Friday, August 22, 2008

If Tessa Jowell doesn't like a free press she should stay in China

From the Guardian:
The Olympics minister, Tessa Jowell, today criticised the British media for running too many negative stories about China that failed to recognise the progress the country had made.

"You can get big headlines back home for slating the repressive regime - and there are some aspects that that are profoundly repressive - but there is a great risk of going too far," she warned in an interview with the Guardian.
The paper's website has a video of her saying it.

Meanwhile in Tibet:

a picture is emerging from various sources of Tibet as a country in lockdown. The Free Tibet campaign has provided a briefing detailing huge military build-ups in many areas of Tibet, with checkpoints on almost every corner and early evening curfews imposed. Undercover Channel 4 footage has shown snipers positioned on rooftops in Lhasa.

Respected China analyst Willy Lam today suggests the Chinese regime's pre-Olympics security build-up has been planned to enable a major crackdown on dissent after the games are over.

1 comment:

Tom said...

I find it bizarre that someone can make statements advocating a soft ride on tyrannies like China so soon after putting votes behind regime change (powered by shock and awe, massive civilian death and infrastructural collapse) in Iraq.

I'm sure that comes under the header of 'going too far'...