Quote of the Day

From Nick Cohen on the departure of Dan Hodges from The New Statesman for not following the pro-Miliband Minor line:

I know that editors censor the world over because they are frightened of the secret police, authoritarian government, megalomaniac proprietors, corporate paymasters, terrorist militias and the like. But what can one say about a magazine that censors because it is frightened of Ed Miliband?

The Frightening, Bitter World of a Guardian Reader

Over at The New Statesman, we have a frankly rather wonderful headline:

What a frightening world it must be if you only read the Daily Express

Yes, very true. And just imagine what the world would be like if you only read The Daily Mail? Not only frightening, but also hate-filled. The very thought of it makes me shudder.

Then again, what would the world be like if you only read The Guardian or The New Statesman? I'd argue that it would also be a frightening place. And a world almost designed to make you a bit bitter. After all, you would be constantly told that you are part of a progressive majority that is thwarted at every turn by a malign conspiracy between right-wing politicians, news outlets and automatically malign big business. You would also be told that your leaders are constantly disappointing - the only time they are actually of any use is when they are not in power and they can revel in the need not to compromise that is the privilege of politicians in opposition. And you would also be constantly told that we are awaiting the wrath of Gaia, who is mightily pissed off that the majority haven't been recycling.

So the world of the person who just reads The Guardian would be just as frightening as the person who just reads the Express (albeit in different ways). The simple truth is that if you want a balanced worldview and to make your own choices about life, you need more than one source when it comes to current affairs.