Daily Express Archives

Election Fever

Editorial:

We are currently in the thros of an election campaign, and what is interesting is to watch how the ‘papers’ side (and in some cases, change sides) with the political parties that they support.

In an online site ‘TV_tropes’ is an interesting synopsis on British Newspapers; and today I would like to have a look at the Daily Express which is owned by Richard Desmond, a porn baron. In the past the editorial slant of a paper could be gauged by The Daily Express seems to be in a quandary about whether it is far right conservative and with all that entails like being against porn, against ‘gays’, well anything that is not ‘family’ orientated, but whilst doing so it still promotes the porn channels programmes for Mr Desmond.

It also seems to be almost disappearing down the track which the National Enquirer has developed – sensationalism without necessarily accuracy.

Back on Jul 9 last year Ann Widdeombe, a former Tory minister, wrote on the ongoing legal case about Ashers’ and the request for them to make a cake which related to Marriage Equality. This article was updated Jan 19 this year.

I respect anyone who is willing to put their views forward, something which in a free country we are all entitled to do. However, where I do differ from Ms Widdicombe is I like to be accurate.

In her last paragraph she says:

“In a free country the baker should be able to refuse to take part in what is effectively PR for gay marriage in the knowledge that any customers who do not like that decision are free to buy their morning loaf elsewhere. But then it is a long time since Britain and freedom were synonymous.”

The part in this statement which I believe is incorrect, is that of ‘take part in what is effectively PR for gay marriage’. The request for a cake was not made to generate a court case, indeed it was a pure and simple payment and transaction, the same as any that you or I would do in any retail shop. It was not a setup stunt, with the intention of generating publicity – I know that both sides of this story would probably like it not to have happened in the way it has.

This is pure and simple a question of you pay and expect to receive the goods in question.

Further reading:

Television Review – Ballet Boys

BalletBoyz is the brainchild of Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt who founded the company in 2001.

Germane to the review on ‘The Short History of a Prince’ was a 3-part series on Channel 4 early in 2000. It was Ballet Boyz videotaped by Trevitt and Nunn, two fairly senior dancers with the Royal Ballet. The series was quite interesting for the balletomane, but the real drama (whereby Trevitt, Nunn and three other premiers danseurs went off to form a company in Japan) was largely left camera. There was a shot or two of the celebrations on the contract signing. Trevitt (24 at the time) said it was the first adult act of his life.
The most interesting aspect of this series was the attitude taken to it (and to Trevitt and Nunn) by the television critics. The Indy’s man thought that the spelling “boyz”, and Trevitt’s being called ‘Billy’ meant that we were getting a “butch” message. (They don’t get out often enough, poor dears: too much telly).
The Grauniad man “puzzled over why ballet-master Christopher Carr should be nicknamed ‘Vicki’. Mr Carr was not as camp as the proverbial row of tents, so much as a full-scale International Jamboree. Both these reporters (and John Lyttle in the Daily Express) made an issue of these two men “rush[ing] out [to] record evidence that they are both married with children” [Guardian]. It was largely a few shots of Trevitt’s beautiful children, as they learned how to use the video equipment. And surely everybody points their camera at the family on first getting one?
The most dramatic moment in the series was when Anthony Dowell, Director of the Royal Ballet, led them into the refurbished Covent Garden opera house. (The opera and ballet companies had led a nomadic life for three or four years). This was the point where they had decided to fly the nest. Dowell, a great dramatic dancer for a quarter century, looked directly through the camera-lens into Trevitt’s eyes: he knew.

Reviewer: Angus CAMERON