If anyone in India thinks heaping abuse upon a politician or their families can wreck careers, they must think again. Sometimes the more an individual is reviled, the more public sympathy s/he arouses.
If anyone in India thinks heaping abuse upon a politician or their families can wreck careers, they must think again. Sometimes the more an individual is reviled, the more public sympathy s/he arouses. And that’s exactly what has happened to Labour Party leader Ed Miliband in the past one week, as the Daily Mail decided to publish diaries that belonged to the Labour leader’s father, Ralph Miliband, a well-known and well-respected Marxist, who taught at the London School of Economics and died some time ago. According to the Daily Mail, the diary extracts apparently proved Miliband senior had no love lost for Britain. In actual fact, these diaries had been maintained by Ralph Miliband when he was just 17 years old, and possibly were just passing observations (I shudder to think what the world would make of me today if they read my diaries when I was a teenager! No wonder one usually hides these wretched things away.) Frankly, even if they are read completely out of context, youthful adolescence is hardly the time to make any large pronouncements upon the world. Yet, the Daily Mail did not give up its tirade easily. The most damning extract, according to the rather belligerent and unapologetic tabloid, was where Ralph Miliband had written that the English were rabid nationalists and wished that they would lose the war. Miliband junior obviously defended his father stoutly saying that he had gone on to join the Royal Navy and fought in World War II. Other politicians from across the board have also supported the Labour leader, including leader of Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg and even Prime Minister David Cameron. Contrary to the expectations of the Daily Mail, which often prides itself on knowing the pulse of the people, this story has actually helped Miliband, rather than harmed him. It has also put him in the spotlight during this season of party conferences (when each political party leader addresses their faithful flock in carefully orchestrated events). The flush of positive endorsements in response to a very nasty story has given the Labour leader’s image a much-needed boost. So sometimes negativity can have unexpected outcomes.
And now the gossip is that the 70-year-old Charles Saatchi is dating again! He was last spotted with the slim style guru Trinny Woodall in the same restaurant where he had been photographed clasping his former wife, Nigella Lawson, by the throat. Perhaps, none of the resulting brouhaha really matters to whoever will be the next woman in Saatchi’s life! Trinny Woodall is by now a familiar name in India too as she was recently in the country. Nigella Lawson has also returned to London to start work on a new show. The truth is that even women in the UK could do with a dose of feminism. Cue Charlotte Raven, firebrand in her mid 40s, with a media background, who has just launched the feisty online magazine Feminist Times though her often-controversial views might get more brickbats than bouquets. Raven used to work with the team, which had initiated the Modern Review magazine years ago. Now a mother of two children, she had then ended up in an openly gay, celebrity relationship with one of the co-founders, Julie Burchill. The inescapable truth is that there is a dire need for a feminist magazine and that is why Raven’s effort is being watched so acutely. Her recent interaction on Women’s Hour with the wonderful Jenni Murray got such an enthusiastic response that reportedly the fund-raising page on her magazine’s website crashed. The magazine, has been launched with the help of 250 people donating £100 each. Though Raven is already a controversial figure criticising other feminists — including Caitlin Moran who wrote the very successful How To Be A Woman — she also suffers from a degenerative disease. Yet, she is determined to make a difference. And while she has ruffled a few feathers, one hopes she bashes on regardless.
Meanwhile, Hanif Kureishi’s new film, Le Weekend, is now out. Written by Kureishi, it is directed by Roger Michell of Notting Hill fame. The downside is that it is yet another film examining the breakdown of a marriage ho hum. It stars the inimitable Lindsay Duncan along with Jim Broadbent as a couple who visit Paris over a weekend to rekindle romance. From all accounts it makes for fairly grim viewing Once upon a time, Kureishi wrote with such robust, humorous insight. Remember My Beautiful Laundrette But life recently might not have been easy as Kureishi — born of a Pakistani father and English mother — apparently lost all his savings in a ponzi scheme. Also, his marriage broke. In the past his family has vociferously objected to his work being autobiographical. One wonders if Lee Weekend, too, is autobiographical
The writer is an award-winning author
