That's More Like it - a Hostile but Fair Review

Now, that’s more like it. The Guardian’s sister paper, the Observer’ yesterday carried a review of my ’Special Relationship’ programme, which it may just be possible for readers to listen to on iplayer for a short while longer, but hurry. The reviewer, Euan Ferguson, opened with the usual abuse (though I am baffled by the suggestion that I have ever claimed to be brave, and think ‘populism’ a strange accusation to level against a columnist who urges his conservative readers not to vote Tory, or who condemns the bombing of German civilians during World War Two.

 

But that did not prevent him from giving a fair-minded review of the programme itself. You can read the whole thing here:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jun/28/special-relationship-uncovered-charles-paris-jimmy-page-review

 

 

 

But for those who can’t be bothered, it opens thus: ‘I bow to few in my admiration for Peter Hitchens's unerring determination to grasp wrong ends of sticks, too often persuading himself that the end grasped represents the bravely unpopulist when both meanings could better be reversed. But…’

 

But, indeed.

 

 

And then it continues, thus:

‘I have to say he made a wonderful fist of a fierce, lucid, timely programme on US-UK relations. The Special Relationship: Uncovered was scripted and voiced with clarity, the perfect pace for radio, some great interviewees and the minimum of intrusive noise – apart from a bizarre but briefly welcome horned-up version of Funky Nassau.

It told the story – and surely this should have become a series – of the dysfunctional imbalance in each side's perception of this relationship. There were polite voices euphemising, but essentially it came down to this: America, since it grew up and got bigger than us, now "serves" Britain in much the same way as a stallion "serves" a skittish mare. Hitchens traced with style, and not a little indefatigability, various rare records and recordings…’