Sarah Vine talked about newspaper ethics with Michael Portillo and Alan Johnson yesterday evening on BBC’s This Week. Andrew Neil, sat back, with a smile on his face. Why? Just watch this fascinating takedown:
Here’s a juicy extract:
Portillo: “Well, Sarah in her article about Mrs Miliband compared her to an alien – compared her to Mr Spock and said that a government under Ed Miliband would bring a Stalinesque situation. I mean that was pretty tough talk, particularly from someone who’s in a position to know how vulnerable you are…”
Vine: “It’s interesting because when I started out in the process I was – well not exactly a sensitive flower – but certainly a much more nicer person than I am now. You just get tough. You have to get tough, otherwise you just can’t survive it.
Portillo: “Yeah but there’s something else going on: the corrupting influence of newspapers. Newspapers want you to write that sort of vile stuff. I mean that lady has done nothing wrong in life except that she happens to married to the leader of the opposition. To compare her to alien or Mr Spock in my view is not justified.”
Burn.
Here’s an extract from Vine column in the Daily Mail yesterday:
The one thing that was totally lacking from her [Justine Miliband] interview [with BBC on Tuesday], however, was humour. That and any sign of warmth, empathy or fallibility.
Intellectually, I’m certain she understands these concepts. But, like the late Mr Spock, one gets the impression she considers them unnecessary, inconvenient and wholly surplus to requirements.
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