Comments on: Aaronovitch savages the dinner-partyocracy http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/2005/04/03/633/ Because all the other domain names were taken Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:53:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: Alexander http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/2005/04/03/633/comment-page-1/#comment-787 Alexander Tue, 05 Apr 2005 03:49:50 +0000 http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/blog/?p=633#comment-787 Aaronovitch can be summed up best as a smug, myopic, complacent twit in sore need of a slap. Still, he does liven up my Sunday mornings - like Hoxton's answer to Mr. Bean let loose on the editorial section of The Observer. Aaronovitch can be summed up best as a smug, myopic, complacent twit in sore need of a slap. Still, he does liven up my Sunday mornings – like Hoxton’s answer to Mr. Bean let loose on the editorial section of The Observer.

]]> By: Neil http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/2005/04/03/633/comment-page-1/#comment-785 Neil Mon, 04 Apr 2005 15:49:10 +0000 http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/blog/?p=633#comment-785 Never liked Aaronovitch, always thought he was right wing! So it is no surprise to hear he is off to the Times soon. It will be interesting to see if he does a Melanie Phillips! Never liked Aaronovitch, always thought he was right wing! So it is no surprise to hear he is off to the Times soon. It will be interesting to see if he does a Melanie Phillips!

]]> By: tom http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/2005/04/03/633/comment-page-1/#comment-784 tom Mon, 04 Apr 2005 11:38:03 +0000 http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/blog/?p=633#comment-784 God dammit - I've been trying to become part of the trendy bruschetta orthodoxy for years now. I moved to a refined, hip part of London, within easy reach of Islington; I voiced my unhappiness with the Labour hierarchy's attitudes and policies with exactly the correct tone of righteous, intellectual disenchantment; I worked in the media. I did everything I possibly could to become a part of the comfortable, middle-class liberal elite that I feel is my natural home - nay, my birthright. Hell, I even spent three weeks stalking Polly Toynbee. And for what? Not one invite. Not a sun-dried tomato in sight. I haven't been to a dinner party in months, nearly a year. Here I remain, eating supermarket mini-pizzas on my own, with only my keyboard and next-door's cat for company. And yet, somehow, I still disagree with a large number of my party's policies. How can this be? I'm puzzled. Am I attending dinner parties without realising it? Could I be sleep-dinner partying? Are a shady cabal of well-educated Guardianistas holding stealth dinner parties, just near enough to me that I somehow absorb their ill-thought out moaning? It's a mystery... (Copied and pasted from what I wrote on the Observer blog.) God dammit – I’ve been trying to become part of the trendy bruschetta orthodoxy for years now. I moved to a refined, hip part of London, within easy reach of Islington; I voiced my unhappiness with the Labour hierarchy’s attitudes and policies with exactly the correct tone of righteous, intellectual disenchantment; I worked in the media. I did everything I possibly could to become a part of the comfortable, middle-class liberal elite that I feel is my natural home – nay, my birthright.

Hell, I even spent three weeks stalking Polly Toynbee.

And for what? Not one invite. Not a sun-dried tomato in sight. I haven’t been to a dinner party in months, nearly a year. Here I remain, eating supermarket mini-pizzas on my own, with only my keyboard and next-door’s cat for company.

And yet, somehow, I still disagree with a large number of my party’s policies. How can this be? I’m puzzled. Am I attending dinner parties without realising it? Could I be sleep-dinner partying? Are a shady cabal of well-educated Guardianistas holding stealth dinner parties, just near enough to me that I somehow absorb their ill-thought out moaning?

It’s a mystery…

(Copied and pasted from what I wrote on the Observer blog.)

]]> By: Max http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/2005/04/03/633/comment-page-1/#comment-783 Max Sun, 03 Apr 2005 22:44:12 +0000 http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/blog/?p=633#comment-783 Thank you for countering an article which I felt was wrong but didn't have the knowledge to counter myself. I can vaguely accept some of Aaronovitch's points that people don't appreciate what the labour government has done. On the other hand our glorious leader doesn't make a big thing of it, preferring to fight for re-election based on the suggestion that they are not as bad as the alternative, while suggesting all sorts of reactionary policies to please daily mail readers. As far as I know most of the good things that Labour has done are due to Gordon Brown so we can go on hating Tony all we want. Also a recent Guardian article suggests that Blair's plan after the election is to reduce the role of the treasury and civil service, further consolidating his power and ability to do what he wants, and he will be able to do this with a large majority. Thank you for countering an article which I felt was wrong but didn’t have the knowledge to counter myself. I can vaguely accept some of Aaronovitch’s points that people don’t appreciate what the labour government has done. On the other hand our glorious leader doesn’t make a big thing of it, preferring to fight for re-election based on the suggestion that they are not as bad as the alternative, while suggesting all sorts of reactionary policies to please daily mail readers. As far as I know most of the good things that Labour has done are due to Gordon Brown so we can go on hating Tony all we want. Also a recent Guardian article suggests that Blair’s plan after the election is to reduce the role of the treasury and civil service, further consolidating his power and ability to do what he wants, and he will be able to do this with a large majority.

]]>