Daily Star - absolute filth

Except, you know, it isn't

When I started this blog, nearly five years ago now, I was very angry with the way papers like the Mail, Express (and surprisingly less often) the Sun dealt with immigration and race. I hardly ever looked at the Star, since it exists primarily as a vehicle for selling pictures of tits to stupid people. Or at least it did at the time.

Watching the papers dog-whistle with stories about 'migrants' illustrated with the burkha-clad woman flipping the Vs or swarthy men standing about on street corners was a pretty hideous step towards something ominous.


The Mail writing articles calling the BNP 'odious' and 'vile', and then following it up with a 'but' was a cowardly step further. The occasions when the mask slipped and the racism spewed out were worse, and started becoming more frequent after last year's scaremongering about babies who - brace yourself - weren't 'White British'. Gasp!

It gets tiring, saying 'this is a new low' for the British press. When you start in the sewer, you shouldn't be surprised when you come across turds. But following the Express massaging the figures and misrepresenting quotes to encourage outrage at the number of doctors who are not 'White British' (as opposed to just 'British'), its sister paper, the Star, has come out in support of the new violent ballheads on the block, the EDL, all but begging the goons to create a political party so they can be 'taken seriously, like the British National Party'. The guy in charge of a group of people with a number of links to the BNP - a former BNP member with a conviction for assaulting a police officer himself - should set up a political party to be 'taken seriously, like the British National Party'? Say what?

Infamously, back in the 1930s, the Daily Mail supported Oswald Mosely's blackshirts. The paper's support drained away after it suddenly realised that the blackshirts were violent goons. Who would have thought that the anti-semites in black shirts stomping about the place would be violent?

The EDL - which grew out of football hooliganism - are quite obviously a violent, nasty presence in our culture, with their black hoodies and face masks and nazi salutes. Journalists covering their marches have reported receiving death threats from organisers. The National Union of Journalists issued a statement in November 2009, which said:

Professional journalists covering the events have filed reports with the NUJ detailing physical violence, including one being punched in the head, verbal threats, and attempts to seize cameras and smash equipment. The union is to file complaints to the police.

And now a newspaper is openly pushing support for these people.

The Desmond titles continue to sink beyond the gutter to some fourth dimension of crap. It's impossible to imagine how much lower they can go now that they have left the PCC and the Express editor has retired. We've already had the racist Express article about white British doctors followed by its sister paper supporting thugs who have reportedly threatened journalists, if not actually assaulted them. Should the NUJ be supporting a strike of its members at the Star?  One can only hope that any journalists at the Star that have a single ounce of conscience left will be jumping ship quick smart. 

I'm not usually one to argue for boycotts or campaigns, but a gentle (or stiff if you prefer) letter to the larger stockists of the Daily Star might be in order. Here are the contact details for Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and WHSmith if you think so.  Perhaps letters to Star editor Dawn Neesom to find out what she's playing at and the NUJ to find out if they intend to do anything would also be in order.