Owen Jones is a friend and comrade and, to my mind, an excellent journalist and author. I was, therefore, looking forward to his new book This Land. Alas, I found myself disappointed, because while much of the incisive analysis of broader political events, so characteristic of his journalism, was first class and thought-provoking, I’m afraid he let himself down badly by appearing to slide into the gossiping and trivia of office politics, presenting it as though it accurately frames the bigger picture. Anyone who has worked in an office environment, especially a political one, will appreciate that views are expressed through the narrow prism of individuals who ignore the broader issues being dealt with.
Owen clearly has a personal problem with Seumas Milne, who we are corralled into believing was responsible for all the woes of the Labour Party. In pursuing this constant line, he diminishes himself as an author. It is, of course, perfectly necessary to highlight and counterpose the tensions and power struggles that were crucial within the dynamics of John McDonnell, Diane Abbott, Milne, Karie Murphy, Andrew Fisher and Jeremy Corbyn, but his conclusions are mistaken. On anti-Semitism this failure is displayed once again. Having given a brilliant and detailed polemic of the history of anti-Semitism, he veers away to lay blame at the Milne and Murphy, based on a distorted view of what it was like trying to deal with the constant daily attacks.
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