Campbell’s end?
The world and his wife are hopefully going to get laid into this and I can’t resist it either. It’s like being told you can punch Chris Moyles in the face free of any consequences.
Alastair Campbell is blogging the World Cup for New Labour.
His opening post is a peach, written with barely disguised menace,
The best thing about the next few weeks is that, give or take a few saddos who just don’t get the pleasure a round ball can give, even more than usual nobody will care a damn what the political pundits say about anything.
…and not at all disguised misogyny,
Within a matter of few days, we will have that four yearly rash of women newspaper columnists suddenly imagining that the world needs to know their views on Ronaldinho, or how confused they get that there is a Ronaldo playing for Brazil and another playing for Portugal…
At the time of writing the blog’s comment are open and unmoderated (I couldn’t resist my own cheap shot) but whether the New Labour servers can withstand a month of bile remains to be seen. (UPDATE: The comments are off, they’re on, they’re moderated.)
Alastair seems very proud of his recent Soccer Aid escapade and allows the Great Unwashed to press their noses up against the glass while he talks about his celebrity mates. He also finds time for his rapidly tiring whine about the “increasingly demented media” and adds a hefty dash of propaganda (“These days the Government doesn’t seem to get the credit for a strong economy, new schools and more money for hospitals”). He’s certainly straining with his who gives a crap about politics when there’s football to be watched bread and circuses gambit.
The thing is, and this is probably a stupid thing for a blogger to say, he’s not actually that good a writer, is he? Couldn’t Labour have asked a Literati chum or two to do the heavy lifting? He has a style that probably served him well when he was writing pornography and for the Mirror during its stagnant wilderness years under the ownership of Robert Maxwell. He’s the clumsiest of propagandists (subtlety is quite beyond him) and when it comes to talking about football, let’s face it, he’s no Alan Partridge.
(The Labour server seem to be creaking already. No doubt it’s being absolutely hammered, after all, it’s not everyday…)
Update: The question of how the blog was funded has been answered.
Update update: Ha. My comment has gone the way of Campbell’s sense of perspective – supressed for the good of the Party.
Posted on June 9th, 2006 at 4:17pm under Culture, media and sport
It’s rediculous enough that they think people may be interested in what Alistair Campbell has to say on sodding football, as if he’s popular somewhere.
What’s next? Harriet Harman’s views on the Big Brother eviction?
Oddly, I quoted Mr Campbell in a comment*, and it has yet to appear on the site. I wonder why?
* “Fuck off and cover something important, you cunts”
Justin,
Your perfect one-liner has been noted by the BBC and will be duly deposited in the national archives, British Library, Internet wayback machine, etc.
Of course you will also be known for all time as ‘another man’. Patronising sods. Surprised they didn’t quote your age or where you’re from while they were at it.
Thing is, they;ve deleted the comment, but not deleted the person quoting it and adding more: “Alastair, if Iran find themselves behind at half time, do you think they’ll be able to launch a counter-attack in the following 45 minutes? Excellent!! Alastair, maybe you could take a few free kicks for England – although, with the amount spin you´d put on it, it’d end up in your own goal!!!”
So someone referencing Justin’s comment looks weird as it’s not there. Also, comments are most recent first. I hate that.
Sorry to have to post this, and I did elsewhere.
Meanwhile whilst the rest ot the World watching football or chatting about the Zarqawi victory:
Israeli artillery shells struck a group of civilians during a family picnic at a Gaza beach, killing nine people, including three children, and wounding more than 25 others, Palestinian medical officials said today.
The artillery shells were fired by Israeli gunboats stationed just off the Mediterranean coast.
The barrage scattered body parts along the beach. A tent was destroyed, and bloody sheets were scattered about. A crowd quickly flocked to the are, screaming and running around in confusion. One tearful man held the limp body of what appeared to be a girl or young woman. “Muslims, look at this,†he shouted.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/ …tory262683.html
Alastair Campbell launches World Cup Blog…
Oh, for fuck’s sake. UPDATE (2:47) – Tch. For some reason they deleted this comment. Coincidentally, they have also just started reviewing comments before publishing them. UPDATE (3:01) – Oh dear. Actually, it looks like comments have been disabled en…
You’re in the Times today as well Justin. And not just credited as ‘another man’.
Your comment had an uncredited appearance in yesterday’s Guardian diary
It was in the Sunday Telegraph as well and got read out in the newspaper review on News 24. Which was nice.
I quite like the everyman appeal to “another man”. “Who was he,” they’ll ask of me in hushed tones. “Just another man.”