The Speccie

hmmm, so have I got this right. The Spectator is hiring, um and the Guradian is making redundancies.

Well, I don't know, what could possibly explain such a thing?

Yes I'm a convert - took out an introductory subscription and am going to definitely extend it ... I was embarrassed to be subscribing to a right-wing mag and went because of the staunch GC support.... and then discovered with delight the breadth and intelligence of its journalism - as well as good culture and cooking!

Having been an early Guardian "member" I am resolutely not giving them another penny and I was a natural long-term reader of theirs....

One of the many reasons I like the Speccie is that. a few months back, they published an article exntitled 'An Open Letter to my Corbynista Nephew'.

It was ok, hit the usual talking points, but he was starting to overreach a bit towards the end (and I'm not a Corbyn fan).

Anyway, next edition comes along and it features a reply from said Corbynista nephew.

Giving space to different sides of an issue shouldn't be the rarity that it is - I bet Bari Weiss is wondering where she can sign up.

@Ameanstreakamilewide I don’t know about these positions, but for the internships they make a point of not looking at CVs.

I love when people try and make a far right propagandist mag sound cute by calling it ‘The Speccie’

I love it when people on the other side of this debate do all the work for me, so all I have to do is point at what they've said and raise my eyebrows.

Trouble is, every time I have bought The excellent Spectator for one of its sane and well-researched pieces by James Kirkup or Douglas Murray, both of whom I admire, I’ve been so enraged by the next bit of pro-privatisation propaganda that I throw the damn rag across the room.

I was only saying to my husband, last nights that I'd love to write for The Speccie.

I wish i had the confidence to apply for this...i've got bugger all experience though. My CV would go straight in the bin!

There are so many women on this forum who could write for them, though and they'd be absolute dynamite.

One of the things I like about the Speccie is that within days you can read articles from different journalists with polarised views on the same matter.
Yes to this! I've read the Spectator for quite a number of years now, but I do like this aspect of it. Politically, I lean towards Maoist (but without the re-education camps and the whole mass starvation part, obviously), yet there's always so much in there I find interesting.

I only get the print version at Christmas or when we go on holiday because I just don't have time to read it all otherwise.

Julie Burchill already writes for the Spectator.

Yes... but freelance. Seems they are looking for staff? Not that I'm aware of if she would like to be on the staff!
Being freelance can be wearying as you grow older. But she will be aware of where she wants to go, and of the vacancies.
She's writing a book at the moment.

During the Dominic Cummings lockdown debacle, the Spectator ran several pieces for and against his actions and his wife Mary Wakefield is commissioning editor. I can’t see the same happening at the Guardian if there were similar circumstances.

Julie Burchill already writes for the Spectator.

The Spectator gives me the best range of opinion each week - that I just can't find anywhere else in weekly print.

Interesting (and gratifying) the The Spectator in expanding while The Guardian are begging on twitter for subscriptions and culling staff.

Go woke, go....?

...but if they are looking for a seasoned journalist, I think Julie Birchhill who I think is freelance would be an excellent choice.

I nominate CharleyParley and Barracker (as well as those already named!)

I now hesitate to click on links to Guardian articles because I don't trust them. DH has a subscription but he knows that I don't agree and why.

During Covid I've been doing some of the shopping, including his daily Times, for an elderly neighbour. I drop it off, and pick up the one from the previous day and sometimes read it. On the whole I've been impressed.

At this rate I'll be subscribing to the Speccie. I used to canvas for Labour. I've voted Lib Dem for years and I've gone off them (Joe Swinson, Layla Moran...) I've not got more right wing in the past 10-15 years, and I still get enraged by tax-dodging and the extent of inequality, but other things matter too, including women's rights and personal freedom - including the freedom to say things that other people might not like.

The Guardian has really changed. I think Owen Jones has a lot to answer for.

I think OJ must have quite a lot of influence. Janice Turner made that comment the other day about him snitching on his colleagues - it suggests his view carries some weight. God knows why.

I'd love to see a breakdown of the Guardian's readership. Obviously a lot of us loathe OJ and have stopped reading the paper because of him and others like him. But how many people stick with the Guardian for the precise opposite reason? Because they think he's the only left-wing voice in national newspapers? (My guess is: not many. And they probably only read the paper online. But I don't know.)

I remember when Owen Jones first appeared on Question Tome that he seemed relatively articulate for the token left-wing commentator and a refreshing counterpoint to the usual panel pundits like Kelvin MacKenzie, David Starkey, Melanie Phillips, Isabel Oakshott, et al.

And he wrote Chavs and became a 'darling'. Untouchable. In normal times that would settle and perspectives would readjust sensibly; but instead his cultboy thing was magnified on Twitter.

And yeah, Viner should have put her foot down long ago, especially over his misogyny.

I love when people try and make a far right propagandist mag sound cute by calling it ‘The Speccie’

Yeah, it’s about as far right as you can possibly get. I mean, look at all the far right and al right contributors...

Are the adults no longer in charge?

Doesn't look like it, not at the Guardian, nor at the BBC.

It's a similar principle to the so many free articles a week thing, I think.

OJ is a bit of a puzzle. His writing is no great shakes. (Though I feel that way about a lot of articles in popular newspapers - I find myself thinking, I know two dozen people who could have written something better Why did they hire this person? I thought it was difficult to get a good job in journalism these days, they should have all kinds of choice.)

But in an organisation that was healthy he wouldn't be able to thrive, I think.

The Guardian has really changed. I think Owen Jones has a lot to answer for.

Little OJ may be an arse but if it only takes one stroppy idiot to ruin a whole newspaper then you have to question the quality of the leadership and editorial commitment to journalistic freedom. Are the adults no longer in charge?