In an age of distortion, major columnists have powerful tools and a responsibility. His latest column on Russell Brand is an object lesson in how that can go wrong
Sad to see whats become of “The Manchester Guardian” in the last 40 years, my formerly beloved newspaper a ghost
of its former self. Send George to Fukushima to tell us how many tons of radioactive water are getting dumped into the Pacific, put him in a wetsuit with a geiger counter and push him overboard, maybe there’s nothing to worry about...
As a lad I loved “The Manchester Guardian” it was probably one of the most accountable newspapers of the 60’s and 70’s and then, it started getting sloppy, maybe most of the good reporters are gone, those that exist write on Substack. Anyone who calls Hersh, Pilger and Greenwald out, needs to study history and check themselves. Monbiot lost me a long time ago, supporting nuclear power, speaking of which, how many tons of radioactive waste are getting dumped into the Pacific on any given day? Lets send George to find out...
Wow, thank you for this. I've been feeling very confused about the whole George vs Russell discussion in recent days; as I've long admired aspects of both men. I don't agree with either of them about everything however.
Anyway, George Monbiot's article left me almost feeling guilty for still tuning in to listen to Russell Brand from time to time.
That's interesting. I once admired the Guardian and now see it as an obvious captured platform of Industry and Government. Russell... I once dismissed him and now admire him.
Monbiot was always a fake leftist. His support for nuclear energy marked him out as a fake environmentalist. He has never supported the Palestinians or had anything to say about the racist regime in Tel Aviv. It is as if the struggles of peoples in the third world and against imperialism and its adjuncts are irrelevant.
His silence as Jonathan says on Julian Assange is truly shameful. When a group of us picketed the Guardian over Assange I spoke to say that the only decent journalist at the Guardian was its cartoonist, Steve Bell. And his contract was terminated.
The Guardian sold the pass when it joined the D-Notice Committee. I remember the days when the Guardian proudly announced it would not conform to the D-Notice system, whereby newspapers are warned that articles are a potential threat to national security interests.
When the Guardian and Jonathan Freedland launched a war of lies against Corbyn I stopped taking it. That was really the last straw.
In July 2019 I organised a letter from over 100 Jewish people in support of Chris Williamson. The Board of Deputies and Hope not Hate (Baroness Ruth Smeeth was Deputy Director) and the Jewish Labour Movement protested. We were not mainstream Jews. Two of those who signed put HnH and JLM after their names although it was clear that they weren't saying they represented these 2 organisations.
Instead of printing a letter of reply from the Board the Guardian pulled the letter from the Internet. The ludicrous thing was that it had already been published in the print edition! Talk about altering history!
Thanks for another well written piece. The layers and nuance in your analysis help to expand our knowledge and understanding of how main stream media influences us
I don't get a lot of the history of this bickering but I've followed Brand for years, seen him live (hilarious) and been on zoom calls with him. He is genuine, caring and enlightened and has been on (to those with) the money about everything (apart from that disease is transmitted by contagions- which I'm working on) since the beginning.
I've been distracted about proving viruses don't exist (and am still permanently banned from twitter for doing so think I must be on to something!); meaning that the WHO's pandemic preparedness treaty coming 2024, taking away all our rights as free citizens, should just be laughed at.
but I see now that if they extradite Assange I will not even be able to speak freely about anything without risking death. this is the fight of our age https://georgiedonny.substack.com/p/this-is-the-fight-of-our-age the future of free speech is a boot stamping without mercy on a human face. Right now that face belongs to Julian Assange
brilliant have admired mobiot in past but found his latest stuff in G odd. He is stuck with G that over the last few yrs haS BECOME MORE RIGHT WING. sad ... with Fredland and present editor it has really gone done hill.
" Brand is on the left because he consistently and publicly supports the key issues that concern the left, as I explained here."
I'm amazed that someone with the critical faculties of Jonathan Cook can be so supportive of an intellectually bereft, c list celeb as Brand.
Brand is a pedlar of wu on right wing social media channels and hobnobs with fascists.
Brand will do just fine continuing his grift,
And if he did indeed commit heinous sex crimes and is found guilty, it's not the establishment trying to shut him down.
The press are doing what the press do. It has sweet Fanny Adams to do with Brand being on the left.
Come on Christopher, stick to sticking up for people who really need help against the establishment, not facile faux leftists like Brand.
I suspect that Monbiot is under the supervision of the very forces he purports to oppose. Namely, thesecurity services.
We know that they seek to suborn and recruit "leftish" journalists as they will carry credibility.
Sad to see whats become of “The Manchester Guardian” in the last 40 years, my formerly beloved newspaper a ghost
of its former self. Send George to Fukushima to tell us how many tons of radioactive water are getting dumped into the Pacific, put him in a wetsuit with a geiger counter and push him overboard, maybe there’s nothing to worry about...
As a lad I loved “The Manchester Guardian” it was probably one of the most accountable newspapers of the 60’s and 70’s and then, it started getting sloppy, maybe most of the good reporters are gone, those that exist write on Substack. Anyone who calls Hersh, Pilger and Greenwald out, needs to study history and check themselves. Monbiot lost me a long time ago, supporting nuclear power, speaking of which, how many tons of radioactive waste are getting dumped into the Pacific on any given day? Lets send George to find out...
Wow, thank you for this. I've been feeling very confused about the whole George vs Russell discussion in recent days; as I've long admired aspects of both men. I don't agree with either of them about everything however.
Anyway, George Monbiot's article left me almost feeling guilty for still tuning in to listen to Russell Brand from time to time.
This article has freed me from that guilt...
Brilliant. Thank-you for putting this all together. It is specific to Monbiot, but can be applied to so much of the current discourse.
Great. Keep at it.
Brilliant article.
That's interesting. I once admired the Guardian and now see it as an obvious captured platform of Industry and Government. Russell... I once dismissed him and now admire him.
Brilliant article.
Monbiot was always a fake leftist. His support for nuclear energy marked him out as a fake environmentalist. He has never supported the Palestinians or had anything to say about the racist regime in Tel Aviv. It is as if the struggles of peoples in the third world and against imperialism and its adjuncts are irrelevant.
His silence as Jonathan says on Julian Assange is truly shameful. When a group of us picketed the Guardian over Assange I spoke to say that the only decent journalist at the Guardian was its cartoonist, Steve Bell. And his contract was terminated.
The Guardian sold the pass when it joined the D-Notice Committee. I remember the days when the Guardian proudly announced it would not conform to the D-Notice system, whereby newspapers are warned that articles are a potential threat to national security interests.
When the Guardian and Jonathan Freedland launched a war of lies against Corbyn I stopped taking it. That was really the last straw.
In July 2019 I organised a letter from over 100 Jewish people in support of Chris Williamson. The Board of Deputies and Hope not Hate (Baroness Ruth Smeeth was Deputy Director) and the Jewish Labour Movement protested. We were not mainstream Jews. Two of those who signed put HnH and JLM after their names although it was clear that they weren't saying they represented these 2 organisations.
Instead of printing a letter of reply from the Board the Guardian pulled the letter from the Internet. The ludicrous thing was that it had already been published in the print edition! Talk about altering history!
https://azvsas.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-guardian-reaches-new-low-first-it.html
Wow that was brilliantly edifying
Thank you for the lesson in reality
Thanks for another well written piece. The layers and nuance in your analysis help to expand our knowledge and understanding of how main stream media influences us
I don't get a lot of the history of this bickering but I've followed Brand for years, seen him live (hilarious) and been on zoom calls with him. He is genuine, caring and enlightened and has been on (to those with) the money about everything (apart from that disease is transmitted by contagions- which I'm working on) since the beginning.
I've been distracted about proving viruses don't exist (and am still permanently banned from twitter for doing so think I must be on to something!); meaning that the WHO's pandemic preparedness treaty coming 2024, taking away all our rights as free citizens, should just be laughed at.
but I see now that if they extradite Assange I will not even be able to speak freely about anything without risking death. this is the fight of our age https://georgiedonny.substack.com/p/this-is-the-fight-of-our-age the future of free speech is a boot stamping without mercy on a human face. Right now that face belongs to Julian Assange
🙏🏽
a deranged little man
Incredible piece.
brilliant have admired mobiot in past but found his latest stuff in G odd. He is stuck with G that over the last few yrs haS BECOME MORE RIGHT WING. sad ... with Fredland and present editor it has really gone done hill.