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194:, ran the story: "If Kinnock will tell lies about a sick little girl, will he ever tell the truth about anything?". This was one of several anti-Kinnock headlines that the tabloid ran in the run-up to the 1992 general election, and it has often been said that The Sun's unshakeable support for the Tories and opposition to Labour
161:. This case was contrasted with the case of a girl a with a similar condition who was able to afford private treatment – of the kind that had been granted tax breaks by the Conservatives – and was able to resolve her problem quickly. The party highlighted the alleged mismanagement and underfunding of the
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In subsequent press discussion, Labour's point about healthcare was overshadowed by debate about the ethics of involving a young girl in national politics, and over which side made her identity public. The view inside the Labour Party was, however, that the huge volume of coverage the story generated
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that leans on specific cases, as opposed to broad statistics, particularly in the context of debates over healthcare. Such foundations are acknowledged to be hazardous for politicians to employ in any decisive argument. The tactic has nonetheless been repeated on several occasions, at each of which
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criticised the government's record by illustrating the case of a 94-year-old woman who he claimed had been neglected in a hospital. The hospital's
Medical Director, Dr Malone-Lee pointed out that she had been seen, but that she had "a particular reservation about some of the nurses" and refused to
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Conflicting accounts of the details of the case quickly surfaced, with the supposed inspiration for the ad being then-five-year old
Jennifer Bennett. Allegedly, the grandfather of the girl in question was a Conservative MP who informed the party of Labour's plans, allowing it to prepare an
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Under
British election regulations, such broadcasts are rationed by formula among main parties, and terrestrial broadcasters are obliged to run them on set days, in peak time schedules. Each broadcast therefore has more impact on political debate than in unregulated systems.
180:'s press secretary, as based on an actual case. In fact while a particular case had been the starting point of the creative team that had produced the broadcast – working from a letter by the girl's parent to
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news reporter attempted to show
Johnson the picture on his phone, but he refused to look, before taking the device and putting it in his pocket. The boy was being assessed for suspected pneumonia.
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constituent of his was told to wait 20 months for vital radiotherapy. The issue cooled off after he discovered that a clerical error had occurred – the wait was in fact scheduled to be 20 weeks.
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after four times having surgery postponed by a lack of available intensive care beds. The scandal was raised by a newspaper, and resulted in significant government reviews.
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let them attend to her. This was interpreted as a suggestion that Addis' objections had been racially based, which the hospital later made clear was not the case.
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Warden, John. "The war of
Jennifer's ear." British Medical Journal, vol. 304, no. 6831, 1992, p. 866. Gale Academic OneFile, . Accessed 16 June 2021.
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refused to look at a photograph of a boy who allegedly had to sleep on the floor whilst waiting to be seen at a Leeds hospital. An
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resigned three days afterwards. Jennifer's father, John
Bennett, went on to become a critic of the health provision achieved by
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The
Conservative Party went on to win the 1992 election with a narrow majority of 21 seats. Labour leader
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Ben
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is the name given to a 1992 controversy in United
Kingdom politics, between the opposition
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in the UK's local and regional media did the party tremendous good. However, as told by
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the controversy made the party back off the issue of health at a national level.
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General election 2019: Boris
Johnson criticised over reaction to sick boy image
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The story of the broadcast was described by one press officer – Julie Hall,
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headline writers attempt to formulate a new version of the 'war of' label:
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employed the slogan: "If you want to vote Conservative, don't fall ill".
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investigative response ahead of time. The mass circulation tabloid,
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350:"Peter Hitchens shares his journey of 'becoming the story'"
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who waited a year for the simple operation to insert
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8 days to go: Bravura performances: Hack of the Day
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
429:"The very public betrayal of Rose's private agony"
244:in British political discussions, for political
137:, an actual armed conflict of the 18th century.
253:Mavis Skeet (2000) – A cancer patient died in
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298:"Jack" (2019) - Conservative Prime Minister
279:Margaret Dixon (2005) – Conservative leader
240:The War of Jennifer's Ear now serves as the
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
684:Political scandals in the United Kingdom
283:attempted to show, in the run-up to the
260:Rose Addis (2002) – Conservative leader
704:March 1992 events in the United Kingdom
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268:Anonymous (2004) – Conservative leader
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196:helped win the election for the Tories
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694:1992 United Kingdom general election
149:campaign, on 24 March, Labour ran a
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435:. 27 January 2002.
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