Something incredible happened today: the Twitterati – used to passing mob justice on telly, celebs and politics – turned their attention to poetry. More specifically a poem in the London Review of Books by Craig Raine.
How Mr S’s heart leapt as he saw Raine’s name trending up there with Andy Coulson and #NationalRunningDay, could it be that an English poet was proving more popular than the Kardashians?
Alas not. There had not been a significant boost in the cultural tastes of the keyboard warriors. Instead they were raging after poetry critic Charles Whalley tweeted Raine’s poem ‘Gatwick’, describing it as ‘grim’. The poem describes his attraction to a young woman. It includes the line ‘I want to say I like your big bust’:
While Mr S is yet to hear back from Whalley as to whether it was the poem’s content or overall quality that gave him cause for complaint, the usual suspects have declared it evil that an artist has dared to challenge the views of the public:
Mr S would suggest these delicate flowers avoid Raine’s earlier and more explicit work. Especially the one about sodomy. It might break the internet otherwise!
Around 5 p.m. on Monday one of Kemi Badenoch’s aides was having a drink with a friend in the Two Chairmen pub in Westminster. Over a pint of IPA he explained how the Conservative leader was planning to thrust herself more forcefully into the public conversation. ‘We know the pace needs to quicken,’ he admitted.
Steerpike
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