Jilly Cooper’s state of the nation style summary strikes chords with Matthew Steeples
Best-selling bonkbuster author Jilly Cooper might be best known for novels such as Riders and Jump! but in the 1980s and 90s she was equally lauded as “one of the Conservative Party’s most ardent supporters.”
Jilly Cooper
Cooper, born in 1937, showed she still has a grip on the nation’s pulse yesterday when she declared that the Conservative Party is “full of terrible people now” to The Spectator’s “Steerpike.”
Separately, in a comment to The Telegraph’s “Mandrake,” Mrs Cooper shared her thoughts on Pippa Middleton’s first book, Celebrate:
“[It] wasn’t a good idea. I don’t blame her – I think that she was ill-advised… All I can say is that I hope the British don’t demonise her because of it. She seems a lovely girl and her sister is wonderful.”
Ever the diplomat, Jilly Cooper, in these comments, shows herself as a truly brilliant wordsmith. She has tact and decency but at the same time doesn’t hold back when it comes to honesty.
Nigel Farage should put in a call. Mrs Cooper could be just the asset UKIP needs to transform them from a “bunch of loons” to electability.
Matthew Steeples takes a view on the story of David Cameron, UKIP, racism and foster homes
First David Cameron described UKIP supporters as “mostly racist” and then a pair of ex-Labour supporting foster parents from Rotherham had three children taken from their care due to their support for that party. Sane people are rightly asking: “What is going on?” and also wondering: “What on earth is ‘Call Me Dave’ playing at?”
The UK Independence Party is an organisation that reflects the views of many in this country and a significant segment of our readership back them too. Equally, many do not and UKIP rightly accepts that. Of course, by their very existence they are a party whose stances polarize opinion and their naff logo and the proclamations of some of their odder members do make rational individuals cringe from time to time.
Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage, the party’s best asset, is a man guided by sense. He has pointed out many of the significant failings of the European Union and he does it boldly and with a belief bolstered by a dedication to improving Great Britain’s lot. Like or loathe him, here is a politician with passion and one whose influence is growing.
A site that proclaims itself as: “Britain’s most-read political blog,” PoliticalBetting.com, takes a different view and backs Cameron’s statement in suggesting: “There is an Islamophobic element to UKIP that mirrors many parties in Europe.” They refer to “golliwog supporters” and even add:
“David Cameron is right to stand his ground and not apologise for his earlier remarks about UKIP. What should worry him more is the growing number of people in his own party who seem quite relaxed with working with them. They are either blissfully unaware of what lies underneath the party’s anti-European statements or worse are prepared to tolerate them for electoral gain.”
All a decent couple did was to attempt to care for unfortunate children and their political alliegances are an irrelevance. PoliticalBetting.com and David Cameron’s generalisations about UKIP are also wrong and Rotherham council’s actions are utterly abhorrent. Have none of these people learnt anything from how the media firestorm of the Jimmy Savile saga was fueled? Isn’t it about time that they woke up and got their own houses in order instead of ranting about racism and foster parenting?
Gregory Barker worked for Roman Abramovich at the Sibneft Oil Group and as Energy Minister, took his daschund, Otto, to work at the Houses of Parliament. A Conservative Member of Parliament between 2001 and 2015, Barker lives between Notting Hill and Sussex and is widely cited as the architect of David Cameron’s “green conservatism”.
A former broker who has survived a plane crash and taken on the European Commission. He’s onto his second stint as leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and has penned a set of memoirs named Fighting Bull. Booze loving Nigel Farage thinks that: “Politics need a bit of spicing up.” He’s certainly making good progress on that front to date.
