Alex Callinicos/SWP vs Laurie Penny/New Statesman Facebook handbags

[frogwoman]

shit knows i've got my disagreements with the IWCA but at least they are sincere, and have actually achieved something and at least they actually care about what they are saying, rather than just trying to appropriate other peoples struggles they know nothing about to shift a few copies of their books and get a job at the guardian

 

[JimW]

But since those other people are largely made up, it's a mostly victimless crime if you discount the political damage.

 

[SpineyNorman]

So it's twitter that does it then. Yikes.

Give it a rest eh?

 

[Citizen66]

I don't think he's a nutcase at all. It's just fabulous trolling by Laurie.

I thought sock puppet too.

 

[Ronnie Rubashov]

It's not even purple prose. Purple could be forgiven. It's reductive, shallow non-reflexive (by Christ it's non-reflexive!) pap occasionally enlivened by a glimmer of insight. It's readable, but it's hardly informative. It's "journalism as diary-writing".

It's totally purple. Purple, florid, overwrought, mawkish, prolix...the fuckin lot...full house..."one hundred and EIGHTEEEE!!"

Agree on the shallow, groundless, clueless etc...yet it's the lack of self-awareness I find staggering, but regardless of the content, it remains the style which first offends...and, sorry, but it's purple.

 

[Delroy Booth]

^ This is how I assume the privately educated Oxbridge graduate left views me, and always will, no matter what I do.

With thanks to Lustbather

 

[frogwoman]

But since those other people are largely made up, it's a mostly victimless crime if you discount the political damage.

I don't think it is though. The very fact that places like firebox exist and the fact that articles by the likes of johan hari and laurie penny is what passes for left wing discourse these days is not without political consequences, i'd say its an absolute tragedy tbh. it means that the left is coming to be seen (because it is) as the preserve of these types of champagne socialists.

 

[JimW]

I don't think it is though. The very fact that places like firebox exist and the fact that articles by the likes of johan hari and laurie penny is what passes for left wing discourse these days is not without political consequences, i'd say its an absolute tragedy tbh. it means that the left is coming to be seen (because it is) as the preserve of these types of champagne socialists.

I know, it was mostly a way to crowbar in a crack about her whole-cloth fabrication enterprises.

 

[bluestreak]

And fuck you too matey...'some new nutcase' indeed...care to quote something to back that up...or did you simply make an online diagnosis, Herr Doktor?

And bear in mind the inherent elitism in failing to correctly identify: irony; mythological, local, cultural or subjective truths; oblique allusions; non-traditional literary devices; or humour. Take the piss, and you're basically bolstering existing power asymmetries. Go for it, you tyrannical muppet.

this will do.

you don't appear very well balanced, even by the standards of the standards of p&p. i mean, maybe in real life you're fine, but this is basically nonsense.

though i am interested in how not sharing your sense of humour indicates elitism or disagreement is somehow working with the existing status quo. i'm pretty sure that was the gist of laurie penny's argument. oh noes, they don't agree with me... not real lefties. do you have a pamplet or newsletter i might subscribe to?


welcome back to urban.

 

[rekil]

I thought sock puppet too.

You just never know.

 

[Firky]

blocked

dummy spat out right the way across twitter.

@brianwhelanhack @lovedetective1 @spineynorman78 ...and I don't have time to engage any further with pissed-off haters.

 

[Delroy Booth]

I don't think it is though. The very fact that places like firebox exist and the fact that articles by the likes of johan hari and laurie penny is what passes for left wing discourse these days is not without political consequences, i'd say its an absolute tragedy tbh. it means that the left is coming to be seen (because it is) as the preserve of these types of champagne socialists.

It's probably the main contributing factor to why most working-class people I know have nothing but outright contempt for the left. Because it's inextricably associated with these people.

All this says to me is that the political judgement of most working class people in Britain is in rude health. They're absolutely right to reject this shit.

I'm always going around putting left-wing arguments about, and I get constant abuse from my mates and co-workers for being "a fucking paki-loving commie" for it, but in all seriousness I nag and nag and nag at people with these issues all the time, and truth be told in absraction there's still a surprising and heartening degree of understanding for basic socialist ideas out there. The idea that "the people who work in the factories ought to own and control them, not the bosses" never gets any objections from people when I put it to them. People know that the Tories are arseholes. And even some of the identity politics and privilige theory stuff, which once again as a theory has a lot of merit to it, when I try to squeeze those theories into arguments there's an appreciation of it, that comes from lived experience not just reading about it at uni and importing it from American hyper-liberals.

 

[love detective]

this will do.

you don't appear very well balanced, even by the standards of the standards of p&p. i mean, maybe in real life you're fine, but this is basically nonsense.

though i am interested in how not sharing your sense of humour indicates elitism or disagreement is somehow working with the existing status quo. i'm pretty sure that was the gist of laurie penny's argument. oh noes, they don't agree with me... not real lefties. do you have a pamplet or newsletter i might subscribe to?


welcome back to urban.

Fuck off

 

[bluestreak]

I don't think he's a nutcase at all. It's just fabulous trolling by Laurie.

soon all this will be hers.

 

[JimW]

Should we not hold that guest columnist page in the next Girder after all, then?

 

[bluestreak]

Fuck off

whoops.

 

[frogwoman]

haters be hatin'

 

[Steel Icarus]

blocked

dummy spat out right the way across twitter.

I'm blocked too. Was expecting it when I asked her why working class people shouldn't have nice things, to be honest.

Yeah, the Voice of the Oppressed sure as shit doesn't like talking to the fuckers, eh

 

[sihhi]

Fuck off

I assume it's you on the Twitter machine, I don't have one but have been following with interest, this quote from 2007 might interest you:


17 Dec 2007: Laurie Penny's blog " I'll always have time for the freaks: the short, the young, the sick, the disabled and disenfranchised, the queers, the sexual deviants, swingers, fetish nutcases and drugged-up hedonists; for the goths and hippies and the geeks; for the Socialists, the Communists, the bickering Far Left beaurocrats, for the poor, and for women, especially those who've caught a glimpse of the nightmare of capitalist gender fascism in which we're living. Freaks are a threat to capitalism. Freaks are a large, deeply fragmented power-base of deviant energy that has long been languishing in the political Deep Woods in these crazy, fucked-up post-2001 times. But we haven't disappeared, and we won't disappear, and we won't vote for you; we never did vote for you. Freaks and politics will collide again in this decade, and when it happens, I plan to be on the frontline, with a bag of glitter make-up and plenty of home-made placards. I hope to see some of you leading the way."

 

[Ronnie Rubashov]

this will do.

you don't appear very well balanced, even by the standards of the standards of p&p. i mean, maybe in real life you're fine, but this is basically nonsense.

though i am interested in how not sharing your sense of humour indicates elitism or disagreement is somehow working with the existing status quo. i'm pretty sure that was the gist of laurie penny's argument. oh noes, they don't agree with me... not real lefties. do you have a pamplet or newsletter i might subscribe to?


welcome back to urban.

Yeah?...well you're "basically nonsense" AND unbalanced...and so's your mam.
And what the fuck does your question refer to...'not sharing'?...where's that from Poindexter?

 

[Betty_Rubble]

She'll interview Tommy Robinson but a former AFA group gets no platformed

and this:

Laurie Penny ‏@PennyRed
@LoveDetective1 @spineynorman78 oh. Oh, I see. You're racist. That makes this so much easier *blocks*

Is very revealing - much easier to slander than to engage.

Laurie Penny aka Laura Barnett aka @pennyred is a fucking racist.

 

[SpineyNorman]

blocked

dummy spat out right the way across twitter.

I've had a few shandies and I'll probably regret this tomorrow but I sent my ex a text and told her about this (it's not a weird out of the blue text to an ex before people get scared - we're still good mates) - she signed up to twatter just take her to task. Laurie's blocked her too.

Here are the tweets she was blocked for posting:

8m HaslandEmma ‏@EmmaHasland
@PennyRed explain y the man I lived with 4 5 years is racist please @spineynorman78 #blackandproud

View conversation

• Reply
• Delete
• Favorite

25m HaslandEmma ‏@EmmaHasland
@PennyRed @brianwhelanhack you did just call @LoveDetective1 and @spineynorman78 racists though. For no good reason.

View conversation

 

[sihhi]

blocked

dummy spat out right the way across twitter.

That 'cartoon' was well beyond the line, firky, did you apologise and withdraw it?

Also, in general, if the probably inevitable accusation of sexism, failing to defend women's rights etc, comes up this (and there are others too) from Red Action's archive are all there on record.

 

[bluestreak]

Yeah?...well you're "basically nonsense" AND unbalanced...and so's your mam.
And what the fuck does your question refer to...'not sharing'?...where's that from Poindexter?

well, i'm clearly way too stupid to understand what you're on about. i can't imagine it's a problem i won't be able to live with.

 

[Firky]

I assume it's you on the Twitter machine, I don't have one but have been following with interest, this quote from 2007 might interest you:


17 Dec 2007: Laurie Penny's blog " I'll always have time for the freaks: the short, the young, the sick, the disabled and disenfranchised, the queers, the sexual deviants, swingers, fetish nutcases and drugged-up hedonists; for the goths and hippies and the geeks; for the Socialists, the Communists, the bickering Far Left beaurocrats, for the poor, and for women, especially those who've caught a glimpse of the nightmare of capitalist gender fascism in which we're living. Freaks are a threat to capitalism. Freaks are a large, deeply fragmented power-base of deviant energy that has long been languishing in the political Deep Woods in these crazy, fucked-up post-2001 times. But we haven't disappeared, and we won't disappear, and we won't vote for you; we never did vote for you. Freaks and politics will collide again in this decade, and when it happens, I plan to be on the frontline, with a bag of glitter make-up and plenty of home-made placards. I hope to see some of you leading the way."

Jesus.

crazy fucked up post 2001 times

No I did not apologise, would I shite.

 

[rekil]

Dave's ignore list here must be huge already. Maybe that's why she has fuck all to say for herself.

 

[Betty_Rubble]

a bag of glitter make up, WTJSPRC...

 

[Firky]

I've had a few shandies and I'll probably regret this tomorrow but I sent my ex a text and told her about this (it's not a weird out of the blue text to an ex before people get scared - we're still good mates) - she signed up to twatter just take her to task. Laurie's blocked her too.

If linking to an IWCA page makes you a racist then being married to one is going to make your ex an even bigger racist, such is Laura's logic

 

[Ronnie Rubashov]

well, i'm clearly way too stupid to understand what you're on about. i can't imagine it's a problem i won't be able to live with.

Exactly...you're not part of the solution...which is rarely to call someone a 'nutcase', out the blue and apropos of fuck all.
Strange this is...you're right. I'm a fuckin idiot. And even when I go for 'rational', I'm generally too pissed to see it through.

 

[sihhi]

Jesus.

crazy fucked up post 2001 times

No I did not apologise, would I shite.

Many said, and I agreed, let's tackle the ball not the player. Now, u75 p&p as a whole to 50k followers has been libelled as sexist and nutcase bully zone, the twitter posters have been libelled as racist. I blame myself really.