The politics of the four participants is well-known but left out by the liberal newspaper
In assembling an election panel or ‘focused group’ to share its thoughts on Tony Blair’s speech on Europe yesterday, the Guardian newspaper appears to have hand-picked a group of right-wingers of various kinds, all of whom were likely to hate the former Labour prime minister.
Worse still, each participant was introduced merely as ‘author’ or ‘broadcaster’ instead of clearly stating their party loyalties – a very significant omission given the politics of the contributors. So let’s take a look at the panel.
First up is crime author Val McDermid, the most sympathetic of the group to Blair’s speech. McDermid is a supporter of the Scottish Nationalist Party, not just on last year’s independence referendum, but on its policies and record in office, citing ‘free prescriptions, no student tuition fees, social care for elderly people’.
She starts her response to Tony Blair’s speech like this: “When Tony Blair speaks these days, I grit my teeth. His legacy taints everything he says.” Not a fan then. Still, it’s nice to see she supports unity in Europe at least.
It’s worth noting also that despite the pose, the SNP is not a progressive force. As Left Foot Forward editor James Bloodworth wrote last year: ‘Nationalism isn’t progressive; it‘s nationalism.’
Then there’s ‘Kirsty Allsopp, broadcaster’. Allsopp, host of Location, Location, is the daughter of Charles Allsopp, 6th Baron Hidlip, a former peer in the House of Lords and ex-chairman of Christie’s auction house. Ms Allsopp describes herself as socially liberal but economically conservative, is a fan of David Cameron and Prince Charles, was mooted for a Tory peerage in 2010, and advised the Conservative party on housing in the last election.
In an interview in 2013, Ms Allsopp said:
“I didn’t vote for Blair because he didn’t convince me that he had changed the core of Labour. And as long as the unions control the party, then I could never vote Labour.“
A Tory foe of the only Labour leader to defeat the Tories in three consecutive elections. Who would have thought?
Then we have ‘Mike Reed, broadcaster’, a radio DJ and former Tory, who wrote a Calypso song in October to literally sing the praises of UKIP and Nigel Farage, in what he imagined was a Carribean accent. The second line of the song, which saw Reed accused of racism, went like this:
“Leaders committed a cardinal sin, open the borders let them all come in, illegal immigrants in every town, stand up and be counted Blair and Brown.“
Right. Moving on.
Last up is ‘Salma Yaqoob, psychotherapist’. Yaqoob was until 2012 the chair of the Respect Party, which she co-founded in 2004, and for which she was a councillor in Birmingham, though no mention is made of this in the Guardian feature.
The Respect party, lest we forget, is led by George Galloway, friend and employee of dictators and fascists, and was built on an alliance with Islamic fundamentalists. Ms Yaqoob used her position as spokeswoman for the Birmingham Central Mosque to urge its worshippers to vote Respect in 2004. Is it really a surprise that the reactionary chair of a party set up in opposition to Tony Blair should be critical of his latest speech?
So much for the Guardian’s focused group: a nationalist, a Tory, a Kipper and a religious demagogue. Stocking a panel with people like this to respond to Blair’s speech is like asking a panel of dogs what they think of the cat.
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
97 Responses to “Shocker: the Guardian’s ‘balanced’ panel of right-wing Blair-haters…hates Tony Blair”
Guest
Whereas you’re doing PR work for Assad, Putin…
Ian
We didn’t “intervene” in Iraq or anywhere else for the benefit of those country’s inhabitants, though, did we? And in the process f bombing Iraq’s *civilians* our military killed far more than Saddam would have.
America didn’t mess the peace up because the aftermath of the war wasn’t even on their radar, they didn’t even consider the peace because they had no exit strategy for after thy got what they wanted. They certainly messed the war up, though, considering the number of civilian corpses they made. I have ever approved of anything Putin has done, I just don’t have the misty-eyed view that *they* are bad and *we* are good. You think we don’t get up to covert shenanigans? Rendition, anyone? America drones innocent Pakistanis and nobody says a word, Russia kills one bloke and you’re outraged? Imagine the hoo-haa if Pakistan used drones to kill innocent Americans under the excuse of terrorism?
If you don’t agree with the alliance with the Saudis that should tell you all you need to know about our leaders and their hypocrisy, lord knows why you continue to willfully ignore their murderous hypocrisy by pretending their serial warmongeing is all about feedom and democracy when it is, as you know, about oil and strategic dominance. No sure what your point re Israel is, though.
The last para was just laughable and not worth responding to in any real way.
Ian
I know nothing of Assad, really, other than he’s one of many unpleasant leaders in that region. Putin, on the other hand, has had lots of misinformation spread about him and the situation in Ukraine. I don’t think one member of our, uh, free press mentioned the full story. I think Peter Oborne might have been the honourable exception. Maybe Hitchens. Definitely a right winger. though. Other than that you won’t see the full story in the papers or on the BBC.
AlanGiles
A “safe” pair of hands?. A man who instigated more wars during his ten years of power than any other recent peace-time PM?. You must be joking. I am sure you won’t find Mrs Rose Gentle or the parents of other dead servicemen laughing along with you.
Blair is a con-man and once they get tumbled only idiots would vote for another bout of his nonsense
AlanGiles
We ought to feel relieved that the Camp Crusader now sees himselF “done with British politics” and sees himself on a “global” political stage. Christ help the world if this idiot ever gets his hands on the levers of power again. I seriously doubt that Blair is the full ticket.