Why Rupert Murdoch considers it worth his while to pay David Aaronovitch a large six figure sum for such puerile antics as tweeting that I am insane, is a conjecture I find difficult to resolve. Today this exchange occurred on twitter:
David Aaronovitch: This suggestion that if elected Corbyn could be quickly ousted is utter bollocks. Democracy allows Labour to commit Hara Kiri.
Mark Doran: @DAaronovitch I hope everyone is watching how these servants of the micro-elite try to paint “attracting popular support” as “committing suicide.”
Mark Doran: @DAaronovitch Craig finds the elite-serving contortions every bit as funny as I do
David Aaronovitch: @MarkJDoran I tend to find Craig Murray unpersuasive on the grounds of him being unhinged. I can see why you like him, though.
Mark Doran: Says the man who managed to find Bush and Blair credible. I can see why you liked them, though.
It is remarkably ironic that on being referred to an article which argues that views outside a very narrow neoliberal establishment narrative are marginalised and ridiculed by the media, the Murdoch hack’s response is that the author is unhinged. Aaronovitch could not have more neatly proved my point.
But something else struck me about the twitter record. Aaronovitch’ twitter account claims to have 78,000 followers. Yet of the 78,000 people who allegedly received his tweet about my insanity, only 1 retweeted and 2 favourited. That is an astonishingly low proportion – 1 in 26,000 reacted. To give context, Mark Doran has only 582 followers and yet had more retweets and favourites for his riposte. 1 in 146 to be precise, a 200 times greater response rate.
Please keep reading, I promise you this gets a great deal less boring.
Eighteen months ago I wrote an article about Aaronovitch’s confession that he solicits fake reviews of his books to boost their score on Amazon. In response a reader emailed me with an analysis of Aaronovitch’s twitter followers. He argued with the aid of graphs that the way they accrued indicated that they were not arising naturally, but being purchased in blocks. He claimed this was common practice in the Murdoch organisation to promote their hacks through false apparent popularity.
I studied his graphs at some length, and engaged in email correspondence on them. I concluded that the evidence was not absolutely conclusive, and in fairness to Aaronovitch I declined to publish, to the annoyance of my correspondent.
Naturally this came to mind again today when I noted that Aaronovitch’ tweets to his alleged legion of followers in fact tumble into a well of silence. I do not even tweet. The entire limit of my tweeting is that this blog automatically tweets the titles of articles I write. They are not aphorisms so not geared to retweet. Yet even the simple tweet “Going Mainstream” which marked the article Aaronovitch derided, obtained 20 times the reactions of Aaronovitch’s snappy denunciation of my mental health. This despite the fact he has apparently 10 times more followers than me. An initial survey seems to show this is not atypical.
In logic, I can only see two possible explanations. The first is that my correspondent was right and Aaronovitch fakes twitter followers like he does book reviews. The second is that he has a vast army of followers, nearly all of whom find him dull and uninspiring, and who heartily disapproved en masse of his slur on my sanity. I opt for the second explanation, that he is just extremely dull, on the grounds that Mr Aaronovitch’s honesty and probity were never questioned, m’Lud.
Giyane, are you sure?
If by “almost identical” you mean they both have a square around them, I have to agree.
But yours has 12 stars going round the outside, 4 white (in the corners) the rest (8) solid colour; mine has no stars around the outer but 4 on the inner, you have no inner stars. And they are different colours (or shades if you prefer)
This is the clearest example of identicon envy I have ever come up against. I shall be writing to Craig to ask him to amend his rules to take account of this kind of behaviour.
However I am prepared for you to adopt one of my inner stars, if it will help.
Now that’s strange, mine’s morphed
@BrianFujisan
31 Jul, 2015 – 3:14 am
Thanks for the link, Brian. Ken O’Keefe is one of the few Americans who tells it as it is.
My own position on 9/11 is that there was definitely some kind of conspiracy involved, but there is still a lack of hard evidence.
Craig recently said that he doesn’t want us to discuss 9/11 and all that; which is fair enough: it’s his blog.
However, I will add that the Boston Bombing, and the malarkies that took place in Sydney and Paris were definite false flags. There’s enough hard evidence to show this.
Keep up the good fight.
Giyane, the situation in Kurdish Syria/Iraq is highly confusing. Complicated further by the nasty little unspoken deals concerning the transport of oil from Daesh-held wells to buyers elsewhere:
https://medium.com/insurge-intelligence/britain-s-secret-ties-to-governments-firms-facilitating-isis-oil-sales-210d21470e65?source=rss——-1
Tony Hayward, mentioned here, is confidently expected to become Lord Hayward of Deepwater Horizon when Cameron levers 50 more Tory peers into the Lords.
Osama bin Laden’s relatives killed in UK plane crash
Late al-Qaeda leader’s half sister and stepmother reportedly killed after plane crashes during landing at UK airport.
01 Aug 2015 03:00 GMT
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/osama-bin-laden-relatives-killed-uk-plane-crash-150801014920230.html
‘The private plane owned by the bin Laden family overshot the runway when trying to land at Blackbushe airport in Hampshire on Friday morning. The plane crashed into a car auction site next to the airport.’
Oh the irony.
Cue even more stupid conspiracy theories.
Good morning everyone!
I read in Le Monde a couple of days ago that Israel is a world leader in desalination technology: it seems that 70% of the water needs of Israeli households are met by the use of this (reverse osmosis)technology, which is also quite an export earner.
It also seems that Israel is a world leader in the recycling of waste water (86% of waste water is recycled – Spain is next with 19%), with recycled water covering two thirds of the needs of agriculture.
Anything which reduces the presssure on water from natural sources in that region is of course to be welcomed from oith an ecological and political point of view.
@Habba
“So you are saying that whatever the facts finally reveal, the Americans did it.”
A rhetorical question surely – I’m told that at his local Darby and Joan he his now banned from playing Cluedo after accusing the Americans of doing it in Diego Garcia with the lead piping once too often.
I notice that he had another go at rewriting history with a link to some Katyn denial.
“I notice that he had another go at rewriting history with a link to some Katyn denial.”
Welcom back Resident Dissident. It was not my research but that of a US Professor which questions the Katyn massacre. I am not trying to rewrite history but when I read that found in the German-constructed mass-graves were buttons and epaulettes from the uniforms of Polish policemen killed in the massacre and most of the ammunition at the site was German it calls into question the official history.
“Remarkably, Joseph Goebbels wrote in his Diaries on May 8, 1943: “Unfortunately, German ammunition has been found in the graves at Katyn… It is essential that this incident remains top secret. If it were to come to the knowledge of the enemy the whole Katyn affair would have to be dropped.” ”
It’s called research. But let me ask you if the facts support the Katyn massacre having been committed by Germans as a false flag will you apologise for blaming the Russians in your hatred of Putin and modern-day Russia?
By the way Resident Dissident, do you support the US torture on Diego Garcia and the way it got rid of the indigeneous population to create its base on UK territory?
Mr Goss
“By the way Resident Dissident, do you support the US torture on Diego Garcia”
________________
Evidence for that, please?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the way, re the professor’s “research” on Katyn, the Russians admitted responsibility years ago, you fool.
If anyone is interested in something produced by Paxman, this is an interview with Mhairi Black.
Lunch with the FT: Mhairi Black
Jeremy Paxman
Over chicken korma in London, Britain’s youngest MP since 1832 talks about Scottish nationalism, her meteoric ascent into Westminster — and debating politics in the pub
July 31 2015
http://on.ft.com/1IczgQj
You learn nothing about Mhairi but a lot about the meal. Pathetic attempt at journalism. It is also out of date. He writes that she is about to make her maiden speech. She made it on 14th July to great acclaim.
Something (to view) for the weekend.
Goldman Sachs: The bank that rules the world
An investigation into the role of one of the most influential banks in the world.
Ever since the stock market crashed, on the night of September 15, 2008, the name Goldman Sachs, or GS, has been appearing everywhere: in the collapse of the financial system, the Greek crisis, the plunge of the euro, and the campaign to prevent regulation of financial markets.
The investment bank created in New York in 1868 has carved out its reputation and success by working silently behind the scenes.
But today GS stands accused of myriad charges: playing a key role in the subprime loan fiasco, pushing several of its competitors into bankruptcy, helping countries like Greece hide their deficits before speculating on their downfall, precipitating the fall of the euro, and influencing the consumer price index. And yet GS has come out of this latest crisis richer and more powerful than ever.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2014/06/goldman-sachs-bank-rules-world-2014613175932453607.html
47 mins
The MH17 mass-murder is beginning to look more and more like Lockerbie.
http://www.sott.net/article/299625-Sott-Exclusive-Voice-recording-suggests-MH17-brought-down-by-bomb-on-board
This should throw the cat among the pigeons considering Cameron’s most recent gaff:
“As in the case of the Lockerbie disaster, justice must be done.”
An interview from which the reader learns many facts.
The Path Ahead for Palestine
July 15, 2015
Israel under Prime Minister Netanyahu is showing no inclination to resolve the long-festering conflict with the Palestinians who remain harshly repressed in an apartheid-like system as Jewish expansion continues into Palestinian lands, a crisis that PLO leader Mustafa Barghouti describes to Dennis J Bernstein.
The ongoing occupation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland by Israel continues unabated. Israeli forces continue to demolish Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, while they step up the pace of illegal settlement building on the West Bank.
In Gaza, the situation is beyond bleak. It is a major feat even to get fresh water. Thousands of children have been sickened because of this, and are suffering major health defects and learning disabilities as a result. Meanwhile, they are traumatized on a daily basis by the continuing military assaults and constant drone presence on the strip.
/..
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/07/15/the-path-ahead-for-palestine/
‘DB What do you mean by Israeli slavery? That’s not hyperbole, is it?
MB: I mean that for 48 years, the Israeli government has been exploiting the Palestinians in several respects; by taking away our land, confiscating more than 90 percent of our water then selling us the water back at twice what the Israelis pay, and a system of segregation where many major roads inside the Palestinian territory are exclusively for the use of Israelis. If a Palestinian is caught driving or walking on them he could be sentenced to six months in jail.
People like me, born in Jerusalem, are prevented from reaching Jerusalem, although I worked there for 15 years as a medical doctor. Yet the Israeli army doesn’t want me to be in Jerusalem. People in Gaza cannot reach out to their relatives in the West Bank and vice versa. Our movement and lives are restricted by Israeli military orders and a legal system created to establish apartheid.’
“By the way, re the professor’s “research” on Katyn, the Russians admitted responsibility years ago, you fool.”
Noddy! Noddy! When you’ve finished “Big Ears goes to Toytown” read the article. There’s a good chap.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/07/aaronovitch-blusters-to-a-well-of-silence/comment-page-2/#comment-541623
confiscating more than 90 percent of our water then selling us the water back at twice what the Israelis pay
Despite the usual bluster from the state water provider, Mekorot, even for Israeli Jews water is pricy, and unchecked illegal occupation exacerbates the problem. Farmers are first in line with the complaints, as usual.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Countrys-farmers-We-cannot-sustain-agriculture-with-these-high-water-prices-382086
Some have water 24/7, others (next door) don’t. Not by a long way Guess which.
http://972mag.com/a-west-bank-water-crisis-for-palestinians-only/99058/
The Wikipedia article is out of date, but reports that the cost of water to Palestinians was 5 NIS/cu.m in 2004, while the charge to Jewish Israelis in 2014 was 2.15 NIS/cu.m :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_the_Palestinian_territories
There has been another Operation Destroy Infastructure since that was written: the situation in Gaza is now far worse than it describes, and the blockade on construction materials appears to remain, despite minimal cosmetic concessions by Israel.
“The MH17 mass-murder is beginning to look more and more like Lockerbie.”
So perhaps we should have a UN Tribunal to look at the evidence
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/russian-veto-expected-security-council-votes-mh17-32748771
But it appears that your fellow rewriter of history is not keen on that.
BTW I am against all torture whoever the perpetrator.
Mr Goss was saying that we would be surprised by what he reads – from the evidence of this thread he doesn’t yet seem to have got beyond Putin propaganda, conspiracy nutters and his old favourite Enid Blyton – I think I’ll leave off for a while until things improve.
Ho, hum.
Conspiracy theorists might speculate that harping on about MH17 could take attention away from the Litvinenko inquiry…
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/alexander-litvinenko-inquiry-ends-lawyer-blames-vladimir-putin
While it is obvious to the rest of us that Mr. Litvinenko was merely experimenting on his own behalf with exotic varieties of tea.
“While it is obvious to the rest of us that Mr. Litvinenko was merely experimenting on his own behalf with exotic varieties of tea.”
My understanding is that he was working as a mule for Berezhosky and poisoned himself. I don’t have any problem with a prosecution lawyer trying to prove a case. But another on the “Blame Putin” trail? 🙂
“So perhaps we should have a UN Tribunal to look at the evidence.”
What on earth has the Dutch Inquiry been doing for more than twelve months. It seems quite obvious that Russia did not want a tribunal where the west can dictate a ‘result’ especially as they have been sitting on fighter pilot cockpit reports for twelve months, letting Ukraine and the west dig themselves deeper into mire.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/07/aaronovitch-blusters-to-a-well-of-silence/comment-page-3/#comment-541911
According to BBC Newsnight last Wednesday, in Ukraine, the Right Sector fighters have turned against Poroshenko’s government, and are demonstrating on the maidan.
Well if they’ve got these reports a UN Tribunal would be the ideal platform to lay them before the world. What’s the use of just sitting on them? Are they waiting for the ink to dry perhaps? No, the Russians vetoed the tribunal for one very obvious reason.
It’s been a bad week for the tin foil hatters really, what with that, debris from MH370 turning up and the odious Chris Spivey ending up in court. Never mind, I’m sure you’ll all find ways to square the circle even if you fail to convince anybody but yourself.
Here’s a report from 1990 when the Russians owned up for Katyn. Notice that Prof. Furr, who refuses to admit that Stalin committed any crimes whatsoever, got the date the documents were handed over and the name of the president wrong. So much for his scholarship!
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/14/world/upheaval-in-the-east-gorbachev-hands-over-katyn-papers.html
Typical of Kempe to prefer a hack’s report to that of a scholar. Quite clearly what Gorbachev handed over was not the “Closed Packet No. 1,”, a suspected forgery which Professor Grover Carr Furr refers to being handed over by Yeltsin. Yeltsin and Gorbachev were tools of the west.
Only somebody with Kempe’s trained eye and brain would suspect a scholar of making a schoolboy blunder.
I do wish the Spooks would come up with convincing material from time to time.
Bensouda, a Gambian lawyer, is a stooge for Israel. Shame on her.
‘If the ICC Is to Regain Credibility, It Must Investigate Israeli War Crimes in Gaza
By Audrey Bomse and Azadeh Shahshahani,
31 July 15
In a highly unusual pretrial chamber ruling on July 16, International Criminal Court (ICC) judges reversed a decision by the court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, not to investigate Israel’s assault on a Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010, which left 10 people dead.
The judges said she committed “errors of fact,” reached “simplistic conclusions” by ignoring war crimes complaints and the “unnecessarily cruel treatment of the ships’ passengers” and failed to seriously consider the possibility that the deaths and injuries caused by Israeli navy commandos were “systematic or resulted from a deliberate plan or policy to attack, kill or injure civilians.”
But Bensouda on Monday said she would not launch a full criminal investigation into allegations of war crimes against Israeli military and political leaders and naval forces. She has appealed the judges’ ruling, which Israeli politicians and commentators denounced as shocking. Yonah Jeremy Bob wrote in The Jerusalem Post, “The decision puts the ICC the closest it has ever been to intervening directly in the Israeli-Arab conflict.”
It is now up to an ICC appeals court to decide whether to end Israel’s impunity. Upholding the pretrial chamber’s decision would pave the way for considering the Palestinian Foreign Ministry’s submissions presented to the ICC in June, after Palestine’s accession in April to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. The dossier provides extensive evidence regarding Israel’s brutal 2014 assault on Gaza, its treatment of Palestinian prisoners and the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.’
/..
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/31573-if-the-icc-is-to-regain-credibility-it-must-investigate-israeli-war-crimes-in-gaza
My understanding is that he was working as a mule for Berezhosky and poisoned himself
Yup. That fits none of the known facts. Let’s go with that. 🙂
John Hilley ‏@johnwhilley · 1 hour ago
No, @Freedland, not “hawks”, Israel as terrorist, colonial STATE directly responsible for the death of Ali Dawabsheh
By Jonathan Freedland @Freedland
Two bloody attacks in 24 hours have laid bare a culture of impunity – and deep internal divisions http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/31/israel-hawks-dodge-blame-two-bloody-attacks-impunity-internal-divisions
https://twitter.com/johnwhilley/status/627421911740497920
” Typical of Kempe to prefer a hack’s report to that of a scholar. Quite clearly what Gorbachev handed over was not the “Closed Packet No. 1,”, ”
I’m afraid it was. Yeltsin didn’t had over any further information, all he did was to have some of the documents in the packet published and made available online.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8649435.stm
Anyway, a bit out of character for you to be conceding to a scholar, even one of dubious reputation.
Another link:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8648275.stm