OpEd - SubScribe14

The commentators 26-11-14

...on David Mellor

David Mellor is a bully, a braggart and - in the circs, you will excuse the indelicacy - a twat of the very first order. If fate sees fit to reward you with the name of Lady Penelope, take the hint: buy a pink Rolls-Royce and hire a chauffeur called Parker, and so avoid the potential for black cab nightmares.
- Matthew Norman, The Independent

It’s bracing to be reminded that, thanks to the almost constant use of mobile phones, we can be recorded at almost any time, with what we say recycled for ever. Never mind GCHQ – a whole spiteful world of snoopers, sneaks and gossips is on our tails. Has there ever been anything like it before?
- Joan Bakewell, Daily Telegraph

Exposing a low-rent figure such as Mr Mellor for his snobbery is all well and good. and the alleged remarks of Andrew Mitchell, now being played out in a high Court libel case, are also surely fair game, if true. They can reveal something we ought to know. But if politicians are never allowed to float ideas and never allowed to say a word out of place without it being plastered across the front page, we are all worse off.
- Stephen Pollard, Daily Express

...and on politics

If a party of masochists set out to devise the hardest campaign to win in Britain today it would probably be inspired by bureaucrats, led by career politicians and endorsed by bankers. Its main demand would be unlimited immigration: so a lot like the case for staying in the EU as depicted by those who want to leave.
- Rafael Behr, The Guardian (EI's political commentator of the year)

There are plenty who take issue with Google's trajectory. Whether it becomes News Corp and its papers to question other businesses that are dominant in their markets, that want to drive competitors to the wall or that don't pay their fair share of taxes is for others to debate...
There is a big issue here to be tackled journalistically, but it requires an overarching approach and heavy investment in personnel and money - and those are resources in short supply. And who can look at the entire question of privacy, personal security and surveillance without being accused of having a vested interest? .
- Editor's blog

Tuesday 25 November The Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards were announced at a breakfast ceremony this morning. David Aaronovitch was named Commentariat of the Year and his newspaper, The Times, won the award for the best comment pages. Stevie Spring, who led the judges, made it a hat-trick for the Times by choosing Melanie Reid for the chairman's award.
The FT, Guardian, Mail and Sunday Times each picked up two awards. SubScribe was also among the winners. You can see the full list of awards here. A video of the presentations will be posted online later.