Cameron wobbles as the Empire strikes back

BRITAIN’S “BREXIT” CAMPAIGN is a world of xenophobia, racism and a procession of ‘celebrities’ and experts hauled out for a Remain or Leave decree – and don’t forget to mention ‘migrants’.

A critical feature of referendum media coverage is the power of newspapers in framing the referendum. Sales might be falling but radio and TV and their online versions all use the print media as an agenda setter. Journalists follow journalists on Twitter, and they rehash or reheat – sorry ‘retweet’ – each other’s stories.

Sky News, the BBC and ITV all end their evening news broadcasts and current affairs programmes with a ‘tomorrow’s front pages’ slot. Morning radio across Britain and, most critically, the BBC current affairs broadcasts carry a ‘What it says in the papers’ slot and are continually soundbiting the ‘little Englander’ migration fixation of the British press.

Twelve months ago, Cameron was on a roll, winning a last-gasp victory in the May 2015 Westminster election following on from the referendum to halt Scottish independence in September 2014.

Only Margaret Thatcher managed consecutive terms as a Tory prime minister, so Dave entered the history books alongside his ideological heroine.

The EU and the Poll Tax fiasco ended Thatcher’s reign. Now Cameron has compounded the Tories’ EU divisions divided his Cabinet, his party, the ‘United Kingdom’ he campaigned so deviously to keep Scotland in, and he’s possibly put himself on the road to an ignominious resignation. How did he get here?

Could it have something to do with winning the Scottish independence referendum by threats and predictions of dire consequences if Scotland left the Union, not forgetting to get the mainstream media as a cheerleader for your cause?

How did Cameron not think that this “Project Fear” strategy couldn’t be used against him?

The Daily Express has long “crusaded” (its term, and the paper’s logo) for an EU exit, so Brexit is their dream come true. The paper’s headlines are continually Brexit focused: “Migrant crisis will cost £20billion”; “Outrage at bid to rig EU vote” and “Fury at PM’s pension threat”.

The Daily Mail pages are in a similar vein: “Immigrant Revolution”, “EU killers and rapists we’ve failed to deport” and “Migrants spark housing crisis”.

The Sun opposed Cameron’s EU negotiations, depicting him on the front page as Captain Mainwaring from Dad’s Army, headlined, “Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Cameron” and a strapline proclaiming “Our deal turns to farce”.

The Sun later claimed that “Queen backs Brexit”, and a 13 June headline read “BeLeave in Britain” with ‘Leave’ printed in the colours of the Union Jack. (Buckingham Palace later rubbished the story and the Independent Press Standards Organisation ruled that the headline was “significantly misleading”.)

Even the Telegraph has given Cameron a rough ride by doing what they failed to do in the Scottish referendum, giving equal prominence day after day to Leave and Remain sides in the referendum, while also jumping on the migration bandwagon.

There is also the small issue of Brexit ‘Leave’ campaign leader Boris Johnson being a highly-paid columnist with the paper.

An example of the Telegraph’s agenda came on 26 May, the day after the Italian navy released dramatic pictures of a boat capsizing and sinking off the Libyan coast.

The Telegraph carried the photo across the top half of the paper, titled “Migrants drown as packed boat capsizes”. Compare this to “Desperate journey – Overcrowded boat capsizes in the Mediterranean” in The Irish Times, “Italian navy saves 550 refugees as smugglers’ trawler capsizes in Med” in The Guardian or “Two refugee boats capsize in 24 hours off Libya coast” in Al Jazeera Online.

The print media migration focus has set the news agenda, letting the supposedly ‘impartial’ broadcast media coverage be dominated by the toxic migrant issue. The minute-by-minute online news updates reflects this framing too.

Other Brexit issues are discussed as small questions about the British economy, trading agreements, what will happen if there is a Remain vote in Scotland and the Six Counties.

Then come really serious commentators like actress/model Elizabeth Hurley who will vote Leave, “If it means we can go back to using decent lightbulbs.”

● Liz Hurley – Not the brightest

Retired England international footballer Sol Campbell backs Brexit because “freedom of movement rules mean young British players are crowded out”. Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellows supports Brexit because “it’s about democracy versus autocracy”.

250 actors, artists and creative industry representatives wrote to The Guardian supporting the Remain campaign. This list includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Danny Boyle, John Le Carré, Paloma Faith, Keira Knightley and Kristin Scott Thomas.

Well, if Sherlock wants to ‘Remain’, that’s my granny in Grimsby convinced, but I bet the Daily Express is asking if Cumberbatch is really an English name?