Reform media ban in Nottinghamshire is a disturbing glimpse of a future with Nigel Farage in power
LIn an uncomfortable but not completely surprising development, the subordinate bear effectively banned the interaction of a reform of the British Council with a local newspaper and the authority of the website.
The ban implemented by the Nottinghamshire District Council came after Nottinghamshire Live’s Council leader Mick Barton has published a series of stories that Mick Barton claims to the “constantly wrong -represented” reform.
It was a strange movement for a party that bills itself as the Free Speech Champion. And it was a bit ironic that the party leader Nigel Farage came in front of a congress committee in the Washington DC a few days before the rambling of the free speech in England.
But what is really worrying is not a local phenomenon of interaction with the media, but if Mr. Farage Downing Street seizes the control of Street, it is a block that can really support his ugly head on a national scale.
The experience of reform in the last few months has shown that the experience of dealing with the national operation is more than just a council.
As a political editor IndependentI received threatening calls from a member of the reform leadership and the assistant of Mr. Farage, Independent If we do not change a critical story or tone of our questions and scope, it will be banned from all activities.
In one case, a member of the leadership took Rachel Reeves as a part of their attacks on their resumes. Among the threatening legal proceedings, they added: “I will be sure Independent He cannot participate in one of our events or get a single interview again. “
They did not follow the threat, but another senior authority made a very explanatory and ominous comment: “You do not want to destroy relations with a party that leads surveys on such a story.”
In other words, we must stay on the good side of the party because it can win a choice – or other! Someone doesn’t seem to understand what journalists do.
One of my colleagues was targeted as someone who would not be allowed to participate in events because a senior reform staff accused him of being a “activist journalist ..
“Rainbow comes here with his hidden questions with his cord and pronouns,” he said.
Needless to say, after the threat of prohibition, the journalist was sent to every event unless it was on holiday.
At some point, it was prevented from entering a press conference because it was claimed that he did not register (he had). The reform only withdrew when I texted. Independent from the activity. Then I was sure it was not deliberate.
It was much more disturbing, when a female colleague attended a recent press conference and was verbally attacked by a male reform worker in the midst of the event.
The reform staff was reading the messages he wrote on his laptop over his shoulder, and his face leaned forward closely and began to object in anger, making him feel extremely disturbing and threatened.
Ironically, he was in a press conference on how to protect women.
I know that these are no isolated experiences Independent.
A few months ago, I was told that there was a serious discussion in the reform. Mirror And Guardian from events.
Fortunately, cool heads won in this discussion.
It is not as if we should be surprised, because the reform is essentially importing Donald Trump’s maga tactics in a division and rule approach, except for those who challenge or challenge.
I remember that Keir Starmer met Trump and I went to the oval office to see that the representative of the Associated Press (AP) in front of me stopped and prevented. The AP refused to call the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico.
But let’s be clear: The behavior of the reform I described above is not normal.
Political parties in this country do not ban or threaten journalists. They can get angry, complaints and arguments – but there’s nothing like I described above.
The only major party to behave like this was the Scottish National Party, especially under the leadership of Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.
But such as reform, nationalist and populists in nature, so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised.
The irony of all these is that the reform rise to the summit of the chests and the dominance of the political agenda stems from the great political scope it takes – the number of MPs will guarantee.
If there is some hope, there are more cool, more experienced heads in the party. Mr. Farage himself never made such a threat and was one of the first political leaders who gave his number to journalists.
You can see that every journalist who participated in many activities asks for the question that he is not afraid of examining or difficult questions. Perhaps it is a confident and successful media artist. In fact, his approach at the press conferences is an approach that other leaders such as Sir Keir should adopt.
However, this is not the same for the senior figures of Reform. Last week, Deputy leader Richard Tice defended Mr. Barton for his actions.
He said Sky News This Nottinghamshire’s “irresponsible distortion and completely irresponsible acts, and therefore the members of the Assembly were entitled to say, ız We will talk to the other parts of the media, not yourself”.
The reform is a disturbing indicator of what will happen if it enters down.
If there is no free press that can do it and take people into account, it is worth remembering that there is no free conversation.
Mr. Farage should have remembered it when he gave evidence in Washington. It should not be surprising that Jamie Raskin, a member of the Democratic Congress, is divided and humiliated.
