Fat bloke has problem with food shock
The trouble with John Prescott's bulimia is that it falls into the category of things which are funny if they happen to someone else; rather like having a man like Prescott spending 10 years in high ministerial office is funny if it happens to another country.
The man himself recognised the black comedic elements to his condition with his rueful comments.
Mr Prescott… said people would never suspect he suffered from the disorder and that some could accuse him of not being "a very successful bulimic" because his weight did not drop.
Pretty on a par with his ministerial record, then.
And yet, and yet, it's hard not to have some sympathy for the man. And the attempts to politicise this story seem both low and silly. For instance, the Telegraph asks "Did Tony Blair know of John Prescott's bulimia?" in tones of breathless, sub-Daily Mail hysteria as if there were some ghastly deceit perpetrated on the public. Assuming that it is not being seriously suggested that Prescott might have sold state secrets for a bag of chips or accidentally started a war whilst on a sugar high after gorging on M&S trifles, I would imagine that had Blair known, his response would have been "so what"?
However, buried within the story is the most ridiculous comment of all. The fact that it comes form the TaxPayers' Alliance – a rentaquote mob whose sole point is that spending public money is a bad thing (I'm half- waiting for one of their spokespeople to start complaining that solider are being given expensive kit when they could make do with swords or bows and arrows). In this case the comment is:
Mark Wallace, the campaign director for the TaxPayers' Alliance, said he should have disclosed his condition, especially as he had claimed £4,000 in food expenses a year.
It's hard to look both ridiculous, sanctimonious and vindictive at the same time, but Mark Wallace manages it with ease. This is the type of thing that makes me want to vomit.
The man himself recognised the black comedic elements to his condition with his rueful comments.
Mr Prescott… said people would never suspect he suffered from the disorder and that some could accuse him of not being "a very successful bulimic" because his weight did not drop.
Pretty on a par with his ministerial record, then.
And yet, and yet, it's hard not to have some sympathy for the man. And the attempts to politicise this story seem both low and silly. For instance, the Telegraph asks "Did Tony Blair know of John Prescott's bulimia?" in tones of breathless, sub-Daily Mail hysteria as if there were some ghastly deceit perpetrated on the public. Assuming that it is not being seriously suggested that Prescott might have sold state secrets for a bag of chips or accidentally started a war whilst on a sugar high after gorging on M&S trifles, I would imagine that had Blair known, his response would have been "so what"?
However, buried within the story is the most ridiculous comment of all. The fact that it comes form the TaxPayers' Alliance – a rentaquote mob whose sole point is that spending public money is a bad thing (I'm half- waiting for one of their spokespeople to start complaining that solider are being given expensive kit when they could make do with swords or bows and arrows). In this case the comment is:
Mark Wallace, the campaign director for the TaxPayers' Alliance, said he should have disclosed his condition, especially as he had claimed £4,000 in food expenses a year.
It's hard to look both ridiculous, sanctimonious and vindictive at the same time, but Mark Wallace manages it with ease. This is the type of thing that makes me want to vomit.
Labels: food, puritans, quality journalism
posted by buff and blue at 9:10 pm
3 Comments:
I've always thought the TaxPayers' Alliance has about as much credibility as Mediawatch. Bunch of twats who need gainful employment.
Puss
Wow, what a vicious and petty little man.
But enough about Bill, that guy from the Taxpayers Alliance is bad enough (boom boom)
Self-appointed spokespeople for causes or groups should always be treated with disdain and suspicion. (Dornan's fourth law of politics).
In the case of The Taxpayers' Alliance, I'm working on the assumption they're too lazy or thick to be a think tank and come up with proper policies and suggestions.
Post a Comment
<< Home