Miliband says no SNP deal and the Sun says ‘La-la-la can’t hear you’

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Media Integrity

Facts go into the Sun's filter and come out very different. Here's an example.

 

I’d like to draw your attention to a small but impressive story in today’s Sun, because it’s a good example of what happens to information when put through the paper’s anti-Labour filter.

First, here’s the clip of the transcript of Ed Miliband’s interview with Andrew Marr yesterday on the BBC. Marr began by pressing the Labour leader on a possible deal with the Scottish National Party after the general election:

ANDREW MARR: [the SNP] will be coming to you saying Ed Miliband that is our price for supporting you, we want that referendum.

ED MILIBAND: No, look I want to be clear about this Andrew, no coalitions, no tie-ins, you know –

ANDREW MARR: What about supply and support, a deal, one of those deals that will keep you going?

ED MILIBAND: Look I’ve said no deals, honestly I’ve been clear about that.

ANDREW MARR: Of any kind.

ED MILIBAND: Yeah I am not doing deals with the Scottish National Party, but you know I want a majority Labour government and, you know the way the House of Commons works, as you know, is that we’ll –

ANDREW MARR: (over) So absolutely clearly no support and supply deal of any kind?

ED MILIBAND: I am not interested in deals, no.

Miliband has previously ruled out a coalition with the SNP, but hasn’t before said that he would not have a ‘confidence and supply’ arrangement with them. Knowing he had a scoop, Marr asked the question again later in the interview to make sure he got the same answer:

ANDREW MARR: OK, just finally bang the nail into the piece of wood finally, a confidence and supply deal with the SNP is ruled out.

ED MILIBAND: (over) I’ve made it clear we’re not, no deals, no.

ANDREW MARR: Not going to happen, OK, well let’s move on to some other issues […]

This was reported by the BBC, the Guardian, Politics Home, the Independent, and the Financial Times as ‘Miliband says no to confidence-and-supply with SNP’, or words to that effect – and Labour has made no attempt to protest or backtrack.

So how has this information been reported in the Sun today?

IMAG0719[1]

MILI PACT RAP

Ed MIliband has been blasted after refusing to completely rule out an informal deal with the SNP ten times. 

The Labour leader appeared to go further in distancing himself from the Scottish Nationalists, but would not say a pact definitely would not happen.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “Ed Miliband can only be prime minister with the support of SNP votes.”

That’s the whole story. (Or rather, that’s all the Sun reported.)

You’ll notice from the transcript that Miliband was not asked this question ‘ten times’, nor did he refuse to rule out an informal deal. He was asked to rule out an ‘informal’ – as in, confidence and supply – deal with the SNP, and he said ‘no deals’.

One could argue that Miliband could have been more explicit, but one cannot argue that this Sun story is a fair or accurate report of what happened.

So even within the absurdly narrow confines of acceptable political discussion – why should Labour have to rule out a deal anyway? – there seems to be nothing Miliband can do to please the Sun. 

The world reflected in its pages is increasingly detached from the one we actually live in, and facts are shaped and moulded to suit the paper’s fancy.

Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter

 

Read more: Tory cynicism as press takes Salmond’s budget joke seriously

Rupert Murdoch ‘berated’ Sun staff for not bashing Miliband enough, reports Independent

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47 Responses to “Miliband says no SNP deal and the Sun says ‘La-la-la can’t hear you’”

  1. tst

    Miliband really should have played a much stronger hand with the SNP from the start. A strong SNP showing in Scotland is not only bad for him in Scotland but (as events are showing) proving to be bad for him in England (because didn’t rule out any kind of deal straight away with them).

    If he goes for no 10 based on a bad deal with them he could destroy Labour for a generation. If it holds out then either: –
    – The SNP will need to either support Cameron – which will destroy the SNP and create massive austerity in Scotland but ultimately strengthen the country
    – Force a new election which (given that momentum should be travelling to Labour by that point and the Tories will be in meltdown) should give him a stronger mandate in both England and Scotland.

  2. janlog

    He ought to have said in the event we do not reach a majority, we will consider all reasonable deals. I note that Cameron et al have not been badgered into refusing a 2nd coalition with the LDems. I almost want, prefer even, a Lab-SNP coalition or C&S deal. I have no fears on that front; the SNP would have far too much to lose back home given that many of their supporters were Labour at one time. Playing silly beggars at Westminster would sink them back home.

  3. JAMES MCGIBBON

    It makes no sense for any party to say they will form a coalition before an election. Milliband has clearly said he will not form a coalition with the Nats-zis. So let the election commence and do look out for a Tory Nats-zis coalition after the election.

  4. JustAnotherNumber

    The SNP won’t be daft enough to go anywhere the Tories. Not now they’ve seen the Labour support in Scotland utterly decimated since Labour stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Tories in the referendum. The SNP know that – if they can’t get into government themselves, and the Tories do – they would be stronger and more credible in terms of Scottish support as a noisy and disruptive opposition force.

    I think Miliband could have played a more savvy hand by being a little easier on the SNP in England, where I’m beginning to suspect a genuine, if albeit grudging, respect for them is emerging, particularly amongst left-wing strongholds. He would have needed to figure out just how to be more hospitable to them in terms of the UK as a whole, while remaining hostile to them on Scottish soil, but that balancing trick may have actually been a bit easier to pull off than the one he’s confronted with now.

  5. JustAnotherNumber

    Complete, slightly racist, and utterly ill-informed arse gravy. A waste of perfectly good pixels. Go away and think about what you’ve done.

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