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Tuesday 25 August 2015

Don’t Menshn Paul Mason

The stock market falls, which started out in China, have affected most other parts of the global economy to a greater or lesser extent. The associated prospect - that if the Chinese economy slows down significantly, others will follow - has been much discussed by pundits across print and broadcast media, including Channel 4 News economics editor Paul Mason, who was not impressed with the régime in Beijing.
(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

Markets slump as world realises main growth engine in hands of incompetent, secretive police state that thinks it can dictate equity prices” he Tweeted, giving the kind of assessment of the Chinese Government that most mainstream pundits and politicians would readily agree with. But somewhere out there, one (thankfully) former Tory MP was ready to get the wrong end of the stick on this one - twice over.
Yes, faithful Murdoch “columnist” Louise Mensch was ready to use Mason’s Tweet to assault, er, the BBC. “Congratulations bbc officially jumps the shark” she observed, seemingly unaware that Mason (a) no longer works at the Corporation, and (b) he was talking about China, not the UK or the USA. And there was more.
My God it really hurt the BBC when Labour lost the election. Need an intervention” she trilled, which would be moderately interesting if it made any sense. Mason was still not at the BBC, and indeed has not worked there for two years now. Were we seeing another bout of “guilt by association”, perhaps even by past association?
It seems we were. Ms Mensch justified her BBC bashing by explaining “He was the economics editor at Newsnight saw him there often”. Had she done so, she might have discovered that Mason was in fact Newsnight’s Business Editor, not Economics Editor. And she still appeared unaware that he was talking about China.
Instead, she shifted her attack from the Corporation to a personal kick at Mason: “Why the hell has he been given prime slots at two successive public sector broadcasters”. Newsnight is a “prime slot”? Had Mason been on BBC1, that comment might have been justified. He wasn’t, so it isn’t. But she wasn’t finished.
Indeed, it was now time to engage wibble overdrive: “He was news night's editor for years. It's dire. off the leash with Snow C4 can say stuff like this w/out penalty”. No, he wasn’t Newsnight’s editor, and Jon Snow equally does not have editorial control over Channel 4’s output. And she still hasn’t got it into her head that he was talking about China.

Or perhaps she knows full well that Mason is talking about China, but Creepy Uncle Rupe would rather not upset the authorities in Beijing because of his business interests there. So anyone calling out the Chinese for their management ineptitude gets kicked as a result.

Either way, it’s a display of monumental stupidity. And they allowed her to become an MP.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The funny thing is that Mensch and Mason are, essentially, cut from the same far right cloth.

But she's large denier and he's small denier. I wouldn't trust either of them to open a tap.

rob said...

According to Channel 4's blurb on Paul Mason he did succeed to the Economics Editors's position in 2008 having been Business Correspondent from 2001.

Not sure how anon @ 11:12 comes up with far right cloth though.

Arnold said...

The Mail seems a bit confused too. "RUTH SUNDERLAND: How your pension has been hit by Communist blunders" Alongside another article reporting that share prices are on the up again.
"Also the billions of pounds that have flowed into the London housing market from wealthy Chinese investors is also likely to slow to a trickle." How rich foreigners pricing the British out of the London housing market is a good thing isn't explained.

Andy McDonald said...

As ever with Louise Mensch, I have to ask: does she get paid for this? Really? How in the world does pissing about like a schoolkid on Twitter translate into a 'proper job'?

Anonymous said...

Can't exactly blame "communism" for what happened in 2008 can they?

Which leaves you only with....................Capitalism.

Lest we forget: There Is No Alternative. There hasn't been for over thirty years.

Anonymous said...

To rob @ 12:28 yesterday.

I suggest you watch all of Mason's broadcast "reports" from Greece. Listen to the words and tone of everything he says. Place them in context. Particularly watch his interviews of Varoufakis.

After that, if Mason's intent doesn't become plain to you I fear it never will. The man's a neocon fraud, an establishment stenographer, nothing more.

rob said...

@ Anon 12:15

Well according to a synopsis of his latest book "PostCapitalism: A Guide to our Future" he presents a future of Utopian socialism and the quote from it is "we have the chance to create a more socially just and sustainable global economy" which I personally wouldn't call a neocon ambition.

However, I bow to your superior knowledge based on his interviews with Varoufakis and the "intent" you place on them.

Anonymous said...

@ rob 12:15

Unlike you, I won't bow to YOUR superior knowledge based on a single selective quote from one of Mason's books. Or so-called "Utopian socialism."

Mason says one thing in his books and quite another in his TV "reports." I repeat, the man is an untrustworthy two faced neocon fraud.

rob said...

@ Anon 11:48

Fair enough - each to their own superior knowledge. The way of the world.