Mostly fair, but Benyamin Netanyahu needs to have run Putin close. Never has the positon of Israel been so fragile, and it's not Hamas who have done that. In my case at least, his approach means that I've turned from a Peace Now, lefty Jes thinking maybe a two state solution is possible, and sympathising with the hatred towards Corbyn's ideology, to reckoning that Zionism is a doomed and bad experiment in ethnonationalism. Congratulations Bibi. But you somehow didn't win.
Excellent list. Particularly enjoyed the Tom Tugendhat for ‘Dick of the year’. He added absolutely nothing, just confirmed the utter uselessness of the ‘one nation Tories’ and his own ‘wet as fuck but also a bit nasty’ credentials.
Thanks for your relentlessly rational, funny and well written articles and posts. For me, commentator of the year. Again.
Have to say I teared up a little at the tribute to Caroline Lucas, whom I know a very little bit and who is just as ace in person as she was in Parliament. Terrible in one way that her Parliamentary career coincided exactly with the Tories' reign of bullshit, but in another way it probably suited her particular style of truth-telling.
I went to her book launch this year and she said her favourite line of Shakespeare was "And that's true, too" (King Lear). I thought of that reading the bit about Kieran Mullan's speech. In our polarised world, we forget that too easily.
I was hoping this got posted today! Completely agree with you about Dorian's Everything Must Go. I went in expecting doom and gloom but instead (like he always does), there's this current of hope, beauty, humour, and deep humanism running all the the way through it. And it's so engaging and fascinating. I came out smiling and moved, which I completely did not expect. Also worth noting that as an audiobook, it is excellent. I can't imagine where he'll go next, but I'm 100% there for when it comes out.
Happy end of the year, and see you the other side, with a pint! Feliz año, Ian. Gracias por todo. 🤗
A refreshing, funny, excoriating and informative read, thanks! Agree with much. I wondered what had happened to The Telegraph my sadly gone now, big brothers read, seemed to nosedive into the loony fringe. Well said on Starmer ( lets hope ) and Caroline Lucas. We will enjoy exploring much on your list and will l revisit The Substance.
Yes, our continuing capacity for extreme mass violence as humans should be top. As others hard not to feel N tops P for pure hatred, annihilation and revenge within a complacent world. It brings to mind the Gramsci quote re old /new world order/ monsters appearing...My best hope is the number of women across the world refusing to be silenced as previously.
Well that’s some list! Dorian’s book is most definitely brilliant. The rest - well I might even watch some telly and a movie or two. Have a great 2025 Ian All the best, John.
Every time I see a centrist praise Starmer without acknowledging the harm he’s causing trans people, his continuation of Tory-era ‘culture war’ and neoliberal policies (in fairness, also Blair-era) that harm the very poorest of the working class, welfare claimants, and disabled people, I die a little more inside. Labour are walking us right into the hands of Farage and his merry band of quasi-fascist horrors. The best part is, people like me will get the blame (it’s already happening) for having the gall to criticise him for policies that hurt us (I’m poor, working class, disabled, and trans).
Never has a man been so underestimated as Starmer? Well. Attlee. Worth recalling just how criticised he was at the time, that there was a serious attempt to topple him. The current hagiography of Clem is certainly not how he was viewed then.
A terrific piece of work this…my nomination for writer of the year is Ian Dunt…thank you for bringing humour and clarity to the messy scramble of politics.
Tugenhadt reads just like Malcolm Turnbull here in Australia, the supposed moderate who continually bent over for the right of his party, if he got the job I guarantee that’s the way he would have acted, then the right would give him no credit anyway and he’d keep appeasing and appeasing without ever getting any credit or learning any lessons
Until the centre-right reaches the same conclusion the centre-left and Blairites reached with the hard-left and understand they need to take them on and win, then the rights psychodrama is going to continue. They need to use their time in opposition to win back control of their party before worrying about Labour the way Kinnock and Blair did in the Labour Party (or Clinton and the DLC did with the Democrats) then and only then can the centre-right truly win government instead of having a Tory Party with occasional moderate leaders as window dressing while the agenda continues to be set by the lunatic right in the party room and the Alistair Heath types in the commentariat (the battle needs to be comprehensive the same way the Owen Jones and others have no influence on the Labour Party anymore)
Excellent list, most I agree with and some to explore. I was delighted to see you picked ‘If books could kill’, which is both surgical in its analysis and a riot. Much like your and Dorian’s own ‘Origin Story’, which you obviously couldn’t pick because that would have meant Dorian appearing twice.
Mostly fair, but Benyamin Netanyahu needs to have run Putin close. Never has the positon of Israel been so fragile, and it's not Hamas who have done that. In my case at least, his approach means that I've turned from a Peace Now, lefty Jes thinking maybe a two state solution is possible, and sympathising with the hatred towards Corbyn's ideology, to reckoning that Zionism is a doomed and bad experiment in ethnonationalism. Congratulations Bibi. But you somehow didn't win.
Lefty Jew, not jes
Excellent list. Particularly enjoyed the Tom Tugendhat for ‘Dick of the year’. He added absolutely nothing, just confirmed the utter uselessness of the ‘one nation Tories’ and his own ‘wet as fuck but also a bit nasty’ credentials.
Thanks for your relentlessly rational, funny and well written articles and posts. For me, commentator of the year. Again.
Very enjoyable.
Have to say I teared up a little at the tribute to Caroline Lucas, whom I know a very little bit and who is just as ace in person as she was in Parliament. Terrible in one way that her Parliamentary career coincided exactly with the Tories' reign of bullshit, but in another way it probably suited her particular style of truth-telling.
I went to her book launch this year and she said her favourite line of Shakespeare was "And that's true, too" (King Lear). I thought of that reading the bit about Kieran Mullan's speech. In our polarised world, we forget that too easily.
Happy New Year.
So many cunts, so little editorial space to cover them all. I vote Musk for cunt of 25.
Brilliant as ever, Ian. A cracking list (and I'd second that Netanyahu is a good call for a tied first place but it's a very high bar)
I was hoping this got posted today! Completely agree with you about Dorian's Everything Must Go. I went in expecting doom and gloom but instead (like he always does), there's this current of hope, beauty, humour, and deep humanism running all the the way through it. And it's so engaging and fascinating. I came out smiling and moved, which I completely did not expect. Also worth noting that as an audiobook, it is excellent. I can't imagine where he'll go next, but I'm 100% there for when it comes out.
Happy end of the year, and see you the other side, with a pint! Feliz año, Ian. Gracias por todo. 🤗
Felix ano neuvo Gabby x
A refreshing, funny, excoriating and informative read, thanks! Agree with much. I wondered what had happened to The Telegraph my sadly gone now, big brothers read, seemed to nosedive into the loony fringe. Well said on Starmer ( lets hope ) and Caroline Lucas. We will enjoy exploring much on your list and will l revisit The Substance.
Yes, our continuing capacity for extreme mass violence as humans should be top. As others hard not to feel N tops P for pure hatred, annihilation and revenge within a complacent world. It brings to mind the Gramsci quote re old /new world order/ monsters appearing...My best hope is the number of women across the world refusing to be silenced as previously.
"Cronembourg"??? You cunt, too much Baileys on the cornflakes - Croneneberg is a Canadian filmmaker
Good point, well made, corrected
Well that’s some list! Dorian’s book is most definitely brilliant. The rest - well I might even watch some telly and a movie or two. Have a great 2025 Ian All the best, John.
Every time I see a centrist praise Starmer without acknowledging the harm he’s causing trans people, his continuation of Tory-era ‘culture war’ and neoliberal policies (in fairness, also Blair-era) that harm the very poorest of the working class, welfare claimants, and disabled people, I die a little more inside. Labour are walking us right into the hands of Farage and his merry band of quasi-fascist horrors. The best part is, people like me will get the blame (it’s already happening) for having the gall to criticise him for policies that hurt us (I’m poor, working class, disabled, and trans).
Trans...?
So.. not a woman then...?
That's cool.
And a really important distinction..politically.
Because politically trying to blur the lines while accentuating them has been disastrous.
Never has a man been so underestimated as Starmer? Well. Attlee. Worth recalling just how criticised he was at the time, that there was a serious attempt to topple him. The current hagiography of Clem is certainly not how he was viewed then.
A terrific piece of work this…my nomination for writer of the year is Ian Dunt…thank you for bringing humour and clarity to the messy scramble of politics.
An excellent read as always. Happy new year to you too :)
Tugenhadt reads just like Malcolm Turnbull here in Australia, the supposed moderate who continually bent over for the right of his party, if he got the job I guarantee that’s the way he would have acted, then the right would give him no credit anyway and he’d keep appeasing and appeasing without ever getting any credit or learning any lessons
Until the centre-right reaches the same conclusion the centre-left and Blairites reached with the hard-left and understand they need to take them on and win, then the rights psychodrama is going to continue. They need to use their time in opposition to win back control of their party before worrying about Labour the way Kinnock and Blair did in the Labour Party (or Clinton and the DLC did with the Democrats) then and only then can the centre-right truly win government instead of having a Tory Party with occasional moderate leaders as window dressing while the agenda continues to be set by the lunatic right in the party room and the Alistair Heath types in the commentariat (the battle needs to be comprehensive the same way the Owen Jones and others have no influence on the Labour Party anymore)
Excellent list, most I agree with and some to explore. I was delighted to see you picked ‘If books could kill’, which is both surgical in its analysis and a riot. Much like your and Dorian’s own ‘Origin Story’, which you obviously couldn’t pick because that would have meant Dorian appearing twice.
Just an excellent piece of journalism to wrap up the year. Congratulations Ian and Happy New Year.