That Paul Mason Discussion

I’m blocked by OJ, so I’m recording reaction to this retweeted tweet here:

1. 1. Paul is right on “beergate” and Keir will resign if he’s wrong.
   2. Smirking style from Owen and Michael – makes me question their divisive motives concerning serious complex topics. The whole “I’m not a lawyer but Jolyon Maugham is” is a red-herring from any moral equivalence in principle. (That screenshot above, entirely random, not selected.)
   3. Paul is also right on Sue Gray / Met Police angle with Boris et al.
   4. The (repeated) hype from Owen on “Keir being the most dishonest ever” (and the anti-Blair rhetoric) – laughable, slogan, mantra, scam politics.
   5. Anyway, OK, so here we go, the meat:
      – “kicking-out the left-wing MP’s” his hidden “new labour” project …
   6. Paul is agreeing with some errors of handling the left, too much use of discipline. I’d agree – but hands get forced – by the actions of others.
   7. The sheer stupidity of the anti-Nato petition … set themselves up – “they were asking for it”
   8. Agree the anti-Nato (directly blaming) petition at the time of the Putin invasion – publicly unhelpful / divisive timing (whatever the validity – even “element of truth”- of their free opinion). Truth is one thing, what you do with it is quite another.
   9. Saudi support? Systematic violation of rights – ongoing long-term “Middle-East Problem” – is quite different to resisting an immediate aggressive invasion on our own borders. Neither is acceptable, but we have to choose our response – policy involves tactics as well as strategy – by definition, tactics will conflict with policy. The conflation of Israel / Palestine / Yemen / Arab – racist / antisemitic / antizionist issues – is despicable rhetoric. I agree with Paul – it’s not about what, it’s about how and when.
   10. Laughing whilst accusing people of Imperialism and Saudi Apologism –  not a clue, the “naive” left.

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[Post Notes: I’m seeing this stuff on my timeline because I followed Novara’s founder Aaron Bastani after meeting him a HTLGI22 last week. Michael and OJ are effectively Novara “journalists”. The 10 days experience since thoroughly confirms my view of these mean-spirited naive (young) lefter-than-thou-leftists. It’s all about who they hate. They place no value in an establishment that judges its membership based on their actions – including public statements in relation to itself. Yet they are perfectly happy to publicly slate and mock individuals that disagree with them. Not sure how many odd or even levels of irony that makes it, but man they need to grow up and experience some wisdom. (Sadly promising young philosopher Philip Goff is lost down the same rabbit-hole – for a decade or two I expect.) Paul Mason ain’t perfect but he can tell his Marx from his Bogdanov from his Trotsky. Looks like they got to the local labour group ahead of Paul’s selection process. “One man one vote” is the worst of the least-worst democratic options.]