We’ve had a canny few comments this week about the stuff we do to promote various groups including The People’s Assembly and Coalition of Resistance. I say a canny few, I mean about a dozen. And some of them from questionably familiar IP addresses/VPN’s.
The Editor is having a few days away in the dacha this week so I thought I’d address some of those comments and put things in context a little. A few people seem surprised at the fact that TF isn’t exclusively devoted to Newcastle United. That surprises me a little bit as we’ve done things like Drums & Wires in the print fanzine since it’s inception and feedback around it is always good. Likewise the bits and pieces we do around clothes, football culture, original fiction and the historical stuff woven into some of the articles along the way.
The website has included what can be classed as ‘political’ content for years and that content hasn’t included encouraging people to buy Margaret Thatcher tea towels. Sorry and that, but we’re just not into that sort of thing. Not all of the TF writing team are what I would class as ‘politicised’ but a few are and in the majority of cases they are to one degree or another, left leaning.
As is the North East of England in general and Newcastle upon Tyne in particular.
Put simply, if you don’t like the political stuff, don’t read it. You’re all big lads and lasses and when you see something that looks political on the site, you can take it as read that it isn’t going to a gushing overview of the career of Grant Shapps. Personally, I don’t read the Daily Mail for the very same reason – I don’t like it and it would only wind me up to read it. Although I do read the Telegraph on occasion as one finds it does one good to have a view from the other side in one’s life occasionally.
The point of putting this out isn’t to advance my own political beliefs – as I said you’re all big lads and lasses and I don’t kid myself that anything that I say is going to make you change your mind. The very point of that is that the political aspects of the website are aimed at those who would take interest in and/or have sympathy with the views expressed – again if that isn’t you, just don’t bother reading it. We’re never going to be Tories, you’re never going to be socialists. C’est la vie.
Power to the People
Gareth
The Toon Army is a Broad Church encompassing a wide range of political views. Whether a Football Fanzine is the right forum for political debate is a moot point but at the end of the day it’s just opinions. Myself & the Chairman of the TF Supreme Soviet Comrade Martinov come from opposite sides of the political divide but that does not mean we can’t both be devoted to the Toon’s Just & Righteous Cause.
As for the economic & social plight of the North East, the Tories Don’t Care about the Region because it will never Vote for them & the Labour Party take us for granted & patronise us because the region will never fail to elect Socialist MP’s.
Either way we lose out to the Scots, Welsh & Irish when it comes to whichever Government is seeking to buy Votes.
Are the complaints in relation to the political content, or the fact that politics are discussed at all? It’s neither possible, nor desirable to keep politics out of things. At least in the grown up world it’s not. Grow a set of balls and debate your views rather than trying to silence others.
Everyone entitled to their opinion and wether I liked their views or not I would defend their right to express it. Me , I’m a little to the left of Uncle Joe and I find it welcome that anyone has the conscience to spread a little socialism around in this world of bludgeoning filth that is paraded around under the falsehood of a free press is only trying to give a counter balace to the daily right wing proaganda in our daily press . You dont think that Ashley and his associates are socialists or philanthropists do you ? Dont tell me that football has nothing to do with politics , it has everything to do with politics and power and money . Its supposed to the peoples game , but its politised everyday with so called top politicians jumping on band wagons when the England team do well and wanting to be associated with it . Politics like football is not boring , just needs a little more thinking involved. Full marks to the TF mag and to all those doing their best.
As you say, we are all big lads & lasses. You state your views – which is fair enough. But I don’t understand why you seem irritated by people expressing the fact that they disagree with them.
If people don’t like the political stuff, why shouldn’t they read it and comment if they want. Isn’t that the point of the “Reply” function – to comment (positive or negative )? If you don’t want people to comment , disable the Reply button
But I don’t see why you’re getting hot under the collar over a few negative comments
Irony button disabled? The piece was a reply to the comments we’ve received. We’re more than happy for people to reply but are you suggesting that we in turn don’t maintain the right to set out our editorial line and indeed comment on our own political views?
I fail to see any implication of irritation in the piece itself. I would guess for the North East, a disproprtionate amount of my friends are Tory voters – 3 or 4 out of a dozen or so that I go to the match with. I’m never ‘irritated’ by them – I might not agree with them but well, they’re my mates and as such, I have no problem with their political leanings. And, I think it’s fair to say that feeling is reciprocated. We do talk about politics and we don’t agree but ‘irritated’ never comes into it.
For the same reason, I don’t see fit to go on, for example, the Telegraph website and register comments on stories that are written with a Tory slant. Personally, I would find that notion ridiculous. The analogy kind of works here, don’t you think?
I did spot that you said a canny few and then followed that up with about a dozen – the irony wasn’t lost on me. But the very fact that a separate piece was written to reply to such a small number to addresss some of the coments was the reason I inferred annoyance on your part.
However, you say that isn’t what you were implying. That’s fair enough – I obviously misjudged the tone of the piece and for that, I apologise.
As for the idea that you shouldn’t comment on pieces written with a slant you don’t agree with, I’m not sure that the notion is ridiculous. However, I hope we can agree to disagree.
Finally, just because someone adversely comments on a piece doesn’t mean they must be a tory – as you point out, left leaning can cover a variety of degrees. Some of the current government polciies are in need of substantial revision – on that point we are in broad agreement. It’s quite possible other people who have posted comments perceived a snegative believe the same
I like the political stuff in TF keep up the good work.
1) Has there ever been a successful socialist economy?
2) Whether the commanding heights of the economy are state owned or capitalist, it is they, the productive sector of manufacturing and services which finances our public services and pays for our public servants {they can’t pay for themselves or it wouldn’t matter if everyone was a public servant} so we are left with question 1) or have I missed a reductio ad absurdem argument somewhere?
3) Why do the left confuse the need for a humane society to provide reasonable healthcare for all, irrespective of income and wealth {something which is accepted across the political spectrum, unlike the USA which has higher infant mortality deaths and spends nearly 2x more of its GDP on health than does the UK} with defence of the NHS which has higher death rates than publicly funded health care schemes in other countries {leaving aside mid Staffs} and provides awful care to the elderly and long term sick {as well as to our family hitherto}? The best that can be said for the NHS is that is is like the curate’s egg. It is good in parts {GP surgeries, cancer and heart treatments}, bad in parts {see above};’ but at least there’s an egg.
Drew murty are yee 12?
No. Are you?
Boring