Tories join Berlusconi's cronies to sabotage press freedom call
October 21, 2009 5:46 PM
Originally published by Sarah Ludford MEP
Originally published by Sarah Ludford MEP
The European Parliament today failed - just - to pass a resolution calling for an end to threats to media freedom particularly in Italy, and EU measures to stop dominant media control. One resolution fell short by 3 votes while a similar alternative one failed as the vote was a dead heat. The key role was played by the 25 Tory MEPs, whose votes would have easily made the difference.
Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and MEP for London Sarah Ludford said:
"It's astounding that Tory MEPs used their swing votes to block a call for freedom of the press in Italy and throughout the EU. No doubt Silvio Berlusconi is even now toasting David Cameron with a glass of bubbly..."
"While east European ex-Communist countries have made much progress towards a free press, the extent of the Italian prime minister's control of private and public media would have made Erich Honecker green with envy."
"The issue of Italy's press freedom and the health of its democracy is not just a national issue, it's a European concern. Presumably Tory indifference means they also don't care about the real threats to media freedom in the UK due to libel laws and judge-made privacy laws."
"While we can hardly be surprised that UKIP and the BNP voted the wrong way, Cameron claims the Conservatives are now "progressive" and "reformist". Is the explanation for their votes the fear that Rupert Murdoch would take umbrage and drop his newly-given support? Whatever the motivation, what the Tories did today was a disgrace."
ENDS
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