She told “The Mother Of All Lies” when she arranged for her degenerate boyfriend to help her kidnap her own daughter, Shannon, in 2008. She hid the poor child under a bed and basked in the media attention. Not being very bright was what resulted in her being caught and resultantly she failed to collect a reward of some £50,000. Matthews was jailed for eight years but released in April 2012. Goodness knows what this simpleton will do next.
Tag: The Independent
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Karen Matthews
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Suzanne Moore
This feminist daughter of a working class Tory is a lady who is truly independent. She votes with her feet and resigned from the New Statesman in disgust that Alastair Campbell was allowed to guest edit an issue. Honest and forthright, Moore stood in the 2010 General Election as an independent stating: “Vote for me, I’m flawed” in an interview for The Guardian. She secured 0.61% of the votes cast. Like her or loathe her, you cannot miss her. -
James Murdoch
Considered by many as the pretender to the fortune of his father, Rupert, the phone hacking scandal may have put paid to that. He dropped out of Harvard to start a hip hop label named Rawkus and even gave an airing to a then little known Eminem. Here’s a rebel, complete with two tattoos, who, like a phoenix from the ashes, will undoubtedly rise again. -
Henry Deedes
Grandson of the late Lord “Bill” Deedes, inspiration for William Boot in Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop! This columnist for the Daily Mail has the driest of wits and is particularly anti Chelsea tractors. -
Rebekah Brooks
The youngest editor of a British national newspaper and a former wife of Eastender Ross Kemp. Educated in Warrington but now more likely to be found enjoying a day trip on a private jet to Venice. A true survivor who should not yet be written off. -
The greenest of Astons
The sale of an Aston Martin Virage Volante used by Prince Charles
A press release pinged into my inbox this morning from Bonhams that immediately caught my attention. It came from Leonora Oldfield of Bonhams, someone I hadn’t heard from since the days when we were both involved in fundraising for Lady Meyer’s PACT.
The 1994 Aston Martin Virage Volante that was used by Prince Charles until 2008 Most of my readers will know of the subsequent stories covered by The Daily Telegraph and The Independent about how that particular organisation operates and I don’t wish or need to dwell on that matter further.
The press release itself contained something that I found far more fascinating. In it, Bonhams announced that they are to auction an Aston Martin Virage Volante that was used by Prince Charles from 1994 until 2008.
Prince Charles pictured getting out of the car 
Prince Charles driving the car This spectacular 6.3 litre soft-top vehicle has been on display at Aston Martin’s headquarters at Gaydon since another Aston Martin owned by the environmentally conscious prince was converted to run on bio-ethanol distilled from surplus British wine. That vehicle, an Aston Martin DB6 MKII, was most famously also used by Prince William to drive his new wife from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House after their wedding last year.
The Aston Martin DB6 MKII owned by Prince Charles that was used by Prince William to drive his new wife from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House on 29th April 2011 Bonhams quote a pre-sale estimate of £50,000 to £70,000 for the dark green Aston Martin Virage Volante. It will be auctioned at the Aston Martin Works Service at Newport Pagnell on 19th May 2012.
Prince Charles once said: “I’d rather go by bus.” I feel rather differently: I’d rather take this Aston any day.
For more information on the sale of the 1994 Aston Martin Virage Volante used by Prince Charles, contact Bonhams on +44 (0) 20 7468 5801 or email [email protected]. View details of the sale at: http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20142
Follow Bonhams on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/bonhams1793
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Pip Pip Hurray!
My response to Terence Blacker’s piece attacking Pippa Middleton
Pippa Middleton is not someone I know. I have seen her in bars and at parties but never spoken with her. I do not especially find her derrière attractive and I do not consider her to be one of the world’s most influential people.
Pippa Middleton This morning, however, I responded on Twitter to a journalist named Terence Blacker about a comment piece he had written for The Independent. In it, he named Miss Middleton a “national embarrassment” and made a factual error in stating:
“She has not used her fame to any charitable effect, but has availed herself of a £400,000 publishing advance for a book, presumably ghost-written, on party planning. In her smiling, dimpled way she has done more harm to the cause of women than any airhead celebrity or Page 3 girl.”
Mr Blacker is wrong: Along with her brother James, Miss Middleton completed a 56-mile cross-country ski race for the Magic Breakfast charity in Sweden in March. At the time she stated:
“My brother and I are raising money for Magic Breakfast, a small registered charity that fights child hunger through breakfast clubs and delivering free breakfasts (bagels, cereal, juice and porridge) to thousands of state primary school children in the UK particularly our inner cities.”
In total, the pair, hats off to them, to date have raised £12,039 for this worthy cause. They have also previously aided other charities, much to their credit.
I would suggest that Mr Blacker ought to correct his error by donating his fee for this article to Magic Breakfast. He can do so by visiting Miss Middleton’s JustGiving page. Instead, in reply to my Tweet pointing out the inaccuracy, all I got in response was:
“Nope, sorry. I really can’t see Pips as an influential role model.”
In turn others responded and I began to understand how Samantha Brick must feel. I’m a big Twitter fan but the barrage of nonsense I received was just tedious. I only pointed out a factual error. I did not say that Miss Middleton had done anything miraculous. The comments included:
“It has nothing 2do [sic] with jealousy, it’s 2do with a young lady doing zero work each day yet living life reilly [sic]… It’s not as if she spends her time doing good, like the Royal Family, she just likes to party.”
Too many in Britain mock success. Our media builds individuals up only to take huge pleasure in knocking them down. The Middleton family represent a remarkable story and we should all celebrate them. Good for Pippa Middleton for enjoying the world she now inhabits but also good for her for using this fame to do good for others. Yes, Miss Middleton has made mistakes, but honestly hold your hands up and admit it: from time to time, don’t we all?
Read Terence Blacker’s piece at: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/terence-blacker/terence-blacker-cant-the-editors-of-time-magazine-see-pippa-middleton-is-a-national-embarrassment-7661423.html
View Terence Blacker’s website at: http://www.terenceblacker.com. Follow him on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/TerenceBlacker
To donate to Pippa Middleton’s Vasaloppet charitable challenge, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/vasaloppet/new
