It’s a sorry day for the Guardian’s dwindling readership as staff vote in overwhelming numbers to strike over plans to offload The Observer to Tortoise Media – a ‘slow news’ startup that can’t even turn a profit in the good times. A staggering 93% of the 600-strong workforce backed strike action, with 96% supporting measures short of a walkout. Not exactly a stampede to board another sinking ship…
Tortoise boss James Harding has spent years pushing his “centrist dad” brand with help from the BBC and other left-wing outlets. Though even Guardian staff aren’t buying into the Observer sale, promising mass walkouts as early as December if the talks aren’t called off. Staff are worried that loyal readers will be left “betrayed” if the paper is sold off to Tortoise, which has already burnt through £16.3 million since it launched in 2018. No doubt panic-stricken progressives will be distraught if press operations do shut down…
UPDATE: Both Guardian and Observer staff will strike on December 4th and 5th.
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”