I wonder if this is a shift in Andrew Neil's thinking.
Well Peter Oborne (another Spectator stalwart) has done a volte face on Brexit.
The one thing Andrew Neil is, is he is not stupid. Right-wing, deliberately controversial, anti-PC etc; but he is still a journalist operating in a tradition that harkens back two or even three centuries. If he fucked up on that basic metric he'd be chucked out of the Garrick Club and cold-shouldered at El Vino's. (Paxman is another attack dog journalist, but in his case of the centre-right.) We need more Paul Foots in this world; but we don't need any more slightly dim ideologues like Ben (the dog ate my homework) Shapiro. If you're going on a programme with real journalists (even those of the right if they are real journalists) at least do your prep.
Also it's about audience. Ben Shapiro speaks to the "American people". Andrew Neil talks to the British ruling classes. The audience requirements for the American people are very different to those of the UK ruling class; though it is true you cannot talk down to either - for apparently opposite reasons, obviously - though in my opinion both stem from cultural hubris.
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Date: 13/5/19 15:40 (UTC)Well Peter Oborne (another Spectator stalwart) has done a volte face on Brexit.
The one thing Andrew Neil is, is he is not stupid. Right-wing, deliberately controversial, anti-PC etc; but he is still a journalist operating in a tradition that harkens back two or even three centuries. If he fucked up on that basic metric he'd be chucked out of the Garrick Club and cold-shouldered at El Vino's. (Paxman is another attack dog journalist, but in his case of the centre-right.) We need more Paul Foots in this world; but we don't need any more slightly dim ideologues like Ben (the dog ate my homework) Shapiro. If you're going on a programme with real journalists (even those of the right if they are real journalists) at least do your prep.
Also it's about audience. Ben Shapiro speaks to the "American people". Andrew Neil talks to the British ruling classes. The audience requirements for the American people are very different to those of the UK ruling class; though it is true you cannot talk down to either - for apparently opposite reasons, obviously - though in my opinion both stem from cultural hubris.