The Freedoms of the Press hang in the balance

The Freedoms of the Press hang in the balance



David Cameron



Prime Minister David Cameron went back to the negotiation table to discuss with Nick Clegg (Lib Dem Leader and Coalition Partner) and Ed Milliband (Leader of the Labour Party in Opposition) about a middle ground solution in terms of new regulatory arrangements being put forward to curve abuses committed by journalists, abuses seen as violation of privacy of private individuals.

The Conservative Party has been reluctant to implement regulations that could potentially lead to a situation in which the mass media will not be able to act report freely and will be unable to help preserve public freedoms and political accountability.

Having said that, in the present political environment, the Conservative Party does not have enough seats in Parliament to counter both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats and walking away from the negotiation table the Conservative Party would face certain defeat in the House of Commons at a very crucial time when other important issues are being debated.

On Wednesday, George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, is due to present the National Budget amid fears created by the European Parliament's rejection of the recently negotiated European Union Budget and the present financial crisis in Cyprus that creates additional pressures for the entire European Union.

The Conservative Party has been embattled in several fronts - internally and externally. Just a few days ago, the United Kingdom Independence Party relegated the Conservative Party to third place in a local by-election seen as an indicator of the popularity of the Conservative Party with regards to its own supporters.

Almost simultaneously, the leadership of the Conservative Party pushed forward reforms regarding gay marriage and did so against a sizeable number of its own Members of Parliament that voted against the government. that managed to push through legislation with the support of representatives of the Labour Party and of the Liberal Democratic Party.