Matthew Goodwin.....

[redsquirrel]

I get that this thread is for slagging off a blowhard, but on working class writing, I'm reading this presently, and it is a really good discussion of the pressures / tnesions surrounding the rise of the BNP in Burnley / Lancashire milltowns at the turn of the century: highly recommended

On Burnley Road - Lawrence Wishart

On Burnley Road explores the rise of the BNP in Burnley in 2001.

lwbooks.co.uk

Ta for the recommendation Steeplejack

 

[Smokeandsteam]

The great bookseller v Novara debate is now available:



Haven’t had time to watch it yet, but will do tonight.

 

[LDC]

The great bookseller v Novara debate is now available:



Haven’t had time to watch it yet, but will do tonight.

Just listening to this as paint a bit of the bedroom... What did you think of it Smokeandsteam? My brief take on it is that he's 95% talking bollocks, but also has 5% of some good and useful points (often made on here).

 

[Smokeandsteam]

It’s very interesting that Goodwin has opted to double down on this conflation of professional managerial class centrists and Blairites with ‘the left’. He tried the line out in the Novara interview and even Bastani was able to unravel his position leaving Goodwin flustered.

In this context, of course the PMC/Blairites were indeed very much supportive of globalisation but the left (remember the 1% and occupy) was very much opposed. Even left social democrats are being deliberately mislabelled here.

To answer LDC Goodwin’s central charges do resonate in two ways: a) he’s right about where intellectually bankrupt liberal centrism has drifted off to and how it manifests itself politically and b) he inadvertently reminds ‘the left’ that it’s inability to argue for and develop a distinct set of class politics means it’s become largely indistinguishable from the PMC in popular consciousness.

But let’s be honest, if there was any previous doubt that Goodwin is grifting, disingenuous and now openly displaying his disintegration as an academic and his rebirth as a paid mouthpiece for the insurgent right then there isn’t now.

 

[The39thStep]

It’s very interesting that Goodwin has opted to double down on this conflation of professional managerial class centrists and Blairites with ‘the left’. He tried the line out in the Novara interview and even Bastani was able to unravel his position leaving Goodwin flustered.

In this context, of course the PMC/Blairites were indeed very much supportive of globalisation but the left (remember the 1% and occupy) was very much opposed. Even left social democrats are being deliberately mislabelled here.

To answer LDC Goodwin’s central charges do resonate in two ways: a) he’s right about where intellectually bankrupt liberal centrism has drifted off to and how it manifests itself politically and b) he inadvertently reminds ‘the left’ that it’s inability to argue for and develop a distinct set of class politics means it’s become largely indistinguishable from the PMC in popular consciousness.

But let’s be honest, if there was any previous doubt that Goodwin is grifting, disingenuous and now openly displaying his disintegration as an academic and his rebirth as a paid mouthpiece for the insurgent right then there isn’t now.

I seem to recall it was the Trade Unions that fought against the denationalisation and flogging off to foreign companies

 

[krink]

"The Left pushed for hyper-globalisation, which prioritises the interests of Big Business & urban graduates, over the interests of the national community."

I know my memory is a little foggy at times but I really don't remember doing that, Matthew.

 

[Brainaddict]

"The Left pushed for hyper-globalisation, which prioritises the interests of Big Business & urban graduates, over the interests of the national community."

I know my memory is a little foggy at times but I really don't remember doing that, Matthew.

The problem with right wing grifters just making up left social movement history is that while you and I know it, journos etc don't even know enough to challenge them. With the new fash leadership of Twitter I've seen a bit more of the old 'cultural marxism' stuff too, which basically ignores that the identity-oriented left and class-oriented left spent a lot of the last 50 years at each others throats and tells everyone they were all colluding in some big conspiracy together. It's factually wrong but other people in the public eye don't know their left history so it just floats around like giant turds you can't flush down.

 

[Pickman's model]

The problem with right wing grifters just making up left social movement history is that while you and I know it, journos etc don't even know enough to challenge them. With the new fash leadership of Twitter I've seen a bit more of the old 'cultural marxism' stuff too, which basically ignores that the identity-oriented left and class-oriented left spent a lot of the last 50 years at each others throats and tells everyone they were all colluding in some big conspiracy together. It's factually wrong but other people in the public eye don't know their left history so it just floats around like giant turds you can't flush down.

and from the sounds of it you don't bother challenging them and putting them right

 

[Smokeandsteam]

I seem to recall it was the Trade Unions that fought against the denationalisation and flogging off to foreign companies

indeed, but perhaps not hard enough. And, definitely part of the left that’s failed to develop and highlight a set of politics and ideas that could and should set it apart from Goodwin’s ‘left’

 

[Smokeandsteam]

And hot on the heels of Professor Goodwin here comes Brendan O’Neill also conflating the left with flabby centrists (this time ‘the left’ is guardian columnists).

 

[The39thStep]

The Nat Cons have deleted there tweet about Goodwins specch

 

[Smokeandsteam]

The Nat Cons have deleted there tweet about Goodwins specch

Goodwin probably wanted paying for appearing in it

 

[Lurdan]

The Nat Cons have deleted there tweet about Goodwins specch

Was it this one? If so it was screencapped.

They seem to have left several other tweets about him up, and have retweeted him promoting the text of his speech.

 

[The39thStep]

Another speaker at the Nat Con conference

 

[Lurdan]

Another day another deleted tweet

Twitter link


And their nationalism apparently doesn't extend to English spelling.

Twitter link.

 

[Jeremiah18.17]

Another day another deleted tweet

Twitter link


And their nationalism apparently doesn't extend to English spelling.

Twitter link.

NoRmAl DaViD & the NoRMaL NatCs

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Goodwin's latest book sounds like a run-of-the-mill pop academic hack job. The central thesis that there's a 'new elite' sounds like a rehashing of the 'bobos' and 'PMC' theses of previous hatchet jobs. As the Novara media interview shows, the strong or interesting form of that thesis that says the New Elite has replaced or absorbed the Old Elite collapses under the slightest interrogation. So Goodwin retreats, motte-and-bailey style, to the much blander claim that a 'New Elite' has emerged alongside the 'Old Elite'. So the Earth-shattering revelation of the book is that there are liberals in positions of power in society. Quick somebody call an ambulance because my mind is literally blown right here. And its not like the Guardian was founded in 1997 anyway - how 'new' is this 'new elite' really? Still the integrity of the thesis isn't the point is it, its getting the GB News interview about how 'the wokez are taking over'.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Speaking of the New Elite, the New Statesman has just published The Left Power List: 'The 50 most influential people shaping Britain’s progressive politics.' I bet the old elites are trembling as they see this list of big hitters coming to take their power. Jess Philips will be heartbroken for not featuring I'm sure.

The New Statesman’s left power list

The 50 most influential people shaping Britain’s progressive politics.

www.newstatesman.com

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Looks like there’s a faller at the first hurdle….

 

[krink]

I can only name 6 of the people in that picture although I think the woman looking left is the communist person off twitter who made piers Morgan look like a total idiot - yo ceaser or something? I'm going to look at the list and see how many I know and how many of those I would consider lefties.

Eta - I'm not signing up to read it so I'll just guess that l don't know half of them and I think about 3 are actual lefties

 

[The39thStep]

Looks like there’s a faller at the first hurdle….

Very surprised that brogdale isnt on this list

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Very surprised that brogdale isnt on this list

Now little Owen wants off it there is a vacancy for someone with the same level of penetrating analysis.

 

[brogdale]

for moment there it felt nice to be the centre of (OT) attention, but then I began to worry if perhaps you weren’t on to something...what if I just don’t have the penetrating analysis to be able to understand the lexity case for Brexit?
Hmm

Anyway, back OT to the nasty little fash friendly prof

 

[redsquirrel]

I can only name 6 of the people in that picture although I think the woman looking left is the communist person off twitter who made piers Morgan look like a total idiot - yo ceaser or something? I'm going to look at the list and see how many I know and how many of those I would consider lefties.

Eta - I'm not signing up to read it so I'll just guess that l don't know half of them and I think about 3 are actual lefties

Don't worry you don't have to miss out

https://archive.ph/cDiwF

I've a softish spot for Owen Jones, yes he's wet and his labour leftism is a dead end, but his heart is generally in the right place, he's not a loon a la Mason, and his politics are usually consistent.

 

[Lurdan]

I was quite struck by the headline on Owen Jones' article this week

It was what some of us were calling for forty years ago

But sadly, when I came to read the actual article it turned out we weren't on the same lines at all.

 

[ska invita]

It’s very interesting that Goodwin has opted to double down on this conflation of professional managerial class centrists and Blairites with ‘the left’. He tried the line out in the Novara interview and even Bastani was able to unravel his position leaving Goodwin flustered.

In this context, of course the PMC/Blairites were indeed very much supportive of globalisation but the left (remember the 1% and occupy) was very much opposed. Even left social democrats are being deliberately mislabelled here.

To answer LDC Goodwin’s central charges do resonate in two ways: a) he’s right about where intellectually bankrupt liberal centrism has drifted off to and how it manifests itself politically and b) he inadvertently reminds ‘the left’ that it’s inability to argue for and develop a distinct set of class politics means it’s become largely indistinguishable from the PMC in popular consciousness.

But let’s be honest, if there was any previous doubt that Goodwin is grifting, disingenuous and now openly displaying his disintegration as an academic and his rebirth as a paid mouthpiece for the insurgent right then there isn’t now.

the fact that Goodwin sees Blairite 'centrism' as the Left is at the heart of all this, and its echoed in this New Statesman thing

Speaking of the New Elite, the New Statesman has just published The Left Power List: 'The 50 most influential people shaping Britain’s progressive politics.' I bet the old elites are trembling as they see this list of big hitters coming to take their power. Jess Philips will be heartbroken for not featuring I'm sure.


View attachment 374983

The New Statesman’s left power list

The 50 most influential people shaping Britain’s progressive politics.

www.newstatesman.com

on both their spectrums being to the left of Blair can mean Far Left. And of course standard conservatism has gone way over to the far right thanks to Farage and co... Overton window stuff. Makes it confsuing to talk about.

I wonder how much the general public go along with this - I think a large amount do, partly why so many do associate The Left with the PMC and its politics

 

[Lurdan]

twitter link

 

[Lurdan]

Twitter links : One -- Two -- Three

 

[nino_savatte]

It's the start of a bromance and it warms the cockles of my heart, so it does.

 

[brogdale]

It's the start of a bromance and it warms the cockles of my heart, so it does.
View attachment 381565

Might join Musk on a submarine outing?