Leading members of the last Labour government regularly confused reducing 'debt' with reducing 'the deficit' but Owen Jones seems to be even more economically illiiterate

Owen Jones, in his own words, is '...a lefty currently based in Hackney; and I grew up in Sheffield, Falkirk, and above all Stockport (get in touch if you want a list of Stocky-related facts…) I’m a former flunky for unions and Labour MPs, and author of ‘Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class’, which was published by Verso in 2011.

My ramblings have been published in the Guardian, the Independent, the New Statesman, The Sunday Mirror, Le Monde Diplomatique, Frankfurter Allgemeine, the Morning Star, the New Humanist, Liberal Conspiracy, LabourList, Left Futures, and Open Democracy. I’ve also been inflicted on the public through BBC Newsnight, BBC, Breakfast News, ITV Day Break, Sky News, BBC News, The Big Questions, Channel 4′s 10 O’Clock and various radio stations.'

Here's part of one of his latest appearances on the BBC's Daily Politics this week where he shows either a complete misunderstanding of the difference between wealth and earnings or the typical Labour spokesman's ability to be economical with facts... 'it depends actually!'

Michael Portillo looks even more amused by the interviewee than normally.

So far no mention of this latest TV appearance at Owen Jones's blog, I'm sure it's only a matter of time though!


Owen Jones has form in making stupid or misleading remarks, here's just two.


Owen Jones says he is pro-secularism, but then drifts into a condemnation of anti-Muslim sentiments, why so? I wonder if Owen Jones would agree with Ken Livingstone's support for Yusuf al-Qaradawi and other Labour figures support for Raed Salah (as I blogged yesterday), or if he would stand up for freedom?

I also note that Owen Jones has picked up a lazy rhetorical trick from Barack Obama, or is it a case of 'great minds think alike/fools seldom differ'?



Owen Jones with a Tesco 'slave-labour' claim that even John Prescott looks bemused by, although to be fair that is his normal expression.


Owen Jones a fine example of the sort of person that supports and indeed leads Labour policy.


Thanks to The Commentator via Guido Fawkes for the first video spot.