Honours for press barons
Socialist Press1980 1980-06-18Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 5 →
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The twice yearly spec. tacle of the British ruling class rewarding its favourite sons and daughters has thrown up a couple of particularly choice items.
Amongst the birthday honours can be found two public relations officers for the Thatcher government.
Elevated to the House of Lords-where he can bring his wisdom to bear on the closed shop legislation-is Victor Matthews-the owner of the Express and the man for whom his own news pages are always open.
Borrowed Knighted for his services to Thatcherism is Larry Lamb, editor of the Sun.
Between them these two must have put in more hours than the prime minister's own TERNATIONA LIAISON COMMITTEE DISCUSSION BULLETIN No. 2 Articles on Nicaragua, Parity Commission, and TILC Declaration Price 40p plus 15p p&p from WSL, BM Box 5277, London WCIV 6XX Victor Matthews press office in dressing up the Tory policies and presenting them in borrowed rags.
In Matthews' case, he has put his theory into practice by becoming the most combative and ruthless employer in Fleet Street.
Their champagne pa ties were slightly punctured by the Guardian (whose editor did not get anything).
Political hacks
It quoted from the Express (February 1977):
"What is the point of honouring an outstanding citizen ... if in the end he is to be put on the same list as a lot of time-serving political hacks, old mates of whoever happens to be Prime Minister and a retinue of comedians and actors? ... The human appetite for honours is a sad and embarrassing fact."
And from the Sun (May 1978):
•This paper has never had much time for the boring farce of buttons and bows and garters and knightly nonentities"
Until now that