I’m exhausted today, so I’m going to spend my lunch hour with my eyes closed. tyger Jnr. has had me up half the night. Still, why is that your problem?
Needless to say I’ll get something written tonight and up on the blog for your delectation, but in the meantime, why not read B-J’s column in today’s Telegraph? Ol’ Boris argues that the new Cameroonian darling, Polly Toynbee, is really a Tory. Jeeeesh!
She joins the usual Labour snarling against fee-paying education, and selective education of all kinds. In reality, of course, she is the beneficiary of a highly selective education and also sent her own offspring to one of the most expensive and competitive public schools in the country, an establishment way beyond the means of most people.
Of course there will be those who accuse her of monstrous hypocrisy, and wonder how she can write her hate-filled philippics about selection in education, and how on earth she can insist on imposing a one-size-fits-all comprehensive system on the rest of the country, and close down the opportunities of so many poor but bright kids, when she has so ruthlessly maximised the opportunities of her own children.
To which I reply: oh well, of course she is a hypocrite; but by their deeds shall ye know them! Never mind the rhetoric of her Guardian column. In her actions, Polly emerges as someone who cares about securing the best possible chances for her own children, and in that way she is bowing before the strongest and deepest conservative force of all, a great and immutable fact of human nature, a truth of biology and motherhood compared with which a thousand hypocritical Guardian columns are nothing but chaff.
That should have some Guardianistas chewing on their sandals.
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Once upon a time, I was perplexed as to why Chomsky took little personal interest in reading ANY English newspaper - except perhaps The Financial Times (cos that was the only English paper to tell it ‘how it is’ for the benefit of the ‘Powers-that-Be’).
The Guardian appears to be one particular UK paper which he has less than a little time for.
I can see why.
The Cameron juggarnaut continues to (try and) gobble up personalities.
Richard,
Yes, I see what you mean. I do like the columnists (in general) in the Guardian, but I have never really liked PT much. I’m more interested in the International pages. I like Garry Younge, Geoffrey Wheatcroft and Timothy Garton Ash.
As for the FT. The Weekend magazine is the best magazine in any newspaper, it’s worth the cover price alone.