Jonathan May-Bowles
I can think of no other legislature in the world which would have let members of the public into the same room as yesterday’s committee hearing with Rupert & James Murdoch.
As a result of the British Parliament’s openness, UK Uncut founder, Hero of Fortnum & Mason, and “activist”, Jonathan May-Bowles, who lives in Windsor and probably went to a decent public school*, (Update: He went to Grammar School, specifically St Bernard’s in Slough, parents being rich enough to afford a house in the catchment area…) was able to make a brilliant political point by publicly assualting an 80 year-old man who’d just described the proceedings as “the humblest day of my life”, with a custard pie. To make himself even more risible, he got a kicking off Wendi, the old man’s wife in the process.
Make the argument that you think the Murdochs to be evil incarnate, by all means. We do after all live in a free country. Boycott the Murdoch press. Pressure the advertisers who fund News International titles. These are all democratic, legitimate tactics. Wave placards in the street, make your point online, or in “comedy” shows. But there is a time and a place for “direct action” and when your quarry is giving evidence to Parliament is manifestly not it.
The sheer childish futility of such “actions” gets to me. What is the point? This made Murdoch, who was playing the part of a doddery old codger to perfection, seem vulnerable. The headlines today are about Wendi’s lightening defence of her husband, not wrongdoing at News International. But the real effect of well-heeled protester’s actions are that such openness in letting into Parliament self-confessed anarchist activists will be a thing of the past, and British democracy now gets a little more closed, the politicians a little further removed from the people they legislate for.
Thanks, Jonnie, you complete bell-end. You just made British democracy a little worse for all of us.
Did you expect anything better from the weapons grade know nothings which form #ukuncut ?
The same self righteous cockspankery as displayed by other Alinskyites such as plane stupid.
Why is it that it is always the well-to-do, public-school educated, commie-wannabees become self-appointed champions of the "downtrodden"?
Perhaps it's a late developing teenage rebellion against mummy and daddy, what with being members of the establishment and all.
Gotta love that Wendi though huh? Not that I would fancy a domestic argument with her "Okay babe you can have the Jimy Choo's….. oh, the COMPANY, sure, what ever you say babe"
Agree the guy is a grade A knob, also Sunny Hundal sticking up for him just showed them all up to be a load of twats.
Well said Jackart!
Piers
@The Working Class
As far as I'm aware, Sunny Hundal criticised the pie incident for being childish and distracting from the issues at hand – namely mass organised illegality by members of the organisation that has had a powerful say in the way the country has been run for the past 15 years.
Its sad you mixed up your sensible suggestion that Jonathan May-Bowles action's distracted from finding out about corruption in the Murdocj Empire with some sort of childish attempt to suggest he is a hypocritical toff.
(1) Grammar Schools don't have catchments – they take the people who come top in their entrance exams regardless of distance
(2) Jonathan May-Bowles grew up in Ward Royal – a Windsor Council Estate
Whilst you are quite legitimate to suggest his pie throw may be a distraction from the issues, it also probably the case that this is the worst thing that is going to happen to Murdoch after 3 decades of subverting democracy in the UK, Australia and United States.