View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
  2. UK Politics
19 January 2007

CBB – you just can’t get away from it

Celebrity Big Brother seems have taken over the blogosphere

By Owen Walker

As with the physical world, the blogosphere was alive with the sound of racist Celebrity Big Brother comments this week. Sunny on Pickled Politics wrote: “I believe such examples of bullying (by Jade Goody) and subtle racism (by the other two) should be exposed and aired so people can see that even in 2007 such ignorant attitudes exist and should be condemned.”

The UK Daily Pundit queried why, with Channel 4’s Undercover Mosque exposing extremist Islamic preachers operating in London, so much debate in parliament centred on “Two slappers and a Scouser.”

While Tom Harris MP cut through the debate by offering: “It isn’t about race or bullying at all – it’s about ratings.”

The Daily Mail’s Benedict Brogan, who is accompanying Gordon Brown on his trip to India, gave an insight into the Chancellor’s view of CBB: “In private the Chancellor leaves little doubt that he doesn’t think much of BB, which he’s watched over the past few days. The voyeuristic thrill can’t make up for the glaring deficiencies of the English education system. He prefers the aspirational approach of the X-factor.”

In the same week the Royal Mint launched a two pound coin to celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of the Union between England and Scotland, political bloggers were putting in their two pence worth over its future.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

The Campaign for and English Parliament and Richard Bailey saw it as a good time for restricting Scottish and Welsh MPs to only vote on Scottish and Welsh issues. While A Conservative’s blog described it as: “The anniversary for a couple about to divorce.”

Northern Ireland and Wales Secretary Peter Hain, whose recent interview in the New Statesman heavily criticised the Bush administration, has taken a battering this week.

The Daily’s review: “It just smacks a little of cynical opportunism, as he attempts to position himself as an anti-war critic inside the cabinet. The gap between the rhetoric and reality of Hain’s politics is increasingly marked.” While, Paul Linford submitted a post entitled ‘Hain rediscovers his balls. A pity he mislaid them in 2003’. Speculation abounds as to whether Hains’ new found voice of protest is due to his interest in the party deputy leadership.

Last week we reported Hilary Benn was launching his deputy leadership campaign online and this week saw one of his running-buddies doing the same. Harriet Harman can count on the vote of Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan.

In her first entry, Harman asks why men sleep with prostitutes (or as Labour Watch terms it: “The Solicitor General has chosen to kick off on the topic of soliciting”). Kerron Cross helps her out: “It’s because those men want sex.” Of course I should point out that Harman ceased to be solicitor general in 2005 becoming a minister in the Constitutional Affairs department.

Finally, David Davies tells of an amusing story of when a hotel in mid-Wales double-booked a Conservative conference with a biker gang get-together: “I am told that this led to some unlikely scenes in the bar in the early hours with leather clad bikers and besuited Conservative activists putting the world to rights over a few ales.”

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU