With only a year to go to an election and 20 points behind in the polls, you would think the Tories would be desperate to talk to every hack who will listen.
Not so. The Conservatives are once again charging the press for attending this year’s party conference despite the most almighty fuss kicked up last year by the media – particularly from foreign journalists – when they also charged for attending.
This year journalists must pay ÂŁ137 for the honour of making it to Manchester at the beginning of October. This rises to a ludicrous ÂŁ880 for media applications made after 31 July. Anyone who has attended a party conference – of any party – will know that it is the political party which should be paying us to sit around and listen to dreary speeches in empty conference halls and drink warm prosecco at seedy hotel bars.
As one Tory adviser says, the party “should be wooing people” given the tumultuous last 18 months that has seen them lose much support. Another said: “They won’t listen.”
But the party has the most pathetic defence: it claims the charges are necessary to cover the costs of “thousands” of journalists who fail to turn up after their applications are processed. Honestly, if the Tories can’t afford to cover those charges then they shouldn’t be running the country.
Some journalists are saying the event should be boycotted – an excellent idea. An open letter signed by nearly 300 media groups from over 60 countries stated: “This decision sets a dangerous precedent for countries all over the world who will use this decision to justify financial and other barriers to media scrutiny of the political process.”
The letter’s signatories include The Washington Post, The New York Times, Le Monde, The Hindu, Yomiuri Shimbun, Der Spiegel and The Sydney Morning Herald.
It goes on: “We have not found any comparable charges in any other country in the world, let alone in any other democracy… We therefore call upon the Tory party conference organisers to scrap or refund the charges and allow fair and free reporting for all.”
A joint statement from industry bodies including the Society of Editors, News Media Coalition, News Media Association and the Foreign Press Association also condemned the move.
Another Tory minister says the fee is yet more evidence of a “deathwish”. Labour is of course registering journalists for free at its Liverpool shindig so expect much wider coverage. But the prosecco still won’t be chilled.
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