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.
Clark, feel free to pull apart and rewrite my comments.
If you think anything I’ve said in the commment you point to is untrue, I’d be delighted to hear it.
Jeremy Corbyn has surged into commanding lead in Labour leadership bid
Private polling suggests Andy Burnham has been forced into third place
Mr Corbyn 42%, Yvette Cooper 22.6%, Mr Burnham 20% & Liz Kendall 14%
It indicates that, once second preferences are taken into account, Mr Corbyn will garner 51% and Miss Cooper 49%
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3177805/Jeremy-Corbyn-surges-commanding-lead-Labour-leadership-contest-forcing-Andy-Burnham-place.html
RobG @ 9.27 ha ha!
Mary, thanks for the latest poll.
I believe in the previous thread I was banging on about an old tv drama called ‘A Very British Coup’. The similarities between a tv programme back in the day, and what’s happening now with Corbyn are quite remarkable; although there are differences.
The big difference, perhaps, is that contemporary Britain has turned into a right wing lunatic asylum, where someone like Corbyn (who I would venture that back in the day would have been seen as a middle of the road Labour politician) is now labelled as ‘hard left’.
I am now splitting my sides laughing.
That’s the sorry state we’re in, in 2015.
I think that Corbyn will be elected Labour party leader in September.
At this stage I’m not going to dare to predict what happens after that.
Frankly, which mainstream newspaper columnist isn’t an odious creep trading in false ‘popularity’? Maybe a few at the Guardian and Independent.
They merely exist to set the limits of debate, and decry anyone outside those boundaries as either left-wing or potty.
RobG, there’s no point repeating these old nuclear canards; they’re too easily discredited by the pro-nuke lobby, and then people who’ve opposed nuclear power feel misled and betrayed; that’s how we lost George Monbiot.
You could go look up Alvin Weinberg’s story and the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment for a start. Discover that the powers-that-be had the answers to all the (actual) problems you list by the 1970s. Then work out why they sacked Weinberg, and haven’t even tried to implement the solutions in all the decades since then. You’ll find a sad tale of vested interests, cash-cows, corruption, short-sightedness and utter stupidity.
Fuck knows if it’ll ever be cleaned up now. It’s like the 2003 attack on Iraq; they never gave a thought to what they’d do after they won.
@Hasbarah Habby
“So I would imagine that, pending such welcome disarmament by the current nuclear states, you would be against further states acquiring the ability to produce nuclear weapons?”
Not in the case of a region in which a terror-based mad-dog Nazi-style regime, known for having leading politicians who call for nuking its largest concentration camp, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc., holds hundreds of nuclear warheads and clearly rather than give up its existence, which is wholly unpalatable to human decency, would, as a matter of known military strategy, nuke the shit out of whatever targets it needed to, no. Such a regime should disarm first. That clear enough? Until that Nazi-style regime disarms, Iranian nuclear weapons could for obvious reasons improve the security not only of the region itself but also of Europe and Russia and probably even the US.
No-one who supports the Nazi-style regime called Israel having nuclear weapons has the right to open their lying mouth on the issue of whether Iran should have nuclear weapons. Got it?
Some of the nuclear industry makes a hansom profit. Remember the money-makers’ principle; “nationalise the costs, privatise the profits”.
zionistan has stolen the plutonium, has nicked the lithium six, along with a whole host of other odds and sods to make their nukes and hydrogen bombs. Then of course the zionist have been screaming murderer at the world and have managed to get free means of delivery of the these nukes, including the secondary retaliatory capacity due to the free submarines from Germany (remember Hitler?).
Theft, is not in contravention of any laws, also mass murder is not in contravention of any laws, and of course Balfour nicking the land of the people with the land to give it to people without the land is not in contravention of any laws. zionistan not being in NPT (none proliferation treaty) however gives it the right to set itself up as the wagging finger at anyone who dares to even mention “nuclear” less said about setting up any kind of reactors, and things!
The fact that the thieving, murdering, land stealing, genocidal manics who have been attacking every neighbor they have, as they have screamed antisemi….. and accusing everyone for wishing them ill, and wishing them dead, and wishing to push them into the sea has always been the policy of the crazed lunatics Jewish supremacist armed with nukes!
Funnily enough our “sane” political elite and their venal oligarch sponsors don’t see anything wrong with this arrangement and are further helping to arm these lunatics all in the way of keeping the world a safer place!
Future generations will be thinking; “what the fuck those stupid morons were smoking/drinking to come up with this brain fart, and call it a solution?”
Rob G thanks mate you made me smile!
@Clark
28 Jul, 2015 – 10:57 pm
When it comes to depleted uranium munitions, there’s much more discussion about it in the US, with people like Glenn Greenwald, Chris Hedges and Amy & Co at Democracy now, than there is in the UK. In fact, it’s never discussed in the UK, mainstream or alternate media.
Likewise with the Snowden and mass surveillance stuff: there was, and is, ongoing debate about it in the US, but practically zilch in the UK.
That’s without getting on to the Fukushima stuff.
We live in a police state, and the head of the snake is the City of London; Wall Street just trails along.
Let’s see how they’ll try to deal with Mr Corbyn, who is well aware of all this stuff.
John Mann, the right wing, verging on UKIP MP is having another meltdown on Twitter. he has now claimed that Jeremy Corbyn is paid by Capita to give lectures.
https://twitter.com/JohnMannMP?lang=en-gb&lang=en-gb
“.. Remember the money-makers’ principle; “nationalise the costs, privatise the profits”.
As George Monbiot put it:
“The rich disconnect themselves from the civic life of the nation and from any concern about its well being except as a place to extract loot. Our plutocracy now lives like the British in colonial India: in the place and ruling it, but not of it.” We suffer the same curse: a ruling class whose wealth lies offshore, and which identifies more readily with a transnational elite than with the other people of this nation. On behalf of this elite, the government now gives away £93bn a year in corporate welfare: a sum bigger than the deficit. It champions the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; a graver threat to the interests of this nation than Islamic extremism presents.”
http://www.monbiot.com/2015/07/21/danger-mice/
True, Fred, the planes are free, free and worth it.
False, Fred, Israel also has a handy arsenal of ERMs for delivery in missiles and bombs. They’ve already used them in Gaza.
Habbabkuk, moi tovarsisch, Cristina Kirchner is revoking citizenship of Jews with dual Argentine/Israeli passports because of the bombing of innocents in Israel’s war on Islam. But Israel’s war on Islam is not the only war it is waging. It also has little time for Christians.
As you probably know Mordechai Vanunu is Jewish but a convert to Christianity. Since he revealed Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons he has been persecuted in Israel, 18 years in prison, several years and is still not free to settle here.
This story is also bad.
https://www.facebook.com/PalestinianChristians/photos/a.179158768779783.44970.153125724716421/1081495201879464/?type=1&fref=nf&pnref=story
John Mann, the right wing, verging on UKIP MP is having another meltdown on Twitter.
Summerhead- FYI he’s ‘right wing’ on defence & foreign affairs, but not on much else.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/11093/john_mann/bassetlaw/votes
‘US dentist Walter Palmer ‘regrets’ killing Zimbabwe lion Cecil’
6 hours ago
Not half as regretful as Cecil.
Though not on topic this short video concerns three ex-soldiers who have taken their medals and other military possessions to Downing Street to shame the various prime ministers who have sent them to fight for an unjust cause. One points to the medal he was awarded for his service in Iraq where his orders were to arrest men from the villages to be ‘tortured’ in custody. These brave men’s minds were warped by Horace’s old lie and ridiculous pieces of paper they signed as young men to ‘obey orders’ whatever the cost. If only the rest of the world could wake up like they have done. Respect, men, respect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rZgtMGD_o8
@John Goss
Mordechai Vanunu is not Jewish. He has rejected the identity, as also has Gilad Atzmon – and as have many other people.
Veterans for Peace have also produced a video aimed at getting the age of military commitment raised to eighteen using Action Man models. It is very good and people like David Aaronovitch and his family might benefit from watching it. But of course those who glory in war get others to do their dirty work for them.
http://battlefieldcasualties.co.uk/
Uzbek – thanks for your cogent input on housing. You make a good case (and note, I’m not against making more housing available, preferably within an untampered-with market). Underlying my reservations is the belief, nay, knowledge, that as the system stands at present, any benefit from this will not go to the tenant/mortgager but a private equity fund.
And I think the Green Belt is a splendid concept and should be preserved. Whatever happened to Brown’s initiative on recycling brownfield sites?
I note that Osborne is experiencing orgasm re. the latest growth figures. These are very largely due to cutting taxation on oil and gas, and an increase in service ‘industries’…unspecified, but maybe relates to an uptick for Starbucks. Manufacturing is down. This is not indicative of a healthy economy.
N_ at 7:58 am. Yes thanks for that. I knew he had converted to Christianity and I probably ought to have written ‘was born into a Jewish family’ but not that he had renounced Judaism. Some who convert from Judaism to Christianity see their conversion as a fuulfilment of Judaism, like Helen Shapiro, who’s testimony is a powerful document.
Old Mark – I suggest you read his “Mannifesto” – pay attention to his views on immigration. p.s. Hitler was no fan of hunting but was slightly right of centre by today’s standards http://www.mann4bassetlaw.com/a_brilliant_britain
‘US-led NATO turned Africa’s most developed country into a cauldron of endless violence, deprivation and despair.
Tens of thousands were murdered in cold blood. Multiples more were injured and/or displaced. Violence, instability, insecurity and chaos reflect daily life. No end in sight looms. Millions of Libyans live in constant fear.
Obama bears full responsibility for raping, ravaging, destroying, and plundering a nation threatening no others. Anarchical charnel house conditions replaced it.
Dystopian harshness persists. Libya is a failed state. Central authority is absent. Public services aren’t provided. Corruption and criminality are rampant. Conditions are in free fall. Human misery is extreme.
Libya is one of many high crimes on Obama’s rap sheet. Perhaps he plans Libya 2.0 for Syria, Iran, Lebanon and Yemen. Longstanding US/Israeli plans to redraw the Middle East map suggest it.’
July 29, 2015
The Show Trial of Saif Qaddafi: a Manufactured Death Sentence
Stephen Lendman
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/07/29/the-show-trial-of-saif-qaddafi-a-manufactured-death-sentence/
Old Mark – I suggest you read his “Mannifesto” – pay attention to his views on immigration.
OK I get it Summerhead- for you immigration is a touchstone issue of whether you are genuinely on the left. For me (Bob Rowthorn ditto), it isn’t.
Old Mark – I too find it frustrating that there is an authorised set of fixed positions without holding all of which one cannot be a true lefty. Whereas ‘Fais ce que tu voudras’* applies across the Right. If consensus could only be substituted for compulsory agreement….
*Motto of the Hellfire Club
what happens to the billions abroad of the Ghaddaffi family, now confiscated in foreign bank accounts?
especially when most of his clan are killed. Will this money go to the Libyan state’s two factions to spend on arms?
Will it languish in bank accounts and frittered away in ‘costs’, misappropriated.
Or will it come to the off spring of Ghaddaffi?
@ a US dentist. get a motorcycle and a life boare! there’s no honour in shooting an old age pensioner who was on his way to the food bank provided by you. he had to tease them out of the bush and pay large sums to preen himself in front of America’s hunting folks.
He did not hunt that lion, it came to him, but being a dentists with teeth to drill and money to make, he was on a limited time budget, trying to make out that he hunted a roaring beast he had to lure it out.
And we all know how fond an oldie can get on his favourite carcass…..
A COWARD and a PRAT
Lysias @7.48pm.
That was Burns at his finest, reputedly written about the French revolution.
This is a wonderful version, sung by Dick Gaughan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ7oYCx6tBw
He did not hunt that lion, it came to him…
The Yanks have a different definition of hunting. This covers using a machine gun from a camper van as well as a bow and arrow from a jeep. This allows a a fat dentist from Minneapolis, who might have difficulty walking unaided, to bullshit about hunting. I’m all for culling in the interests of conservation; about time we included urban dentist ‘hunters’ with too much money in the cull.
Noted also, macho man wounded the lion with his survivalist wilderness Neanderthal high tech carbon-fibre top-of-the range bow with radar sights, but they had to finish it off with a ‘gun’ – Press report says gun. I hope to god it was a rifle. So what was the fckn point?
PS, if he wasn’t close enough to see the beast was wearing a tracking collar, and/or didn’t suss it out first using binoculars, he shouldn’t be let out with a water pistol.