Jeremy Corbyn has acknowledged that I am the author of much of his economic policy. Not a single journalist has called me about it
— Richard Murphy (@RichardJMurphy) August 3, 2015
Imagine, the entire country run on the economic policies of a retired accountant from Wandsworth.
One incredibly proud of the fact that he never paid any attention in his economics classes.
Sigh.
I know I’m alone in this, but I think this is all rather jolly fun.
Ian B
It is actually – But I would hasten to add to RM that almost all the commentators on here would consider themselves journalists of a sort (such a claim would be at least as valid as Murphy’s claims to be an economist), and we have tried to talk to him about it. His response has been:
– Blocking us on Twitter
– Barring us from commenting on his blog
– Calling us a variety of meanignless team such as ‘Neoliberal’ or ‘Troll’ whose lack of context renders them little more than playground insults.
The hilarious thing is if I started digging on TRUK to find inappropriate comments or badly thought out argument, I could come up with about a dozen examples from every blog page. If I was Corbyn I’d be keeping Murphy firmly in the background – I think he would do less damage by calling for detente with North Korea or Venezuela – other states run along Murphy’s recommended lines…..
“Not a single journalist has called me”
Perhaps because:
– you have a track record of being arrogant, rude and bullying towards anyone who dares to question you
– there are real economists out there who actually know what they are talking about
– Leni Riefenstahl is unavailable to make the film about your plans for the country
I would like to know more, but sadly “You are blocked from following @RichardJMurphy and viewing @RichardJMurphy’s Tweets. Learn more”.
So how did you get this Tim?
“Not a single journalist has called me”
Maybe because….
https://www.rise.global/the-uk-economists-power-100
He takes arrogance to soaring new heights. He’s genuinely insane.
All I can find on Corbyn acknowledging Ritchie is this:
“Quantitative easing for people instead of banks. Richard Murphy has been one of many economists making that case”
Hardly writing his economic policy.
All the more reason to hope Corbyn wins, and installs RM as his economic advisor. Can you imagine the blood on the walls when some serious journalists attempt to interview him, and question his ideas, and level of expertise? Its would be car crash stuff.
God, this is fun!
Jim
Absolutely – there was discussion of him fulfilling that role under Miliband only for this to founder when Balls and him actually met face to face and also due to the furore over Poppy Dinsey. Were he actually in it would be hysterical – can you even imagine him on newsnight? – he’d make Alex Jones look like the most moderate man on earth……
“…when Balls and him actually met face to face…”
Oh god, I wish there was film of this.
He’s tweeted that he’ll be on BBC R4’s World at One this lunchtime…
As Dongguan John says, Corbyn has not really acknowledged that Murphy is the author of much of his economic policy.
It might be a bit early to get excited about Lord Murphy (Lab) appearing on Newsnight.
I would love to see a three-way debate on C4 news between Murphy, Mason and Brand. Although that combination of arrogance, delusion, idiocy and outright mentalism might well cause injury to viewers…
@GlenDorran
I don’t think it was a one to one meeting thankfully – but imagine had one of the commenters here been able to smuggle a recording device in – Wow! Pure dynamite!
Apparently the meeting was not a specific mano and mano and had been arranged by PCS between Ed Balls and Mark Serwotka (With various flunkies and other advisors in the room as well) – Murphy was the guest of the PCS and was outlining his views on the ‘tax gap’ and the need for large investment in HMRC manpower to investigate his ‘findings’. My ‘internal source’ within the Labour Party says that after about twenty minutes of listening to something about HMRC the tax gap, Balls had to step outside and did not come back in. Thereafter followed the Dinsey affair (and I assume some New Labour acolytes were paid to go through TRUK as well) – relations between Murphy and Labour deteriorated to the extent he endorsed (to all intents and purposes) the Greens in 2015.
So left wing firebrand veteran MP had no economic opinions for 35 years until one R Murphy came along in 2015 and lent him some.
Wow! I never knew that.
Who is Poppy Dinsey and what happened to (I’m assuming) her?
@Van_Patten:
Hah! Balls makes his excuses and bails out, leaving some poor junior flunky to sit through the remainder of Murphy’s ravings. Murphy no doubt spun it as “speaking truth to power”.
Standard tactic for dealing with unwanted meetings. I’ve been the unfortunate junior left to “take notes” in the past.
Jim: Poppy Dinsey (younger woman who worked for Tax Justice Network) was invited on to Newsnight instead of Ritchie. Ritchie took the spectacular hump and ranted about it in a way that came across as sexist, ageist and bullying. He showed his true colours to some people who had previously trusted him.
Sorry, got mixed up: it was Ellie Mae O’Hagan who was invited instead of Ritchie; Dinsey was also on the panel.
End result was the same: Ritchie went nuts.
Glen
You’re right – it was O’Hagan – my bad – although it amuses me to think that based on their output Poppy Dinsey has probably got more of a clue about economics than Murphy….
Went nuts? He was already there. Showed his nuts is nearer to the mark. He threw his toys out of the pram hard enough to attract the attention of the Daily Mail.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227124/Newsnight-bunnygirl-BBC-news-snubs-male-economist-54-picks-fashion-blogger-25-debate-tax.html
Glen
Oh absolutely, I’ve surreptitiously texted someone to ‘call me in ten minutes’ and then stepped outside never to return, if I am dealing with a particularly idiotic and tedious meeting, as I’m sure everyone in the private sector has…..
worth noting that Poppy Dinsey, for all her fame as a fashion blogger and for showing her cleavage online, has a degree in economics, something the LHTD does not possess
Corbyn probably said that to Murphy as Corbyn slowly backed out of whatever room they were sharing at the time.
Murphy’s in his mid-50s and for all the world sounds like the pimply teenager who wonders why – after buying himself a pair of stylish shoes – it still comes to pass that none of the girls will go out with him.
The Mail piece starts as follows:
‘For a panel debating tax issues, economist Richard Murphy ought to be the perfect candidate.
Not at the BBC. Instead, Newsnight bosses chose fashion blogger Poppy Dinsey, 25, and Mr Murphy’s junior female colleague, Ellie Mae O’Hagan – all in the name of gender equality.
Yesterday Mr Murphy, 54, a chartered accountant and the head researcher at the Tax Justice Network, branded the decision to leave him off the programme as ‘straightforward discrimination’.
Not sure whether to laugh or howl.