Find me a coat-hanger
mainLove the Times front-page pic today of Lady Warsi, the new Conservative Party chair, posing in front of 10 Downing Street with her handbag at her feet and her coat slung across a railing but still within the frame.
Where were the fixers, the photo-oppers, the spinners and mind-benders who controlled all such occasions under the New Labour regime that is alreader deader than do-dos? Mandy, Campbell, crunch-buckets and soil-splashers would never had allowed such a thing.
One of the most refreshing aspects of the new government is that ministers can dare – for a while, at least – to be themselves, coats and all. Gone are control freaks, along with all the flunkeys, bag carriers, coat hangers and political advisors – gone as the snows of yesteryear (is that Pushkin? someone help me out).
Less cheering is the news that the Times, having worked them to death in the election, is getting rid of ten percent of its editorial staff to stem haemmorhaging losses. Next year’s Times content will be written by interns. And can you find today’s front page pic online? I couldn’t. It’s confusion as usual in the daily rags.
More bad news from Australian newspapers: the Herald Sun has decided in its wisdom to lose the arts pages. But as @scrivenersfancy tweets, Editor says don’t worry, tits and hatred will remain.
Not Pushkin (though he did write about snow a lot) but the French robber/poet Francois Villon, who memorably wondered: “Ou sont les neiges d’antan?”
NL: Ah, merci mon vieux. I knew it from the Modern Hebrew – sheleg de’eshtakad – and assumed a Russian origin. Tant pis!
That’s miserable, Harriet. Your arts pages still ok?