Remembrance Day is an occasion when politicians of every persuasion, traditionally aspire to be a footnote, not a headline. And it’s not hard. Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters were quick to accuse his critics of ‘politicising’ Remembrance Sunday. Yet, while other party leaders then retreated to allow the veterans to take centre stage, it was Mr Corbyn who elected to head for a war memorial in his north London constituency to recite Wilfred Owen’s anti-war poem, Futility, in front of the media - Robert Hardman, Daily Mail
The key thing to remember is that Mr Corbyn’s supporters did not expect him to win the leadership, and so were not prepared. Now they are making up for lost time. Their sole aim is to get their people into key places and parliamentary seats so that they can secure the power he so suddenly achieved. It is sensible, from their point of view, to make well-arranged poppies part of their window-dressing - Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph
Do we honour the dead or the corpses? I’m not talking about those poppy fashion accessories worn by the BBC’s clones, or PR Dave’s obscene bit of crimson Photoshopping, but the real, actual remains of the human beings slaughtered in the Great War of 1914-18. And, in this particular case, I’m talking not of the soldiers but of the civilians buried in 33 graves which I looked down upon last week from a windy hilltop beside the old Roman city of Byblos in Lebanon. - Robert Fisk, The Independent
Corbyn needs to get to grips with the mainstream media. Shunning Andrew Marr and the Sun is not a strategy that will lead to electoral success. But the Press, too, must rethink. If people are offended by Corbyn's singalong choices or dress sense, it is fair that they are reported. If his oratory leaves something to be desired, it is fair that that, too, is commented upon. But let's get this into perspective. Those are side issues; the first job of the Press is to report the news, so when a new leader makes his first important setpiece speech, it would be good if newspapers told us what he said rather than what they thought - Editor's blog: All singing from the wrong hymn sheet
Comment Awards, 2015
Yomi Adegoke: two nominations
Sathnam Sanghera: four nominations
Thursday 17 September, 2015 The Financial Times and The Times again lead the way in this year's ei Comment Awards, with eleven nominations apiece in the shortlists announced today. Sathnam Sanghera is responsible for four of those Times nominations - featuring in the media commentator, diversity, technology and individual comment piece categories. Freelance Yomi Adegoke who founded Birthday Magazine for black teenage girls, is among four writers shortlisted in two categories - in her case young commentariat and media commentator. George Monbiot of the Guardian completes the media line-up and is also nominated as science commentator and Gillian Tett of the FT is listed in both business and economics. Her colleague Janan Ganesh is shortlisted for political commentator and the big prize - commentariat of the year, where he is up against the two most recent winners David Aaronovitch (also nominated for comment piece of the year) and Caitlin Moran. SubScribe is honoured and surprised to find a place on the individual blogger shortlist, and fully expects to come third behind Barrister Blogger Matthew Scott and Stuart Forster of Go-eat-Do. You can see all the shortlists here.