Saturday, October 18, 2008

Penpals

Remember Betty's post about Judith O'Reilly's appearance on Richard and Judy?

Last night I wondered out of curiosity how her blog was getting on and, bugger me, it looks like Judith's replied here.

So, sod it, here's an open letter back to Judith.

Dear Judith

"Penpals"? Well actually you've hit it on the head. That is what blogging is about, making friends, finding things in common, having a laugh together. Just like penpals, except better, more immediate. Not a few up-themselves authors and scores of their lessers sucking up. We are all equals.

It's about finding like minds in a lonely world. A place to let off steam about all sorts of things. An ongoing dialogue over years. Yes, years.

You tell us bloggers to "Walk the walk. Blog the blog. Write your own fucking book."

I appreciate your advice to go out there and do it, Judith, but what makes you think that if I were to get a book published it wouldn't be shit? I think it would be shit. I don't want to foist shit on the public. We've all got enough of it to deal with.

There is so much shit in the world and we are absolutely bombarded with it day after day. Fucking so-called "talent" shows, fucking relocation programmes on the telly. And the bookshops! The bookshops are saturated with shit. I turn my head in a fucking bookshop and I see shelves of "real life" bollocks written by untalented, boring cunts.

I came across your rant by accident, Judith. My world of blogging is worlds apart from yours. You are a journalist who has used your blog to try out material for a book, aiming to make money. I blog to have a laugh with my friends. Who, by the way, have a fuck of a lot more raw writing talent than 99% of published "real life" authors. Politicians, journalists, footballers, reality tv "stars", comedians, glamour models, Jeremy fucking Clarkson, fuck off the lot of you!


Love Geoff
xxx


21 comments:

  1. Geoff 'n Betty 8 Judith 0

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  2. You great big softy, Geoff.

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  3. Yeaaaah!
    Go Geoff!
    Her rant was shit - yours is literature.
    Gotta get back for the second half now.
    XX

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  4. Dear Penpal,

    You and the missus are more shaggable too.

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  5. Anonymous7:47 PM

    I had a look via the link but had to turn away. What an unpleasant person/a (?.
    No humor, little grace - either of which could soften the unattractiveness of an overbearing sense of entitlement.

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  6. I was actually a little shocked at the rudeness of her reply (and I am not easily shocked). In fact I thought she was unnecessarily rude. She should know better and most definitely I fear the lady doth protest too much. As I predicted all along - she's a bloody journo! Well at least she admitted it. The sycophantic comments of ego-bolstering are actually more revolting than her reply - almost. I think she is a rude cow and showed what a vacuous, talentless hack she is by severely lowering the tone in her ungracious reply. There are other far more talented author/bloggers out there who would be far more literate and considerate in their reply. I think she should apologise.

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  7. she doth protest too much methinks

    how irritating for her that you didn't find it before now!

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  8. Murph - It's only half time, though.

    Vicus - I love you all.

    Kaz - If I'd have written it last night it would have been a lot angrier. Sorry about the second half.

    MJ - We all are. It was Istvanski who said Judith was a bit of alright. He never said that about me. :(

    Arabella - Betty's post was about an interview with an author on Richard & Judy. It was not about her blog or her book which both inhabit a different world from ours. Maybe her rant was not about Betty's post and comments but about another group of bloggers who are jealous of her money and fame. There probably are dickhead bloggers out there who are jealous of her and her lifestyle. Maybe I've got hold of the wrong end of the stick and it's them who Judith looks down on.

    Romo - I've never seen such sucking up in a comments box. And such slagging off of people who they've never read a word by or heard speak. The "penpals" stuff from Judith was really sneering. She just doesn't understand blogging at all. Silly moo.

    Ziggi - Do you think she wants a fight? I'm willing to go on Richard & Judy's new show with her and we'll have it out!

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  9. C'mon Geoff, how do you really feel?

    Why don't you just come out and say it instead of beating around the bush like this.

    I noticed that the American News Media is now sycophantically sucking the kneecaps of Bloggers as a vital part of their coverage of the Election. Ooh look how hip we are..we are cutting edge..we have Bloggers! Then why the hell are you paying MILLION$ to all of tthose journalists on staff?

    I'll bet that your Corporate Owners are pretty worried that the great unwashed don't actually need to watch your detergent & automobile company sponsored programs on the telly to find out what is going on?

    Congratulations you win a cookie.

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  10. Well done Geoff - she's still really not getting it is she??
    It's about making connections and getting things off your chest - it's not about getting book deals and being on the telly...I don't think she's a bad writer and, strangely enough, I'm not jealous of her or her lifestyle - but there's nothing there for me, there's nothing going on behind the eyes as far as I can see.

    (Also, did you see the comment from the woman asking Judith if she'd mind doing a post asking her over fifties readers how often they had sex!!!???)

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  11. Donn - Judith "was the education correspondent for The Sunday Times of London, where she also reported on politics and news, and worked undercover on education and social and criminal justice investigations. She is a former political producer for ITV's Channel 4 News and BBC2's Newsnight." A little bit of criticism from a humble blogger should be like water off a duck's back, then. And with her background, maybe her next book should be a serious political one.

    Beth - One of the commenters said hers was a Kevin Keegan style rant. I'd love it, just love it, if we were in her next book. I notice she didn't get back to the sex question. Oh, or any other of the comments. Just lap up the praise, Judith!

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  12. In her latest post, she's itemised how much money she raised for charity in the past week.

    Oh dear.

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  13. It's not as if she ran a fucking marathon. Or sat in a bath full of baked beans. She ate some lunch and read a bit.

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  14. Anonymous11:16 PM

    If it were me and I was a blogging overlord and someone slagged me off, I'd read it obviously but I wouldn't respond, unless I felt they were being inaccurate and then I'd just comment.

    I wouldn't do a whole post about it.

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  15. This is fun - I do hope it really kicks off!
    Hope she doesn't burn her smug arse on her aga.

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  16. Billy - And not link to it so your readers have no idea who's said what. She could have been making it up for all they know.

    Tom - I presume she'd prefer to keep her readers in the dark. I doubt she'll respond.

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  17. I've spent much of the evening looking through O'Reilly's back catalogue and was not happy with what I found. Apparently she worked 'undercover' as education correspondent for the Sunday Times. (!). Can't find one story she broke all by herself.

    She is, however, a committed right-wing Tory (why else would her stuff appear only in the Mail, Telegraph and Times?) which explains a lot.

    I saw the rant and, although I don't think she was having a pop at Betty, reacted by leaving a conciliatory comment (I hate confrontation). I now feel a complete twat - sorry everyone.

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  18. Betty's post is quite high up in Google Blogsearch for Judith O'Reilly at that time. In addition to that, the "shaggable" quote and the sheer number of bloggers having a go at her in the comments leads me to think it must have been that post she was referring to.

    Her politics I wasn't sure of as she has a Tory MP and a Labour MP on her links. The Labour MP is Tom Watson who also links to her and Billy Bragg.

    I can see them all having a singsong.

    You're not a twat, Malc.

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  19. Malc - no need for an apology, and I didn't take offence to your comment there. The right wing views probably explain the "walk the walk, talk the talk, write your own fucking book" tone that she took.

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  20. Rock on Geoff!

    And while we're at it, why buy a book about some twee woman's experiences of living North of the M25. Why don;t we all just, like, move there!?? Amazing.

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  21. Twee on the outside but with a "granite" centre.

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