Comments by "robs2020" (@sbor2020) on "" video.
-
7
-
2
-
@ Thank you for your interesting critique. I would argue though that your position overlooks the authoritarian tendencies inherent in GB News and TalkTV, which don’t require a “decades-old” lens to identify. I will address each point in turn.
Firstly, your point about “the left” and libertarianism deserves clarification. Historically, the term “libertarian” was associated with the socialists of the First International, who later became known as anarchists. Over time, the term was appropriated by the right and is now commonly associated with right-wing libertarianism. However, in its original context, libertarian socialism and anarchism were essentially synonymous and are still often used interchangeably today. So Orwell being both a libertarian and a man of the left isn’t contradictory. His libertarianism was about opposing authoritarianism, which he saw as coming from both the state and unchecked corporate or elite power. In today’s context, the left largely defends liberties like human rights, press freedom, and protections against state overreach – values Orwell championed. Meanwhile, right-wing outlets like GB News erode these preconditions by undermining climate science, human rights protections (e.g., calls to leave the ECHR), and pluralistic debate, often in service of corporate or nationalist agendas.
While platforms like GB News and Talk TV criticise state policies, this doesn’t make them libertarian. Their attacks often focus on rights-protecting mechanisms (like the ECHR) or “woke” cultural issues, framing these as overreach while simultaneously supporting authoritarian leaders like Trump and Orbán. They rail against the government when it suits their narrative but fail to hold their own ideological allies to account. Supporting oligarchical populism while vilifying dissent is fundamentally authoritarian.
You admit their reliance on hyperbole and rhetoric, which is part of the problem! Simplistic, fear-driven narratives (on immigration, climate change, or national identity) are tools of manipulation, not liberty. Orwell specifically warned about media that stokes division and emotion to suppress critical thinking.
On your point about “generals fighting their last war”, the idea that Orwell’s critiques are outdated assumes the mechanisms of power have fundamentally changed – they haven’t. Propaganda, fear, and erosion of truth are timeless authoritarian tools. GB News and TalkTV may oppose “state overreach”, but they bolster a different kind of authoritarianism: the consolidation of power among elites, the fostering of distrust in democratic institutions, and the creation of a monoculture disguised as patriotism.
In short, Orwell’s principles remain just as relevant in identifying authoritarian tendencies today, and these channels exemplify them in how they promote fear, suppress pluralism, and attack the very liberties they claim to defend. If liberty is truly your concern, I’d suggest scrutinising their agendas a bit more closely.
2