Harry’s Place

The reason why NUJ members - including household names such as Jon Snow, Jonathan Rugman, Jonathan Miller and Nick Paton Walsh - opposed the Israel boycott was not related to their view on the Israel/Palestinian conflict. These ITN journalists wrote that:
“As members of organisations which take pride in providing impartial news coverage, we cannot associate ourselves with a move which involves taking sides in any conflict. We call on the union to hold a ballot of all members to see whether they support the view taken at ADM on an issue which could have a profound effect on the way all British journalists are viewed at home and abroad.” - http://stopnujboycott.blogspot.com/2007/04/itn-joins-in.html

I don’t think the Israeli military action in Gaza changes the situation at all. Gospill says: “The decision will not be made by us, nor by the NEC, but by ADM.” Why not make it a decision for the whole NUJ membership as the ITN journalists called for? Is it because they know they can stuff ADM with Hamas-supporting Trotskyite entryists? Is it because they know a ballot of the membership will not produce the results they want?

boycott the BBC??? otherwide known as Al Beeb?? HOW is the BBC biased towards Israel? it would only look that way to people who think Hamas is all nice and cuddly, even the BBC wouldn’t go so far as to say there’s nothing wrong with Hamas

I would also hazard a guess that few of those supporting the boycott campaign have ever set foot on a battlefield and had the challenge of gaining the trust of both sides of a conflict to ensure comprehensive coverage.

“Joy Macknight is Section Editor at gtnews, with a particular interest in technology and regions. She joined gtnews in May 2008. Previously, she was Staff Writer at Banking Technology. Prior to that, Joy worked as a freelancer, including a period at Computer Weekly, and also worked as Staff Writer on IBM Computer Today.”

“Tim Gopsill is editor of The Journalist, the newspaper for NUJ members. He also looks after union press and public relations.”

For the sake of those who don’t have any background to this NUJ boycott issue, here was the ADM resolution that was eventually overturned, but which the “left” in the NUJ want to resurrect in relation to Gaza:

ADM condemns the savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon by Israel. ADM notes that the vast majority of those killed in 2006 have been Lebanese together with Palestinians in the Israeli occupied territories.

This ADM condemns the slaughter of civilians by Israeli troops in Gaza and the IDF’s continued attacks inside Lebanon following the defeat of its army by Hezbollah.

This ADM calls for the end of Israeli aggression in Gaza and other occupied territories.

This ADM calls for a boycott of Israeli goods similar to those boycotts in the struggles against apartheid South Africa led by trade unions and the TUC to demand sanctions be imposed on Israel by the British government and the United Nations.

This ADM instructs the NEC to support organisations including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Justice for Palestinians and the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding and continue supporting the programme of safety training and union building set out by the IFJ with its affiliate, the Syndicate of Palestinian Journalists.

ADM encourages branches to find ways to support their Palestinian colleagues, noting as an example the ‘Reporting under Occupation’ meeting organised by the Oxford branch, which gave a platform to Al Hayat’s West Bank correspondent to explain the dangers, restrictions and limitations faced by Palestinian – and to a lesser extent non-Palestinian – journalists operating in the West Bank and Gaza.

And here is a response from Tim Gopsill, the NUJ’s Press and PR Officer

Oh well that should be a bit more sensible then.

[Reads it.]

Maybe not.

This is why the far Left needs to be kicked out of the Union movement. They’ve no interest in pay and conditions. They’re happy to wreck a union, as long as it helps them to recruit. They’re waiting for the Revolution, after all.

The funny thing is that the entryist lackwits think unions are wrecking their chance for the Revolution by turning far left social activism into bourgeois reformism.

By “funny” I mean “fist-clenchingly idiotic”.

[I will put this up as a guest post if you would like, but not in this thread. Let me know if you would like to do that]

Could not agree more LL, I have seen too many good union activists bored or intimidated away by these arseholes over the years. They are enemies of understanding, decency and tolerance.

Compare and contrast the toytown masturbators with a proper journalist.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/13/wickrematunga-final-editorial-final-editorial

The same point is always made, I know, but I’ve never seen it answered: Are these NUJ “boycotters” so uninformed that they can seriously propose that journalists should stop using mobile phones, google, and all other electronic systems incorporating Israeli royalty-earning content?

Tim Gopsill is a joke.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3389697,00.html

“Maybe we could think of calling an action targeting the BBC or national paper offices that are biasedly reporting what is going on”

???

Here’s one biased BBC-like “reporter”:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUzLyCN-MWw&eurl=http://www.israellycool.com/

Boycotts never work.
I. They give ammunition to the right wing extremists.
2. They isolate the more liberal elements of Isreali society
3. The only foreign reaction seen in the country will be right wing.
4. Morally it is wrong.
Also I don’t believe in boycotts of Iran.
For the same reasons.

I am a member of this totally twatting useless Union.

Time to go out and buy an enormous bag of Jaffas, I think!

What does a boycott by NUJ staff involve exactly? Not producing duff print?

At the newspaper where I work, the canteen is more expensive than even the likes of Pret and Starbucks outside, kettles are confiscated, the leaking urinal toilets are filthy, mice run under your desks at night, and we’re treated in the same way we’re paid: shite.
Forgive me for being a bit me, me, me…but i was kind of like hoping, you know, that my NUJ (the NUJ where a former newsroom colleague is now a paid officer having just been president) would be doing something about all that.
As a journalist, I’m quite capable of expressing (or not, professionally) my views on the Gaza conflict: can my union please keep its gob shut on the big issues and concentrate on the small ones. Thanks.

Also if your feel there is bias by the BBC
Contact OFCOM.
They have a legal responsiblity to investigate it.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/
Have any of you contacted OFCOM with your complaints of bias.
Would it possible to hear how you got on
I think Dan has posted extremely well

The same point is always made, I know, but I’ve never seen it answered

I have seen it answered on HP by the usual suspects, viz. that it’s all an urban myth about Israeli-developed mobile phone technology. Not sure what you can do about such people.

Are these NUJ “boycotters” so uninformed

Is that a genuine question?

that they can seriously propose that journalists should stop using mobile phones, google, and all other electronic systems incorporating Israeli royalty-earning content?

NUJ cloned cyborg: Cannot compute … cannot compute …
… and his head explodes.

To be honest most journos I know are so right wing I am surprised there in any union apart from ones that were or are backed by the CIA. MI5 or General Somoza

Oh no the NUJ beardie weirdies are at it again. Who fucking cares about those twisted trots?

Let them go without superior jewish products.

This is why the far Left needs to be kicked out of the Union movement. They’ve no interest in pay and conditions. They’re happy to wreck a union, as long as it helps them to recruit. They’re waiting for the Revolution, after all.

Blimey, you do get irate. They are just taking part in debate, whether you like their stance or not.

Its odd you don’t think through the implications of your statements.

You think any union member should be banned from union membership (kicked out of the union) for taking a stance on international issues?

Or just the ‘far left’, or just stuff concerning Israel?

Although Trade Unions have campaigned for a amendment to the law to allow them to kick fascists out of their unions, they’re unconcerned about having activists who are members of revolutionary far left parties.

I wouldn’t want to see any worker lose union representation.

If you read my post you’ll see that I’m talking about the malign influence of the extreme left on political campaigns run by unions. Anybody who has been a member of a union can see how they do it.

The remedy is to organise against them, defeat their proposals, and vote them out of any office in the Union.

This is why the far Left needs to be kicked out of the Union movement. They’ve no interest in pay and conditions. They’re happy to wreck a union, as long as it helps them to recruit. They’re waiting for the Revolution, after all.

Great article Lucy Lips.

I can understand why the extreme loony left hates Harry’s Place.

There’s really no reason for the existence of unions today in western civilisation. Labour and employment law should be equal for all with no special interests winning superior terms just for its own members. Unions are narrow special interests. And i am sick of hearing union twats go on about the working class, as thouygh its sme sort of special section of society. Or that those not part of that class are somehow not workers.

Its a farking laugh and there is zero principled about the idea of unions today. They end up exactly like the NUJ, which became a vehicle for irrelevant single-issues like “boycotting the joos”.

The remedy is to organise against them, defeat their proposals, and vote them out of any office in the Union.

Fair enough, although you do say “kicked out of the Union movement”, which suggests membership. As you note, kicking out members based on party membership, political affiliation, or activity etc opens up a can of worms. So I suggest you amend the text so it says what you mean.

Hummus: Have you ever had a job?

I would also hazard a guess that few of those supporting the boycott campaign have ever set foot on a battlefield and had the challenge of gaining the trust of both sides of a conflict to ensure comprehensive coverage. ~ Dan

That would be a bit difficult right now, as Israel has ignored the verdict of its own Supreme Court and banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza.

What`s the NUJ going to about
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/01/14/2009-01-14_unacceptable_censorship_the_united_natio.html

“That would be a bit difficult right now, as Israel has ignored the verdict of its own Supreme Court and banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza.”

the NUJ can condemn this if it wants, as it directly impacts on journalists’ ability to do their job. But what it should not do is call for a boycott of one side or another or make the kind of political donations suggested in the previous ADM motion, for all the reasons NUJ members (including some who are left-leaning and supportive of the Palestinian cause) put forward in their objections to the motion. The proponents of the motion came away from their defeat admitting that it had been divisive and weakened unity behind Palestinian campaign. Now they intend to re-submit it, but have not made any case that would convince the original objectors.

Anyone suggesting the Beeb is a hotbed of Zionist intrigue gives a glimpse of the pathopsychocology which I really don’t wish to see. They should find those who call it Al-Beeb and make beautiful babies.

Its odd you don’t think through the implications of your statements

LOL. You couldn’t make it up.

P.S. I’d prefer it if e-mail addresses and links to Google searches were removed. Let nutters seek out contact details themselves.

“They should find those who call it Al-Beeb and make beautiful babies.”

Of course it`s Al-Beeb.
Do I see a queue then to make beautiful babies. Ready and willing we are.

Across the ocean, but no no less different:

“With such limited amounts of hard news in your recently streamlined paper, I believe it’s more important than ever to make sure what you print is truthful and accurate.”
“I do hope for nothing but the best for our local newspaper in these trying economic times that have hit your parent company.”
http://cancelthebee.blogspot.com/2009/01/in-latest-email-palim-expresses.html

What email addresses, Alec? Are you referring to those of UCU apparatchiks?

Yes, Nearly. No matter how personally unpleasant they may be, the site authors here should not make it easy for some random nutjob to send them abusive e-mails.

I also note that Joy McKnight uses her private e-mail. I doubt it’s a coincidence.

Wow this means the death of news as we know it!

“liberty, if it means anything is….” expelling lefties from unions!!

Brilliant!

Alec is right. Take her email address off.

LL
he remedy is to organise against them, defeat their proposals, and vote them out of any office in the Union.

And replace them with Frank C and the MI5.
Personally I would dislike commies or lucy lips UDM types running any union but it is up to the union members.

Clap hammer
I can understand why the extreme loony left hates Harry’s Place

True and why Thatcherites like and write for the site

Blimey, Lucy Lips did amend the text of the post at my suggestion. Thanks Lucy, I like your lips.

Shouldn’t the NUJ be concentrating on journalists at the moment - either the conditions for those over there or the struggles for jobs and adapting to new media here?