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Personal Opinion Tony Wardle
Many years ago, being a named newspaper columnist was the ultimate journalistic accolade – and king of them all was Cassandra, who expanded minds and extended understanding. What we now seem to have is a plague of arrogant and spiteful self publicists who use vitriol as a weapon and ignorance as a creed.
At least you know where you stand with the bigotry of people like Littlejohn, Hitchens and Mellor. It’s the others who worry me – those who think they have something original to say but are just as trite and reactionary.
With the near collapse of Huntingdon Life Sciences they leapt into print, hoping to mask their ignorance with outrage. Winning top marks on both scores was Carol Sarler in the Observer.
“Babies versus bunnies is not a debate for grown ups”, she says and “we all want our medications thoroughly tested.” The protesters, according to this elderly woman, are other elderly women – blue-rinsed ones who are devoid of understanding and just “want to get their rocks off.”
Not even pausing for breath (or inconsistency) she then turns on Jill Phipps – miles removed from this imaginary stereotype. She “threw herself at a lorry that proceeded to squash her… some might feel that Ms Phipps might better have served the world by staying home and toasting crumpets for her child.” Great advice from someone who never stayed home to toast anything for her child.
The only thing that would keep Ms Sarler standing in the rain and icy cold week after week, would be the promotion of her own career. The only vehicles she has ever jumped on have been bandwagons and the only slogan she has ever shouted has been ‘Me, me me…’
Facts never stand in the way of good copy
in Ms Sarler’s columns. The prescription medications she confidently takes because they are so thoroughly tested on animals, are now the fourth biggest cause of death in the western world. And let’s ignore the fact that ‘scientists’ have ineffectually been torturing animals for 70 years to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, something else Ms Sarler worries so much about. You’d think even she would draw the conclusion that human conditions are best researched on humans.
The opinions of these egotistical writers are not worth a toss. While thousands of unknown people have taken a moral stance to try and influence the fate of a society in crisis, Carol Sarler and her ilk pay homage to the status quo, on which they depend for their power and dosh.
When that simple question finally comes: “What did you do to help save the world, mummy?”, Jill Phipps’ family will answer with justifiable pride and passion. What will yours do, Carol?