LFF’s most influential left-wing thinker of the year 2010/11 is Owen Jones

Readers of Left Foot Forward have voted Owen Jones, academic and author of “Chavs: the Demonisation of the Working Class”, as the most influential leftwing thinker of the year 2010/11.

He came ahead of Caroline Lucas, Tom Watson and Polly Toynbee to take the top spot.

In their nominating piece for Jones, Fabians Olly Parker and Natan Doron wrote:

“Owen has managed re-launch the debate around class and inequality by finding new and accessible ways to make arguments that Labour thinkers have been making for years.

“He has also challenged the establishment by holding up a mirror to the way different people from different parts of the country are treated by the media and political elite in this country.

“As well as all this, Owen has often managed to argue a traditional hard-left point of view without coming across as completely mad. The media love to drop your archetypal “mad lefty” – or indeed “mad right-winger” – into TV debates for the sake of entertainment.

“Owen has not played up to this but has instead sensibly made arguments that the public can understand and relate to.

“The more we have of people like Owen discussing politics on TV, the better off and more constructive political discourse in this country will be.”

Thank you to everyone who took part in the vote. The full results are listed below:

1) Owen Jones (Academic, author and commentator)

2) Caroline Lucas (Leader of the Green Party)

3) Tom Watson (Media campaigner)

4) Polly Toynbee (Journalist)

5) Paul Krugman (Economist and opinion journalist)

6) Naomi Klein (Author and journalist)

7) Richard Murphy (Tax expert and blogger)

8) Ed Miliband (Leader of the opposition)

9) Ken Livingstone (Mayoral candidate)

10) Mehdi Hasan (Journalist)

11) Nick Davies (Guardian media journalist)

12) Ed Balls (Shadow chancellor)

13) Will Hutton (Author and commentator)

14) The Disability Rights Community

15) Barack Obama (US President)

16) Peter Tatchell (Human rights campaigner)

17) Nicholas Shaxson (Author, researcher and campaigner)

18) Maurice Glasman (Academic, author and lord)

19) Alex Salmond (First Minister of Scotland)

20) Tony Blair (Middle East peace envoy)

21) Andrew Simms (Policy director of New Economics Foundation)

22) Vince Cable (Business Secretary)

23) Neil Lawson (Chair of think tank Compass)

24) Anthony Painter (Researcher and theorist)

25) Bernard-Henri Levy (Philosopher and commentator)

26) Dani Rodrick (Academic and tweeter)

27) Elizabeth Anderson (Philosopher)

28) Deborah Mattinson (Pollster)

29) Lane Kenworthy (Sociologist and blogger)

30) Jacob Hacker (Academic and author)

Some of the original nominations can be read here: Ed Balls, The Disability Rights Community, Maurice Glasman, Owen Jones, Barack Obama, Nick Pierce’s nominations, Alex Salmond.

http://twitter.com/creativecrip/status/119435621700874240 TheCreativeCrip

LFF’s most influential left-wing thinker of the year 2010/11 is @OwenJones84: http://t.co/5jg2JNd9 Congrats! #Lab11
http://twitter.com/adamramsay/status/119436947528753153 AdamRamsay

"@leftfootfwd: LFF’s most influential left-wing thinker of the year 2010/11 is @OwenJones84: http://t.co/zhFylmB6 Congrats!" << congrats!
http://twitter.com/creativecrip/status/119440661081636864 TheCreativeCrip

Disability Rights Community came 14th out of 30. A decent start but watch this space!! http://t.co/l92GyyM7 – @leftfootfwd:
http://twitter.com/interuncut/status/119443856575049728 InterUncut

Disability Rights Community came 14th out of 30. A decent start but watch this space!! http://t.co/l92GyyM7 – @leftfootfwd:
http://twitter.com/eastendlady/status/119449720866349056 barbara gunnell

Congrats @OwenJones84 left foot forward influential thinker winner http://t.co/46skmGMJ
http://twitter.com/andrewsimms_nef/status/119470052268449792 Andrew Simms

Err, in list of 'influential left thinkers' am sandwiched twixt V Cable & T Blair – v disturbed, can't dwell on meaning http://t.co/RpCoyshc
http://twitter.com/macrogramz/status/119471236203032576 macrogramz

Err, in list of 'influential left thinkers' am sandwiched twixt V Cable & T Blair – v disturbed, can't dwell on meaning http://t.co/RpCoyshc
http://twitter.com/rjamesjones/status/119482697784639488 James Jones

This is kind of amazing. Well done @owenjones84 http://t.co/qBowyIMK
http://twitter.com/psychoticlynx/status/119483679029477376 Kim Blake

Coo! Well done indeed! RT @rjamesjones: This is kind of amazing. Well done @owenjones84 http://t.co/cXAxocW8
http://twitter.com/rachclements/status/119498880969748480 Rachel Clements

Crikey, mikey – congrats, jonesy -> RT @rjamesjones: This is kind of amazing. Well done @owenjones84 http://t.co/LBmrKMwo
http://twitter.com/zephleppard/status/119726159108898816 James Leppard

#ff @OwenJones84 LFF’s most influential left-wing thinker of the year 2010/11: http://t.co/sSE1XUzC
http://twitter.com/tomilo/status/119808484924588032 Tom King

He may only look 12, but little @owenjones84 has just beaten Barack Obama. Congratulations mate! http://j.mp/pGvK2v
http://twitter.com/calumsplath/status/119847857971929088 Calum Sherwood

He may only look 12, but little @owenjones84 has just beaten Barack Obama. Congratulations mate! http://j.mp/pGvK2v
http://twitter.com/kishwidyaratna/status/120504114701549568 Kishani Widyaratna

LFF’s most influential left-wing thinker of the year 2010/11 is @OwenJones84: http://t.co/5jg2JNd9 Congrats! #Lab11
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/10/look-left-02-10-11/ Look Left – Tory obsession with Europe goes on. And on. And on | Left Foot Forward

[...] LFF’s most influential left-wing thinker of the year 2010/11 is Owen Jones – Daniel [...]
http://twitter.com/saveueamusic/status/129590242977136640 Save UEA Music

AMAZING, @OwenJones84 'most influential person on the left' just rt'ed our campaign to @coldplay http://t.co/BFs00JIB
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/12/thatcher-toxteth-riots-legacy-abandoned-inner-cities/ Thatcher’s corrosive legacy: The UK’s abandoned inner cities | Left Foot Forward

[...] Owen Jones points out in CHAVS, you can’t build a community around call-centre and supermarket jobs. [...]
http://twitter.com/daninayyar/status/169490195983499266 Dani Nayyar

.@OwenJones84, voted the most influential thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, will be on @BBCQuestionTime this Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt
http://twitter.com/jintyg51/status/169490375608778752 Janet Graham

.@OwenJones84, voted most influential left-wing thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, is on @BBCQuestionTime on Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt
http://twitter.com/shamikdas/status/169491106839535616 Shamik Das

.@OwenJones84, voted most influential left-wing thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, is on @BBCQuestionTime on Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt
http://twitter.com/durhamcub/status/169491872920768512 Martin Steel

.@OwenJones84, voted most influential left-wing thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, is on @BBCQuestionTime on Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt
http://twitter.com/susanhebden/status/169495986505383936 susan press

.@OwenJones84, voted most influential left-wing thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, is on @BBCQuestionTime on Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt
http://twitter.com/ladyroisin/status/169498518527033344 LadyRoisin

.@OwenJones84, voted most influential left-wing thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, is on @BBCQuestionTime on Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt
http://twitter.com/45apl/status/169522701692698624 45 Apples

.@OwenJones84, voted most influential left-wing thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, is on @BBCQuestionTime on Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt
http://twitter.com/ahmad_noor/status/170296571311816704 Ahmad N

.@OwenJones84, voted most influential left-wing thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, is on @BBCQuestionTime on Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt
http://twitter.com/roisinheritage/status/170673484832313344 roisin heritage

.@OwenJones84, voted most influential left-wing thinker 2010/11 by LFF readers, is on @BBCQuestionTime on Thurs http://t.co/6VJbvIaY #bbcqt