I hear Owen Jones was on Question Time last night, was he awful?

Rod Liddle's Italian idyll has been disturbed by news that Owen Jones appeared on Question Time last night. Image: Getty.

My friend woke me up this morning. I am in a tiny apartment in Italy, finishing a book. I mean writing one, not reading one. Anyway, he rang as I was dozing — dreaming, bizarrely, that I had just been shortlisted for the Turner Prize – and delivered this torrent of violence down the phone. His animus, which was fabulous, immense, was directed towards a person called Owen Jones whom he had watched on Question Time yesterday evening. I cannot quote his diatribe in full because of the prohibition in these parts about the excessive use of foul language. But it was something like ‘F****** third form arrogant public school infantile leftist ****, vile smug and self-righteous tosser…….’ And so it went on. I have come across this halfwit before, when I read a very bad book he had written. But it takes a lot to make my friend upset. So it is all a bit of a mystery, which I pondered later as I had my espresso while basking in the glorious late Autumn sunshine of Positano, with the Med as still as a Lib Dem’s pulse. Was this pig-ignorant idiot really as annoying as he found? Or was it just a pretext to disturb my sabbatical?

Tags: holiday, Media, Owen Jones, Question Time

Israel under Islamist siege

Douglas Murray

23 November 2012 13:27

Can you justify Rotherham Council?

Rod Liddle

24 November 2012 19:42

Darren Allen

Yes, he was pretty good. Everything he said about Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and the UK government’s use of housing benefit to funnel more money to their landlord chums was accurate, and unheard of on our national propaganda broadcaster. He didn’t mention, when the UN came up, of the numerous UN resolutions calling for a two-state settlement which are continually blocked by the US, nor did he mention the straightforward history of Israel which was illegitimately given another people’s country by the UK and then funded for seventy years to drive said people into the largest open air prisons in the world and bombard them the UK’s and US’ weapons on the pretext of ‘defence’, but he didn’t have time.

Nor, of course, did he mention the corporate market system which places implicit constraints on the output of the entire UK media (including his own paper) preventing these kind of views being aired, but that’s because, despite his perfectly intelligent views on QT last night (none of which were addressed – all critique amounted to nothing but vague abuse, like the article above) he is just as afraid as anyone else to bite the hand that feeds him.
Sid

Yes, Owen had this really annoying tendency so quote these things called… what are they called… oh yes… facts. That’s it. Facts. Rather like the facts on the ground which Israel is creating everyday. That’s Israel, a country bigger today than it was yesterday. I remember when you appeared on QT and were made to look uninformed by Michael Nazir-Ahmed. Do us a favour Rod and stay in Italy.
JP

Oh, watching him bomb on This Week is quite funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSC3RMstJl8
counterpoint

Yes, Owen Jones is articulate, passionate, writes and argues brilliantly, and does love the sound of his own voice a bit too much. However, in the case of Israel and Palestine everything he says – so articulately and passionately – is refracted through a particular lens that seeks not only to specifically demonise Israel (as if it was the only state in the world engaged in human rights abuses) but, much further, to also delegitimise it as a Jewish state and nation.
Dibbledon

The kid who looked like he just finished his paper round spoke without detailed knowledge particually of the Middle East. Very dangerous but it will probalby get him a job on the BBC!
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1211785726 Keith Brough
  
  i think he done a great job,not sure if he would like to work at the bbc as he does look young and that might be a danger with there history
http://godlessfaith.blogspot.com/ Sam Barnett-Cormack

Amused by the rent-a-lefty comment. Do right-wingers have to rent their forum support, and assume that left-wingers do as well? There are just a lot of people who agree with what he said. Live with it.
- Colonel Mustard
  
  Ha ha ha ha ha! You lot are like the Borg. A collective entity hard wired to each other. And just as appealing.
  - mlc818
    
    Sometimes, in the course of making up your own mind about things, you will discover that other people have already come to the same conclusion as you and therefore share large portions of your point of view. Collective in the pejorative sense that you’re using really only applies to people who are willing to quickly abandon their prior views when their “side” (as in political) or someone they know takes a new viewpoint. Coming to the same conclusion as another person does not always imply groupthink.
  - Colonel Mustard Tosser
    
    twat
- Fergus Pickering
  
  Well, I do live with it. Most people couldn’t find their arse if they used both hands. And so Owen Jones flourishes on account of his pretty face.
André

Gee Rod, will your new book exhibit the same analytical thinking as in this lovely post?
http://twitter.com/AVRWC AVRWC

Did the dumbo who maintains this blog actually heard what they guy said?

It’s here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VO-22uJG9xk
Nicky

He was brilliant. A total breath of fresh air. Interesting how guys like this rarely get a platform but when they do they chime with so many people. All we seem to get in politics now are center right lawyers who probably all hang out together – No wonder no one votes any more- Owen Jones would get my vote. What a shame poor IDS got so cross at the end……
WWCAD

Rod Liddle ponders the phenomenon of smug annoying self-righteous tossers. He sips his espresso and gazes at his reflection in the glass of the cafe in Positano. This might do for a piece in the Spectator he thinks. They’ll pay for any old tripe. He smiles to himself as he basks, lizard-like in the sunshine. It is all a bit of a mystery.,,,
CrudxTrill

ahh didn’t like the way Owen showed up the Tory goverment.
owensgotyouscared

Your just jealous cos you stink of poo
Julian F

Who is Owen Jones?
Robert_Eve

Good post Rod – as usual.
Nathan Barley

Even Littlejohn puts more effort into his columns than this. Try harder.
Dibbledon

He didnt know what he was talking about. He didn’t know that Gaza and West Bank were part of Jordan before 1967 war and had to be told this by a member of the audience. He also didn’t know the the mentally ill man who was shot at the border fence by Israeli soilders had been convinced by memebers of Islamic Jihad to strap a bomb to his body and walk up to the fence shooting at the Israeli soilders. This is from 3 eye witness statements. They should have got someone on who actually knew a bit more about the conflict.
- Fionio
  
  what, like Deborah Meaden?
- genius
  
  I dont think he was asked onto QT as an Israeli-Palestinian historian. His points were all valid and displayed more knowledge of the reality than all other panel members. Too many people in the world scared of criticising Israel even after they’ve committed many acts of genocide – one of the most evil regimes in the world. At least the US stopped committing explicit genocide after Reagan left office after murdering 200,000 central/south americans … 67 times worse than twin towers attack
Madame Arcati

Owen Jones was perfection. Your friend must be a UKIP supporter or something.
http://twitter.com/1957AJB Andy Birss

But was he as annoying as the person who used the hashtag #monkeymfc? Those racist and misogynistic remarks were both annoying and in ill-taste.

Is the character ‘Rod Liddle’ real or some kind of parody of a serious journalist?
http://twitter.com/D_Cassandra_D Denica De Foy

Owen was commenting truthfully on a horrible situation, and this response to him is almost too Silly to respond to. Hopefully if you are a journalist, you take a LONG “sabbatical.”
Kal Ross

I believe he was the strongest speaker on the panel. People getting angry because they shallowly disagree with his contribution is rather puerile. I’ve heard no substantiated counter argument to single one of his apparently well researched points. The rest of the panel’s debating strategy was to simply pretend they didn’t hear him and continue lying and talking BS as usual! Owen Jones made them all look rather foolish I feel.
- Colonel Mustard
  
  Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You should have used your own name to write this Owen. It would have been even funnier.
  - Kal Ross
    
    Deeply profound.
    - Colonel Mustard
      
      Profound? No. I just really detest lefties in any shape or form. I wouldn’t waste anything profound on any of them.
      - Kal Ross
        
        Oh well. We’ll never know you’re capable of saying anything profound in this thread then. Not sure why you bother contributing really. Do you? Don’t wish to discourage you having your say, so please feel free to continue replying. I hope it gives you great satisfaction contributing nothing. Don’t wish to be impolite, but I wont read any future replies, I’ve got stuff to do.
        
        Noa
        
        So asinine you have to say it twice.
        
        Kal Ross
        
        Asinine? You keep your thesaurus close at hand my friend, it makes you sound very intelligent! In regard to double post…..No not really.. I only see it once now (my first reply). I have not seen my second reply at all…before your reply, none of my replies appeared….somebody is apparently editing the comments…which somehow doesn’t surprise me for this rag. So long folks!
      - Kal Ross
        
        Really. Guess we’ll never know if you’re capable of being profound then. Subscribing to such a juvenile debating strategy makes me wonder why you bother commenting at all. Please feel free to continue, but do excuse me if I don’t read your empty headed replies. p.s. you sound quite angry. Maybe you should go and strangle a puppy or something!
JP

Didn’t watch QT but have it recorded. He’s smug, self-righteous, and I think possibly more annoying that Polly Toynbee, which I didn’t think possible – in summary, a spartist. I understand exactly where your mate’s coming from – probably best I give it a miss then.
firebrandsareannoyingwhat?

It’s about time we took a leaf out of the Republican Party’s book and banned the use of facts in political discourse. These bloody lefties are allowed to rely on them far too much to win arguments.
- JeannieBenn
  
  …at least ‘these lefties’ show the abilty and decency to research the subject before opening their mouths!
http://twitter.com/RichVPoor Rich v. Poor

Oh dear, never mind about Owen Jones, Rod (‘knows very’) Liddle pretends to have a friend. Nobody’s gonna believe that nonsense.
As the Speccie has connections with that other fraud who gets paid for nothing… ‘Boris’, or something like that, I’m not surprised to see rubbish like this get into print. (“Eh? Mayor of London? You’re kidding!”)

Still… we’re the mugs for reading the piece and falling for the whole con.
http://twitter.com/Neuro_Skeptic Neuroskeptic

jimbo: Yeah, he wasn’t even shortlisted for Arse Of The Year. They just gave him first prize outright.
jimbo

You kinda know where his sort are coming from. I imagine him like the school swat sitting down and preparing all his answers before the show begins – he was determined that we should hear the names of the two disabled people moved off disability living allowance and he got there in the end. He was quite polished but is clearly far too pleased with himself. I’d never heard of him before last night but if he writes for the Independent I don’t suppose I am alone
- http://twitter.com/Neuro_Skeptic Neuroskeptic
  
  So you’re saying… he knew what he was talking about?
- JeannieBenn
  
  Well you’ve shown by your comment what ‘sort’ you are….bigotted!
http://twitter.com/augustine_ryan Gus

You have a friend? Good for you!
David Tilley

Mr Jones was very eloquent and presented a great deal of data to support his arguments, however I suspect a lot of it was factually incorrect or open to interpretation.

He looked good when compared with the remainder of the panel who looked very lacklustre. Memorable, but yes infantile leftist student politics.
Smethwicklefty

Owen was concise, his arguments well thought out and well presented and none of them challenged because they are true. I can’t speak for the intellectual abilities of your friend but I suspect his use of profanity sums that up anyway.
Mike Vessey

Owen Jones was fabulous. Passionate, articulate and provided counter points to the professional politicians who all agreed with each other. He enlivened the show in a way that it hasn’t been for a long time.
Rjpotter

“public school”? Owen Jones was state educated you mong. Also, saying something about someone that isn’t true is called libel by the way.
- rod lidlle
  
  RJ – you’re hilarious. Admin – let’s keep this puppy.
  For the rest of the infantile left armie. * denotes irony.
  - liddletwatface
    
    You’re a retarded, and exceptionally ugly, banal twat.
- Fergus Pickering
  
  No it isn’t. Only if it is damaging.Saying that someone went to a Public Schoool (i.e. was well-educated) is hardly damaging. Saying they went to a bog standard comprehensive might be.
Mark Brentano

Curious, isn’t it? The left – such as it is – is being badly let down by the quality of its journalism, and it doesn’t seem to matter. After all, they are on the side of the angels. Laura Penny (if that’s her name) or Theodore Dalrymple? You decide.
http://twitter.com/Megowhitz Megan Hedges

Let me get this straight… you get paid to write stuff like this?

I implore you to write something better next time. And I hope the spectator hire better writers.
http://twitter.com/Megowhitz Megan Hedges

Wow, is Rod Liddle just trying to make us hate him? He’s suceeded. This whole piece is a joke right? Surely it must be? I’m laughing, not at Rod’s attempted wit, but at how ridiculous and pointless this piece is.

I implore you to write something interesting next time… No, I implore The Spectator to hire better writers. The internet is already full of enough trash as it is.
- Fergus Pickering
  
  You can’t really be called Megan Hedges, can you? Say it’s an alias. And, since you ask, I really am Fergus Pickering..The name is pure poetry. Oh, and Owen Jones is obviously sexy. Can’t see it myself but all these women can’t be wrong.
- Madame Merle
  
  Megan, I couldn’t agree more.
  
  Liddle sounds pompous and arch. As if being paid to submit half a paragraph of utterly pointless drivel is a measure of his brilliance.
  
  So very Jeremy Clarkson.
- Noa
  
  “The internet is already full of enough trash as it is.”
  
  Nobody forces you to post on it Megan. Or do they?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1175060280 Colin Tate

You really are an odious little troll aren’t you Rod?

I hope you choke on a biscotti and don’t get to finish your book.
http://twitter.com/outofafrica46 Linda Le Roux

Good heavens. What a lot of unpleasant comments on this page. Grow up boys!!
Viv Savage

Owen Jones was excellent, forcing the mask to slip from IDS. His blood pressure was as high as yours Rod, after you’ve popped that mail-order Viagra you’re so fond off.
http://twitter.com/billyblofeld Billy Blofeld

Rod,

You appear to have provoked Owen’s “Fan-boy swarm”……

Owen is identical to Ollie Plimsolls from the Legz Akimbo theatre group of League of Gentlemen fame. You can watch Owen / Ollie in action here 9 minutes in……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRrP2s9_PXk
Pigman

How about staying in Italy and maybe paying for your friend. Instead of sending a hidden message using your friend as a ‘voice’ watch QT. How can you judge something that you didn’t even see. Just like so many people nowadays, detached from what the general public think. He spoke sense, understood the subject and was willing to stand upto people like IDS. A breath of freshair. When was the last time you said something that got so much support from people?
http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Davis/662052517 David Davis

Looks like you have been uber-trolled, old fella. It seems clear that whoever Owen Jones, might be (I don’t know, except that he’s a lefty) his chums had already staked out your column (perhaps on Twatter?) to deliver the vitriol that appears now to be dripping all over it.

It’s just one of those things, like Beatty’s “run to the south” at Jutland. You appear to have lost a couple of battle cruisers… You’ll get the fellas next time, no worries!
- Luke R
  
  I’m glad you explained this, most of the anti-comments are repetitive and deranged, I couldn’t work out what was going on.
Damo

Self obsessed there Rod, who cares whether you are reading or writing, actually who cares about you or your “friend’s” opinion of a thoroughly decent bloke who is trying to a make a difference.
http://twitter.com/Grimbler grimbler

yes OJ was hateful the fact that Hamas deliberately sacrificed their own children by leaving them in close proximity to their rockets and that they prefer to build concrete shelters for their rockets rather than their civilian population did not affect his view on their sainthood one bit!
http://twitter.com/angrybird1000 angry bird

Dreaming you have a friend eh Rod? Well OJ is a tad annoying and sometimes stretches the facts to suit his own world view, but I put that down to youthful enthusiasm – on the whole, he speaks the truth and does a brilliant job of articulating the views of many and educating others, particularly the yoof who aren’t well served by pundits – I know that’s patronising but he’s about the same age as my son so I think that’s allowed…
http://www.facebook.com/people/Hilton-Holloway/708772773 Hilton Holloway

Blimey, all Owen’s Oxford mates seem to have the time to hit the web at the same time. He’s walking theory. And has a talent for telling it ‘how it was’ that can only come from being born at the end of the Miner’s Strike….
Luke R

Bleddy hell it’s changed round these parts, last time I commented on here there weren’t quarter as many Liddle haters as there are now. What’s changed? What’s Mr.Liddle doing right? Is it the new comments program that brings these enlightened “progressives” to these parts? (Disqus). I’m sure he must be pissing himself.
- A Non
  
  The audience were with the odious creep at the start of the program. But by the end they were as fed up with him as I had been for some time.
  Well done IDS.
Mary Pery

Owen Jones is a hero in my book. He was the only one brave enough to dare criticise Israel, even when a member of the audience told him “to keep his nose out of it.” Israel’s supporters usually use the anti-Semitism card to block any legitimate criticism of the state of Israel, when Judaism or the Jews are not mentioned. It so happens that many Jews are against Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank, the siege of Gaza and the brutal way they treat Palestinians. Your friend, Mr. Liddle, must be a rabid Israeli supporter, and so she would say that, wouldn’t she?
- dibbledon
  
  Colonel. you are right. People do use the anti semetic card when Israel is critisized for alledged crimes again humanity. You see people ignore the fact that 30,000 Syrians have been kiled by their own goverment next door and go for Israel instead, They sail ships to Gaza with food when your local branch of Tesco doesn’t have the variety on offer to the the Gazan people. Some people tend to concentrate on Israel a country the size of Wales which is a true democracy with arabs and jews both with voting rights, women who can live freely and the only Jewish state as opposed to 58 Muslim Countries. I wonder why that is Colonel?
  - fungus
    
    you should go live in Gaza. You’d probably want to kill Israelis too
    - Sarah
      
      No, you wouldn’t want to live there especially if you are a Christian, gay or a woman.. Take a look at Hama’s charter see their views on gays, they usually call them a collaborators and behead them.
      If you like music or dancing you should also probably give gaza a miss, likewise if you want to freely express your opinions. Also if you like democracy it’s not the place for you Hamas hasn’t had an election since the they came to power and are unlikely to have another one, they used democracy to get into power now they have it they won’t let go. I remember interviews with gazans at the time of the elections many were concerned about Hamas, especially those who had businesses, many people were intimidated into voting for them… So no you wouldn’t want to live there and it isn’t the Israelis who are the problem.
      - Fergus Pickering
        
        One man. One vote. One time. Who said that? Cogent though.
- Fergus Pickering
  
  The only one brave enough to criticize Israel? Brave? Why? Is Mossad going to take him out then? I would have thought it was obviously much braver to criticize muslims. They really will take you out. You want to try it.
- Sarah
  
  The only one brave enough to criticise Israel? How did the 1st year students in the audience know when to cheer then?
Prince Rupert

He ticked all the boxes one would expect him to tick regarding any topic, if you are a left wing type you are very predictable. Was he interesting? – not really, he was energetic in the way students are when excited about a subject, when they feel their views matter, and they truly beleive that if they talk a lot they will somehow change the World. Owen Jones is un-original and predictable, though if you dont like the Tories he is good fun because he is irritating and winds them up. IDS lost his rag becuase OJ had no solutions, he just trotted out the predictable moans about reform, IDS’s point was that when labour were in power people like OJ never critisised the government, and now they are full of ideas and complaints, and so all OJ is , is anti-establishment when the Tories are in power. Therefore he does not have a strong morale base, just a left wing whinger. He was entertaining though, if you like the Student Union type of tub thumping rants, Prescott was always good at this, thin on detail and solutions, big on winding up the mob. OJ winds up the mob, but he really has nothing of interest to say. I suspect he is a bit intellectually lightweight, but beleives he is a Sage.
- JeannieBenn
  
  Humane and passionate are more my description of Owen’s appearence last night. Something very much lacking in today’s politicians…..
  - milliboot
    
    I dont believe the posts on here are a genuine cross section of people who watched question time last night, i have read other blogs when he has been in the media, and they are always 10% for the lad, and 90% against.
- Colonel Mustard
  
  Excellent analysis of the Borg’s teeny-bopper.
- Tony Lunn
  
  Your comments are spot on. He must learn to argue in a reasoned, objective manner instead of trying to steam roller an admittedly lack lustre panel. His views on the volatile Arab Israeli situation were naive and simplistic.
  - EuanB
    
    Did you think the same about South Africa when some people (like Thatcher) supported apartheid? Did you think people who were against aparheid had naive and simplistic views on the complexity of the situation? Only difference is that the apartheid of Israel on the Palestinians is worse …
    - Tony Lunn
      
      Yes. If you think that apartheid has gone, you are sadly mistaken. Although not as blatant as before, a powerful cadre of black and white businessmen ensures that the status quo remains virtually unchanged . I see little improvement in the average citizen’s working conditions (recent miners’ massacre?). Perhaps you would also care to comment on the stunning success that Zimbabwe has become since transition to majority rule. I lived in, and flew for two Arab states over a period of twenty years so am biased towards the Arabs. I also travelled extensively through Iran, Syria, Jordan and Israel and some states are only willing to have peaceful,trade relations with Israel. The current Israeli/Palestinian situation is very complicated and will remain a running sore because of the intransigence of both sides. My views on OJ’s QT performace remain the same.
      - EuanB
        
        His views captured the key essence of the situation and history in SIsrael-Palestine. There is obviously a limit to how much you can explain in a few sentences when you’re on the QT panel – from that perspective he did a good job in an articulate manner. We in the “west” are consistently fed pro Israeli propaganda and criticism of Israel’s “policies” (i.e. brutal occupation and ritual humiliation of the Palestine population) are rebutted with accusations of anti-semitism, which unfortunately proves effective. It is good to see someone on mainstream TV actually putting forward a more truthful position.
        
        You and Prince Rupert are also using a common tactic to combat those types off views – ie patronise as “loony left”, “student like rants”, “predictable”. This is oft used by middle-of-the-road conservative-by-nature people.
        
        It is so important to this world that injustices, like those the Israelis have perpetrated on the relatively defenseless Palestinians, are actually known about and understood. Unfortunately most people don’t know, but generally muslims throughout the world do know as they’re less dependent on western media and are so angry that those in positions of power (like the USA) are supporting countries like Israel. The result = terrorism.
        
        Tony Lunn
        
        You seem to have neither read nor absorbed what I have written. Like OJ you are not going to listen to views other than your own. Also please do not try to attach political labels to those with whom you do not agree You do not know me nor my politics.You might like to read the Jewish point of view in today’s on liine Telegraph: It might broaden your horizons. May I reiterate that my sympathies lie with the Arabs. Nevertheless my views on OJ are unchanged.
        
        Finally what do the muslims know? I suggest that you look up the transcripts of ‘sermons’ preached in Saudi mosques
        at Friday prayers. The hate and racist attacks directed at the Israelis and the Jews are appalling. Also what do you know about Arab media? Objectivity and truth do not feature prominently to put it mildly.
Gracie44

I watched this sad young man who hasn’t lived a fraction of his life yet tell everyone exactly what was wrong and how to fix it – but more than that he was allowed longer than any of the others to have his say and also got no interuptions like the others until the time was up to finnish the programme time for equel treatment or take the programme off.
person with a brain

and yet you seem like such a charming man yourself.
m t

Rod Liddle you and your friend sound ten times worse than owen jones and at least he stands up for the people. i wonder why you dont live in the uk anymore.
charlamagne

H was as your friend described an arrogant little cnt ,a know all who knows f… all ,playing to the gallery,i would have liked to have given him a slap,oh by the way i am right wing and proud to be so

I hear Owen Jones was on Question Time last night, was he awful?

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