On the Manifest: the press (1)
The finally published manifest from the group “kritiek in groenlinks” got to the press. And inmediatly got to planeetgroenlinks. There is a lot written, and it is likely that some more is to be written yet. Just reading planeet the last few days, I have been wanting to react to lots of comments. But if I keep reading and thinking, I'll end up writing a whole book, and not a single post. So my strategy today is to address different issues in several short posts. The last one will be about the reason my signature is not to be found in the supporters of the manifesto. But let's go with the first issue, the press.
Several comments so far mention that go to the press is to damage groenlinks. I can imagine that you would not like to see an internal discussion raging in the newspapers... but... are there many other media? do we use them? The answer is that yes, there are other media. And no, we do not use them. One example? The manifest is online since long time ago (scroll down this blog, for example). When did groenlinksers react to it? when it hit the press, not before. So it is no surprise that whoever has something to say about groenlinks, try to get in the press first.
Mark my words, this apply to both sides of the debate. Femke and Co have been investing time in the ongoing “opposition discussions”. This exercise is precisely the sort of thing that the manifest's people criticize as lacking in groenlinks: a political leader asking feedback from the achterbaan. But I have not seen the prominent people of the kritiek group in those discussions.
And besides this pointing-with-the-finger, what is the problem of going to the press? It seems to me that actually what we are is scare of the public debate. Funnily enough, some of the ones that are against press articles, are the same ones that proudly talk about groenlinks as a open debate party. And now? Why not?
So let's close this post here. I do not like the manifest enough to have signed it... but I certainly agree with the idea to get it in the public line. Lets cook some dinner and try to write about the next argument, divisions in groenlinks.
posted by Unknown at 5:33 PM
4 Comments:
Mijn reden om er niet op te reageren was dat ik het niet de moeite waard vond om aandacht aan te geven. Leuk voor de interne discussie, maar niet relevant voor de rest van de wereld. Ik had het doorgekeken en mijn kritiek wel bewaard voor als het relevant zou worden: op een van de vele discussiemomenten die gaan komen over de campagne, koers en imago en de beginselen.
Op het moment dat het breed in de pers komt en dus Groot Nieuws reageer ik wel. Om te laten horen dat er ook mensen zijn die het niet eens zijn met dat manifest.
Een open debatpartij prima, maar dat is nog altijd wat anders dan je (onterechte) kritiek uitgebreid via de pers ventileren. Die kritiek raakt namelijk ook de leden, die in meerderheid op het congres hebben ingestemd met de huidige lijn, en de huidige bestuurders. En volgens mij toch echt een van de opstellers van het manifest keihard de deur hebben gewezen.
Vandaar dus dat er nu pas een reactie was. Op een enkeling na, want sommigen hadden al direct na ontvangst van het manifest gereageerd.
6:02 PM
hey michel!
Look, I neither love that the first option in a groenlinks debate seems to be the press. But I believe that this is because we have still a looong way to go in the creation of effective discussion channels. So the "press strategy" I see it as a product of a party that actually... does not debate a lot internally.
And yes, a part of the criticism in the manifest seems to me incorrect, so I did not signed it. But those who signed it do believe it's correct. So they have the right to go public, no? we shouldn't disagree with our own people going public because we disagree with their opinions. So is my opinion! :-)
12:14 AM
Dag Inti,
Ik heb vorige week al wél geageerd op het manifest: http://www.paulvermast.nl/wp/?p=666
Toen heb ik het "een mooie analyse van de waarden van GroenLinks, de pijnpunten van de afgelopen periode en inhoudelijk goede opsomming van tien punten" genoemd. Maar nu het actief naar de pers is gebracht heeft mij dat aan gezet tot het andere manifest.
11:57 AM
Hey Paul, thanks for dropping by!
Of course you reacted to the manifest... actually there are few issues that escape your blog (fact that I admire). My comment, in first place, is more directed to the atmosphere in broad groenlinks. I keep on thinking that not a lot of debate actually occurs, and that many opinions are not considered unless they get to the media. So is not surprising the attempt.
I'm also uneasy with get that manifesto to the press. One way to put my concern is that I do not like the lack of internal discussion, and I neither like to decide who brings what to the media. In choosing in between these two problems, I rather have a discussion open to everybody.
And besides, there are the arguments in favor of open debate that I mentioned in the following posts... Why should be we afraid to show that we have different opinions inside groenlinks?
5:13 PM
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