Look Left – Look back at the year

LFF-number-one-left-wing-blog Many thanks to everyone who voted in our poll for progressive and regressive of the year 2011, and for completing our readers’ survey to find out more about who reads the site.

This enables us to attract advertisers – the only reason why, along with the donations we receive, we can continue to run the blog. By completing the survey you are helping us immensely. Thanks again!

Right, to the results…

Progressive of the year:

Caroline Lucas MP, leader of the Green party. Caroline, in addition to her party’s primary mission on the environment, has taken the lead on tackling the scandal of the rich and super-rich avoiding and evading tax, an issue back in the headlines this week with the exposing of HMRC’s deals with big businesses.

In March, she tabled a new Tax and Financial Transparency Bill in Parliament, saying urgent measures were needed to stop companies that are formally dissolved from trading fraudulently and undermining honest businesses who pay their taxes. More here and here.

In joint second place were shadow chancellor Ed Balls MP and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, with 9.1% of the vote.

Regressive of the year:

Nadine Dorries MP, anti-abortion, anti-Europe, anti-progress. Where to begin? First, on her fundamentalist anti-abortion crusade, see here, our look at the costs and consequences of her plans to restrict women’s reproductive rights, and see here for a look at where this slippery slope leads; and on her swivel-eyed Euroscepticism, look at Sir Malcolm Rifkind take her simplistic, isolationist, anti-European arguments apart. Priceless!

Joint runners-up were Mayor of London Boris Johnson and News Corp chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch, on 9.3% of the vote.

Finally this week, here is a list of the ten most read articles of 2011:

10. A crowd psychology analysis of the riots, Clifford Scott, August 9th.

9. The madness of Ken’s attack on Obama, Shamik Das, May 4th.

8. The BA cabin crew dispute: the view from the shop floor, Anonymous, January 10th.

7. Busted: Four myths about today’s strike, Alex Hern, November 30th.

6. John Humphrys is wrong, wrong, wrong on social security: Here’s why, Declan Gaffney, October 27th.

5. Mail and Telegraph pull anti-tax-dodging ads, Shamik Das, January 4th.

4. The nasty campaign: The No2AV campaign stoops to a new low, Will Straw, February 22nd.

And the top three:

3. How to write a Richard Littlejohn column, Dominic Browne, March 22nd.

2. Hillsborough ‘Thatcher Briefings’ will bring truth a step closer, Kevin Meagher, August 25th.

1. Gaddafi has underscored the new paradigm; Who’s next? Luke Bozier, October 20th.

Over the Christmas break we will have videos, 2012 previews and more, with a full service resuming on Tuesday, January 3rd.

From myself, Dan, Will and Alex, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year! See you in 2012…

Mr. Sensible

Yep, you could certainly make a case for each of those.

Merry Christmas everyone!
http://twitter.com/ljwnorth/status/150355260806934528 Lynton North

Caroline Lucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/SzdCzpch
http://twitter.com/jrodwyer/status/150355752924622848 Julia O’Dwyer

Caroline Lucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/SzdCzpch
http://twitter.com/elwyns/status/150356921004736515 Elwyn Sharps

Caroline Lucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/SzdCzpch
http://twitter.com/greenpartypoppy/status/150359573721653248 A. M. Poppy

Caroline Lucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/SzdCzpch
http://twitter.com/kieranharley/status/150361512312188928 Kieran Harley

Caroline Lucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/SzdCzpch
http://twitter.com/robhove/status/150361601290158080 Rob Jarrett

Caroline Lucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/SzdCzpch
http://twitter.com/shakteh/status/150362947028402176 Shakti Shah

Look Left – Look back at the year: http://t.co/n3Fni96a – @ShamikDas with our progressive, regressive and top 10 stories of 2011
http://twitter.com/billlinton1/status/150370883591094275 Bill Linton

Caroline Lucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/SzdCzpch
http://twitter.com/creativecrip/status/150387504221138945 TheCreativeCrip

WOOP!! Best news for me in ages!! RT @camdengp: @CarolineLucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/NYHs46i0
http://twitter.com/puffles2010/status/150389066171547649 The Dragon Fairy

WOOP!! Best news for me in ages!! RT @camdengp: @CarolineLucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/NYHs46i0
http://twitter.com/greenoxford/status/150496739336519680 Oxfordshire Greens

Caroline Lucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/SzdCzpch
Lindakaucher

Caroline Lucas has delberately covered up the imminent EU/India Free Trade Agreement that will devastate workers here. She had the privileged position not only of being an MEP but of sitting on the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee for years.

She is aware of the EU’s Mode 4 commitment as the central plank of that agreement, allowing Indian firms (do not need to be multinationals) to send workers into the EU, but mostly the UK, without numerical limits or labour market tests.

The UK public have only their supposedly representative MEPs who sit on the International Trade Committee, to inform them of these secretive developments. But she definitively refused to do so before the election (lots of no-borders types in Brighton) and has failed to do so since.

She is not alone. There are also UK Labour, Tory, UKIP, UKIP turned Tory MEPs on that committee. All have kept schtum on this deal and on Mode 4. So has the BBC’s top economics and business journalists, and the FT, the Times, and the Guardian, the parliamentary committee on BIS, Cameron, Cable, Clegg, Peter Mandelson who initatied this Agreement, and the Labour Party.

But others are not being nominated for their good work.
http://twitter.com/docrichard/status/150507992134062080 Richard Lawson

WOOP!! Best news for me in ages!! RT @camdengp: @CarolineLucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/NYHs46i0
http://twitter.com/walsallwolvesgp/status/150509359825301504 Walsall & Wolves GP

WOOP!! Best news for me in ages!! RT @camdengp: @CarolineLucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/NYHs46i0
http://twitter.com/clarionsingers/status/150509361859538945 Birmingham Clarion

WOOP!! Best news for me in ages!! RT @camdengp: @CarolineLucas is Left Foot Forward readers' Progressive of the Year: http://t.co/NYHs46i0
Benjamin

Well done Caroline Lucas, completely deserved and justified.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=514916164 Aidan Neill

that littlejohn article was absolutely genius. laugh out loud stuff.
http://twitter.com/threadbarepanda/status/150701787937120256 Panda

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/ewangirling/status/150702222248906752 Ewan Girling

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/pseudodeviant/status/150702893673103361 Emma

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/lgbtiqgreens/status/150702918587252736 Green Party LGBTIQ

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/asitseemstome/status/150707204020895744 Fiona McMahon

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/captainplanet21/status/150709991593086978 Mike Hanson

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/spinpitman/status/150713386756358145 Spin

RT @CarolineLucas: Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year http://t.co/ybkHzKTg Happy Christmas!
http://twitter.com/mayadesgreen/status/150717835893686272 mayadesouza

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/blanchardspov/status/150718607112941568 Simon Blanchard

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/bigtatty/status/150765218891448320 bigtatty

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-left-foot-forward/ Merry Christmas from Left Foot Forward | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • Look Left – Look back at the year – Shamik Das, December 23rd 2011 Share | Permalink | Leave a comment [...]
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/12/merry-christmas-from-left-foot-forward/ Merry Christmas from Left Foot Forward | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • Look Left – Look back at the year – Shamik Das, December 23rd 2011 Share | Permalink | Leave a comment [...]
http://twitter.com/pigreen/status/150915529681534977 david seddon

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/anothergreen/status/152799425717207040 Derek Wall

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/louisstephen/status/153100528556052483 Louis Stephen

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/louisstephen/status/153101062063136768 Louis Stephen

Left foot forward votes for "most progressive" http://t.co/ILvSazux
http://twitter.com/philrandal/status/153113571700654081 Phil Randal

Huge thanks to Left Foot Forward readers for voting me Progressive of the Year – cheered me greatly! http://t.co/DXKUxSyQ Happy Xmas to all
http://twitter.com/drewhgill/status/154131087570903040 Drew H Gill

RT @leftfootfwd: Look Left – Look back at the year http://t.co/AXj1e6pi