FlyTheNest

It is time once again for The Groan Awards. To avoid running over the festive period I propose to start slightly earlier and run for slightly longer, but I am happy to change this if anybody has an issue.

The Groan awards honour the very best and the very worst of Guardian political journalism of the last year. The winners in each of the categories are nominated and voted on by Fly The Nest members.

If you want to see how last year turned out, see http://flythenest.org/viewtopic.php?p=776#p776

To nominate a lucky Guardian journalist for an award simply post in this thread, setting out your nominations and the category they are nominated for. Please provide a link and a reason.

Nominations will close at 22:00 (GMT) on the 16th December, voting will begin in the pub shortly afterwards and run for 7 days. Voting is a FPTP system, in the event of a tie the same complex rules as last year will apply.

Here are the categories.

1. The Golden Hammer Award for best political journalist / contributor

Awarded to the journalist / contributor who has produced the most consistently good analysis over the year. The contributor most likely to hit the nail on the head.


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2. The Red Thumb Award for the worst political journalist / contributor

Awarded to the journalist / contributor who has produced poor, inaccurate analysis or just plain clickbait. The contributor most likely to miss the nail completely.


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3. Best Article

The single best political article published in the year.


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4. Worst Article

The single worst political article of the year.


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5. Best New Contributor

Awarded for the best new journalist / contributor appearing in the Guardian this year. Their output is considered by FTN members to have enhanced the papers reputation for serious journalism.


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6. Worst New Contributor

Awarded for the worst new journalist / contributor appearing in the Guardian this year. Their output is considered by FTN members to have been an embarrassment to a serious paper.



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7. The Daily Mail Milibash Award

Awarded for the single worst example of gratuitous Daily Mail style character assassination of Ed Miliband.



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8. The Golden Glover Award

Awarded for the most deluded sycophantic pro coalition propaganda that seeks to warp reality to fit Con Dem La La Land.


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9. The 1984 Post Truth Headline award

For the most misleading and grasping black is white headline, where the headline completely misleads with respect to the substance of the story.



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10. Best Cartoon

Awarded for the single best cartoon of the year.

Nomination for no 4, worst article:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... -education" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've read it 3 times and I still have no idea what she is on about.

Hunt's modest proposals on private schools is apparently about turning state schools into replicas of private schools, and as such loses her vote. Blair/Brown did nothing to reform private schools but presumably didn't lose her vote, so why does this mean she is no longer voting Labour?

Nomination for category 8. The Golden Glover.

Behr for this glorious exercise in turd polishing.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ories-ukip

Nomination for no 2, worst contributor

Simon Jenkins for anything science related.

Nomination for No 4 Worst Article.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... hip-change

Where to start, 20 Frontbenchers - really?

Which is 1/5 of shadow ministers in fact, like why is that relevant if they are 20 front benchers.

Alan Johnson is going to stand as well.

In fact suspicion is this is all the work of a couple of fantasists.

Can we not have a special category award for Louise Mensch ?

yahyah wrote:Can we not have a special category award for Louise Mensch ?

We could instigate a special award for Arse of The Year but let's face it the competition is huge.

Anne Perkins
Katy Hopkins
Grant Shapps
Michael Green
Sebastian Fox
Michael Gove
Simon Danczuk
Graham Stringer
Kate Hoey
Nigel Farage
Patrick Wintour
Tony Blair
Chris Grayling
Ester McVey

And the inevitable winner, irrespective of all of the above.

I.D.S

Nomination for best newcomer

The empty space previously occupied by Chris Huhne.

Nomination for The Golden Hammer - best journalist / contributor

This is very controversial, but for me in a sea of mediocrity one person stands out by a mile. Everything they do consistently nails the story.

Martin Rowson.

Why does it have to be a written article? But if you want one here you go.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... government

Nomination for best cartoon.

Martin Rowson for this piece of genius.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... meron-ukip

TE, I'm at something of a disadvantage vis a vis the Groan Awards in that I no longer go near the rag, so I'm limited in what I can contribute. So please accept these pathetic offerings:

Zoe Williams for the Golden Hammer Award, just so Martin Rowson has a moment of uncertainty before he receives his award. I personally think Zoe is the last decent writer at the Guardian, and especially admire her for the willingness to go BTL and defend her work; mind you, to the best of my knowledge, she has never been modded for a comment under her own article, unlike Martin!

Patrick Wintour for the Red Thumb Award. It could be any of them - Watt, Kettle, Helm, Mason .... - but Wintour deserves it for the almost symbiotic relationship he enjoys with Havisham Hodges.

And that is it. I can't give you specific articles & cartoons, because that would mean rewarding them with clicks and page views.

Nomination for 3. Best Article:

A eulogy to the NHS: What happened to the world my generation built?

Harry Leslie Smith, Wednesday 4 June 2014 19.03 BST

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... -workhouse

(I don't know whether or not he counts as a new contributor but, if he does, I would like to nominate him for that award, too.)

The countdown clock reminded me of another Rowson cartoon ,which I wish to nominate

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ce-cartoon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

LadyCentauria wrote:Nomination for 3. Best Article:

A eulogy to the NHS: What happened to the world my generation built?

Harry Leslie Smith, Wednesday 4 June 2014 19.03 BST

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... -workhouse

(I don't know whether or not he counts as a new contributor but, if he does, I would like to nominate him for that award, too.)

Yep, add my vote for a nomination of HLS as a new contributor, if he qualifies.

Nomination for No 4
I think any article by John Crace is worthy of winning most awards in Categories 2, 4 or 7
However I nominate an article from right back in January which was so bad the Guardian highlighted on its politics page for the best part of three months
"Have Balls and Miliband just blown the next election for Labour?"
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... ion-labour" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This article brilliantly highlights how consistently unfunny John Crace has been all year and what rubbish is now considered by the Guardian as Political Satire.

I nominate the following D.Alexander article for the I wouldn't even wipe my posterior with award


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... y-fairness" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One for the Golden Glover, this rambling eulogy to the LibDems

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... conference" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

" But the party’s uniqueness remains its commitment to the rule of law, to human rights, to empowering the individual against an over-mighty state, to reforming and devolving politics and government, and to insistent internationalism."

Worst article I've read this year, this pile of utter gibberish which, having just re-read it, is just as inane as I remembered it. What it is actually trying to say, god only knows.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... val-nation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA wrote:The countdown clock reminded me of another Rowson cartoon ,which I wish to nominate

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ce-cartoon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll second that

Oh does the Observer "count" ?If so I wish to nominate this Will Hutton article for best article:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... tax-system" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


"Incoherent ,immoral and economically illiterate"

John Harris has particularly wound me up this year, so much so I know just laugh at him, I just went through about four months of his articles, so much shit to choose from, Johnny Marr a radical political voice, erm, first I have heard then, Leanne Wood's Plaid Cymru running Labour scared in it's valley heartlands, too much bollocks to pick from.

Tish wrote:One for the Golden Glover, this rambling eulogy to the LibDems

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... conference" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

" But the party’s uniqueness remains its commitment to the rule of law, to human rights, to empowering the individual against an over-mighty state, to reforming and devolving politics and government, and to insistent internationalism."

Worst article I've read this year, this pile of utter gibberish which, having just re-read it, is just as inane as I remembered it. What it is actually trying to say, god only knows.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... val-nation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yep, that second article has the germ of an idea in it – perhaps of two or three ideas – but it left me thinking yes but what, exactly, is your point? Not that I think I could write a coherent article based on the germs of ideas it sparked in me, mind.

Nomination for The Daily Mail Milibash award.

This piece of filth from one of the most disgusting human beings working for the Guardian.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... an-brother

My God, that was a spectacularly bad piece even by Rubbisher standards

I shall nominate Owen Jones for best newcomer (he joined this year). I am still voting for the empty space though.

Today's
Lord Prescott calls Miliband ‘Red Ed’

http://gu.com/p/44855" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is a shocker. Wintour and Hodges are really bricking the outcome of the GE. Categories 2,4 and 6 for this Wintour effort.

Can I nominate George Monbiot for best contributor? As a bonus, you can read him without visiting the Guardian: http://www.monbiot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I would like to nominate this from Owen Hatherley for best article:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ing-market" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The reason I am nominating this is because it talks seriously about Marxism (or Engels to be more specific), and any serious article on Marxism encourages a real BTL discussion. Attempted trolling is dealt with through in depth, reasoned comment from a Marxist viewpoint and means that differing viewpoints have to be presented with just as much thought and content. The combination of article and BTL discussion is why I have decided to nominate this particular article.