Alex Callinicos/SWP vs Laurie Penny/New Statesman Facebook handbags
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Bert Trautmann
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Wow. Not sure what I think about this. Glad to see there's a thread largely devoted to exposing the scandal that is Laurie Penny, but it's just too long. I'm sure that it'll prove an invaluable resource one day; once she's established herself as a political and cultural fixture and somebody decides to chart her rise to greatness. In that spirit, I'll just park the following here from here recent piece on how the usual speculation and punditry on Iraq fails to acknowledge the profound effect the war had on...um...Laurie Penny.
First, she claimed it was a NATO war. The piece was altered later and a note was placed at the bottom from an editor explaining that the error had been corrected. No mention however that to have assumed it was NATO that led the invasion amounts to either a complete misunderstanding of the entire war and its build-up or an admission that the author knew fuck all about Iraq, but felt qualified to pronounce regardless; bypassing the conventional research stage.
Secondly, we get this: "For me, at the age of 16, there were a lot of firsts on 15 February 2003: first truancy, first solo trip to London, first time seeing democracy rudely circumvented."
This is especially odd since the march took place on a Saturday during half term. One is forced to wonder just how she managed to play truant.
Now I'm not sure if in a few years, stuff like this will even matter; whether facts will have any real and determinate significance in the journalism and commentary of the future. It seems at present as if the trend points otherwise. She's been caught out at least as often as Hari now yet is able to dismiss criticism by claiming her accusers are tiresome and pedantic or indeed just petty misogynists splitting hairs about unimportant shit like the truth; the truth no doubt regarded, in this context, as a conspiracy conjured up by a neocon patriarchy to throw a spanner in the works of Laurie Penny's worldview. You can sense how desperate they are to fuck with hr crusade; so desperate in fact that they resort to the most underhand and oppressive tactics available ie. revealing that she makes it all up.
Now I can see how if were a member of small cabal of the global megarich industrial, political and corporate elite, Laurie Pennie would be exactly the sort of campaigning Journalist I'd want on my case: narcissistic, dishonest, politically naive and self-serving and devoted above all to a battleground of semiotics rather than anything so concrete as raising working class living standards. But why do the rest of the so-called left indulge her? She's a walking, talking own-goal. An accident waiting to happen again. Seeing her take to a keyboard must feel like watching Wile E Coyote strap rockets onto his roller skates.
First, she claimed it was a NATO war. The piece was altered later and a note was placed at the bottom from an editor explaining that the error had been corrected. No mention however that to have assumed it was NATO that led the invasion amounts to either a complete misunderstanding of the entire war and its build-up or an admission that the author knew fuck all about Iraq, but felt qualified to pronounce regardless; bypassing the conventional research stage.
Secondly, we get this: "For me, at the age of 16, there were a lot of firsts on 15 February 2003: first truancy, first solo trip to London, first time seeing democracy rudely circumvented."
This is especially odd since the march took place on a Saturday during half term. One is forced to wonder just how she managed to play truant.
Now I'm not sure if in a few years, stuff like this will even matter; whether facts will have any real and determinate significance in the journalism and commentary of the future. It seems at present as if the trend points otherwise. She's been caught out at least as often as Hari now yet is able to dismiss criticism by claiming her accusers are tiresome and pedantic or indeed just petty misogynists splitting hairs about unimportant shit like the truth; the truth no doubt regarded, in this context, as a conspiracy conjured up by a neocon patriarchy to throw a spanner in the works of Laurie Penny's worldview. You can sense how desperate they are to fuck with hr crusade; so desperate in fact that they resort to the most underhand and oppressive tactics available ie. revealing that she makes it all up.
Now I can see how if were a member of small cabal of the global megarich industrial, political and corporate elite, Laurie Pennie would be exactly the sort of campaigning Journalist I'd want on my case: narcissistic, dishonest, politically naive and self-serving and devoted above all to a battleground of semiotics rather than anything so concrete as raising working class living standards. But why do the rest of the so-called left indulge her? She's a walking, talking own-goal. An accident waiting to happen again. Seeing her take to a keyboard must feel like watching Wile E Coyote strap rockets onto his roller skates.
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
Welcome to the boards bert, good first post - hope the necks feeling a bit better.
Libertad
Sparking up a rollie in the Reichstag
yes, a fine turn of phrase. filed for future use (not here"Seeing her take to a keyboard must feel like watching Wile E Coyote strap rockets onto his roller skates."
).DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
Why would anyone tell Diane Abbott about where they're moving? Unless they're Michael Portillo (no misogyny intended).
"Laurie Penny @PennyRed
Who lives in Dalston and what's good in Dalston? #housemoving"
I find abbot/portillos bipartisan wuv quite touching in a way.
Idris2002
cavalcade of hubris
I just feel sorry for Porto's Spanish republican da.
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
Stokie is the most horrible place on earth. it should be nuked. loathsomely smug middle class wankers everywhere with their organic bicycle shops and artisan haircuts. FUCK OFF FUCK OFF FUCK OFF.
Idris2002
cavalcade of hubris
Aren't the police meant to be incredibly bent there as well?
That's applicable for all of orth London.
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
some places are worse than others. Stokey is a dystopian vision of the future, where the guardian readers have ascended to power and everywhere is Stepford Yuppies pretending to be a) interesting, and b) good human beings whilst actually being bubble-dwelling parasites like the last day of Rome. horrible place.
Abney Park Cemetery is nice though. you ahve to brave lattegeddon to get to it though.
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
dunno, i've only seen them moving on beggars. although i did get into a street-fight in Stokey in 1997, fuelled by absinthe and stella. i recall that the police merely broke it up and sent us on our way. it was a different place back then. i doubt you can get a pint of stella there anymore. artisan brews from brooklyn, yes, fucking honey coloured ales brewed in hoxton by friends that tosspot from blur, almost certainly. a simple pint of stella pffft.
Idris2002
cavalcade of hubris
In fairness, Stella is terrible stuff.
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
I like Stokie because it is the part of London I know best and am most familiar with. Going back about 6 or 7 years now though - I am sure it has got worse in teh way you describe. Church Street always used to seem a bit out of place.
There's something on Channel 4 starting soon: Day in the Life of a Fried Chicken Shop. I heard it was in Stokie so I am going to watch it.
There's something on Channel 4 starting soon: Day in the Life of a Fried Chicken Shop. I heard it was in Stokie so I am going to watch it.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
it's grim up north london. South of the river every time. At least there you'll be mugged by proles rather than mugged by gastropub prices
Oh it is in Clapham. I will be having words with my little bird.
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/...ife-in-a-day/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1
Plumdaff
joy in people
South London's changed. See threads on here ad nauseum.
Anyway on topic, isn't Laurie exactly what happens when, as LiamO's 'killed by praise' thread describes you just tell someome their are very clever throughout their childhood. Except because of her level of priviledge this will just continue her entire life, rather than being cruelly bashed out of her by experience in early adulthood.
sihhi
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered
Suzanne Moore agrees with you on the Cemetery and that Church Street is no good:
Jump to 7:20 here
Plumdaff
joy in people
Clapham High Street on a weekend night is fucking hideous. A perfect storm of twattery. That show will be appalling - which is presumably exactly what Channel 4 will want.
goldenecitrone
post tenebras lux
Suzanne Moore agrees with you on the Cemetery and that Church Street is no good:
Jump to 7:20 here
Not seen her mooching around for a while now. My favourite memory of Abney Park cemetery is walking through one week day and seeing loads of police with search dogs amongst the graves. They didn't so much as smile when I asked them if they'd found a body.
Suzanne Moore agrees with you on the Cemetery and that Church Street is no good:
Jump to 7:20 here
DAMN YOU, Sihhi
She's obviously never been to the kebab shop
goldenecitrone
post tenebras lux
DAMN YOU, Sihhi
She's obviously never been to the kebab shop
That is a good kebab shop. Far superior to my local Chickpizz.
It does the best kebab I have ever had.
Pretty sure William Booth of Sally Slave Army is buried in that cemetery too. Should we put him on work fare after ATOS say he's fit for work?
goldenecitrone
post tenebras lux
He is indeed. And Edgar Allen Poe once went to school on Church Street in what is now the very pleasant Fox Reformed.
sihhi
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered
I get the same feeling with her best friend, companion in Greece, US radical:
http://mollycrabapple.com/2013/02/19/coming-to-london
"The Story
Conway Hall
25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL
Friday, February 22, 2013
Event runs 10am-4pm
I go on at 12:00pm. I’m going to talk about art and politics.
London School of Economics
Women Writing History @ LSE and Gender Institute Literary Festival
Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
1-2:30pm
I’ll be speaking about Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and ideas about men’s and women’s art. Free, but you have to reserve tickets online"
The Story all sold out (how?) at £65 tickets for 6 hours is to listen to these people:
"Diane Coyle runs the consultancy Enlightenment Economics. She is Vice Chair of the BBC Trust, a member of the Migration Advisory Committee, was a member of the Browne Review of higher education funding, and was on the Competition Commission for eight years.
I asked Rob [Manuel] to talk at The Story because I love B3ta, but since asking him he’s written about cliched attitudes to ‘the bottom half of the internet’ and what this says about attitudes to class in online culture
Alecky Blyth is a playwright and screenwriter who won a Time Out Award for her first play, Come Out Eli, and was selected as one of Screen International’s Stars of Tomorrow in 2007.
Laura Dockrill is the author and illustrator of Mistakes In The Background, Ugly Shy Girl and Echoes, and has recently signed a three book deal for Darcy Burdock, a new ‘tween’ series of books with Random House Children’s division- the first of the series comes out in Jan 2013. Laura also resurrects her words on the stage performing poetry spanning festivals to bookshops; including London Literary Festival, Big Chill, E4 Udderbelly, Latitude and Domino festival in Brussels.
Fiona [Romeo] produced content and experiences for brands like the BBC, Disney, and the Science Museum.
Alex Balfour joined the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) as Head of New Media in 2006. At LOCOG he built a team from scratch that delivered 77 digital channels including london2012.com, two mobile apps, ticketing, volunteering, education, online shop, mobile apps and social media presences to a worldwide audience of over 150m, including 15m app downloads and 112m unique website users during the Olympic and Paralympic Games."
From http://thestory.org.uk/who-will-be-there/
Molly doesn't irritate me half as much as the famous three: Our Owen, Penny Liar and Sunny H.
Is Leo's Cafe still there? You got a canny plate of scran in Leo's.
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