Someone who really is going to have to remain nameless (not least because his name, and now his email address, are the only things I know about him) has just copied me the following email to Comment is Free:
Oh well, since you are determined not to register me because I have suggested to you in the past that you should engage David Lindsay as a regular contributor [news to me, but bless you], here is what I would have posted, copied to the email address on his blog. I read it daily, although I have never met him.
That blog is certainly not "all me, me, me". Like his comment above, it marks him out as one of the most original and inspiring political commentators in Britain today. Whoever suggested that he should leave these matters to Polly Toynbee and "Michael" (presumably Michael White) must be content with the thoughts of a woman who insists that all politicians are saints and a man who merely submits politicians' press releases over his own name. Well, I am not. And people who think that policies are "boring" shouldn't be posting comments on Comment Is Free, although it looks as if they could easily be employed to write for it.
As for this being Toynbee's and White's "craft", that doesn't necessarily make them any good at it. Anyway, how does one get into this "craft"? Funny how all its practitioners seem to posh. But then, this is the Guardian, which periodically runs articles by upper-class schoolchildren, presumably not chosen at random. You do realise that this sort of experience goes on Ucas forms, don't you?
A bit less of them and a bit more of David Lindsay would not go amiss. As would a bit more of David Lindsay and bit less of the gossipy, policy-free Polly Toynbee and "Michael". Some of us want to read about politics, you know.
Well, they know where I am, I suppose. Indeed, anyone else who'd like to help me out, do feel free to email any such suggestion to comment.is.free@guardian.co.uk, copied to georgina.henry@guardian.co.uk, and even (if you happen to feel like it) to davidaslindsay@hotmail.com. But you might like to phrase things a little differently...
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"But then, this is the Guardian, which periodically runs articles by upper-class schoolchildren, presumably not chosen at random. You do realise that this sort of experience goes on Ucas forms, don't you?"
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes! Haven't you made this point before David, both here and on CiF?
Yes. And no doubt I will again. This practice on the part of the Guardian really annoys me.
ReplyDeleteTheir mates' kiddies are handed the opportunity to put on their university application forms that they have been published in a national broadsheet newspaper. The one, moreover, probably most likely to be read by the people reading the forms, who were almost certainly appointed from an advertisement in it.
How is anyone supposed to compete with that?
As the old saying goes, Tories may be better born, but liberals are born better.
Is it about the comment you posted at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2179065,00.html? That comment is the best thing I've ever read on the subject. Whereas Toynbee's article is dreadful, even by her standards.
ReplyDeleteYes, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,21 79065,00.html - that seems to what this is about.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is. I wrote the email. I make no bones about it. Why should I?
ReplyDeleteCIF refuses to register me because I have suggested to them in the past, perfectly politely, that someone who posts several comments per day on their site, often better than articles there, and always under his own name, deserves to be taken on as regular writer.
For that, I cannot comment on CIF at all. David's advocacy of a new party of the kind he sets out must not have any supporters, you see. It can't have. It just can't.
I don't know why they can't just ban David. But I'm very glad they haven't. And I hope they don't. Now that he has given you the necessary email addresses, let them know what you think.