tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post6663586902763224699..comments2024-01-23T16:53:02.428+00:00Comments on Mark Thompson: Left Foot Forward shows its biasMark Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-3680986938618997022013-02-15T18:05:50.410+00:002013-02-15T18:05:50.410+00:00I had quite a lot of contact with LFF while Direct...I had quite a lot of contact with LFF while Director of the Social Liberal Forum (2011/12) and on the whole didn't feel at all that editorial policy was pro-Labour tribalist; they came across as genuinely broad-church progressive. They don't like neo-Libs pretending to be progressive, but then....? Much of the readership may be less open-minded, however.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02012796719330827618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-49651601072270404152013-02-15T12:20:04.337+00:002013-02-15T12:20:04.337+00:00Sorry, if it's "evidence based" what...Sorry, if it's "evidence based" what does a change in editorship matter?<br /><br />I only visited the site once a year or so ago, didn't take me a minute for the labour bias to make me close it.<br /><br />Load of biased rubbish, welcome to yesterdays news.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-47306578141835915782013-02-15T07:46:04.698+00:002013-02-15T07:46:04.698+00:00Hi James
Thank you for taking the time to respond...Hi James<br /><br />Thank you for taking the time to respond and engaging with my comments. I appreciate it.<br /><br />You make a fair point about the change in editorship so on that score we'll have to wait and see.<br /><br />However I have to say it isn't just this instance that has me concerned. There seems to me to be an ongoing, low level perhaps even unconscious bias against the Lib Dems on the site. For example you will report on Labour shadow cabinet members attacking Lib Dems and sometimes those reports almost feel like they could be on a Labour leaflet going through people's doors.<br /><br />Now perhaps sometimes those attacks are justified from a "progressive" perspective but there are so many of them that in the end it just feels like partisanship.<br /><br />A good example of this is recently after the vote on equal marriage where you chose Sarah Teather as your "regressive of the week" for voting against it. I am not happy with Teather either on this and have said so publicly and repeatedly. But you had 4 Lib Dem MPs to choose from who voted against and 22 Labour MPs who voted against. Yet you still chose a Lib Dem to highlight. I'm afraid that really does feel like bias. At the very least you could have chosen a Labour MP as well and made them "joint regressives of the week" or something. I can't be sure but I think this was since you took over editorship of LFF.<br /><br />But on your general point I'll take you at your word and I look forward to more balanced coverage when Lib Dems announce policies in future!<br /><br />Regards<br /><br />Mark.<br />Mark Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00744387583593537268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-45610133325483918402013-02-14T20:14:05.845+00:002013-02-14T20:14:05.845+00:00Hi Mark,
It's not really hypocrisy so much as...Hi Mark,<br /><br />It's not really hypocrisy so much as a change of personal. I'm now editing LFF and I do believe that a mansion tax is progressive. <br /><br />That is now LFF's 'line' if you like, and had I been editing the blog when the Lib Dems proposed the mansion tax I would probably have supported it as policy.<br /><br />If you re-visit 'Five reasons progressives should support a mansion tax' post you will see that someone associated with the original report attacking the mansion tax is having a go at me. <br /><br />Anyway, I just wanted to point out that it wasn't a party political thing. I support the idea of a mansion tax. Where the money goes after that I am a little more open to persuasion.<br /><br />Btw Mark, if you'd like to write something for LFF on the issue (or on other issues) feel free to drop us an email.<br /><br />Thanks,<br />James BloodworthJames Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02056322603243514660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-4570409732193849362013-02-14T19:48:00.122+00:002013-02-14T19:48:00.122+00:00Politiicans don't want evidence based policy; ...Politiicans don't want evidence based policy; they want policy-based evidence...John Knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-18000282150970515572013-02-14T18:50:41.237+00:002013-02-14T18:50:41.237+00:00I think your memory must be playing tricks when yo...I think your memory must be playing tricks when you speak of the Lib Dems proposing to fund the raising of the income tax allowance to £10,000 from the mansion tax. On the party's own estimate the mansion tax would have raised only £1.7bn - perhaps a tenth of the cost of income tax cut. Other estimates of the mansion tax yield were significantly lower. Either way most of the money for tax cuts would have had to come from other sources.<br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8385575.stmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-85687139956378180942013-02-14T17:54:03.962+00:002013-02-14T17:54:03.962+00:00LFF is a pile of ole shite and I don't know wh...LFF is a pile of ole shite and I don't know why anybody would visit the site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881762807913180318.post-73631221074562845742013-02-14T15:38:40.873+00:002013-02-14T15:38:40.873+00:00Left Foot Forwards have consistently ignored my co...Left Foot Forwards have consistently ignored my comments where I pointed out that "evidence" seemed to show the UK government was close to perfect up until May 2010. Whereas "evidence" immediately after this date showed that the our government was entirely useless.<br /><br />Evidence seems to be quite a fickle beast........Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com