The Impossible Peter Oborne
JVL Introduction
Thanks to Media Lens, we are delighted to repost their tribute to “the impossible” Peter Oborne.
Nothing in Oborne’s public school background and journalistic career at the heart of our established media world – on the Daily Telegraph, the Spectator, the Evening Standard, and on The Week in Westminster and more – would have led us to expect the person who has emerged as a beacon of journalistic independence, putting integrity above career.
Oborne’s crime is to be honest, and to hold to account those whom he believes have not been.
His reward? “The mainstream British press and media is to all intents and purposes barred to me.”
His new book The Assault on Truth claims that Boris Johnson lies and fabricates; and further, that ‘A great deal of political journalism has become the putrid public face of a corrupt government.’
Oborne does what no journalist is supposed to do. He holds the British press to account by simply telling the truth about its collusion with Boris’s lies.
And the response from the mainstream press? It has either ignored the book or attempted to trash its author…
This article was originally published by Media Lens on Tue 16 Mar 2021. Read the original here.
The Impossible Peter Oborne
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In solidarity with his display of courage, I have purchased a copy of his book out of my meagre pension, instead of lending it from my local library. More of the same please from proper journo’s!
Much admiration & respect for Peter Oborne.
It’s bad enough when we can see that Johnson lies through his teeth and then covers it up with bluster and bravado. What makes it even more frustrating is we know that journalists – are there any left – at the BBC, including Amal Rajan who is one of the worst, can also see it and intentionally do damn all about it because when it comes to calling out lies, they have joined the BBC club of dumb clones.
Rajan recently interviewed the obnoxious Andrew Neil in what boiled down to be no more than free publicity for Neil’s new right wing TV channel. As if we didn’t have enough right wing propaganda already!
We have one of the worst Prime Ministers in living memory who is playing to the gallery of the uninformed and laughing at the rest of us whilst failing to do his job, resulting in the avoidable deaths of tens of thousands of people.
To make matters even worse, Starmer, the pathetic leader of the Democratic Socialist Party is neither a democrat nor a Socialist, a situation which has been brought about by the very sickness in the media which gave us Boris Johnson.
As someone who knows Peter Oborne, I find this a very full and timely review. However the authors should not be surprised that this could come from a person educated at Sherborne School and Cambridge. I have little doubt that Peter’s education at these places plus his Anglican commitment have given him the moral fortitude to take on the world.
Very much like the Labour internal report details the betrayal of democracy by Red Tories, Peter Obornes book is now on the record in detailing the corruption of MSM and toilet papers by corporate and establishment interests
We should force them all to walk around wearing ‘Fake news’ t shirts
There is no going back, both pieces of work will act as firm foundations for what needs to happen next
Why has nobody dished the dirt on the Oaf’s careers at Eton and at Oxford. He is a vile creature now, Christ knows what he was like earlier.
You couldn’t make it up. He blathers, blusters, chunters and salivates – mainly from his backside – about the murder of Sarah Everard but weren’t the Met once called to his home over a “domestic”?
I seem to recall reading about it here: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/21/police-called-to-loud-altercation-at-boris-johnsons-home
Media Lens is a valuable and unusually insightful organisation. This analysis of Mr Oborne shows their work well: Oborne is to be praised for his critiques but he refuses to make the final step into socialism. Capitalism, to Oborne, is the air he breathes. If there are failures, they can be addressed but not the system itself.
Just a health warning before we get too carried away about Oborne. I heard him being interviewed on the radio about Marklegate – and he went from hero to zero in just a few seconds as he assured us that there was no institution in Britain less racist than the Royal family. Muppet.
Well done for re-publishing this insightful article.
Oborne is a dyed in the wool Conservative. I never thought I would be able to agree with him on anything. I have to say I admire his honesty on this issue. He confirms what I have been saying for a long time; democracy has never been in so much danger as it is today. The UK is heading for Far Right populist government. There is no opposition now. Where are the great Labour politicians of the past? The Labour Right will be seen as ripping the heart out of the only institution that could save us.