Only the Financial Times so far, of the main publications in the UK, has written fairly about the contents of the Statement and what it means. The others have cherry-picked the content to find a measure here and there to reinforce their political stance and persuade their readers of the rightness or wrongness of the government fiscal strategy – and usually it is the latter. So much negativity and criticism oozes from these papers, which is so damaging in so many ways.
It is such a pity that members of the public are not given more of a choice in order to decide for themselves what to believe. They are being told by editors what to think, and when the facts with which they are presented are erroneous or distorted, how can they have discernment? Many of them do not know that what they read is so one-sided it is deceptive, and a good but sad example of this is the accusation made by the Sun about Hillsborough fans which recently has been proven to be so untrue it was almost slanderous.
Of course, some people like to be told what to think, particularly when it corresponds with their own innate prejudice or political inclination, but that can be a lazy way of understanding their world as well as a fallacious one. To listen, to watch and to ponder, and then to decide for yourself what is the truth, for you, makes life so much more interesting, and also more peaceful.]]>
Paraphrasing the Buddha here seems appropriate in this instance: Trust what you feel and sense within yourself to be true, not what others tell you.