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Showing posts with label Dan Hannan a one hit wonder?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dan Hannan a one hit wonder?. Show all posts

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Dan Hannan a one hit wonder?

Dan Hannan a one hit wonder?

If the whole world is a stage, then all Dan Hannan has done is upstaged Gordon Brown.

And, to add to Brown's political embarrassment, a handful of Tory bloggers ganged up on him in typical bullying fashion. So, it has become a YouTube hit. The pop charts over the years are littered with one hit wonders. Typical of Guido Fawkes to claim he made it happen by tipping off the Drudge Report.

I did enjoy Gordon Brown's discomfort, for personal reasons. That should have been me making him feel uncomfortable because of his failure to ensure that convicted prisoners get their human right to vote.

What this story does show is that with manipulation it can become big news in the world without the influence of the Mainstream Media. The new media has taught the government a lesson. The McCanns were able to control the MSM but had no control over the new media. The government is already seeking to control the new media. I would not be surprised if Dan Hannan's outburst speeds this process up.

On Sunday on The Politics Show on BBC1, the powers that be decided that my story should only feature on the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire segment. And yet, it relates to a national, and European, if not international story. There is a fight for airtime and wider coverage. In my view, the BBC missed the significance. True, part of the story relates to a Hull man challenging the government and questioning the legitimacy of the next European Election. However, my location is not the important aspect save for local news value.

I am seeking to bring the story to a happy conclusion.

To that end, I am thinking about publicity stunts.

Dan Hannan's attack was a publicity stunt and it worked but not in the way he expected. He was seeking MSM attention and instead he got the new media attention, which did eventually lead to MSM attention. He would not have been able to get away with that in the English Parliament because the Speaker would have called "Order, Order", to silence him.

It is frustrating because the Prisoners Votes Case echoes "The most crucial question raised by lawyers at a 1971 Prisoners Rights Conference 'How does one get a court decision implemented?' remained unanswered (Mike Fitzgerald)".

We are supposed to live in a democracy and yet prisoners do not have the vote, and peaceful protest around our Parliament has been made unlawful. The government keeps going on about citizens should do what is right, but in this case what the government is doing is wrong.

The Tory MP Philip Davies said "Who cares?".

You would think that society in general cares. However, it would appear that society does not even care if it fails this test: "The mood and temper of the public in regard to the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of the civilization of any country" (Winston Churchill).