I fell helplessly in love with Christine Hamilton

Martin Rowson

12 July 2008

In the second of an occasional series, Martin Rowson interviews Neil and Christine Hamilton. To his alarm, the arch-satirist finds himself warming to the disgraced couple

It was now time to show them my drawing. Neil, maintaining the politician’s instinctive impermeability to insult, chuckled and signed it with a throwaway line about having a sense of humour. Christine, however, shut up completely, for more or less the first time during the interview. She frowned. She twisted her mouth into an uneasy moue. ‘But my jacket isn’t the right colour... this earring is a cat, and it doesn’t look like that...’ Then she asked Neil, several times, what she should write.

In fact, she agonised for a full 15 minutes over what was, for me, a remarkably flattering portrait. While she was prevaricating, I asked once again what it was like to have been demonised to the extent she had been.

‘I now realise that that confrontation on Knutsford Heath was the making of me.’

Yes, yes, yes, but people were comparing you to Messalina and Lady Macbeth!

‘Well, to be honest, when I saw myself on television afterwards and saw how dreadful I looked, I cried and cried.’

So what was it like to see yourself in all those cartoons?

‘Oh, Neil wouldn’t let me see them.’

This wasn’t just kind, but also rather admirable. My estimation of Neil Hamilton rising considerably, Christine finally, with a yelp, found her form of words to write on the cartoon: ‘Just you wait till I get you in a dark alley!’

To be honest I can’t think of anything nicer.

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pj

July 10th, 2008 7:06pm Report this comment

Remarkable how silent Bell has been durung the Blair years isn't it? A failed attempt to oust a Tory in Essex & then retirement from the political stage altogether. One can only presume he considers his task of driving corruption from Westminster to be complete.

David Short

July 12th, 2008 5:04am Report this comment

The headline seems inappropriate.

We never read anywhere about this love affair.

Anyway, why does the Spectator think the Hamiltons are worthy now of this cartoon and print attention?

Michael Lee

September 2nd, 2008 2:20pm Report this comment

This criticismwwhich we used to have of the
Hamiltons is usually made by people who have
never met them.If any man cannot be attracted
to Christine after talking to her he must be most
odd.

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