Comments on: Nick Cohen rants about ‘conspiracy’

By: gav pearce

gav pearce — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:18:44 +0000

Sunny spot on but the he spat between Hitchens and Cohen does show the fight for the direction of the next right wing government.
On one hand the Cameron wing (Gove, Vaizey, Cohen, Martin Bright, most of Harrys place. Frank Field) who are Thatcherite economically, liberal socially and neo conservative in foreign policy and the paleoconservatives (Hitchens, Obone etc) who are Thatcherite economically, social conservatives and isolationalists.
As for Cohen’s behaviour it was very funny and slightly sad. To see a man ,who is an obvious alcoholic, act like he did is never a pretty sight. His rant was a cross between a drunk golf club bigot and George Best on Wogan.
Although I did enjoy the dignified old gentleman who told him to behave.
As for Cohen’s odious right wing Thatcherite supporters , Harrys Place, Burchill and Chas “I write my own Amazon reviews “ BN there response is laughable.
Also Martin “Boris’s pet poodle” Bright thanking Cohen for his rant. Also as Sunny said who can describe Bright as left wing, certainly not by the tone of his articles.
Also Cohen points out Bright should be put on the list because of his bravery of saying Brown and Livingstaone are crap. Sorry Nick but the majority of newspaper columnists already making that point. It would probably be brave, to say he is doing a good job and go against the main stream.
Well no wonder these people are heroes for the neo con right
Also Cohen supporters, why did he not mention Iain Dale’s inclusion , perhaps Iain is Cohen’s OK right winger

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:36:24 +0000

I don’t think the prize is diminished by having Peter Hitchens on the list at all, and I think Nick looks a self-righteous, self-important prat for claiming as much. For the record, P Hitchens critized the award last year for having Alistair Campbell on the list, which is a far more apposite point and something Orwell would have been genuinely appalled by.

By: saeed

saeed — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:04:56 +0000

at 3.11 cohens attempt to portray himself as a man of the people…LOL

By: KT1

KT1 — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:44:31 +0000

Sid agrees with everything in that rant? Sunny, seriously, what is this? Is Nick Cohen sockpuppeting on PP here?

By: Sunny

Sunny — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:19:23 +0000

I agree, but he only included Peter Oborne in that because Oborne signed our letter.

When Peter Hitchens sounds saner than you, then you know you’re in trouble!

By: Ravi Naik

Ravi Naik — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:37:38 +0000

I agree with Rumbold. Nick Cohen is absolutely right in saying that the Orwell Prize is demeaned by having Peter Hitchens in its shortlist.

By: DisgustedOfTunbridgeWells

DisgustedOfTunbridgeWells — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:53:30 +0000

Obviously.

By: Sid

Sid — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:41:16 +0000

Only better than Melanie Philips because he’s male?

tsk tsk tsk.

By: DisgustedOfTunbridgeWells

DisgustedOfTunbridgeWells — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:39:32 +0000

He’s becoming the male melanie phillips, only better.

By: Sid

Sid — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:48:58 +0000

Excellent. Well said Nick Cohen.

I thought that was a superb rant and very necessary in the context he was making it. And I agree with pretty much everything he said.

By: Rumbold

Rumbold — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:20:27 +0000

Hahaha. The best bit, apart from Hitchens’ intervention, was when Nick Cohen, er, ‘refreshed’ his inspiration at 4:56.

Having said that, he was right about Martin Bright, Peter Hitchens and the stupidity of calling that the ‘Orwell prize’. But not not about Peter Oborne.