Press release: Tribune Saved – Weekly Political Journal Under New Ownership

Tribune, the independent left-wing journal founded by Aneurin Bevan 71 years ago, has a new owner following the decision by a consortium of trade unions to find a new proprietor. Kevin McGrath, a businessman and Labour candidate in the forthcoming European elections, has pledged to invest in the magazine to improve circulation and develop the editorial content while retaining its political orientation as a labour movement journal.

by Tribune Web Editor
Monday, March 16th, 2009

Tribune, the independent left-wing journal founded by Aneurin Bevan 71 years ago, has a new owner following the decision by a consortium of trade unions to find a new proprietor.  Kevin McGrath, a businessman and Labour candidate in the forthcoming European elections, has pledged to invest in the magazine to improve circulation and develop the editorial content while retaining its political orientation as a labour movement journal.

He said: “It is my intention to keep Tribune as a left-of-centre publication, retaining its roots in the labour movement but broadening the readership to include non-union and Labour Party members who sympathise or vote with the Labour cause. Tribune will also have a greater focus on European politics.

“Tribune is poised to benefit from a cohesive, properly resourced, and focused marketing strategy. I see Tribune going forward as a publication for new ideas and debate.

“The unions deserve huge credit and recognition for its critical role in keeping Tribune alive during their tenure and enabling the magazine to be launched into a new and exciting phase in its prestigious history.”

All staff, including Editor Chris McLaughlin, have been retained and the magazine – which was rescued from collapse in 2004 by the trade union consortium and which was owned by UNISON, CWU, Community, ASLEF, T&G and Amicus – will continue to be produced from offices at the ASLEF headquarters in north London.

Mr McLaughlin said: “After more than 70 years as a voice for independent social democratic thinking, Tribune’s future has once again been secured. Its voice will now be stronger at a critical changes in British and global politics. This is a tremendously exciting step forward which could not have happened without the continued support and vision of the unions.”

Mr McGrath, 45, was previously a candidate for the North East Hampshire constituency at the 2005 General Election and is a member of Unite/Amicus. Born and brought up on a west London council estate, Mr McGrath became a chartered surveyor and worked in the property industry for 24 years. He is a former Director and Chair of Queens Park Rangers Football Club Plc.

His charitable activities include acting as chair of the McGrath Charitable Trust; Board  Trustee and Treasurer of the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith; Board Trustee of the Guildford School of Acting; Board Trustee of the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust; Board Trustee of the National Education Trust; Board Trustee of the Prison Advice and Care Trust; Founder and Chair of the London in Business Forum; UCHL Development Board member, and Commissioner on the Howard League for Penal Reform’s commission on English Prisons Today

Further information from Chris McLaughlin: 020 7433 6410 or 07803 214 604.

The only place you can read all of Tribune's articles as soon as they are published is in the magazine. To find out more about subscribing from as little as £19, click here.

About The Author

  • Frances Crook

    Fantastic news. I will renew my subscription. Long may Tribune last. Good luck Kevin and everyone

  • Frances Crook

    Fantastic news. I will renew my subscription. Long may Tribune last. Good luck Kevin and everyone

  • Mike Ion

    Excellent news. Well done one and all and a big vote of thanks to Kevin.

  • Mike Ion

    Excellent news. Well done one and all and a big vote of thanks to Kevin.

  • steve

    Hooray ; fantastic news indeed.
    Well done everyone blah blah blah. My life would be so much the poorer without the complete tripe that passes for research – backed opinion in this rag.
    More money invested means more unintentionally (?)hilarious drivel from pampered parasites like Ford and Livingstone.
    Tribune already gives me more laughs than Viz and the Beano combined; I can hardly wait for the next sidesplitting edition.
    But who exactly is ‘ businessman and aspiring snoutinthetrougher’ Kevin McGrath ? How come he has money to burn when everyone else is on gruel and worm infested biscuits ? QPR aren’t exactly poised to challenge ManU as an income generator are they ? Has he mortgaged his anticipated Euro expenses to cover his investment in this comic?
    I hope he is not planning to make the ol’ T a serious magazine – life is bad enough for us ring thru’ the nose plebs as it is. But judging from his Nulab nuspeak it looks like my fears may be unfounded and , ‘going forward ‘ the T may have a valuable new contributor.

  • steve

    Hooray ; fantastic news indeed.
    Well done everyone blah blah blah. My life would be so much the poorer without the complete tripe that passes for research – backed opinion in this rag.
    More money invested means more unintentionally (?)hilarious drivel from pampered parasites like Ford and Livingstone.
    Tribune already gives me more laughs than Viz and the Beano combined; I can hardly wait for the next sidesplitting edition.
    But who exactly is ‘ businessman and aspiring snoutinthetrougher’ Kevin McGrath ? How come he has money to burn when everyone else is on gruel and worm infested biscuits ? QPR aren’t exactly poised to challenge ManU as an income generator are they ? Has he mortgaged his anticipated Euro expenses to cover his investment in this comic?
    I hope he is not planning to make the ol’ T a serious magazine – life is bad enough for us ring thru’ the nose plebs as it is. But judging from his Nulab nuspeak it looks like my fears may be unfounded and , ‘going forward ‘ the T may have a valuable new contributor.

  • steve

    I’ve done some research and hooray hooray it seems my fears were unwarranted . Young Kev , the heroic saviour of the ailing T , is revealed to be no threat at all to the status quo.
    No indeed better yet Kev is a parasite bigger than the usual crowd of blood suckers associated with this hypocritcal rag. Bigger even than ol’ Dodger Livingstone – and that is saying something.
    An asset manager for commercial properties owned by billionaires / tax avoidence schemes and a finacial fixer ( or alternatively a running dog capitalist of the very oldest school depending on your point of view ) Kev has paid his way into Zanu’s ruling elite and served his time ( or what passes for it nowadays ) by getting defeated in a safe Tory seat in 2005 and shuffling papers / drinking champers at arty farty charidees.
    In fact Kev is such an obviously bloated capitalist I wondered why he is not a Tory * but then I read his company’s web site and all was revealed. The company exploits people on a ‘ truly global ‘ , James Bond villain scale and has significant commitments / investments in the Eurozone.
    The sort of company , in fact , that the Police have such trouble protecting from those horrid unwashed greens , anarchists and socialists that turn up to cause trouble when the G8′s G9′s and G20′s roll into town. ( can we now begin to guess which side of the barricades our Kev would be on ? ) .
    The risk for Kev is that the Tories might go all eurosceptic again or even , intake of breath , start regulating the financial markets ; then where our saviour be ?
    Thank Blair for Zanu’s enslavement to the free movement of exploitative capital ( aka the European Union ) and ‘ light touch ‘ regulation.
    And as a euro MP Kev will be right at the heart of it. Gosh what a co incidence !! I see now why we can expect the T to have ‘… a greater focus on european politics’. Expect loads of pieces telling us that
    ‘ all property , properly managed by an experienced team of well connected portfolio advisers , is not theft at all but is , instead , a sound way of investing surplus capital in a tax free and recession proof manner taking advantage of such emerging markets as Turkey and India ‘
    * the other reason may be that the Tories would find his mode of employment too embarrassing to put before the public. No chance of Kev’s CV coming out in the Zanu controlled MSM though is there ?

  • steve

    I’ve done some research and hooray hooray it seems my fears were unwarranted . Young Kev , the heroic saviour of the ailing T , is revealed to be no threat at all to the status quo.
    No indeed better yet Kev is a parasite bigger than the usual crowd of blood suckers associated with this hypocritcal rag. Bigger even than ol’ Dodger Livingstone – and that is saying something.
    An asset manager for commercial properties owned by billionaires / tax avoidence schemes and a finacial fixer ( or alternatively a running dog capitalist of the very oldest school depending on your point of view ) Kev has paid his way into Zanu’s ruling elite and served his time ( or what passes for it nowadays ) by getting defeated in a safe Tory seat in 2005 and shuffling papers / drinking champers at arty farty charidees.
    In fact Kev is such an obviously bloated capitalist I wondered why he is not a Tory * but then I read his company’s web site and all was revealed. The company exploits people on a ‘ truly global ‘ , James Bond villain scale and has significant commitments / investments in the Eurozone.
    The sort of company , in fact , that the Police have such trouble protecting from those horrid unwashed greens , anarchists and socialists that turn up to cause trouble when the G8′s G9′s and G20′s roll into town. ( can we now begin to guess which side of the barricades our Kev would be on ? ) .
    The risk for Kev is that the Tories might go all eurosceptic again or even , intake of breath , start regulating the financial markets ; then where our saviour be ?
    Thank Blair for Zanu’s enslavement to the free movement of exploitative capital ( aka the European Union ) and ‘ light touch ‘ regulation.
    And as a euro MP Kev will be right at the heart of it. Gosh what a co incidence !! I see now why we can expect the T to have ‘… a greater focus on european politics’. Expect loads of pieces telling us that
    ‘ all property , properly managed by an experienced team of well connected portfolio advisers , is not theft at all but is , instead , a sound way of investing surplus capital in a tax free and recession proof manner taking advantage of such emerging markets as Turkey and India ‘
    * the other reason may be that the Tories would find his mode of employment too embarrassing to put before the public. No chance of Kev’s CV coming out in the Zanu controlled MSM though is there ?

  • Pingback: Micro-miscellany « Poumista

  • http://sexyrussianwomen.blogspot.com/ HotGirl

    Even the gurus will agree with what is being said here. I am glad I found it.

  • http://sexyrussianwomen.blogspot.com/ HotGirl

    Even the gurus will agree with what is being said here. I am glad I found it.