Print
News reports and interviews featuring David Miller 2005-2009.
For earlier news see here.
 
2009

Alison Campsie, 'Revealed: the secret links between the Scottish Defence League and the BNP'; Despite party expulsion threat, some individuals have joined both camps',
Sunday Herald, Pg. 13. 13 December 2009.
 
Gary Raikes, national organiser of the BNP in Scotland, said yesterday that every party member in Scotland received a newsletter informing them that anyone found to have links with the SDL or to have attended any of their demonstrations would be expelled from the party.
 
The claim that the expulsion threat was a publicity stunt was dismissed as "preposterous" by the party's national press spokesman, who questioned the authenticity of the member who made the allegation.
 
However, information gathered by David Miller, a professor of sociology at the University of Strathclyde and a co-founder of the campaigning website Spinwatch, alleges that at least three BNP members are also Defence League supporters. One is BNP Scotland member John Wilkinson. He leafl eted on behalf of the party in the run-up to the European Elections, and is involved with running the SDL website.
 
David Miller took part in a debate with Chris West of Insight Public Affairs on Lobbying and whether it should be regulated on the Richard Bacon show on Radio Five Live between 23.50 and 00.05 on 19-20 November 2009.
 
David Miller was interviewed on the rise in Islamophobic attacks on the the Media and Politics show on the Islam Channel hosted by John Rees 16 November 2009.
 
Mark Macaskill, 'Critics claim council 'too close' to Trump', The Sunday Times (London), 25 October 2009 Scotland NEWS; Pg. 16.
 
David Miller, professor of sociology at Strathclyde university and head of Spinwatch, said the documents raised serious questions about the council's relationship with Trump. He said they showed the council knew of the possibility of forced evictions at least three months before the proposed move became public.
 
"The question of probity and governance is raised by these documents," said Miller. "The council is supposed to protect the public interest, not the private interests of a major corporation. These documents suggest Aberdeenshire council is too close to the Trump Organisation."

Shabana Syed,
'Spinwatch exposing neocon propaganda', Arab News, 16 October 2009.
 
The idea to investigate whether the barrage of information on Muslims in the media is true or just spin was one of the reasons professor David Miller of Strathclyde University cofounded 'Spinwatch' in 2004.
Islamophobia is not just a result of the aftermath of 9/11 and 7/7 as recent revelations by Spinwatch have highlighted, but rather a systematic campaign instigated by right-wing neocons linked to interest groups.
 
According to Miller and fellow Spinwatch researcher Tom Mills, there are individuals who have set themselves up with no prior experience as "terror experts," and fed fabricated stories to the media, creating fear and hatred of Islam. One such group operated under the name of Vigil and had links to the far right and networks of neoconservatives in the US and the UK.

Rob Edwards (Environment Editor), Trump 'threatened to sue' over refusal to back golf resort
; Tycoon accused of 'strong-arm' tactics against council, Sunday Herald, 4 October 2009 Sunday Final Edition NEWS; Pg. 6.
 
David Miller, from Spinwatch, accused the Trump organisation of attempting to undermine the democratic decisionmaking process. He urged the council to tell Trump, who stars in the US version of The Apprentice, that he's fired.
 
"Behind-the-scenes lobbying and strong-arm tactics may be the way politics is played in the US, but it should have no place in Scotland," Miller said.

David Singleton, 'Industry reacts to Tories' tough talk
' PR Week October 2, 2009 PUBLIC AFFAIRS; Pg. 7
 
Meanwhile, campaigners for greater transparency in lobbying said the Tories needed to be tougher with the lobbying industry. In particular, campaigners noted that the Tories had failed to set a deadline for all lobbyists to reveal their client lists voluntarily.
 
Spinwatch spokesman David Miller said: 'We are a bit sceptical about the plans. We think this is the Tories being soft on lobbyists.'

Paul Hutcheon, 'Anger as Strathclyde Police chief constable awarded GBP65,000 in perks; MSPs criticise payouts after boss paid for hitting targets he helped set',
Sunday Herald, 30 August 2009, Sunday Final Edition NEWS; Pg. 7.
 
David Miller, a sociology professor at Strathclyde University, said: "Unless there is transparency on all the perks available the police cannot be held properly accountable. Public opinion is already concerned about the expenses and allowances of MPs. When publicsector pay is under pressure it is diffcult to defend banker-style bonuses."

David Hencke and Rob Evans, 'House of Lords takes no action over peer who broke sleaze rules',
Guardian Unlimited, June 25, 2009 Thursday.
 
Earlier this year, two Labour peers were revealed to have offered to try to change the law in return for money. Labour peer Lord Hoyle admitted taking money to introduce an arms company lobbyist to the government minister in charge of weapons purchases.
 
David Miller of Spinwatch, the campaign which triggered the Lords investigation into Cumberlege, said: "We are appalled but not surprised that the authorities in the house seem totally unable even to enforce the inadequate rules that they do have. Radical reforms are needed to ensure transparency on outside interests including a lobbying register and outlawing second and third jobs."
 
The group is campaigning for more transparency in lobbying.

Melanie Newman, 'R
eading lists inspected for capacity to incite violence', The Times Higher Education Supplement, June 25, 2009 NEWS; Pg. 9 No. 1902.
 
David Miller, professor of sociology at the University of Strathclyde and the convenor of Teaching About Terrorism, a study group that has members drawn from 30 universities, said Nottingham's review policy represented a "fundamental attack on academic freedom".
 
"The module review committee is a censorship committee: it can't operate as anything else," he said. "The university is acting as the police, one step removed."

David Miller took part in 'Politics and Beyond', hosted by Anas al-Tikriti featuring Tony Benn, Jonathan Steele and Lord Frank Judd, Islam Channel, 17 June 1900-2000.

David Miller interviewed on KPFA Morning Show (California) with Philip Maldari at 7am on Monday 8 June on the European Election results

Michael Savage (Political Correspondent), 'Disgraced MPs eligible for Parliament's perks; For just £25, MPs leaving the Commons can join a club that gives privileged access', The Independent (London), June 2, 2009 Tuesday, NEWS; Pg. 6.
 
Commons authorities have refused to disclose the names of the former parliamentarians who have been handed Commons passes through the group. However, they could be forced to disclose the names as their decision has been referred to the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas.
 
David Miller, of the anti-lobbying group, SpinWatch, said: "It's a blow when anyone loses their job, but they shouldn't still enjoy the perks of the job, like hanging around the canteen. Having that kind of privileged access to Parliament is a vehicle for vested interests. The workings of Parliament need to be transparent and open to all, not just the privileged few."

Dominic Kennedy, 'Tory promoted his business on EU trip to Barbados', The Times (London), May 29, 2009 Friday, NEWS; Pg. 25.
 
Professor David Miller, director of Spinwatch, which campaigns for transparency in lobbying, said: "This is yet another case of a clear conflict of interest with an MEP and his commercial links. Every time this happens people lose faith in the European project. If they want to restore trust in the EU, politicians should give up all commercial lobbying activity when they become an MEP."

Tom Peterkin (Scottish Political Editor), 'Study reveals true extent of 'old boys network' between Government and banks', Scotland on Sunday, Published Date: 03 May 2009.
 
"The Government and the political classes have very close links to the banking industry," said the report's author David Miller, a Professor of Sociology at Strathclyde University, who specialises in researching lobbying.
 
"I believe this could be one of the factors behind the disaster that has befallen the financial markets. There has not been enough regulation of these connections."

David Miller interviewed on NTV Turkey on the G20 talks on 2 April, at 14.30 hrs BST, http://www.ntv.com.tr/

David Miller interviewed on Scotland at Ten, BBC Radio Scotland on global poverty and the G20, 2200, 1 April 2009.

David Miller interviewed on Obama's visit to the UK for the G20, the Chris Askew Atlanta radio talk show Unwrapped (WAOK 13.80 AM), Atlanta Georgia, 1500-1515 local time, 1 April 2009.

The Morning Show
for March 5th 2009 The Morning Show discusses the UK's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown's visit to Washington with David Miller, Prof. of Sociology, Strathclyde University, Scotland. KPFA, Berkeley, California. Listen here.

Zoe Corbyn, 'Charity guide criticised for not declaring GM interests', The Times Higher Education, 19 February 2009.

David Miller, professor of sociology at the University of Strathclyde, who is involved in running the website Spinwatch.org.uk, likened the pamphlet to "a PR exercise".

Jane Candlish, 'Tory MSP dismisses claims over wife', Aberdeen Press and Journal, February 9, 2009 Monday, NEWS; PEOPLE; Issues; Pg. 7, 259 words.

A HIGHLAND MSP has rejected suggestions that he has misused taxpayers' money by paying his wife to carry out research.

Jamie McGrigor pays wife Emma to monitor local newspapers, including the Press and Journal, for an hour a day, despite employing a full-time aide.

Prof David Miller, of monitoring organisation Spinwatch, is understood to have complained to parliament's corporate body about Mr McGrigor and called for an investigation.

Paul hutcheon and Tom Gordon, 'Questions over MSP 's GBP7000 payments to wife for 'research'', Sunday Herald, February 8, 2009 Sunday, NEWS; Pg. 17, 638 words.

David Hencke, 'Westminster correspondent Lords claims could force government U-turn over lobbyists' The Guardian, Tuesday 3 February 2009.

Nor will the new rules satisfy campaigning groups. David Miller, director of Spinwatch, part of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency, said: "It wouldn't cover the majority of lobbying, by in-house lobbyists, or by law firms and management consultancies and it would be open to abuse. We need a simple mandatory register of lobbying activity, and an independent body to ensure compliance."

Colin Fernandez, 'The peers for hire at £25,000 a time... and they don't have to reveal lucrative second jobs', Daily Mail, Last updated at 12:19 AM on 31st January 2009.

Campaigners said the Lords should reveal who they are working for, and how much they earn by addressing them, to dispel any questions over their conduct...

David Miller, a founder of Spinwatch, which investigates abuses by PRs and lobbyists, said yesterday: 'We don't know how abused this process is because we don't know who they are working for.'

'These currently obscure means of influence should be opened up to the public - it's a gravy train that needs to be regulated or stopped.'

Peter Facey, Maurice Frankel, Matthew Elliott, Roger Smith Justice, Phil Booth, Anthony Barnett, et al 'Reply: Letters and emails: MPs can strike a blow for freedom' The Guardian (London) - Final Edition, January 20, 2009 Tuesday, GUARDIAN LEADER PAGES; Pg. 29, 336 words.

Nicola Fisher, Glasgow Stop the War Coalition, Ghassan Hemsi, Muslim Association of Britain (Scotland), Professor David Miller, 28 January 2009 Letter to Ken McQuarrie, Controller, BBC Scotland Mark Thompson, Director-General, BBC Michael Lyons, Chairman, BBC Trust Caroline Thomson, Chief Operating Officer, BBC, on the BBC refusal to broadcast the DEC appeal on Gaza.

David Hencke and Rob Evans, 'Tory peer accused of misusing Lords to boost her own firm: Baroness admits listing of interests not 'punctilious' : Pressure group Spinwatch lodges complaint', guardian.co.uk, Thursday 29 January 2009 02.04 GMT.

Spinwatch's spokesman, David Miller, said : "No peer should be treating parliament as an office from which to do commercial business, and we will be making a complaint to the relevant authority. The fact that we don't know who Cumberlege's clients are – especially commercial health companies – is also a concern and underlines the fundamental need for greater transparency."

Jim Pickard and Jimmy Burns, 'Lords handed out passes to lobbyists' (registration required), Financial Times, Published: January 28 2009 02:11 | Last updated: January 28 2009 02:11.

David Miller, director of SpinWatch, the lobbying watchdog, said the government should urgently “tighten the rules on outside interests”.

David Miller was interviewed on BBC Scotland's Newsdrive on Tuesday 27 January about the House of Lords corruption scandal.

David Miller was interviewed on the BBC News Channel Live at 2.30 on Tuesday 27 January about the House of Lords corruption scandal.

David Miller was a guest on an hour long discussion programme on the BBC refusal to broadcast the disaster Emergency committee appeal on Gaza, on the Islam Channel, Monday 26 January 2009, 1800-1900 hrs.

Nicola Fisher, co-chair, Glasgow Stop the War Coalition Ghassan Hemsi, Muslim Association of Britain (Scotland) Professor David Miller, Strathclyde University Thursday 15 January 2009 Gaza: Stop the War Coalition (Glasgow) and MAB write to BBC.

Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, 'Eyeless in Gaza with the BBC', Atlantic Free Press, January 8, 2009 Thursday 6:11 PM EST, 2174 words.

As media scholar David Miller revealed , during the Iraq war the representation of antiwar voices on the BBC was even lower than on its US counterparts. A Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung study found the corporation to have the lowest tolerance for dissent of the media in the five countries it analyzed. Just as its correspondents in Iraq celebrated the fall of Baghdad as a 'vindication' of Blair, its man in Washington Matt Frei threw all caution to the wind to exult: 'There is no doubt that the desire to bring good, to bring American values to the rest of the world, and especially now in the Middle East, is especially tied up with American military power.' 

 

2008

David Hencke and Rob Evans, 'Ex-minister approached former colleagues while banned from lobbying: Documents reveal former transport minister asked for meetings with officials while representing new firm', The Guardian, November 8, 2008:

But David Miller, of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency, a pressure group campaigning for better regulation of lobbyists, which obtained the documents, said: "It is not appropriate for ministers to take jobs in industries which they formerly regulated."

Miller added that the rules covering ex-ministers taking jobs in commercial companies should be tightened, not relaxed. "Our view is that the rules are not tight enough. There's no enforcement mechanism if people ignore the rules. There should be stronger penalties if they breach the rules. There is none at the moment."

He added that there should be a longer cooling-off period between ministers leaving office and taking up their new job.

Guido Fawkes, 'Remember, Remember' Guido Fawkes Website, November 5, 2008

Rosie Walker, 'Companies "try to co-opt sector"', Third Sector, September 17, 2008:

Campaigners need to be more aware of the tactics used by companies to discredit their messages, according to a new booklet from Spinwatch. Spinning the Wheels: a Guide to the PR and Lobbying Industry in the UK reveals some of the methods companies use to shape opinion and policy, such as co-opting charities.

David Miller, director of Spinwatch - a non-profit company that monitors PR tactics - said NGOs should expect a variety of responses to their campaigns from the PR industry. 'The problem is that many of the tactics and tools they use are difficult to spot,' he said. Miller added that charities were more aware of being targeted since Toby Kendall, who volunteered under a false name with the anti-aviation group Plane Stupid this year, was found to be an employee of risk-management company C2i.

28/07/08 Newstalk 93 Jamaica FM: David Miller was interviewed on the Breakfast Club from 0630-0700 on the problems of the British Labour Party after the Glasgow East by-election.
 
10/07/08 Iranian State Radio: David Miller was interviewed by the English Language Service of Iranian State Radio on the G8 Summit in Japan.
 
07/07/08 Slovenian National Broadcaster: David Miller was interviewed in Ljubljana on the G8 summit in Japan.
 
Rachelle Money, 'Public are left in the dark on the cost of policing Orange and Republican marches', Sunday Herald, 7 June 2008. Article reporting that Scottish police are failing to record the costs of policing Orange and Republican marches.

David Miller, professor of sociology at Strathclyde University and co-founder of Spinwatch, a website devoted to public interest reporting on spin and propaganda, disagreed with making organisers pay for parades but said "there is a case for banning sectarian and racist marches altogether".

"We need to seriously take on the Orange Order and sectarianism. My impression is the police won't take on the Orange order or strictly police the anti-social behaviour that does exist around these parades."

John Crace, 'Academics and conflict: Just how expert are the expert witnesses? : There are concerns about the quality and impartiality of some academic "terrorologists"', The Guardian, 13 May, 2008.
This article is also available from theMail and Guardian Online (South Africa), 'Can We Trust the Experts? But just how expert is expert?', 28 May, 2008:

Doubts have been cast about Kohlman's credentials. "He appears to have risen almost without trace," says David Miller, professor of sociology at Strathclyde University, who is compiling a database of "terrorologists".

Lyndsay Moss and Lindsay McIntosh, 'Heart Scanner Gifted by RBS Raises Fear of Two-Tier NHS', The Scotsman, 27 May, 2008:

Professor David Miller, of Strathclyde University, said corporations were exerting creeping control over government and public services which would lead to "the undermining of democracy".

Dominic Kennedy and Rajeev Syal, 'Earl protests over people's peerages' (registration required), The Times, 9 May, 2008:

Professor David Miller, of the University of Strathclyde and a founder of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency, said: “This is appalling. It brings the stories about party funding, cash for honours, parliamentary ethics and lobbying together in one and it shows the urgent need for tightened regulation of lobbyists.”

Lindsay Moss and Alice Wyllie, 'The Mystery of Mrs Brown: Denis Thatcher believed the perfect spouse for a PM should be always present, never there. It's a maxim that fits Sarah Brown perfectly. But does her image reflect what she's really like, or is it a deliberate PR move after the excesses of the Blairs' , The Scotsman, April 16, 2008:

"PiggyBankKids is run out of the offices of Brunswick, a rather secretive London PR firm, which Sarah Brown used to work for. It seems a little unusual to me that a charity should be run out of the offices of a PR firm, and I think it shows just how important image and public relations remains to Sarah Brown," says David Miller, the author of A Century of Spin: How Public Relations Became the cutting Edge of Corporate Power and a Professor of Sociology at the University of Strathclyde.

PR Week, 'Former PRO to review MPs' perks', 8 February, 2008:

Campaigners calling for greater transparency in Westminster expressed concern. Spinwatch co-founder David Miller said: 'It is fairly clear that you should not be doing two jobs at once if it is a conflict of interest.'

Stephen Stewart, 'Scottish Councils Spend £60million on Consultants', Daily Record, 4 February 2008:

Documents released under freedom of information laws show private firms have received huge sums of public cash. The spending has created a black hole in the nation's local government budget. Aberdeen was the worst culprit - spending pounds 30million. Documents revealed the council's head of planning and infrastructure alone spent more than pounds 12.5million on consultancy fees. Professor David Miller, an expert in public sector accountability at Strathclyde University, said: "I think this is a major scandal. "A lot of services are being delivered by organisations with a great deal less democratic accountability."

David Singleton, ‘Campaigners get a rough ride from MPs at select committee’, PR Week, February 1, 2008:

The campaigners had argued for a system of compulsory regulation similar to that introduced in the US.

Spinwatch's David Miller told the MPs: 'It's clear that it is the democratic right of every interest in society to be able to access decision-makers and petition them, but it's also clear that in a democracy there ought to be some sort of level playing field.'

Toby Helm and Christopher Hope, 'MPs fear charities will become 'over-politicised' MPs could launch an investigation into whether Britain’s charities are becoming over-politicised after new rules were published that will allow them to dedicate most of their time to lobbying', The Telegraph, 28 January, 2008.

Professor David Miller, of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency, said it was already the case that money was "pouring in" to charities from people keen "to get closer to the political process".

"If charities are able to become more political, these changes will increase that process. This strengthens the case for a public register of lobbyists so that people can see who is funding them."

Oliver Duff, pandora, The Independent, January 24, 2008Thursday, NEWS; Pg. 16, 839 words:

The founders of a new pressure group, the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency, will this morning give evidence to a select committee inquiry into the dark art. Lobbying is essential in so far as it helps politicians and decision-makers to understand the vested interests of the day, but the group demands greater transparency. One of its founders, Professor David Miller, of Strathclyde University, will suggest a mandatory register of lobbyists and a stringent ethics policy to prevent civil servants, ex-ministers and their relatives from cashing in.

ePolitix, 'MPs urged to back lobbying register: Campaigners have urged MPs to consider a mandatory register for lobbyists.', 24 January, 2008:

David Miller from Spinwatch pointed to a recent example of lobbying malpractice, an obesity group which many MPs were unaware was funded by a diet company.

"MPs need to be given proper information about what lobbyists are up to," he said.

He went on: "It's clear that it is the democratic right of every interest in society to be able to access decision-makers and petition them, but it's also clear that in a democracy there ought to be some sort of level playing field."

 

2007

Iain MacKinnon, 'PR - Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy', Fish Farming Expert, 1 November 2007 (article by a former postgraduate student at the University of Strathclyde on David Miller's critique of the PR campaign against the scientific evidence of contaminants in the fish food chain; Spinninig Farmed Salmon)
 
Talk 107: David Miller was interviewed on Talk 107 about the Mohammed Atif Siddique case on Saturday 27 October 2007 at 11.15am.
 
Daily Record, 18 September 2007, In an article about Mohammed Atif Siddiques's father, 'Our son is innocent': Strathclyde University's Professor David Miller argues that millions of Britons have been "radicalised" since the 9/11 attacks of 2001 but that only a "vanishingly small" minority are prepared to go to extreme lengths as a result.
 
Radio Francais International, 1 August, 2007: David Miller was interviewed on Radio Francais International in Paris on the takeover of the Wall Street Journal by Rupert Murdoch, at 4PM.
 
Jessica Shepherd, “The Rise and Rise of Terrorism Studies” Guardian, 3 July 2007:

When interviewed, David Miller, Professor of Sociology at the University of Strathclyde, who is on the board of the new Critical Studies in Terrorism journal, said “research in this area is the "plaything of state power”. “The interest in this field is driven by the ideological enemy of the Western powers, not the problems of terrorism” he said “The difficulty is in producing independent terrorism research. Most people in the field are signed up to a counter-insurgency ideology."

BBC Radio Scotland, 11 June 2007: David Miller was interviewed on ‘Scotland Live’ at lunchtime on the reasons why even though over 4 million UK citizens are unemployed or on incapacity benefit, unemployment is no longer a political issue.

Iranian National Radio, 27 March 2007: David Miller was interviewed in Iranian National Radio English Language Service on the Cash for Peerages scandal

Iranian National Radio, 14 February 2007: David Miller was interviewed on the English Language Service of Iranian national radio on the popularity of Tony Blair.

BBC Radio Scotland – Scotland at 10, 1 February 2007:David Miller was interviewed about the privatisation of Scottish Water and the research carried out in the department on this for the STUC, BBC Radio Scotland at 10.


2006

10/11/06 David Miller was interviewed for twenty minutes live on ‘Drivetime’ on Colourful Radio

05/11/06 Times article Crime findings 'watered down' on Professor Reece Walters, a criminologist at Stirling University, who has accused the Scottish Executive of "watering down" his research on youth courts because it was critical of a flagship policy. Features comment from Professor David Miller, Sociology, who said ministers should not be allowed to interfere with academic research: "This is happening to academics across Scotland."

16/10/06 BBC Radio Scotland; Scotland at Ten Discussion on the Bank of Scotland Labour Market report for September which shows a slow down in jobs growth in Scotland amid concerns about the size of the public sector. Features interview with Professor David Miller, Geography & Sociology, who commented that there is a need for more public sector training of people for engineering jobs.

16/10/06 BBC Radio Scotland; David Miller was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland’s Scotland at Ten on the publication of the Public Interest Research Network report on Scottish Water.

08/10/06 Sunday Herald; A report on the revelation that the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) had delayed and altered a news release about an assessment of radioactive pollution at Dalgety Bay, a family sailing centre. It is claimed the release was altered after a senior Scottish Executive public relations official described it as "not entirely helpful". Features comment from Professor David Miller, Geography & Sociology, who said: "This is not about making things clearer, it’s about deceiving people, and it calls into question Sepa’s independence. It demonstrates an appalling subservience to the Executive’s diktat." View article here.

28/09/06 Islamic Republic of Iran Radio; David Miller was interviewed on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting National Radio News about the influence of the neoconservatives on Tony Blair and the Manchester anti war demonstration.

18/08/06 David Miller was interviewed on ‘The Breakfast Club’ Radio show, Kingston, Jamaica

28/05/06 Letter in Sunday Herald, Prof David Miller, Dr Patricia McCafferty, Dept of Geography and Sociology

LAST weekend we held a landmark international conference at Strathclyde University on the theme of Neoliberal Scotland, examining the place of a devolved Scotland in a globalised world. In last week’s Sunday Herald (Seven Days, May 21), Brian McNair took our conference to task for not encouraging "positive thinking" and a "new language for Scottish politics". What this appears to mean is that we don’t share his enthusiasm for the free market. "Globalisation is good. Capitalism works," he said.

The evidence for this appears to be the rise in living standards in the UK over the past 20 years. But this is at the expense of sweatshop workers and farmers forced off their land across the developing world. We should also ask how much of that increased income now goes towards paying for goods and services which were once free and funded by general taxation. The increases in spending on public services are used as a stick to beat the "bloated" public sector. But as everyone who has heard the initials PFI [public finance initiative] or PPP [public private partnership] knows, huge sums of public money are now committed for decades to be spent on bolstering the profits of the private companies running our "public" services. Left to themselves, the corporations would swoop on water, CalMac and what is left of the NHS.

How much longer do we have to leave it to discuss the environment, poverty, war and other crises facing humanity, as well as finding ways of resolving them? Turning ourback on political debate that is informed by facts rather than prejudice might be comfortable for a while, but the problems we face will not go away simply by holding on to a naive faith in the miraculous power of the market.

19/05/06 BBC Radio Scotland, David Miller, Colin Clark and Colin Leys were all interviewed about neoliberalism for the BBC Radio Scotland Scotland at 10.

17/05/06 BBC 2 Scotland - Newsnight Scotland Discussion took place regarding Tony Blair’s statement in favour of nuclear power and statement by First Minister Jack McConnell that there will be no new nuclear power stations in Scotland until the waste problem is resolved. Professor David Miller, Geography and Sociology, commented.
May 06 the website Nuclearspin.org was launched by Spinwatch in which a number of department staff and students are involved. The website provided material for coverage in the following papers:
 
The Guardian, May 3 2006.

The Sunday Herald, 14 may 2006.

Private Eye on Nuclear Spin: Private Eye, No. 1159, 26 May - 8 June 2006.


14/04/06 Robbie Dinwoodie, 'Greens: science briefings could be biased by business', The Herald. David Miller was interviewed about the Scottish Parliament Science Information Service:

Professor David Miller of Strathclyde University, who runs the internet group spinwatch.org, claimed the parliament has been naive in its dealings with the private sector and its lobbyists.

He pointed out that Willie Rennie, now a LibDem MP, effectively ran the science information scheme while working for a PR agency hired by the Royal Society of Chemistry – the kind of linkage between learned societies and private lobbyists who could represent other clients, which made it impossible to be confident of the impartiality of advice.

13/04/06 BBC Newsnight Scotland; David Miller was interviewed about the Scottish Parliament Science Information Service.

07/04/06 BBC Radio Scotland – Scotland at Ten; David Allison reported on the launch of the Labour local council election campaign and the work of the script writer. The Blair and Brown script was all about unity but the press script was all about splits. Professor David Miller was among the interviewees and said: "The problem is that Blair and Brown are trying to present two conflicting scripts at the same time…"

06/04/06 Radio Scotland; David Miller was interviewed on the Scotland at Ten programme, on the ways in which media and politicians try and script news issues.

22/03/06 David Miller was interviewed on The Breakfast Club, the flagship morning discussion programme in Jamaica. hosted by Eric Anthony Abrahams (former Minister of Tourism) and Dr. Trevor Munroe (Political Scientist). David debated the decline in Tony Blair's popularity with Dawn Butler MP and Andrew Glynn of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

02/03/06 BBC Radio Scotland David Miller was interviewed on Good Morning Scotland on government Public Information Campaigns on Wednesday.

19/02/06 Sunday Herald
A Scottish Euro MP with strong links to financial services has been criticised after it emerged he had backed proposals that could benefit some companies with which he is involved. John Purvis, the veteran Tory MEP, has consistently supported the hedge fund and biotechnology industries since he was elected in 1999. But he has championed them at the same time as having a significant stake in both sectors. Professor David Miller said: "This is an example of a conflict of interest which is all too common in Scottish politics…one way forward is to tighten up codes on conduct…and to outlaw private business interests." View article here.

21/01/06 BBC 4; David Miller was interviewed for the Cinema Show on representations of ‘terrorism’ in the context of the new Spielberg film ‘Munich’.

 

2005

David Miller interviewed by File On Four, Radio Four, for a programme on lobbying the EU, transmitted 22 November 2005.

David Miller was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight on the rise of the blogger and the failure of mainstream media to report on the attack on Falluja, 17 November 2005. Watch on youtube.

David Miller interviewed on Radio Francais International on Blair’s defeat on anti terrorism legislation, 11 November 2005.

David Miller interviewed by Idrees Ahmad entitled “Propaganda-Managed Democracy: UK and the lessons of Iraq”, Monday October 31, 87.7FM at 8.30pm.

29 September 2005, BBC Radio Scotland; Studio debate on alleged launch of the ‘Voice of the Caliphate’ on the internet. Professor David Miller, Geography & Sociology, is interviewed.

David Miller was interviewed on ‘Sounds of Dissent’ from 11.30 – 12 noon on WZBC, 90.3 FM Boston, on the propaganda surrounding the killing of Jean Charles De Menezes. http://wzbc.org

'Anti-Poverty Campaigners and Environmental Groups Criticize G8 for Falling Short on Promises', Democracy Now, Pacifica Radio, Monday, July 11th, 2005.

Redeye, community Radio, Vancouver, Canada. (programme information here), 9 July 2005. Summary: The bombings in London coincided with the G8 meeting in Scotland. David Miller of the University of Strathclyde talks about the bombings, the response in Britain and the G8 conference.

WBAI New York, Pacifica Radio, Morning news 9.20-10am, 8 July 2005.

5.05 pm The Thom Hartmann show, with national syndication http://www.thomhartmann.com/show.shtml Audio accessible via  http://www.whiterosesociety.org/Hartmann.html, 8 July 2005.

Dublin Community Radio, Ireland, 7 July 2005.

The Breakfast Club, Jamaica hosted by Professor Trevor Munroe and Anthony Abrahams,  HOT 102fm, Thursday 7 July 2005 at 12:35pm.

Charles Goyette show, Air America, 1010KXXT, Phoenix Arizona, http://www.1010kxxt.com/ audio accessible from: http://www.charlesgoyette.com, 7 July 2005.

Radio 786 Cape Town South Africa, with Fahri Hassan, 7 July 2005.

David Miller was interviewed by a wide variety of media including the Israeli Press, National Public Radio (US), Brazilian press, French press AFP and Radio Francais International. 6 July 2005.

Twenty-five minute live interview on the KPFA morning news, Berkeley California on the Gleneagles protest. Interview on BBC Newsnight Scotland on Gleneagles protest, 6 July 2005.

Nelson Mandela on G8 Summit: "Overcoming Poverty is Not a Gesture of Charity, it is an Act of Justice", Democracy Now, Transcript and video (256k), audio. 5th July 2005.

Voice to America with Anthony L. Femino 4.10-4.30 pm, 3rd July 2005.

David Miller was interviewed live from the Make Poverty History demonstration, 3 July 2005, for 30 minutes on 'This Is Hell', Saturday Morning WNUR 89.3 Chicago. Archived at

David Miller was interviewed live on the G8 Alternatives Summit on 3rd July 2005 between 8 and 9 am on the following BBC regional radio stations: Radio Cornwall, Radio Devon, Radio Guernsey, Radio Wiltshire, Radio London, Radio Merseyside, Radio WMC (Coventry), Radio Lancashire.

David Miller was interviewed live on ‘Voice to America’ from the G8 Alternatives Summit on 3rd July on KTAR 620am Phoenix Arizona. Voice to America Archive.

2nd July, 30 minute interview on ‘This is Hell’, on Northwestern University’s WNUR 89.3 FM, Chicago, Audio here.

David Miller was interviewed by Saga FM on the issues being discussed by the G8 which get less prominence on 29 June 2005.

David Miller was interviewed by Deep Dish Television for their 13 part series Shocking and Awful on the Invasion and occupation of Iraq, at the World Tribunal on Iraq in Istanbul, 30 June 2005. Watch on YouTube.

David Miller discussed the troubles of Tony Blair over Iraq and the election. on The Charles Goyette Show, Air America Phoenix, Wednesday, May 4, 2005, 7:30 am-8:00 am.

David Miller discussed the Results of the General election on Iraq on The Charles Goyette Show, Air America Phoenix Friday, May 6, 2005, 6:00 am-6:30 am.

David Miller was a studio guest discussing ‘role models’ on Values Added BBC Radio Scotland, Sunday 8 May 2005.

David Miller discussed the general election results in the UK and the anti-war movement on the Morning Show on KPFA, California, 9 May 7AM.

David Miller, participated in a studio discussion, on what the public are looking for in their newspapers today. 09/05/05, BBC Radio Scotland, The Arts Programme.

David Miller debated the rise of the PR industry with George Pitcher of Luther Pendragon on ‘Brief Lives’, Radio Five Live, Sunday 15 May, 8AM and 7PM.

David Miller appeared on BBC TV, Newsnight Scotland (12 April). He took part in the studio discussion on the history and development of party political broadcasts. David Miller comments on Labour having to fight public feeling about Iraq.

David Miller was interviewed for VIPonair, a community radio station for blind and partially sighted people on the subject of censorship and political violence, 4 February 2004.

David Miller was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland on the Russian government attempt to stop Channel Four News broadcasting an interview with a Chechen fighter, 4 February 2005.

David Miller was interviewed by Radio Clyde on the public response to the Iraq war two years on from the worldwide demonstrations against it, 15 February 2005.

David Miller was interviewed on spin doctors in Scottish politics on Politics Now, STV, 17 February 2005.

David Miller was interviewed in the Big Issue Scotland (11 March 2005) about his new book on the G8.

David Miller was a witness on Media Wrongs against the citizens of the coalition at the Rome Session of the World Tribunal on Iraq, University of Rome Tre, 10-13 February.

The hearings, before an international panel of jurists, received wide coverage in the Italian press and broadcast media. It was also covered in some sections of the English language media, such as by Interpress: Dahr Jamail, 'Media held guilty of deception'.

The Seattle-Post Intelligencer: 'News about Iraq goes through filters', 16 February 2005.

Television Week: Published on Monday, February 28, 2005

Danny Schechter, 'Independent Press Was a Target in Iraq', Arab Media Watch: Iraq: Media goes on trial over war coverage Posted on Friday, February 18 @ 00:30:03 GMT.

Kaleem Omar, 'World Tribunal on Iraq holds western media guilty of deception', Jang newspapers (Pakistan), 14 February 2005.

David Miller was interviewed by the Guardian Higher for the regular 'work in progress’ slot about the launch of his website Spinwatch.org. The Guardian, 25 January 2005.

David Miller’s comments on the apology made by the BBC’s Blue Peter for the inappropriate use of the Red hand of Ulster were carried in a wide variety of media and he had a letter published in the Guardian clarifying his comments (http://media.guardian.co.uk/feedback/story/0,,1084217,00.html). coverage including the following:

Campbell Speaks Up For Red Hand – 1 Feb, 2005,
Sherna Noah, PA Showbusiness Correspondent, 'Blue Peter Says 'Sorry' for Red Hand Blunder', The Scotsman, 21 January 2005.
'Blue Peter Says 'Sorry' for Red Hand Blunder', Ireland Online, Ireland , 21 January 2005.
Owen Gibson, 'Red faces at Blue Peter over red hand', The Guardian, 21 January 2005.
Gary Kelly, 'Anger over Red Hand Apology', The Scotsman, 24 January 2005.
Johnny Caldwell, 'Red Hand A Red Herring', The News Letter (Belfast), 25 January 2005.
Alice McVicker, 'Red Hand 'is not sectarian', Belfast Telegraph, 27 January 2005.
Stephen Breen, 'Red Hands for our Zoe', Belfast Telegraph, 30 January 2005.
'Anger over red hand apology', UTV, Ireland, 24 January 2005.
Gail Walker: 'Nutty professor is left with egg on a red face', Belfast Telegraph, 25 January 2005.
Ben Lowry, '', Belfast Telegraph, 22 January 2005.
'BBC Slammed Over Our Zoe Red Hand apology', The News Letter (Belfast), 22 January 2005.
Ben Lowry and Alice McVicker, ' Belfast Telegraph, 24 January 2005.
Red faces at Beeb over Red Hand comments is red rag to unionists, Belfast Telegraph Sunday Life, UK - 23 January 2005.
Blue Peter says sorry for Ulster gaffe, RTE Interactive, Ireland, 21 January 2005.
David Young, 'Surprise at BBC Apology on Zoe', News Letter, Ireland, 28 January 2005.
Will Iredale, 'Here's a gaffe I made earlier', The Sunday Times, 22 January 2005.
'Terror gaffe on kids' TV', The Sun, 21 January 2005.
Stephen Breen, 'Nazi shock for Zoe', Belfast Telegraph Sunday Life, 23 January 2005.
Owen Gibson, 'Red faces at Blue Peter over Red Hand', The Guardian, 22 January 2005.
Corks 96fm , Irish Examiner, RTE.ie Entertainment - Blue Peter says sorry for Ulster gaffe, Limericks Live 95FM, dailyrecord - Daily Record - News - Scottish News updated daily ..., Corks 103fm, , Irish News Online, Irish Sun - Ireland News

David Miller was a guest in a panel discussion on the Radio Scotland 12-2 Show on 10 January discussing the Kirsty Wark/Jack McConnell controversy.

David Miller was featured in a film ‘Channels of War’ produced by Deep dish TV Production in New York www.deepdishtv.org. His contribution focused on propaganda and media coverage of the war on Iraq. The film is one of a series of twelve currently being shown in cinemas across the US and on Public Access satellite television.

David Miller featured in a new educational video produced by Sheffield University department of Sociological Studies, titled ‘Media, War and the Battle for the Public Mind: Conversations with 3 media Analysts’.

For earlier news and interviews from 1989-2004 see here.