Aaronovitch Blusters to a Well of Silence 1213


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.


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1,213 thoughts on “Aaronovitch Blusters to a Well of Silence

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  • Anon1

    “A few might be coming from the countries you mention but most are coming from Libya risking their lives to escape from a once prosperous country that we destroyed”

    Note classic John Dross weasel wording:

    “A few” – quite a lot.

    “Most are coming from Libya” – but aren’t from Libya.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    And a few cyclists no doubt!

    No, I’ve never shot a cyclist. They’re inedible. Instead, I have fitted ‘silencers’ which sound rather like a machine gun under hard acceleration, and give Lycra-clad twats riding abreast on blind bends on B roads a sample of that as I (eventually, and leaving plenty of room because we must always give cyclists the reassurance no other road user obtains) pass. No-one dies. Must get one of these…

    http://thethrottle.com/2013/07/10/user-submit-take-an-84-goldwing-and-add-gatling-guns-21-hq-photos/user-gatling-gun-motorcycle-920-8/

    Using a bottle is simply chav, and I would never condone that, though.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Edward (Ted) HEATH to be arrested!

    It’s a cold case. He died ten years ago.

  • John Goss

    I am still surprised that nobody on this blog or in the MSM has picked up on the air-control recordings between air-traffic control and a fighter-jet tracking MH17. More surprisingly the Russian media, RT and Tass, have not picked up on the story either. This does not make it wrong, they could still be trying to verify authenticity. Nobody has challenged the claims by Sott.net either.

    I hope it is right because Ukraine has deliberately withheld air-traffic control information for that day (suspicious in itself). If it is right, and they know it is right, the fascist bastards in Kiev and their paymasters must be shitting themselves because the whole false information they want us to believe is that the Separatists shot it down with a BUK missile, a story still being peddled by the BBC.

    http://www.sott.net/article/299625-Sott-Exclusive-Voice-recording-suggests-MH17-brought-down-by-bomb-on-board

  • Anon1

    It’s the head-down aggression I can’t bear. I’ve never seen one of them stop to enjoy the scenery. Even Eddy Merckx used to stop for a smoke.

  • MJ

    “Not too long, polonium 210 has a half life of 138 days”

    OK, thanks. Still leaves all the non-commercial producers.

  • MJ

    “The Russians said he wasn’t poisoned”

    And the French said it wasn’t the polonium that killed him. The polonium in Arafat nevertheless still had to have an origin.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    The polonium in Arafat nevertheless still had to have an origin.

    Your actual point being…? The major world source of processed polonium at the time being a single Russian facility? Therefore the Russians had a hand in Arafat’s death? Ot that the Jooos killed Litvinenko with Russian help? Neither endears the Russian state to me, but I’m maybe hypercritical…

  • Ba'al Zevul

    OK, thanks. Still leaves all the non-commercial producers.

    Name one, with supporting data, please. Also explain why the Litvinenko material was still active enough to detect trace quantities halfway round Europe some time after he died. The supplier makes no difference to the half-life. That measures the time between production and observation as accurately as a clock.

  • YouKnowMyName

    nearly all specific high active isotope material comes from .RU reactors, there were a lot of research reactors/accelerators in the world that could deliver – but the Russians certainly have cornered the market, for at last the last decade. Arafat specifically wasn’t poisoned according to several French/Swiss investigations, the lead coffin was just for show. . .

    having bought “Taxman” by the Beatles on “revolver” in the sixties, I’m well aware of how dead Mr Heath is, but try comparing the process of his arrest with the way that the FBI did it, to a sensitive Blackwater/Xi pedophile operative, allegedly

    https://news.vice.com/article/the-us-military-contractor-accused-of-sex-crimes-then-convicted-of-espionage

  • MJ

    “I am still surprised that nobody on this blog or in the MSM has picked up on the air-control recordings between air-traffic control and a fighter-jet tracking MH17”

    Thanks for the link John, just read it. I remember at the time being a little surprised that the possibility of it being a bomb was never mentioned, despite there being no obvious reason for it to be discounted. The problem is the provenance of the recordings. Are they genuine? Maybe that’s why the Russian press is being circumspect.

  • MJ

    “Name one, with supporting data, please”

    Military research establishments of countries with nuclear programmes. Supporting data: common sense.

    “Also explain why the Litvinenko material was still active enough to detect trace quantities halfway round Europe some time after he died”

    With the help of the information provided by John Goss above, I’d say that was because he ingested the polonium and visited all those places within a rather narrow time frame and his death followed shortly afterwards. I know that polonium has a half-life of 138 days but I don’t know at what stage of degradation it remains detectable.

    I didn’t know traces had been found all over Europe – it just gets better and better. An investigator’s dream. Using his travel records and the polonium data it should, with a bit of luck, enable detectives to map his movements and pinpoint where and when the polonium was administered, with a modest degree of accuracy.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    Rather more, er, forensic account here:

    http://www.forensicmag.com/articles/2009/06/polonium-210-and-assassination-alexander-litvinenko

    …. Production occurs in a nuclear reactor and is extremely costly, time-consuming, dangerous, and very highly regulated. A mere 100 grams are manufactured annually, mainly in Russia….

    …Following the Trail
    210Po has a radiological half-life of 139 days.
    It disperses over time, contaminating the environment and leaving a trail behind, a unique property called “creeping.” This quality, coupled with the availability of detection and quantification devices, allowed authorities to retrace Litvinenko’s footsteps on November 1, 2006, in order to establish where he was poisoned.

    He began the day with a bus ride into London, where he stopped at a shop for a paper and bottle of water. He then met Italian nuclear waste and security consultant Mario Scaramella for sushi. Tests indicated no 210Po on the bus, the ticket, or in the shop where he bought the paper and water. There were, however, traces of the poison found in the sushi restaurant, but not at the table where he and Scaramella ate.1

    Litvinenko then met with Boris Berezovsky, the man he refused to assassinate years before. He warned Berezovsky of yet another assassination order, information provided by Scaramella. Samples taken from Berezovsky’s office tested positive for trace amounts of 210Po.1

    Next, Litvinenko went to the Millennium Hotel where he met Andrei Lugovoi, a former KGB agent, and Dmitri Kovtun to discuss possible business ventures. Litvinenko drank tea during the meeting. Samples from the bar showed levels of 210Po that were “off the charts.”1 Litvinenko’s tea cup was contaminated, as were many of the hotel employees. For these reasons, investigators believe this is where he was poisoned.10

    The evidence points to Lugovoi and Kovtun. Traces of 210Po were detected virtually everywhere they went: their planes to London; the hotels where they stayed; the sushi restaurant (Litvinenko met them there two weeks prior to meeting with Scaramella); Berezovsky’s office (the two men had paid him a visit); and the London stadium seat where Lugovoi sat during a Russian football match. Furthermore, both men tested positive for 210Po exposure upon returning to Russia and were subsequently hospitalized. Despite this evidence, both Lugovoi and Kovtun vehemently deny the allegations and insist they were framed.

    That at any rate accounts for the traces in Berezovsky’s flat.

  • John Goss

    “Changed your mind about the “incontrovertible evidence” of bullet holes then?”

    I never believed all the MSM bumf you posted blaming the Separatists. And no I haven’t changed my mind. It has always been known due to radar images that there was at least one fighter jet tailing MH17, and Carlos, the air-traffic controller said the same. So do you still believe it was the Russians? Separatists?

  • MJ

    “Rather more, er, forensic account here”

    Thanks for that, an interesting and informative article. It doesn’t appear to acknowledge the idea that Litvinenko himself was leaving traces of polonium, only Lugovoi and Kovtun. I suppose he became a bit more leaky as time went on.

  • Ba'al Zevul

    I didn’t know traces had been found all over Europe – it just gets better and better. An investigator’s dream. Using his travel records and the polonium data it should, with a bit of luck, enable detectives to map his movements and pinpoint where and when the polonium was administered, with a modest degree of accuracy.

    My apologies for unsubstantiated hyperbole. I try to avoid it. Craig’s RT correspondent doesn’t… so,apart from two locations in Hamburg and the BMW which took him into town from a Moscow flight into Hamburg (no traces were found on the GermanWings A319 taking him on to London…now there’s a hare ready to be started) I’ll not rely on Europe. However, they did pretty well what you suggest in London*, and attached to that the results on planes. So they do know where the polonium was administered, with a modest or better degree of accuracy:

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2970430/Walking-death-Litvinenko-inquiry-sees-pictures-spy-arriving-hotel-given-fatal-dose-polonium.html

    At the very least that’s where the cap came off the bottle intentionally.

    The trouble is that none of the personalities are terrifically reliable people. Litvinenko included. Luguvoi has a KGB background, as does Putin, and Kovlun’s an old mate of Luguvoi, who was certainly a candidate for a quick buck. Berezovsky – well, enjoy:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-weird-world-of-boris-berezovsky-alexander-litvinenkos-inquest-has-provided-an-intriguing-insight-into-the-dead-tycoon-10117927.html
    But considering the Gazprom** dimension, and Putin’s very natural desire to be on top of the activities of his tame, dead or exiled oligarchs… means, motive, opportunity.

    * Polonium, as noted above, tends to spall microparticles in all directions: it’s hard to contain completely. So once you know what you’re looking for, not hard to follow.

    **I can even work Blair into this if you like.

  • Republicofscotland

    The ever obedient London Labour branch office in Scotland has spoken over Jeremy Corbyn.

    Kezia Dugdale has launched a scathing attack on the frontrunner for the UK Labour leadership race, saying Jeremy Corbyn would leave Scottish Labour “carping from the sidelines” for years.

    Dugdale, the favourite to be next Scottish Labour leader, said she was not convinced Corbyn could be prime minister.

    Although unwilling to divulge which of the four candidates for the national leadership she would back, Dugdale was happy to criticise the frontrunner.

    Meanwhile the Tory branch office in Scotland led by Ruth Davidson, has implored David Cameron her boss not to stand in the way of a second Scottish referendum.

    Miss Davidson who posed on a tank a while back copying her idol Margaret Thatcher said, “It would put the Tories in Scotland in a hellish position in Scotland if David Cameron opposed a indy ref.”

  • Ba'al Zevul

    It doesn’t appear to acknowledge the idea that Litvinenko himself was leaving traces of poloniu…

    Well, damn me. Doesn’t it? I guess he must have been, what with having taken 20mcg of the stuff voluntarily, and all. Probably a Jooish plot.

  • John Goss

    Kempe can you please direct me to the comment in which I called the fuselage holes “incontovertible evidence”? Thanks.
    ————————————————

    “The problem is the provenance of the recordings. Are they genuine? Maybe that’s why the Russian press is being circumspect.”

    Yes, it’s a toughie. I can understand even if the west knows the recordings are genuine why they would not want to challenge the article. Sadly western journalists, as Craig is forever pointing out, challenge very little. We might just as well get the agency’s stroy and be done with it.

  • MJ

    It seems odd to me that Lugovoi and Kovtun were spreading it around so liberally. I’d have expected a cold war assassin to keep the poison in a special phial, which he’d only produce for the actual hit and then dispose of. These guys seemed to be bathing in it. Maybe they were framed after all. A chambermaid at the hotel could have been spraying their clothes and belongings and the tea could have been spiked in the kitchen!

  • nevermind

    “Although unwilling to divulge which of the four candidates for the national leadership she would back, Dugdale was happy to criticise the frontrunner.”

    yes she is also beloved by the Scottish Tories for some reason. her stance is totally opposed to what she said a few days. To actively reject the front runner whilst being lukewarm, on Murphies pals Burnham and Cooper is not the way to ‘being opposed to a split Labour party, thats asking for it.

    she’s a bit of a scary cat then, one wonders what she has to say about Murphies dismal showing, his macho posturing with boxes of vegetables and such like.

    http://www.conservativehome.com/leftwatch/2015/06/dugdale-is-right-to-reject-a-separate-scottish-labour-party.html

  • Republicofscotland

    Returning to Kezia Dugdale the potential new leader of London Labour in Scotland.

    Miss Dugdale talking the psychedelic Labour mantra, thinks, once the House of Lords is abolished, it should be resumed in Glasgow.

    I do wish Miss Dugdale would leave off those strange looking cigarettes, or does she have the backing of her Labour colleagues on this one.

    If she does I for one think when they move their branch office from Glasgow to Edinburgh as both Dugdale and MacIntosh have cited, it will, it should be affectionately know as Bedlam House, home of far out Labour.

    http://www.thenational.scot/news/kezia-dugdale-says-a-win-for-jeremy-corbyn-would-leave-labour-carping-from-the-sidelines.5904

  • John Goss

    Thanks Ba’al for the Indy link. I did enjoy. It amused me to think it was trying to present what appeared to be an even-handed account of the shady world of Russian oligarchs by a newspaper owned by a Russian oligarch. There has been nothing balanced in the Indy since Lededev took the helm.

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