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"Freelance" in the sense that she's written 383 articles for The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/profile/juliebindel https://www.theguardian.com/profile/

"Freelance" in the sense that she's written 383 articles for The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/profile/juliebindel https://www.theguardian.com/profile/juliebindel

danso 9y ago
Er, why do you put "freelance" in quotes? Being a freelance vs. staff member is not about number of articles you've written, but how and how much you are paid, the benefits you receive, who you report to in the editorial bureaucracy, and your day-to-day obligations to the company. She seems to write a lot of op-ed type pieces, which are meant to "oppose" the editorial page (in a physical sense, but sometimes in voice/topic). The fact that the freelance editor is OK with working with her, over and over, is not nothing. Just as Bret Stephens being hired as a NYT columnist is not nothing about the NYT's priorities, even as he has no contact or relationship with NYT's news reporters.
- leereeves 9y ago
  My point was that the word freelance suggests someone is independent of the organization, while writing 383 articles for The Guardian suggests otherwise. Clearly she likes The Guardian and they like her opinion very much. More significantly, their opinion writers range from left to extreme left.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
eesmith 9y ago
Over 17 years, so that's two per month. Again, what is your point? Do you think opinion pieces must be in lock-step with the newspaper as a whole? All you've shown is that The Guardian publishes pieces from people with views that typically lie on the left (though are not reflective of everyone on the left). Which is, you know, the "left" in "center left".
- leereeves 9y ago
  The Guardian publishes the opinion of people on the left and on the far left. Julie Bindel is about as far-left as possible. Every article they publish about someone from the right is an attack. How is that centrist?
  - eesmith 9y ago
    "center left" != centrist != far left. You claim The Guardian is far left. All you've demonstrated is that they are somewhere on the left, and I (and Wikipedia) claim they are center-left. Quoting again from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian: "Then Guardian features editor Ian Katz asserted in 2004 that "it is no secret we are a centre-left newspaper".[120] In 2008, Guardian columnist Jackie Ashley said that editorial contributors were a mix of "right-of-centre libertarians, greens, Blairites, Brownites, Labourite but less enthusiastic Brownites, etc," and that the newspaper was "clearly left of centre and vaguely progressive". She also said that "you can be absolutely certain that come the next general election, The Guardian's stance will not be dictated by the editor, still less any foreign proprietor (it helps that there isn't one) but will be the result of vigorous debate within the paper".[121] The paper's comment and opinion pages, though often written by centre-left contributors such as Polly Toynbee, have allowed some space for right-of-centre voices such as Sir Max Hastings and Michael Gove. " One of the opinion pieces by Gove is https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/29/hero-conservative-millionaire-saving-schools https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/29/hero-c... titled "My hero: Lord Harris, the Conservative millionaire who is saving schools". If it is an attack then it is an attack on the Labour Party. "Julie Bindel is about as far-left as possible". Are you really that oblivious as to what the real far-left looks like? Typically it applies to someone to the left of social democracy, like a Communist, Trotskyist, democratic socialist, or Maoist. While https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Bindel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Bindel describes her as: While focusing on male violence against women, Bindel also writes about gender inequality in general, as well as stalking, religious fundamentalism, lesbian rights, opposition to the sex industry and human trafficking.[8] She refers to herself as a political lesbian feminist. This is mainstream feminist left, not far-left. Jean-Luc Mélenchon is further to the left. Here are some of his policies, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_M%C3%A9lenchon#Political_positions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_M%C3%A9lenchon#Politi...: He is a proponent of increased labour rights and the expansion of French welfare programmes.[33] Mélenchon has also called for the mass redistribution of wealth to rectify existing socioeconomic inequalities.[33] Domestic policies proposed by Mélenchon include a 100 per cent income tax on all French citizens earning more than 360,000 Euros a year, full state reimbursement for health care costs, a reduction in presidential powers in favour of the legislature, and the easing of immigration laws.[34] Mélenchon supports women's right to abortion and same-sex marriage. He also supports the legalisation of cannabis.[35] He founded La France Insoumise, a democratic socialist political party. He started as a member of the Internationalist Communist Organisation.

"Freelance" in the sense that she's written 383 articles for The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/profile/juliebindel https://www.theguardian.com/profile/juliebindel

danso 9y ago

Er, why do you put "freelance" in quotes? Being a freelance vs. staff member is not about number of articles you've written, but how and how much you are paid, the benefits you receive, who you report to in the editorial bureaucracy, and your day-to-day obligations to the company. She seems to write a lot of op-ed type pieces, which are meant to "oppose" the editorial page (in a physical sense, but sometimes in voice/topic). The fact that the freelance editor is OK with working with her, over and over, is not nothing. Just as Bret Stephens being hired as a NYT columnist is not nothing about the NYT's priorities, even as he has no contact or relationship with NYT's news reporters.

leereeves 9y ago
My point was that the word freelance suggests someone is independent of the organization, while writing 383 articles for The Guardian suggests otherwise. Clearly she likes The Guardian and they like her opinion very much. More significantly, their opinion writers range from left to extreme left.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]

eesmith 9y ago

Over 17 years, so that's two per month. Again, what is your point? Do you think opinion pieces must be in lock-step with the newspaper as a whole? All you've shown is that The Guardian publishes pieces from people with views that typically lie on the left (though are not reflective of everyone on the left). Which is, you know, the "left" in "center left".

leereeves 9y ago
The Guardian publishes the opinion of people on the left and on the far left. Julie Bindel is about as far-left as possible. Every article they publish about someone from the right is an attack. How is that centrist?
- eesmith 9y ago
  "center left" != centrist != far left. You claim The Guardian is far left. All you've demonstrated is that they are somewhere on the left, and I (and Wikipedia) claim they are center-left. Quoting again from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian: "Then Guardian features editor Ian Katz asserted in 2004 that "it is no secret we are a centre-left newspaper".[120] In 2008, Guardian columnist Jackie Ashley said that editorial contributors were a mix of "right-of-centre libertarians, greens, Blairites, Brownites, Labourite but less enthusiastic Brownites, etc," and that the newspaper was "clearly left of centre and vaguely progressive". She also said that "you can be absolutely certain that come the next general election, The Guardian's stance will not be dictated by the editor, still less any foreign proprietor (it helps that there isn't one) but will be the result of vigorous debate within the paper".[121] The paper's comment and opinion pages, though often written by centre-left contributors such as Polly Toynbee, have allowed some space for right-of-centre voices such as Sir Max Hastings and Michael Gove. " One of the opinion pieces by Gove is https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/29/hero-conservative-millionaire-saving-schools https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/29/hero-c... titled "My hero: Lord Harris, the Conservative millionaire who is saving schools". If it is an attack then it is an attack on the Labour Party. "Julie Bindel is about as far-left as possible". Are you really that oblivious as to what the real far-left looks like? Typically it applies to someone to the left of social democracy, like a Communist, Trotskyist, democratic socialist, or Maoist. While https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Bindel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Bindel describes her as: While focusing on male violence against women, Bindel also writes about gender inequality in general, as well as stalking, religious fundamentalism, lesbian rights, opposition to the sex industry and human trafficking.[8] She refers to herself as a political lesbian feminist. This is mainstream feminist left, not far-left. Jean-Luc Mélenchon is further to the left. Here are some of his policies, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_M%C3%A9lenchon#Political_positions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_M%C3%A9lenchon#Politi...: He is a proponent of increased labour rights and the expansion of French welfare programmes.[33] Mélenchon has also called for the mass redistribution of wealth to rectify existing socioeconomic inequalities.[33] Domestic policies proposed by Mélenchon include a 100 per cent income tax on all French citizens earning more than 360,000 Euros a year, full state reimbursement for health care costs, a reduction in presidential powers in favour of the legislature, and the easing of immigration laws.[34] Mélenchon supports women's right to abortion and same-sex marriage. He also supports the legalisation of cannabis.[35] He founded La France Insoumise, a democratic socialist political party. He started as a member of the Internationalist Communist Organisation.