AIBU about Owen Jones

[PickyParent]

During a discussion about neo-Nazis and alt-right in the US today, my MIL started ranting on about a journalist called Owen Jones, who is allegedly part of alt-right, is an anti-feminist, Corbynista, hysterical, storms off in huffs on tv, and is a general twat.

I had not come across this chap at all, despite reading a broad cross-section of media and being quite well-informed and up to date (and I try to have an open mind on things except Trump and neoNazis)

So I googled him and can't find anything really awful about him (I don't object to him supporting Corbyn).
Am I being obtuse?
Is MIL right?
Am IBU?

Can't stand him, I wish he'd just put a sock in it and get back on his pram. He gives us lefties a bad name.

Well, he certainly has his flaws but being part of the "alt-right" is not one of them.

Not sure how you can be part of the alt-right and simultaneously support Corbyn. The two are mutually exclusive.

I've never seen him on TV but I like his writing in The Guardian.

This is Owen Jones' latest Guardian article OP, which has caused quite a furore. Judge for yourself! He's certainly not alt right, though, whatever else you might think of him.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/17/centrists-attack-left-extremists-labour-moderates

He is a right knob.

He is a twat, but definitely not alt-right.

I like him, but he does make me feel old. He's often on TV, I'm not sure how you've missed him.

Definitely not alt-right. Although I agree with some of the things he writes, I do find his slavish devotion to Corbyn slightly irritating. Good journalists should be able to be objective.

He has wrote a really interesting book about demonisation of the working class.

He is a socialist.

He is an intelligent young man who would like equality in the world.

What a twat

YANBU - I like him - Chavs is a good book!

He really irritates the right, he's got some good anti elitist ideas - but over the past few years has started to irritate people more widely. I don't know what it is, I think he's ok!!!

He's def not anti feminist!!! If there was a whiff of that on him, I would have been the first one to call him out.

He did storm off on TV - but they were being wankers to him! I wouldn't have tolerated being badgered by a couple of bell ends on sky / murdoch news.

BUT

Be prepared for a tirade against him.

I love him. He's a socialist. Has a lot of sensible things to say. He's none of the things your MIL claims. Not one.

He stormed off Sky News Paper Review once. There had been a shooting in a USA night club which was frequented by gays. The Sky News presenter (now no longer with the channel) and the other guest presenter (I think it was Julia Hartley-Brewer) dismissed Owen's claims that it was a homophobic attack. They insisted that it was a purely terrorist attack. Owen became very emotional and did not continue with the paper review.

I think lots of people get their right and their left mixed up. Some people think socialists are to blame for all the evil in the world, it's mystifying.

Alt-right??? He's actually pretty damn left! I have mixed feelings about him but he's definitely not what your MIL suggests. I like some of his writing.

Er ... Owen Jones is the polar opposite of alt-right (nobody can be 'alt right' and 'a Corbynista' at the same time) and he's certainly not anti-feminist either.

He's a left-wing journalist and pro-Corbyn.

He's somewhat irritating and I agree with highinthesky that there are times when he 'gives us lefties a bad name' by coming across like a stroppy sixth-former in a politics class. He once walked out of the studio when he was a guest on the Sky News paper review, but there were quite specific circumstances behind that, to be fair. I don't loathe him but I find him irritating - I agree with a lot of his left-wing views but find him quite twattish as a person.

But I've absolutely no idea where your MIL got alt-right/anti-feminist from! He is absolutely at the opposite end of the political spectrum to that; she's got completely the wrong idea. I think perhaps she's confusing him with someone else?!

Owen Jones alt-right
Your MIL is very funny.

He's a Guardian columnist and left (in fact Corbyn enthusiast). Chavs was quite good, but he's typical of a certain type of lefty male who doesn't actually like women very much.

I thought today's column (why the centre ground is a cop-out) was a particularly shit read - basically the premise was that unless you signed up for everything Comrade Corbyn believes in, then you might as well pack up and go home because you're every bit as bad as a Trump voter. (NB, I'm a lefty myself but can't stand Owen Jones.)

Slavish devotion to Corbyn?! That's just nonsense. He's very pro labour but he was very Corbyn-skeptic. He's going with the will of the party and wishes labour to succeed. I can get on board with that.

I don't personally subscribe to his brand of politics but I think he's doing very well for himself and as a voice for the extreme left.

I'm now wondering if - incredibly - your MIL has somehow managed to compound Owen Jones with Milo Yiannopoulos. I mean, it's quite a leap, but they are a similar age and Yiannopoulos is a) very prone to hissy fits, b) a full-on anti feminist misogynist and c) definitely very much on the alt-right.

I don't know why we're all supposed to say 'alt-right' instead of 'fascist' these days, by the way...

He's a misogynistic brocialist but, much as I loathe him, I can't claim he's alt-right 😂

I think he's been doing some weekend slots on LBC. He's alright on there, I'd never heard of him before.

I went to a workshop he ran a few weeks back and he was great. Very funny, and bang on with everything he said re what's going on within politics at the moment, IMO.

Disclaimer: I am a massive lefty.