Why I love to be hated

I’ve never been keen on the idea of popularity. Courting disapproval has been a large part of my career and I find it bracing, like an early dip in a cold sea. I remember back in 2003 feeling put out because the Most Hated People In Britain list featured me at a mere 85, sandwiched between Damien Hirst and Richard Branson.

So imagine my excitement this week on reading that the alleged comedian Stewart Lee had dispatched me into his New Year Pedal Bin, a list of his least-favourite people, alongside such chucklesome types as Ricky Gervais, John Cleese, Graham Linehan, Maureen Lipman and Dave Chappelle. I’ve always fancied myself as a comic — being laughed with or at, I’m not fussy — and here I was, tucked up snug in this metaphorical bin with all these drolls.

Also, I’m a big fan of the Jews and the first time I became aware of Lee was when in 2020 he was caught mocking people with Funny Foreign Names. Though I’m rarely shocked, I was taken aback by Lee’s tauntingof the MP Tom Tugendhat over his surname: ‘Many names — Fisher, Cook, Smith — derive from ancient trades. But “Tugendhat” is just different words put together, like Waspcupfinger, or Appendixhospitalwool.’

Anyway, back to the list of binned people. Apart from the aforementioned comics, I was rubbing up against the likes of Toby Young (him again!), Priti Patel (yes please!), Tom Tugendhat (presumably for not yet having changed his name to something more pleasing) and, somewhat oddly, fishermen. The latter was the giveaway, of course: working people daring to stand up for themselves rather than behave like good little Euro–portions corralled by their betters.

Having a quick shufti at the ‘Pedestal’ list opposing ours I saw that it included Owen Jones, Ken Loach, Greta Thunberg and the fox-killing kimono lawyer.