The Independent C/D

as the ILX thread has gone on about it for 10+ years

Because no one here read the Independent or cared enough to zing it, bar the occasional pop at Johann Hari or Simon Price. The news section was mostly abstracted and rewritten newswire content, although they did have some good long pieces. They fired most of their paid critics a couple of years ago.

In any case the i itself will continue to be published, and the Independent has had a separate editorial team for the website for some time.

There's a crunch or contraction coming in "online content" as well - most of it is crap and there isn't enough digital ad spend to justify it all existing. If it is, it's being spread too thinly.

Obviously the Guardian publishes vast amounts of smug shit and ropey cultural stuff, but it's impossible to imagine the Independent publishing something like the Snowden revelations, or pursuing the News Corp phone hacking story for as long as they did.

Part of the difference was money and resources, sure, but there was a lack of appetite at the Indy to really stand up on things like this, especially over the last few years.

has anyone actually bought a copy in years?

Without any knowledge that the Independent was under any particular threat, I bought a copy yesterday, funnily enough, probably for the first time in 15 years; I was off for lunch in a cafe and wanted a paper to read, and having already read The Guardian site that morning, it seemed like a fair idea to give the Independent a go. It didn't seem appreciably better or worse than the Guardian, though I am by no means a newspaper connoisseur.

https://twitter.com/JohnRentoul/status/721701176606134272

"Astonishing ignorance & condescension about McDonald's. Where do these people eat? Pret? Until recently owned by McDonald's?"

noted socialist hangout pret

http://i.imgur.com/hNiVAbp.jpg

so astonished rn

https://twitter.com/wesstreeting/status/15495480046

looool

https://mobile.twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=list%3ATweetminster%2FUKMPs%20mcdonalds&src=typd&lang=en-gb

MPs queuing up to say how much they loved their time working at McDonalds.

"trendy" "falafel" "bar"

https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=%22Corbyn%20Value%20Meal%22&src=typd&lang=en-gb

Going by the gaunt, grey figure in his Twitter profile pic, Rentoul isn't exactly a good advert for the McDonalds diet

https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&q=corbyn%20we%20want%20plates&src=typd

is there remotely such a thing as a 'trendy' 'falafel' 'bar' or does wes streeting just think that kebab shops are a bit too upmarket for britain's proles

They are exotic and foreign, and also vegetarian, because only a jessie doesn't want colon cancer

I wished all them Blairite arseholes lived on a diet of McDonalds, processed meat and sugary drinks, at least then you could realistically start nominating your faves for the death list while they are still relatively young.

next thing you know these snobs will be turning down donations from popular multinationals or popular billionaires, the trendy out-of-touch loons

millions of people in this country love ciggies, you trendy snob bastards

I actually have more respect for the old Tory John Gummer, like when he did a publicity pic eating a beefburger with his daughter during the BSE crisis in the early 90's. Well at least he wasn't repping for McDDonalds ffs. At the time it was considered quite a crass bit of politicking. lol he has nothing on these shameless fucks in the Labour party.