they make up their minds on how to vote.

In Britain, the supposed \x93freedom\x94 of the press is really the freedom of the business interests which own and dominate the media to pursue their own political agendas. Since these largely coincide with Blair\x92s own, neither is going to rock the boat, or care if the public gets the usual distorted and trivialised account of what is at stake over the EU vote.
Comment by Michael McCarthy — 9 Dec 2004 on 12:02 am | Link

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