Saturday, 20 July 2019

On being accused of 'racism' by "a fishwife on acid"


I don't think the Spectator online has yet got round to posting Rod Liddle's latest magazine piece headlined Don't believe the headlines.

It's a very interesting piece in its own right, but its main purpose is something I'll leave alone until the Speccie gets round to publishing it on the worldwide web (unless I've missed it).

All I'll do instead is to type out - for your delectation - its splendidly splenetic opening paragraph:
I suppose it was a bit naive to wander on to Newsnight having been booked to talk about Brexit and my new book and expect to talk about Brexit and my new book. I should have expected instead to be shrieked at about 'racism' by a fishwife on acid, which is what happened. In the usual calm, measured and unpartisan manner, Emily Maitlis suggested that I spewed bile each week for the Murdoch press. I might have pointed out that at least people voluntarily fork out their couple of quid to immerse themselves in that bile, rather than as in her case being involuntarily taxed to pay for her inflated salary, a reward for lousing up prime ministerial debates and reading an autocue in a bien pensant manner to a pygmy audience. Everything, for Emily, is racist, as it is for the vast majority of the BBC.
Ah, as Sue's already pointed out, if only Rod had said that live on Newsnight. Revenge served cold is never as good as revenge served hot.