Our Enemies on the Left
Recent posts have noted Nick Cohen's strange dislike of Rory Bremner and Chris Huhne. While political wonks in the know dissected Michael Crick's Huhne investigation on Newsnight, Nick went -- again -- for the "He used to drive a BMW! Truly the transportation of a bounder!" Most of us, confronted with someone we don't like who's got a big car would mutter about "compensating for something" and move on.
But not Nick. The "Beemer" story is big enough news to make the Observer two weeks running. (Obviously, I'm using the word "news" loosely here.)
So why these two? And is there a third man? Or a fourth? Commenter Tim P finds the fatal flaw in Nick's criticism of Bremner:
I suppose you could argue that if the audience didn't laugh, it's because their self-hating middle-class mores mean that they'd sit po-faced through any performance featuring someone with a towel on his head and speaking in a funny voice. And it's the last word in hip comedy too!
As for Chris Huhne, there may be some substantive issues which a political commentator with a column in a broadsheet, I mean serious, national paper could analyse.
I've listened to part of Nick's Little Atoms (isn't that a tautology?) interview. In it he mentions sending an email to Ian McEwan (not that he meant to name drop) citing the old "truth is stranger than fiction" thing with reference to Gorgeous George on Big Brother. That reminded me of Mark Twain's "The reason why truth is stranger than fiction is that there is no requirement for it to be consistent." (Obvious Mr Twain can be excused for not having read or seen "Fight Club" when he said that.) Why does anyone say "Truth is stranger than fiction?" Especially someone who should know better and whose Wikipedia entry compares him to Orwell?
But not Nick. The "Beemer" story is big enough news to make the Observer two weeks running. (Obviously, I'm using the word "news" loosely here.)
So why these two? And is there a third man? Or a fourth? Commenter Tim P finds the fatal flaw in Nick's criticism of Bremner:
Ah yes, the smiles of recognition in the studio audience as Rory Bremner launches into an impression of Mohammed Khatami, perfectly capturing all his verbal tics and idiosyncratic gestures! Hear the guffaws break out as he lampoons Khatami's over cautious push to reform Iran!
I suppose you could argue that if the audience didn't laugh, it's because their self-hating middle-class mores mean that they'd sit po-faced through any performance featuring someone with a towel on his head and speaking in a funny voice. And it's the last word in hip comedy too!
As for Chris Huhne, there may be some substantive issues which a political commentator with a column in a broadsheet, I mean serious, national paper could analyse.
I've listened to part of Nick's Little Atoms (isn't that a tautology?) interview. In it he mentions sending an email to Ian McEwan (not that he meant to name drop) citing the old "truth is stranger than fiction" thing with reference to Gorgeous George on Big Brother. That reminded me of Mark Twain's "The reason why truth is stranger than fiction is that there is no requirement for it to be consistent." (Obvious Mr Twain can be excused for not having read or seen "Fight Club" when he said that.) Why does anyone say "Truth is stranger than fiction?" Especially someone who should know better and whose Wikipedia entry compares him to Orwell?
posted by The Rioja Kid at 2/20/2006 05:51:00 PM
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