too good to check!

Carol Ann Duffy's appointment to poet laureate is one of those rare government decisions that everyone can applaud. She's a woman, she's openly gay (both firsts for this post) and much more importantly she's a first-rate poet, who is also popular. So it's good for poetry and for us.

The good news is only slightly marred by a reminder of how maddeningly sloppy British journalists can be. Over and again, including on Newsnight last night, I've read or heard reporters referring to the time when Tony Blair supposedly rejected Duffy ten years ago on the grounds that her sexuality would scare Middle England. I had a strong feeling that not one of them had bothered to check this, and that, like the story about Tony Blair pretending to remember watching Jackie Milburn play, it would turn out to be a canard. According to Alastair Campbell, it certainly is, and there's absolutely no evidence I can see to contradict him. But why let the facts get in the way of a story that (a) encourages us to congratulate ourselves on how grown up we've become and (b) allows for a kick at Blair?

Comments

[BlairSupporter]

How refreshing! A Brit who doesn't instinctively enjoy kicking Tony Blair. It's the national pastime, don't you know!? More fun than cricket on a sunny Sunday.

I have the video where the Sunday Sun tells Blair it was they who lied.

http://keeptonyblairforpm.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/confession-it-was-the-sun-wot-done-it-blair-it-was-you-b/

As to the Carol Ann Duffy business. I saw her being interviewed on Newsnight here last night and her response when it was put to her that Blair had rejected her because of her sexuality (Y'SEE THE BIASED ANTI-BLAIR BBC ALSO JUST ACCEPTED THAT AS FACT WITHOUT QUESTION) was that she didn't know anything about it.

Well, she wouldn't have known. It didn't happen.

There might come a day when Mr Blair can PROVE that he didn't lie about other things too. But it'll be up to such as me to record the evidence - and even then his opponents will insist it's a set-up.

[denverthen]

"How refreshing! A Brit who doesn't instinctively enjoy kicking Tony Blair. It's the national pastime, don't you know!? More fun than cricket on a sunny Sunday."

Right. Right. Yes.

Idiot.