I met Rod Liddle several times, going back to the time when he was editor of the Radio 4 Today programme and visited the RSPB at The Lodge. I’ve been interviewed by him several times for radio and Times TV. He was a proper journalist and tended to ask the right questions with enough vigour properly to explore the issues.
He also was on the side of wildlife and knew more than most journalists about the issues. He once asked me, I think while I was still at RSPB, a provocative question about cats and I corrected an error in his question and then pointed out that it had been asked in a ‘Have you stopped beating your wife?’ manner. He smiled very winningly, and said ‘Well, you can’t blame me for trying’ which was absolutely fair enough.
Liddle was a character, although there are indications that he was not an unblemished character, but then, who is?
I think I’ve mentioned before that I subscribe to both the New Statesman and the Spectator, and that although the New Statesman aligns more closely with my political views I find it worthy and terribly dull (and my copy is sometimes donated to a nearby public library unread (probably to remain unread some more)) whereas I find the Spectator lively and stimulating, largely because it is well-written and belongs to a bubble far from my own. Within the last year I have accidentally not cancelled my New Statesman subscription and accidentally let lapse my Spectator subscription. I spent a few weeks without the Spectator but then signed up again, and the column to which I first turned was Liddle’s – every time. In recent weeks Liddle has been missing and a note has appeared saying ‘Rod Liddle is away’. I imagined he was on holiday but now we know. I hadn’t really thought he might be ill as he always seemed so full of life and, I was right to guess, he was a few years younger than me.
I will miss Rod Liddle’s columns and will less eagerly tear open the recyclable wrapping from the Spectator every Friday (while New Statesman often lies unopened even though it gets to me on a Thursday) and I will miss the thought that he is asking probing questions of those who deserve to be probed.
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I absolutely disagree with your assessment of Rod Liddle. He made his name being contrary in the worst possible fashion, beating down on those often unable to defend themsleves, taking cheap shots at vulnerable targets and his columns were very often him going beyond what most reasonable people would think of as “honest comment”.
Whether he honestly believed much of what he wrote, or just , as so many of his fellow commentators do, knew that it was what his pay masters wanted is possibly open to question. What isn’t is that anybody who had a hint of humanity or conscience wouldn’t have written what he did.
It is commentators like him, that have influenced the division in society today and encouraged the open expression of hatred by others. Its a great shame he didn’t use his undoubted talent in a manner which would have been of benefit to society.
I feel this shows why we are in the mess we’re in.
Only the irredeemably up themselves don’t enjoy having fun poked at some of our ‘precioussess’ and it is good for us. But this is something else. WC Sellers idea of ‘Wrong but Wromantic’ and ‘Right but Repulsive’ was spot on but it is like the Elvish ‘glamour’ of which Pratchett wrote. We have a skewed attitude to ‘bantz’ and ‘entertainment’, provocation for the sake of provocation, and praise the stopped clock when it tells the right time twice a day (especially in some area that matters particularly to us, or we felt in need of a naughty laugh) We also fail to recognise when people have changed for the worse – whether it is conviction or financially motivated (I am not talking about one slip and cast into the outer darkness cancellation)
I can appreciate that pragmatism (especially in conservation) can mean dealing diplomatically and sometimes linking arms with those who can help us effect a change we desire even when their overall offering to the world is malign. However the (relatively) privileged are not always good at recognising punching down and just how serious the injuries from it can be.
jellyfish – very good comment, thank you.