"Madrassa Guardian"

C Powell

Quite right: and it's one reason why it can no longer be called "progressive" or "liberal". Two things should be done: public sector jobs (though there ought to be far fewer of those in future) should be advertised in places other than the Guardian and every time there is a leader or comment which fails to uphold truly liberal values or gives house room to some of the more reactionary, threatening and backward forces around they should be loudly criticised. Even some of the CiF contributors are appalled by the stance of some of their commentators. We should make the Guardianistas ashamed of holding the views they do. If it was the BNP saying the same things, no-one would give them house room so let's treat the Guardianistas in the same way until they realise how obnoxious and repellent and dangerous their views are.

Nicholas

Hmm, and the fact that it is still the paper of choice for public services jobs, especially in education, should be of concern to everyone.

Frank Pulley

Wonderful; I'll bet Scott Burgess enjoyed that if he is still extant. Wait a minute ... perhaps ... 'The Skimmer' - I wonder - could it just be that Scott has resurfaced in disguise?"

simon hb

Yes, somewhat embarrassing - for the Times of India, that is. What a ridiculous claim, clearly glossed by someone who understands little of British politics (you can't be to the left of the Tories without being to the left of what's left of New Labour, can you) and hasn't actually read the paper.

The point of the article you quote is to ask the question "should a newspaper have a strong editorial position" - the sort of question that would be dismissed as too trite for a GCSE media paper, surely?

Austin Barry

The Times of India has got it wrong. The Guardian is the idiot savant of newspapers: lively, well-written articles but in the context of being otherwise completely bonkers. Since the latter trait is shared by its readers (see Comment is Free) who can gainsay that it is not discharging its remit?

Commondog

simon hb.

I've read the paper and it's an embarrassment.

Sometimes it's enlightening to receive the view from outside. The Times of India nails the situation effortlessly.

We are not alone.

Nicholas

I just love it when Lefties emerge from the shadows to claim that no-one understands British politics as they do. It's like their blogs, forums and rags, full of pompous, elitist, faux-outraged psycho babble where everyone holding an alternative political view is treated as a dangerous right wing extremist to be censored or, preferably eradicated, at all costs.

And where inflammatory buzz words like Thatcherism, Tories, Little Englander and Israel really get the bearded ones turned into a tribal frenzy of righteous indignation.

Well two can play at that game. In my mind (national) socialists are dangerous fascists whose time has past and who should be purged from holding any office in government, national or local, the education system and the police by positive discrimination.

To paraphrase Corporal Jones "they won't like it up 'em" but the time, thank goodness, has come.

kinglear

I can't help but think when the Tories get in the advertisements for Civil Service jobs will stop, and those jobs going will be online and effectively free, not costing millions to make sure the Guardian remains the mouthpiece of the Loony Left

Water

"
Other more combative papers, like the Indian Express, for instance, project a cultivated pugnacity, and may be said to have a long list of carefully chosen enemies. Which of course is the reason why such papers -- which unearth scams and swindles with the zest of an oinker sniffing out truffles -- have their own faithful followings, as they rightfully ought. These publications are truly impartial, in that whatever the government of the day is, they're against it" got love it.

Water

Commondog spot on.

Qui potest capere capiat

Perhaps Hindus and Sikhs - like Christians and Jews did long time ago - have woken up to the fact that they are out of favour with the British left.

Chas

C Powell - have you noticed how regressive progressives are, and how authoritarian liberals are? Funny, isn't it?

Perry :

Agree. Sometimes embarrassing, sometimes painful, to read clips from the Grouniad in an Indian newspaper under Indian skies. It’s a different land you see. Different people. Different cultures. Does the Grouniad offer anything? I’ve never really found so, - except a reminder of out-of-touch po-faced elites probably doing very nicely thank-you.