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What does anyone think of the re-launched Magill?

  • 14-11-2004 11:15pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,458 ✭✭✭


    As the title says - what does anyone think of the re-launched Magill? Personally the only reason that I heard about it was that an ex of mine is involved in it. I thought that it was not nearly as satirical as I felt it should have been...but then again I might be biased? I do hope that it suceeds though as there is still space for a political magazine, I know that it covers a lot of similar ground to the SBP but...


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,018 ✭✭✭Hairy Homer


    CathyMoran wrote:
    As the title says - what does anyone think of the re-launched Magill?

    Just what the country needs: another supercilious, hectoring, right-wing me-too rag full of Arts-Block insight, coffee & cigarettes militarism (well the editor Eamon Delaney does have his campaign medals from the War of Independence) and a mission to take on the 'left-wing liberal elite' that is supposed to exist in Irish media circles, but in reality doesn't.


    Magill's tone is set by the editor's comment piece (aka the contents page) or at least by his picture byline which dominates it--everything in black and white, looking down his nose at you, dear reader, and the hint of a self-righteous sneer playing across his face.

    Straight into the content: opposite the editorial is a list of snippets at which we are invited to laugh: two from the Irish Times, two from the Village, and one each from the Guardian and Daily Telegraph. No prizes for guessing which shade of opinion is to be the main target for Magill's barbs.

    If you're in any doubt, the rest of the mag makes it clear:

    Some government economic adviser writing under a pseudonym asks 'will anyone stand up to the soft left-wing chorus'

    In a piece entitled 'The War on Error', somebody called Eamon Sweeney 'can't believe the woolly thinking of right-on folk'.

    Then there is a piece on the late Yasser Arafat 'Ireland's free ride for Mr Palestine' - an examination of 'our cosy relationship with a mastermind of terror'

    'Who's afraid of the neo-cons?' asks Brendan Simms as he 'charts the development of a US crusade to spread freedom, democracy and human rights.' (sic)

    Then a legal adviser to the Labour Party, writing in a 'personal capacity' explains: 'How the Left got it so wrong' arguing that 'Tony Blair was not only morally right to go to war, he was legally right as well.'

    Centrepiece of the mag is a six-page feature on Enda Kenny who apparently enjoyed the company of Deputy Editor Andrew Lynch while 'on the road' recently.

    Smash Hits has carried more penetrating insights into the personalities of its featured subjects than this collection of words which elucidates only the following bold pronouncements from Mr Kenny:
    'We think that there should be a common security and defence entity and we think we should be involved in the creation of that'
    and
    'on the issue of tax, the reality is that low corporation tax has created thousands of jobs here. Those rates have to be kept low.'

    There. You don't need to read the other 5.9 pages now.

    To be fair, however, he had pointed out in an earlier paragraph 'His [Kenny's] policy platform has yet to be fleshed out.' No Sh** Sherlock!

    Elsewhere there are a few artsy features on Colin McPherson, Patrick Kavanagh and the latest greatest Irish rock band--somebody called Snow Patrol, apparently.

    There is also an unfunny resurrection of Wigmore, which used to be great for a laugh when the Trotskyite Eamon McCann wrote it in the 1980s. But you can't have a socialist pantywaist writing in the New Right New Magill, can you?

    Magill's main USP in its early days was its newsbreaking scoops: the Arms Trial articles; exposes on prostitution and pimping; bogus non-resident accounts. There were also daring political interviews and analysis and good writing on a variety of subjects encompassing, sport, arts and music.

    All we have here are a bunch of opinionated young prats lecturing us on the need to toe the pan-American political line.

    The point is: you can read this sort of stuff anywhere in Irish media at the moment, and I do mean anywhere. What the hell distinct position is Magill trying to occupy? Even if I liked its politics, and I don't, I would feel that too much of a good thing would get pretty stale pretty quickly. And this isn't even good.

    One to ignore in the future.

    IMHO


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,208 ✭✭✭✭aidan_walsh


    small rant

    So you'd recommend it then? :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,018 ✭✭✭Hairy Homer


    So you'd recommend it then? :D

    One's opinion was canvassed.

    And given.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 88,972 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    Young socialists have the Village I'll buy the new look Magill! :D

    Mike.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,018 ✭✭✭Hairy Homer


    mike65 wrote:
    Young socialists have the Village I'll buy the new look Magill! :D

    Mike.

    Save yourself a couple of quid and just buy the Sunday Indo. It's the same old guff. And you get Gene Kerrigan, who used to write for Magill when it was good, thrown in as well.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 330 ✭✭tomcosgrave


    In addition to Kerrigan in the Indo, you can also find in that flaccid organ of neo-liberalism the guf-- sorry, the genius of Eoin Harris, and the lazy, insip -- , sorry, brave and intrepid writings of Gwen Halley. Not to mention the macho postur-, sorry, the manly, tough Brendan O'Connor. And more besides!

    And to top it all off, you can read Barry Egan and his stalki--, sorry, his friendships with numerous celebrities!

    Yay!

    As for Magill, just tune in to any press releases made by Gay Mitchell (the only Gay in Europe ;-) ) and the sayings of the neo-liberal foaming-at-the-mouth Michael McDowell, and his Fraulein Mata Harney....

    No seriously, I thought the new Magill wasn't much cop in terms of the journalism - it was boring, didn't say anything not already said in various media outlets, and the only redeeming feature was a funny, albeit badly written , not to mention utterly biased review of the new book on Jeffrey Donaldson. Avoid, avoid, avoid.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 14,093 Mod ✭✭✭✭monument


    mike65 wrote:
    Young socialists have the Village I'll buy the new look Magill! :D

    As a 'young socialist', I agree.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,018 ✭✭✭Hairy Homer


    Well it's right, as opposed to right-on, stance is certainly making it the darling of the pseudo-conservatives at the Sunday Indo. This (you might need to register, but it's free) from last Sunday's edition is not the first blatant plug for the new title to be seen on the Sindo's media pages.


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