Who are your favourite and worst political columnists?

AdsAds Posts: 37,036
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Some of mine

Favourites:

Dan Hodges - hated by many Labourites, mainly because he hits the nail firmly on the head
Peter Oborne - pretty engaging and passionate
Tony Young - passionate, but doesn't take himself too seriously - wrote some impressive stuff during the recent Twitter abuse episode

Worst

Polly - Just a complete hypocrite
Richard Littlejohn - typical pub bore constantly making borderline racist and homophobic comments
Seamus Milne - away with the communist fairies
Gary Younge - an anti white racist
Yasmin Alibhai Brown - another anti white racist
Amanda Platell - an unpleasant bitch
Matthew d'Ancona - writes whatever script Conservative HQ hands him
Kevin Maguire - as above but for Labour
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Comments

  • ecco66ecco66 Posts: 16,117
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    Some of mine (some are just their blogs)


    Favourites:
    • Benedict Brogan
    • Dan Hodges
    • Toby Young
    • Janet Daley
    • Rachel Sylvester
    • Michael White
    • Patrick Wintour
    • Andrew Rawnsley

    Least Favourites:
    • Polly (unless I need a good laugh)
    • Yasmin Alibhai Brown
    • Richard Littlejohn
    • Simon Heffer (though he seems to be 'resting' at the moment)
    • Steve Richards
    • Peter Hitchens
    • Peter Oborne
  • AdsAds Posts: 37,036
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    ecco66 wrote: »
    Some of mine (some are just their blogs)


    Favourites:
    • Benedict Brogan
    • Dan Hodges
    • Toby Young
    • Janet Daley
    • Rachel Sylvester
    • Michael White
    • Patrick Wintour
    • Andrew Rawnsley

    Least Favourites:
    • Polly (unless I need a good laugh)
    • Yasmin Alibhai Brown
    • Richard Littlejohn
    • Simon Heffer (though he seems to be 'resting' at the moment)
    • Steve Richards
    • Peter Hitchens
    • Peter Oborne

    I forgot Rawnsley - a really good writer. His book on Labour's downfall is terrific.

    Also forgot Hitchens, what an odd fellow!
  • RaferRafer Posts: 14,231
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    Quinten Letts write up of pmq's is always a good read. Good use of language.
    Can't think of any really bad ones. Plenty that are agenda driven or riddled with blatent hypocracy and plenty that read like press releases. But no badly written ones spring to mind
  • StykerStyker Posts: 49,291
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    Worst for me are Amanda Platel, Richard Littlejohn, Kelvin Mackenzie and Simon Jenkins.

    Favourite, none of them make me sit back and go wow really. I think Gary Young often gets pretty close to the truth though.

    I should add that Platel and her colleagues have put me off buying the Daily Mail.. That is how disagreeable I find them in general!
  • Carla-esqueCarla-esque Posts: 700
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    Reading articles by Polly Toynbee is like reading self-parody.
  • warlordwarlord Posts: 3,292
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    Mark Steyn is brilliant.
    James Delingpole is very good, too.
  • angarrackangarrack Posts: 5,493
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    Mary Riddel of the Telegraph. Dreadful.

    All her writing is the same. 'On the one hand this, on the other hand that'. 'Sources close to 'x' said this, it is understood that someone else thinks that'. Hardly any real quotes or references.

    Each essay has as its core message a piece of advice or a hymn of praise to Miliband. Even worse is the fact that her writing is barely readable. An incredible bore.

    There is a good example of her work in today's Telegraph.
  • LostFoolLostFool Posts: 90,623
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    Ads wrote: »
    I forgot Rawnsley - a really good writer. His book on Labour's downfall is terrific.

    Rawnsley is easily the best writer on the left of the political spectrum.

    The first thing I read on a Monday morning is Boris Johnson's column in the Telegraph. I may not always agree with what he says, but it's always an entertaining read and I always learn a new word to add to my vocabulary. Matthew Parris is also excellent.

    Worst: Polly Toynbee and Owen Jones.
  • MajlisMajlis Posts: 31,362
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    Ads wrote: »
    I forgot Rawnsley - a really good writer. His book on Labour's downfall is terrific.

    Rawnsley seems to have done a bit of a runner since being accused of plagiarism though - hope he makes a comeback as he usually was pretty good.
  • ecco66ecco66 Posts: 16,117
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    Ads wrote: »
    I forgot Rawnsley - a really good writer. His book on Labour's downfall is terrific.

    Also forgot Hitchens, what an odd fellow!
    Yes, I do wonder where Hitchens gets his ideas from - very strange some of them!

    I enjoyed Rawnsley's book too, it was a great read.
  • ecco66ecco66 Posts: 16,117
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    LostFool wrote: »
    Rawnsley is easily the best writer on the left of the political spectrum.

    The first thing I read on a Monday morning is Boris Johnson's column in the Telegraph. I may not always agree with what he says, but it's always an entertaining read and I always learn a new word to add to my vocabulary. Matthew Parris is also excellent.

    Worst: Polly Toynbee and Owen Jones.
    Oh yes, I forgot Boris Johnson and Matthew Parris!
  • ecco66ecco66 Posts: 16,117
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    Majlis wrote: »
    Rawnsley seems to have done a bit of a runner since being accused of plagiarism though - hope he makes a comeback as he usually was pretty good.
    That was only at the end of July though, maybe he is on holiday?
  • rusty123rusty123 Posts: 22,872
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    I don't do newspapers so I can't really comment but out of those political commentators I see on the telly one person stands head and shoulders above all others as a complete and utter plank......

    ....Owen Jones.

    I don't really have any favourites - least annoying would probably be a better description.
  • TimCypherTimCypher Posts: 9,052
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    Here are the ones I read regularly - doesn't necessarily mean I agree with them, but I just enjoy what they write:

    Favourites:

    Frazer Nelson
    Polly Toynbee (yes, I know...;) )
    George Monbiot
    Janet Daley
    Peter Hitchens (another yes, I know ;) )
    Owen Jones (yes, there's another)
    Alistair Heath

    Least Favourites:

    Melanie Phillips
    Richard Littlejohn
    Suzanne Moore

    :D

    Regards,

    Cypher
  • StykerStyker Posts: 49,291
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    I forgot about Steve Richards. I think he is very good but in a way he imo, states the ovbious in an articulate way where again imo, a lot of the others miss stating the obvious so he does well on that front and in general.

    Michael White is also pretty good at that and Owen Jones tells it like it is on most things for real Labour supporters instead of all the Blairite stuff Labour supporters keep on getting "inflicted" on them as their "mouthpiece when they don't represent me as a real Labour type!

    Also Mehdi Hasan can be pretty good too especially on broadcast media when he is stating his views but I find it hard to know where he is coming from on his tweets quite a lot. I find them a bit too ambiguous.
  • Kiko H FanKiko H Fan Posts: 6,546
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    Ads wrote: »
    Some of mine

    Favourites:

    Dan Hodges - hated by many Labourites, mainly because he hits the nail firmly on the head
    Peter Oborne - pretty engaging and passionate
    Tony Young - passionate, but doesn't take himself too seriously - wrote some impressive stuff during the recent Twitter abuse episode

    Worst

    Polly - Just a complete hypocrite
    Richard Littlejohn - typical pub bore constantly making borderline racist and homophobic comments
    Seamus Milne - away with the communist fairies
    Gary Younge - an anti white racist
    Yasmin Alibhai Brown - another anti white racist
    Amanda Platell - an unpleasant bitch
    Matthew d'Ancona - writes whatever script Conservative HQ hands him
    Kevin Maguire - as above but for Labour


    You should read his columns in The Mirror.
    He regularly sticks the boot into Labour, when he feels it's needed.
    Compare that with some Daily Mail columnists, who'd praise Torys even if they were buggering British badgers.
  • Kiko H FanKiko H Fan Posts: 6,546
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    Try reading Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times.

    He makes Littlejohn appear highbrow.
  • LostFoolLostFool Posts: 90,623
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    Kiko H Fan wrote: »
    You should read his columns in The Mirror.
    He regularly sticks the boot into Labour, when he feels it's needed.
    Compare that with some Daily Mail columnists, who'd praise Torys even if they were buggering British badgers.

    That's a nice piece of alliteration!

    Maguire talks a load of claptrap but I do like him. He's always good fun on the Sky News paper review with "Tory Boy" Andrew Pierce of the Mail. They deserve their own show.
  • Kiko H FanKiko H Fan Posts: 6,546
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    LostFool wrote: »
    That's a nice piece of alliteration!

    Maguire talks a load of claptrap but I do like him. He's always good fun on the Sky News paper review with "Tory Boy" Andrew Pierce of the Mail. They deserve their own show.

    They did have their own show on LBC 97.3 radio, I think.

    I certainly know that Ken Livingstone and David Mellor have, or had, one. Kevin's certainly been on the station, as had Andrew.
  • LostFoolLostFool Posts: 90,623
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    Styker wrote: »
    Michael White is also pretty good at that and Owen Jones tells it like it is on most things for real Labour supporters instead of all the Blairite stuff Labour supporters keep on getting "inflicted" on them as their "mouthpiece when they don't represent me as a real Labour type!

    What qualifies someone to be a "real Labour type"?
  • northantsgirlnorthantsgirl Posts: 4,663
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    'Heffer' in the Mail and Paul Routledge in the Mirror always seem to make me contemptuous. Rod Liddle simply comes across as an irritating berk.
  • AdsAds Posts: 37,036
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    'Heffer' in the Mail and Paul Routledge in the Mirror always seem to make me contemptuous. Rod Liddle simply comes across as an irritating berk.

    Haven't read the Mirror for years but from memory Routledge is a complete shill for Brown and was forever carping at Blair during his leadership.

    I see someone else mentioned Fraser Nelson, who is certainly one of the better Tory writers.
  • redtuxredtux Posts: 1,241
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    Well for me Owen Jones and Mark Steel (and on the rare occasions they are let out Seamus Milne, Will Hutton and Michael White)

    The rest I dont care
  • Kiko H FanKiko H Fan Posts: 6,546
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    Ads wrote: »
    Haven't read the Mirror for years but from memory Routledge is a complete shill for Brown and was forever carping at Blair during his leadership.

    Routledge is resolutely 'old' labour and a bit of a 'professional Northerner' to boot, but he can be quite entertaining.
    He's clearly proud of being an old luddite.
  • Kiko H FanKiko H Fan Posts: 6,546
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    Carole Malone has returned to the Sunday Mirror and is still as reactionary, and crap, as ever.
    Another one who "speaks her mind", even though she has nothing in her mind that we want to hear about.
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