exactly

That's being facile though.

The areas that voted Leave in numbers were more often than not traditional areas of Labour support.

A large number of traditional Labour voters voted strongly to leave.

Corbyn has done very well not to patronise these voters, while also keeping the activists and others in the fold.

It's hard to criticise someone for being on the fence about an issue when you have a shakey leadership of a party which was riven on the issue.

Grudging support seemed a reasonable position. Sure- it would have been much, much better for a strong pro-EU stance, but that would have required a united Labour. Lol.

There could still be a strong pro-EU stance. I'd go out on a limb and say that Macron's popularity has certainly put this back on the agenda as an option, perhaps for a future referendum between some appalling deal and staying in the EU.

.

I have a relative who is an inveterate (I hope this means does it a lot) reader of the Listener. Has piles of them lying around, probably back to the 1970s.

I haven't been a reader of the Listener in over ten years. I read through one or two and thought about starting it again.

Then I came to a reply to a Jane Kelsey letter about a pro-TPPA, investor state dispute clauses- don't you worry about that son- editorial. The periodical stated an editorial response something like: we didn't include the views of any academics who were seen to be advocating for a position.

In other words this: tpp legal should all be ignored on the basis that the research done is being done by people who also have a personal stake in the result. Not that the status quo advocates anything.That could go for much of the climate change science too methinks and I have vague recollections about a Listener writer who spoke to loudly on that topic also....

long story short- thanks for the info about the farm crisis and the reviews, and the interview with Roger Hall, and Diana Witchell and Helene Wong...Oh, and the stellar work of Fiona Rae, of course!

but for the above (and also for former John Key media trainerTM Bill Ralston's staggering column that tried to suggest that it was crazy for Labour and Andrew Little to suggest that dairy farmers should get some assistance, because that would destroy the perfectly beautiful and free market that exists in NZ where farmers stand on their own two feet with no assistance in any way from the state, really tut, tut, Bradford's Hollywood, anything else to round out the mag, geez) I'll continue giving it a pass

Why don't they do what they normally do- find someone who is interesting and even better has already submitted a blog, post it as a guest...see if they stay interesting and if they do keep them on...

no quota necessary thanks Public Media etc...u doin finewithout it