Topic: Novara Media crew - what do you reckon? [split topic]

[Buelligan]

But I just hate long nails though.  I really hate them.  Everything about them.  The sound of them, the colours - always, and I'm not talking about Ash here, I'm talking about everyone, hateful, really ugly colours.  I also find the idea of them really disturbing, something reminiscent of a dead bird.  The nails simply MUST STOP.

[Johnny Yesno]

I think they're the bomb.

[pigamus]

Grace Blakeley liked one of my tweets the other week. I'll never wash my tweeting finger again.

[ZoyzaSorris]

I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re great. Novara I mean. I’m happy to backup the Michael walker love, been right on the Tysky Sour lately. I think Bastani and Ash having a bit of flamboyance is a good thing for reasons discussed above, we need a bit of arrogant fun in the mix to deflect from any attempt to paint left wing thought as pure hair-shirt. Walker is def the fav here though.

(Do think they give the anti-semitism smears and the foreign policy elite’s line on things like Russia and Syria way too much credence but you can’t have everything)

[Funcrusher]

The one with Yanis Varoufakis was a bit of a recent highlight.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I've owned it for about three months but am yet to open it.

I think the contents will be inside

[marquis_de_sad]

I need to see the context (is he joking?) but is Bastani saying 'secular challenges' are a bad thing? That capitalism needs to incorporate religious ideas?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_stagnation

and OED:

Secular:

Economics and Statistics. Of a fluctuation or trend: occurring or persisting over an unlimited period; not periodic or short-term.

[Buelligan]

The one with Yanis Varoufakis was a bit of a recent highlight.

Another of those pheromone people, of course.

[Twit 2]

[posted in wrong thread :) ]

[Barry Admin]

The one with Yanis Varoufakis was a bit of a recent highlight.

Yes, the live shows were great, actually surprisingly accomplished despite the odd technical difficulty.

And a Michael Walker bit has stuck in my head for weeks. It’s when he was imitating their critics on Twitter by saying in a twatty voice “oh deeeaar, I see Norovirus Media are on Sky News again...”

Really tickled me, I can well imagine how much they annoy the Twitter centrists.

[imitationleather]

And a Michael Walker bit has stuck in my head for weeks. It’s when he was imitating their critics on Twitter by saying in a twatty voice “oh deeeaar, I see Norovirus Media are on Sky News again...”

Funnily enough, I was chuckling over that very bit while having my morning piss earlier.

[Johnny Yesno]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_stagnation

and OED:

Blimey. I never knew that meaning of secular. If this doesn't prove context is everything, I don't know what does.

[Johnny Yesno]

And a Michael Walker bit has stuck in my head for weeks. It’s when he was imitating their critics on Twitter by saying in a twatty voice “oh deeeaar, I see Norovirus Media are on Sky News again...”

I've not seen that. Do you have a link to the video in question?

[Petey Pate]

What is everyone's problem with Aaron Bastani, by the way? He seems completely fine to me when he's on TyskySour.

I mean, I guess it is people like TFM who seem to loathe him so that should tell me all I need to know.

He's loathed by tankie Twitter as much as he is by centrist Twitter, if not more so. Essentially their hatred of him boils down to his appropriation of 'communism' to mean something other than authoritarian leftism and that he doesn't think that China is actually a great bunch of lads.

As for Novara Media itself, it's definitely more informative and insightful its in political commentary than most outlets. Their lack of resources and low quality production values makes it more appealing in my view.

I don't think you can fairly accuse of them of being sycophant to every guest they have. David Graeber was asked some fairly probing questions in his recent appearance. James Butler is generally very good at getting his interviewees to address criticism or alternate perspectives. I also enjoyed how Ash Sakar came close to telling Spike Lee that BlacKKKlansman was shit.

[Barry Admin]

I've not seen that. Do you have a link to the video in question?

Yep it’s right at the start of the Yanis Varoufakis one
https://youtu.be/9Ck0Jg92bPk

[Johnny Yesno]

Yep it’s right at the start of the Yanis Varoufakis one
https://youtu.be/9Ck0Jg92bPk

Ha, nice, thanks.

[greencalx]

I get what Kelvin was saying about the weakness of an uncritical interview.

However I do think there’s space for one of these in the landscape, if for no other reason to find out what a politician says when they are not being screamed in the face by a Paxman or Neil. Most often you get the same old slogans and no substance. With Corbyn, at least in the first part of that interview, you got something different. At least it was new to me, and revealed a depth that previously hadn’t come across and is widely regarded by commentators as wholly absent.

But we may well not need any more.

[imitationleather]

I thought yesterday's TyskySour was great. Nice to see they're in the new studio at last.

Ash Sarkar was the guest and I find the level of her knowledge and analytical ability is really impressive compared to Grace Blakeley's, who I unfortunately find quite lacking in depth and a lot of her arguments are very much like what you'd expect an undergrad to make. A good undergrad, obviously. But still someone who just doesn't have the spuds yet which means they deserve to have their view elevated to the audience she's getting.

(Yes I have had this view of Blakeley for a while and I had to wait for another woman to put in a really good performance so I didn't feel like such a ruddy sexist for criticising her. Obviously comparing her specifically to another woman is itself sexist but eh I dunno. The level of stress this is causing me is how you can tell I'm a Goldsmiths man!)

[Funcrusher]

Another good one yesterday. So interesting to hear the guy from the fire services union talking about Grenfell from a firefighters perspective, what's happened to the fire services over the last couple of decades and the place of the fire services union in the labour movement. You just wouldn't hear this kind of thing elsewhere, certainly not in the mainstream media.

[Buelligan]

I thought yesterday's TyskySour was great. Nice to see they're in the new studio at last.

Ash Sarkar was the guest and I find the level of her knowledge and analytical ability is really impressive compared to Grace Blakeley's, who I unfortunately find quite lacking in depth and a lot of her arguments are very much like what you'd expect an undergrad to make. A good undergrad, obviously. But still someone who just doesn't have the spuds yet which means they deserve to have their view elevated to the audience she's getting.

(Yes I have had this view of Blakeley for a while and I had to wait for another woman to put in a really good performance so I didn't feel like such a ruddy sexist for criticising her. Obviously comparing her specifically to another woman is itself sexist but eh I dunno. The level of stress this is causing me is how you can tell I'm a Goldsmiths man!)

It's difficult isn't it?  I'd argue that Grace Blakeley is OK, OKish.  Last time I saw her (on a TyskySour panel with Paul Mason and David Lammy), I was underwhelmed.  Felt she came across like a rather weak aspiring children's presenter (but, in fairness, I was comparing her with Mason, who I have a great deal of time for and is far more experienced).  I think she probably needs to put in more work and get more experience.  Ash Sarkar, to me at least, comes across far better.  Stronger, better informed, more inclusive and friendly, even given the distracting nails thing.   

Perhaps we need to think about these people in the context of Novara presenters, comparing them against other presenters, rather than as woman Novara presenters.  That might help.