[Militant No. 782, 24th January 1986, p. 5]
By Lynn Walsh
Secretive, unscrupulous, undemocratic, just a few of the expletives thrown at Militant in yet another Mirror tirade. But perhaps the hired pen who dutifully bashed out this “comment” (21 January) should have applied them to his boss?
Secretive? Who owns Maxwell’s great organ of truth? What are its financial links?
Soon after buying up Mirror Group Newspapers, Maxwell transferred ownership to the Pergamon Holding Foundation, reportedly owned by “Maxwell family interests in France”. The foundation, the centre of Maxwell’s business octopus, is incorporated in Liechtenstein. The laws of this tiny tax-haven statelet provide a cloak of secrecy for tycoons with a string aversion to public scrutiny of their books.
When will the Mirror be telling its readers all about Maxwell’s business secrets? Or would the truth be too painful?
Doubts
Unscrupulous? What is Maxwell’s record in business and politics?
In 1969 Maxwell tried to sell his Pergamon Group to the US company, Leasco. The deal fell through because of doubts which emerged about its profits and accounts. A subsequent investigation by the Board of Trade declared in 1917 that “Mr Maxwell is not in our opinion a person who can be relied upon to execute the proper stewardship of a publicly quoted company”.
When Mirror Group Newspapers were up for sale in 1984 most journalists saw Maxwell as “the least desirable proprietor around”. Now he’s the boss most of them have knuckled down to bashing out the Maxwell line.
If there are any conscientious journalists left on the Mirror we would ask them: when are you going to tell your readers about Maxwell’s record in business and politics? Why don’t you report his current business activities and his attempts to determine the policy of the Labour Party?
Undemocratic? How does Maxwell champion democracy?
“I am the proprietor, 100 per cent”, proclaimed Maxwell on his first day at the Mirror, smashing the journalists’ call for a say in the running of the paper. “There can be only one boss,” proclaimed this great democrat, “and that’s me”.
He soon made it clear that he would dictate the paper’s editorial policy, with a far from democratic line on some issues.
On a visit to Poland in 1985, for instance, Maxwell broadcast his support for the authoritarian dictatorship of the Stalinist bureaucracy headed by Jaruzelski. He had no sympathy for the struggle of Polish workers for an independent, democratic trade union.
“The problem of Solidarity is now solved”, Mr Maxwell said on Polish radio. The totalitarian disposal of ‘problem’ of workers’ rights would be reflected in his paper: “We certainly will be devoting less space to Solidarity and more space to improving trade relations within Great Britain and Poland”.
Was this broadcast reported in the Mirror? When will the Mirror be reporting on Maxwell’s own business involvement in trade with the Stalinist states?
When will the Mirror be explaining to its readers why a supporter of Jaruzelski, Kadar and company is so virulently opposed to Trotskyism – genuine Marxism, with an unrivalled record of struggle against totalitarianism and in defence of workers’ rights?
Leaving Warsaw airport, Maxwell told reporters that he had suggested to Jaruzelski that Poland should adopt a very small percentage of unemployment to boost the economy. Sacking workers is high on Maxwell’s list of ‘solutions’, as his record shows – and as trade unionists at the Mirror Group are only too well aware.
Full extent
“We are getting under Militant’s skin,” claims the Mirror. Not at all! When fans of General Jaruzelski praise us, then we will start to worry.
Unfortunately, millions of workers have yet to realise the full extent of the Mirror’s lies, distortions and political hypocrisy.
For the time being, Maxwell has a bigger press than us. But every time the Mirror attacks us we gain new readers and receive more donations.
Every broadside from the Mirror reinforces the determination of our supporters to change the system which Maxwell stands for.
Schreibe einen Kommentar