The Budget

Well if it's my fantasy DAR I'm certainly not alone in my 'fantasy world'.

Yes Maybe.

The right wing media (which is basically all of it) indulged in their usual anti Labour scaremongering, pre budget. Their created narrative didn’t materialise, so now they’re jumping up and down like 2 year olds having a tantrum, shouting “she lied to us”, “she made us think that”.

Chat GPT take on it:

“There is a strong case that parts of the media may now look like they’ve been left with ‘egg on their face’ over how they covered Rachel Reeves and her 2025 budget. But it’s not uniform — it depends on which outlets, and which arguments, we mean. Here’s how I see it.

✅ Where media criticism has (so far) been undermined

•Warnings of dire economic collapse didn’t materialise — at least not immediately. Some media voices in the run-up to the Budget portrayed the situation as extremely bleak (“fiscal black hole”, “tax-hike inevitability” etc.). Then the official economic forecast from Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) showed the finances were not as dire as previously suggested — undermining the narrative many outlets had pushed. 

•The Budget avoided a headline income-tax hike many expected. Several outlets speculated and warned there would be big increases in income tax. In the end, the Chancellor did not raise income tax rates — though she froze thresholds and introduced other tax rises. That contrast between expectation and reality has led to criticism of over-hyped media forecasting. 

•Accusations the media were “doing the bidding” of political opponents. Some reports loudly echoed warnings from opposition parties about economic disaster. Given the post-Budget reaction (somewhat mixed but not uniformly disastrous), critics argue that some media outlets helped stoke fear rather than provide information.”

I'm surely not the only one who reads news media and can see a definite bias. Some news stories which should be thoroughly investigated (like the Nathan Gill story) get a quick mention and disappear and anything which potentially undermines the government is picked over for days and days regardless of the substance.

No, you aren’t foxie48. I don’t think much of the public reads widely enough to see the bias for what it is though.

Mollygo

Really accusing others of having a febrile imagination is incredibly rude, just because they don’t agree with your POV.
If I were you, I suppose I’d report that post, but fortunately, I’m not.

Define "rude", please Mollygo. The word is used so often when the mood of a thread doesn't please posters.

There are certainly a large number of journalists who have always written in this way and people who chose to believe them.

✅ Is UK media extremely biased? Yes — by international standards.

The UK has:

1. Highly partisan national newspapers

•Papers like The Sun, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Telegraph, and Guardian take very explicit political stances.

•This level of open partisanship is rare in countries like Germany, France, Canada, Japan, or the Nordic states, where newspapers tend to be less overtly political.

2. A polarised press landscape

•UK newspapers openly endorse political parties during elections — something many Western nations discourage or avoid.

•The result: a press that behaves like political actors, not neutral observers.

3. Strong tabloid culture

•The UK has some of the world’s most aggressive tabloids.

•Sensationalism, scandal-chasing, and emotionally charged headlines are core parts of the business model.

4. Intense influence campaigns

•Media owners (Murdoch, Barclay family, DMGT etc.) have long histories of political involvement.

•Compared internationally, the UK press has unusually concentrated ownership, which increases the risk of bias.

Mollygo

And I still can’t accept that the lie on the bus can be an excuse for any economies with the truth by this government.

Nobody is suggesting that. We once again seem to have descended into feelings rather than evidence.

I wonder if it would help if GN changed the headings to "News Chat" and "Politics Discussion" so there was a space for each?

Thanks for that LizzieDrip. It sets out our need for further Press control and gives an obvious answer to why the Conservatives cancelled Levison 2.

Excellent post, LizzieDrip. It really spells it out. the DM was quoted in another O/P this morning then discussed as gospel more or less.

Sigh. It's political propaganda, not news.

At least the Guardian is readable by all online so we can view the whole story not cherry pick quotes or "Facts".

“The right wing media (which is basically all of it) indulged in their usual anti Labour scaremongering, pre budget. Their created narrative didn’t materialise, so now they’re jumping up and down like 2 year olds having a tantrum, shouting “she lied to us”, “she made us think that”.
Yes Lizziedrip. That’s my take on it, too…

Casdon

No, you aren’t foxie48. I don’t think much of the public reads widely enough to see the bias for what it is though.

But certain well informed GNers do I suppose?

MayBee70

“The right wing media (which is basically all of it) indulged in their usual anti Labour scaremongering, pre budget. Their created narrative didn’t materialise, so now they’re jumping up and down like 2 year olds having a tantrum, shouting “she lied to us”, “she made us think that”.
Yes Lizziedrip. That’s my take on it, too…

That’s just nonsense.
RR is incompetent and should resign.

Oreo

Casdon

No, you aren’t foxie48. I don’t think much of the public reads widely enough to see the bias for what it is though.

But certain well informed GNers do I suppose?

I doubt Gransnet is much different to the general population?

Labour have been in power for 18 months and have been dire.
They have never been so low in political polling as they are today.I’m furious that after waiting 14 years for Labour to get into power that this shower have ruined everything.

David49

The problem with Maizies stubborn adherence to MMT theories is that it only works within a state, where it is true they can’t go bankrupt because the state can issue money to cover any eventuality.

That theory breaks down because the UK economy is not closed we trade with many other states they all have a view on UK economy, in a great many cases trade in US dollars the reserve currency because they don’t trust sterlings value.

Our government tries to keep a stable value by restricting the money available, controlling inflation with varied success.

I totally agree with you.

If only there was as much discussion and headlines about Farages racist bullying at school or Reforms Russian connection . But that doesn’t fit into the narrative that most people want does it. Someone, somewhere wants a Reform government and you can bet it isn’t because they want a fairer society.

Exactly how do Farage’s boyhood jibes impact on my life now? And as for Russian connections - which party doesn’t have them?
And yes most people want a fair society. They’re not too sure who is going to deliver it. MayBee70

MayBee70

“The right wing media (which is basically all of it) indulged in their usual anti Labour scaremongering, pre budget. Their created narrative didn’t materialise, so now they’re jumping up and down like 2 year olds having a tantrum, shouting “she lied to us”, “she made us think that”.
Yes Lizziedrip. That’s my take on it, too…

They absolutely were. If we are investigating anything it should be the right-wing media. The did not need to blow what they were told out of all proportion. What the were told was one thing, what the reported was done for THEIR political needs.

ronib

Exactly how do Farage’s boyhood jibes impact on my life now? And as for Russian connections - which party doesn’t have them?
And yes most people want a fair society. They’re not too sure who is going to deliver it. MayBee70

Is that how we are expected to judge things now? If it affects ronib or if it doesn't? I think there is a wider picture.

As for other parties and Russian connections can you let us know which party, other than Reform, have members doing time for accepting bribes for spreading Russian propaganda.

Can't we all just be a little bit happy for a while that the country is in a better financial position than was expected. Or are right-wingers so annoyed that RRs first budget hasn't brought the country down that it is beyond them to feel anything other than anger.

Wasn’t Boris Johnson quite friendly with a Russian? I seem to remember a few news stories at the time.
Good point though theworriedwell so what exactly is the wider picture with regard to boyhood jibes?

Right wingers are probably the ones paying out most in increased hidden taxes- that’s the problem with this budget. theworriedwell

ronib

Wasn’t Boris Johnson quite friendly with a Russian? I seem to remember a few news stories at the time.
Good point though theworriedwell so what exactly is the wider picture with regard to boyhood jibes?

Indications if his character. The effects on people directly and indirectly affected by his racist bullying.

ronib

Right wingers are probably the ones paying out most in increased hidden taxes- that’s the problem with this budget. theworriedwell

Do you have any figures for that?

ronib

Right wingers are probably the ones paying out most in increased hidden taxes- that’s the problem with this budget. theworriedwell

Isn't that rather presumptuous.