MARK Reckons poses an interesting question in a new blog meme: which celebrity do you really – and unaccountably – hate?
It’s been provoked by an article by Bryony Gordon – who has an irrational hatred of Hugh Grant, and who explains:
I have a theory that almost everybody loathes one person in the public eye with such passion that the mere mention of their name is enough to make you combust with rage. This person has to be someone famous, someone you have never met before, someone who can pop up on the television for 30 seconds yet make you feel apoplectic for hours afterwards.
Mark’s gone for Patrick Kielty, a choice that will have many readers nodding in understanding. I’ve been tagged to suggest my own candidate.
If you were to ask Carolyn who she would expect me to nominate, she wouldn’t miss a beat: Sandi Toksvig. There is just something about her that annoys me to distraction, even when she’s saying something that’s actually quite humorous.
Is it her voice – that voice that has become progressively more affected and phoney the longer she’s been in the public eye? She sounds more like Lady Bracknell every time she appears on Radio 4 (so, 18 times a week, then) and you just know she can’t possibly sound like that in private.
Or is it that really irritating, 1980s alternative comedy-style “Uhmm…” that she uses immediately after every punchline as if she’s about to move on swiftly to her next observation, but never does?
Or is it simply that I know she’s a LibDem?
Or all of the above?
Whatever the explanation, I accept it’s (almost) entirely irrational. And that’s a shame because I love The News Quiz, but have never been able to enjoy it since she took over the chair from Simon Hoggart.
The icing on the cake for me was when I attended the Channel 4 Politician of the Year Awards in 2007 and she won the award for Political Humorist of the Year. What?! I almost choked on my 100 per cent genuine Champlagne. Humorist of the Year? For what – reading out other people’s gags on Radio 4?
Anyway, that’s my nomination. I now tag the following: Conor Pope, Hopi Sen, Iain Dale, Jamie Reed and Yappin Yousuf.
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Monday 9 November 2009 at 5:46 pm
Hi Tom,
“I’m not aware of any evidence that low tax credit rates are responsible for low take-up of paid employment.”
Raising or expanding the coverage of working tax credit would be one way of making sure that more people are better off in work than on benefit.
Another way would be to introduce free childcare for working parents, which would remove one of the major barriers stopping people getting jobs and make a lot of middle and lower income families significantly better off.
There’s any number of excellent ways to use any money raised from the very highest earners. The alternative is to take more from the middle class and poor either in tax rises or service cuts, surely that’s much worse?
Monday 9 November 2009 at 5:49 pm
Amusing lies from the loon in S Africa as ever . .
Oh, and I Like our basic 20p Income tax rate, lowest in our lifetimes, and will be sorry when the 15% VAT rate goes back up to the Tory rate of 17.5%.
Monday 9 November 2009 at 5:57 pm
“MPs appoint researchers who aren’t me shock horror!”
We all live with our disappointments.
Sadie’s judgement that self deprecating blogs will not be de rigeur next year looks pretty wide of the mark, whatever happens.
Having sloped off, perhaps she will flounce back.
Monday 9 November 2009 at 6:03 pm
@ Libranos:
Johnson was right, he had to try and stop further public decay of HMG’s position on illegal and dangerous drugs.
Doesn’t mean it was a winning position, just no sensible choice imho.
Monday 9 November 2009 at 6:12 pm
Canada has bout half the popualtion of the UK, and its House of Commons has about the number of members.
Also, the US has a directly elected uper chamber, so really it has 535 congressman, not 435.
Monday 9 November 2009 at 8:14 pm
“To sum up the arguments currently in vogue: everyone hates MPs, so there should be fewer of them. And that’s it.”
True, but why? Simple. You singuarly refuse to listen to us on crime, punishment, Europe, benifits, Section 28 etc etc etc.
Monday 9 November 2009 at 8:39 pm
The Tories in power have always been quite different from their promises on immigration:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_immigration#Contemporary_immigration_.281983_onwards.29
In practice they have followed the economic imperatives of cheaper labour and more growth.
But they and their billionaires’ trolls do like to lie about it, especially when they live abroad . .
Sunday 21 March 2010 at 9:53 am
which celebrity do you really – and unaccountably – hate?
easy peasy…….Tom (Mr Celebrity) Harris
Sunday 21 March 2010 at 11:40 am
I despise Gordon Brown rather than hate him. Does that count?
I spent years hating my late father (while he was alive) and never spoke to him in 20 years preceding his death. After he passed on I realised how pointless my reaction was. I could have just ignored him, but there was absolutely no point in getting worked up to the point of hate. Now I don’t waste time hating anyone.
I despise Gordon for his double-talk, his lack of candour, his apparent unwillingness to listen to others and the his inability to realise that however badly he wanted the job of PM, he is totally unsuited for the post. The reports of his poor manners, temper tantrums and indecision are too numerous to ignore and merely reinforce my opinion that he is the wrong man for the job.
In spite of all that, I don’t hate him.
Sunday 21 March 2010 at 11:59 am
No, that doesn’t count. mark was very strict on this – you have to choose a celeb, not a politician.
Sunday 21 March 2010 at 1:15 pm
Alan Carr, Everytime the bloke comes on the box (ooer missus) I’m reminded of the line from 1984. The one about a boot stomping on a human face, forever!
Monday 22 March 2010 at 1:07 am
Jordan. Because of how she portrays herself and her small children, and my daughter is obsessed with her seemingly endless pony stories for children which I have to read aloud night after night. And now I have written that I am thinking who am I to hate? And it is my failure to persuade said daughter not to want other books, and Jordan might get upset if she reads this. But on balance, I think that unlikely, so – Jordan.
Monday 22 March 2010 at 7:40 am
D the P: JV won the 1979 UK Championship.
“Where’s the white ball going?”
Monday 22 March 2010 at 9:15 pm
Marcus Brigstocke, Jeremy Hardy, Marcus Brigstocke, Bonnie Greer. Did I mention Marcus Brigstocke?
Why? Because they’re all arrogant, self-important and deluded that they’re incisively witty despite having to labour every point.
I like Sandi Toksvig.
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