Should Right Of Centre Newspapers Throw Their Weight Behind Ukip?

[sp1814]

UKIP seem to be more aligned to the beliefs not only of the Mail and Express, than the Conservative Party on Europe, immigration, same sex marriage, the economy - you name it!

So why are these papers throwing their weight behind UKIP, instead of publishing stories like this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316924/UKIP-candidate-Alex-Wood-caught-camera-apparently-making-Nazi-salute.html

[jim360]

Well, perhaps. Most of the media are guilty one way or another of, if not toeing the party line, then certainly skewing the truth to reflect what it thinks its readers might want to hear. I don't think you should pretend that it's a phenomenon just of Left-Wing papers.

[ToraToraTora]

A you well know SP, I was referring to the EUSSR.

[jim360]

Type Your Answer Here...Ah, yes, the EUSSR. Where all those who oppose the parliament are packed off to prisons in deepest Norway, where the ones who aren't worked to death manage to freeze first...

[sp1814]

AOG

That was an interesting post.

But why don't you think the Mail is supporting UKIP?

Don't UKIP's policies dovetail nicely with the Daily Mail point of view?

[sp1814]

ToraToraTora

Ahhhh!

Got it.

I genuinely thought you were talking about the Coalition.

You post makes perfect sense now.

[ToraToraTora]

glad I could help

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

/// Don't UKIP's policies dovetail nicely with the Daily Mail point of view? ///

That may well be, but as I have said before in complete opposition to popular belief the Daily Mail will condemn any wrong-doings regardless of what side of the political spectrum created them.

They have also been known to come to the fore-front when they discover wrongdoings, whereas others will shy away from doing so, their 'Stephen Lawrence Campaign' is one such example.

[sp1814]

AOG

Leaving aside this particular story - do you think the Daily Mail should move it's support away from the Conservative Party, and towards UKIP?

[youngmafbog]

The Daily Mail, being a commercial enterprise only has a duty to keep it's circulation (as all newspapers). If it feels its readership are leaning in one particular way then it is logical to feed that leaning.

As AOG points out, one big big difference between left and right is the the so called 'right wingers' are often more open to discussion and persuasion in the face of a good argument as opposed to 'lefties' who tend to be blinded my an ideology and for some reason become blinkered and cannot see the bigger picture.

This can be plainly seen on this (predominantly) left wing site.

[Old_Geezer]

I suspect newspaper support is, in the main, reserved for one of the parties potentially able to form the next government, the one nearest the newspaper editor's views. UKIP would need a lot of support/success to get that far. Until then they'll get mixed response depending on what sells newspapers.

[jake-the-peg]

// 'right wingers' are often more open to discussion and persuasion//

ROTFLMAO!!!

Best one I've heard all week

Perhaps you might like to point us to a thread where seeing the reasonableness of the argument you've changed your mind!

Or is it just that you never get a good rational argument from a left leaning member because they're all so irrationally-left-leaning?

[Svejk]

Can't argue with that, Youngmafbog. Or can they?

[Svejk]

Oops, too late.

[Gromit]

Is AOG avoiding the question or does his posts not make much sense?

UKiP is everything the Daily Mail wishes the Conservative Party was. Anti Europe, anti immigration. The Conservatives are Pro Europe (Cameron says he will campaign for us to stay in when or if the referendum actually ever happens).

Why should the Daily Mail campaign for the Conservatives when UKiP better fits what the paper wants?

[ichkeria]

"Why should the Daily Mail campaign for the Conservatives when UKiP better fits what the paper wants? "

Indeed. Especially at this time, when the elections are not to decide who runs the country. There's no reason at all why supporting UKIP should be incompatible with also running stories about dodgy UKIP candidates.
Despite what AOG seems to think the Guardian for example runs negative stories about left wing personalities. There's no issue there.

[sp1814]

youngmafbog

Interesting post.

Leaving aside the whole left vs right thing (which wasn't really what I was asking about), do you think the Daily Mail should switch its support to UKIP, in the same way that the Sun switched to the Conservatives prior to the 1983 General Election?

[sp1814]

Thanks Old_Geezer. I suppose that's a reasonable assumption. However, if the Mail did switch support to UKIP, it could provide the Tories with the impetus to turn further to the right - which could have the effect of reducing support for UKIP, which I suspect would be in the best interests of the Mail and the Tories.

Just a hypothesis...

[jno]

it is a mystery to me why a party which has basically one and a half policies, chiefly being anti-EU, should so revile modern Germany for trying to conquer Britain by stealth, and yet reserve affection for a previous German who tried to do much the same, only by killing people

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/ukip-candidate-poses-with-hitler-8599293.html

No newspaper is going to support a party with fruitcake candidates like that.