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

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She should get a decent comms job, working for someone with an actual coherent message - then develop her own ideas as a part of that, using their statements as some writing practice. Then she would be ready to actually get out on a platform and speak. Otherwise essentially, we're criticising a six year old for spelling, grammar and sentence structure.

"WHAT I DID ON MY HOLLYDAYS, I DISTROYED TH SYTEM"
 
She should get a decent comms job, working for someone with an actual coherent message - then develop her own ideas as a part of that, using their statements as some writing practice. Then she would be ready to actually get out on a platform and speak. Otherwise essentially, we're criticising a six year old for spelling, grammar and sentence structure.

"WHAT I DID ON MY HOLLYDAYS, I DISTROYED TH SYTEM"
I've seen and heard plenty of shit flakey speakers put across really important or informative stuff - what was wrong here (well the kick off for a whole series of wrongs) was the naivety of the tactics. Don't introduce something like Starkey's tax affairs unless you know damn well what they are or you open yourself up to the same sort of attack, and if the other person a) has something b) is cleverer than you then you're likely to end up in a confused lying babbling mess.

Sun-tzu - don't attack unless you can't be beaten.
 
She was clearly out to make a name for herself by calling him out on his tax and calling him a racist to his face. But just embarrassed herself in public.

What gets me is the despite this public humiliation, she tried to spin herself as victim of a vile reactionary, aggressive attack which she heroically fended off to the approval of a demonstrably shocked crowd. Thankyou You Tube!
 
Unbelievable. How long before the event did she have to make enquiries about where Starkey is domiciled for tax reasons? Why didn't she bother? There's a perfectly good point to make about Starkey's racism, which she totally fluffed by lurching into guesswork.

After seeing that video I can see why she's been feeling the need to step back a bit. Must be terrible to be shown up like that and realise you can't just spin the world the way you want.
 
Unbelievable. How long before the event did she have to make enquiries about where Starkey is domiciled for tax reasons? Why didn't she bother? There's a perfectly good point to make about Starkey's racism, which she totally fluffed by lurching into guesswork.

it's the sheer level of arrogance and mistaken belief in herself and her ability that gets her into these situations - she's above tactics, preparation and careful consideration and selection of the right battles, she's the cobweb left in fancy new clothes
 
Not nice to jab a finger at someone, of course, but he barely raised his voice, and she got time to respond. Hardly adds up to the violence and thuggery that she was talking about after the event.
 
Really disappointed that the Times seem not to have put my whole speech up. How's that for sensationalism obscuring actual debate. Never mind. My mistake for assuming an outlet like that might be actually interested in the issues rather than z-list celebrity bunfights. So...all of this fuss...is about a debate....that very few people involved have actually even seen. Oh god, British Press, really I despair.
Poor press standards to blame shocker. It hardly needs reiterating that this is the same british press that provides incompetents like this with careers.
 
After watching that video i can't help thinking that in many ways I've got more in common with some tories than I do with some anarcholefties. Or does Penny now say that the video was edited to make her look bad?
 
After watching that video i can't help thinking that in many ways I've got more in common with some tories than I do with some anarcholefties. Or does Penny now say that the video was edited to make her look bad?
yep, only has the bit she earlier tweeted needed to be included
 
She didn't even have the self awareness and nous to realise that she'd made a huge screw up and just keep quiet about the whole thing after it had happened

If she'd done that instead of exaggerating her 'look at me' victim status, the video would have never been made public and her embarrassing performance would have been confined to the audience of the debate and at the worst some low level word of mouth stuff
 
and she got time to respond

2:57 Penny: "May I....may i respond to that, I think i have a right of reply to that, erm I personally feel erm...."

3:06 Starkey: "Did you or did you not do what I just said"

3:08 Penny: "I was going to respond to that, but.....

3:27 Starkey: " I have emails"

3:29 Roy Cropper: "Respond to it Laurie"

3:31 Penny: "Actually, no i don't think i'm going to respond to it"
 
On review i now give her out for having hit the ball twice whilst still in play before being bowled.
'There is a violence inherent in this kind of debate' according to her, but as we all know there is a mendacity involved in this kind of debate as well as she so ably demonstrates. I stopped counting the lies at no 6...not someone you'd want providing a character witness, that's for sure.
 
What this latest nonsense has underlined for me is how immune from criticism her fan club wish her to be. Why can't they understand that you can loathe Starkey (leaving his racism aside, his behaviour after being goaded - apropos of nothing about his tax affairs - was unacceptable, seeking as it did to belittle & intimidate her) AND question her reporting - on Twitter, natch - of the incident with her usual lack of concern for facts. He didn't call her "a little shit" or "despicable". I can accept that she was probably shaken by the incident, although she looks quite amused more than anything. But it's a cracking example of her looking at an event, as she tends to do, and seeing only the dramatised version of things, how it would (and no doubt will) appear in the story of her life once she writes it aged 35 or whatever.

As for that party and those boho entrepreneurs she struggled through New York life with - puke puke. The reason she can blend in so well with those and yet has no w/c ties is the same as Owen Jones. They just don't know any w/c people and wouldn't feel comfortable around them. Yet you can imagine it round Crabapple's gaffe.

"What do you do, Laurie?"
"Erm...I'm a well-known political writer. I went to Oxford University and I'm part of the Occupy Movement"*

*"Help! Where's the protest?"
 
What this latest nonsense has underlined for me is how immune from criticism her fan club wish her to be. Why can't they understand that you can loathe Starkey (leaving his racism aside, his behaviour after being goaded - apropos of nothing about his tax affairs - was unacceptable, seeking as it did to belittle & intimidate her)"

I think his behaviour was understandable really, as he says to be fair to him he did work his way up from nowt, and still pays his full taxes, while she came from privilge and was smugly throwing out wild accusations of him not paying his way - without defending him as a person, I think his response was legitimate.
 
I think his behaviour was understandable really, as he says to be fair to him he did work his way up from nowt, and still pays his full taxes, while she came from privilge and was smugly throwing out wild accusations of him not paying his way - without defending him as a person, I think his response was legitimate.

Oh, I understand it. But I can see how how he behaved could be perceived as bullying. But again, she should have not commented & just left others to decide rather than steaming onto Twitter & saying "I've been attacked. Bit shaken but I'll be okay" and inventing what he said.
 
But it's a cracking example of her looking at an event, as she tends to do, and seeing only the dramatised version of things, how it would (and no doubt will) appear in the story of her life once she writes it aged 35 or whatever.

That's a good point. It seems to me that she's trying to live out her fantasy life in front of the rest of us but for her own benefit. I know it shouldn't annoy me, because I'm a grown up now, but it does because the whole 'me, me, me' business trivialises everything she's involved with and marginalises the actual issues. I have the same problem with Owen Jones and Johann Hari: it's all about them, and about being seen to be right on. Yuck.
 
Yeah, there seems to be a huge internalising of neo-liberal/individualist values under the nominal cover of progressive/collective politics these days - although i wouldn't lump Owen Jones in with Hari & Penny in that criticism

Despite other criticisms I think Jones genuinely deep down has the right politics and is deeply passionate about them whereas for the likes of Penny and co it's just superficial & convenient cover for their own ego & self aggrandisement
 
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