Liz Jones: From Burkas to Barking Mad

I’ve not encountered the column of Liz Jones before but after reading her post about ‘mummy bloggers’ I took a quick glance through the titles of some of her other posts and found myself reading the recent work of a woman who seems to have grown a career out of her feelings of jealousy, resentment and general inadequacy.

How sad.

Sad for her and for those who employ her and for those who take the time to read her work. Are they influenced by it? I hope not.

My overriding thought when I see stories attacking bloggers, is ‘what does it matter to you?’. As in why does it affect the writer so badly that they feel the need to hurl abuse.

Comparing the comments on this post to some of her others I can see the answer. Over 300 people have taken the time to comment, while this is the case then there is a point to her employment. While her articles produce such a tidal wave of response there is a justification for her writing them.

I personally quite liked her comment that the blogging world had become like an extension of the WI. I’m not sure she meant it to be taken as a good thing but what a lovely idea.

Cambridge Mummy has taken the time to respond and rightly so, especially as she’s been named as a SAHM who is supported by her husband and makes money selling advertising on her blog – none of which is actually true! Facts, it seems, aren’t as important as mudslinging.

I read Liz’s column without surprise, it’s been said before, all of it. The way she wrote it, however, just screamed of jealousy. There was one bit in particular, where she spoke of maternity leave as ‘a holiday’ which I think probably goes some way towards explaining her need to attack; she feels that she’s missed out, she feels cheated.

Clearly her directive from the Daily Fail is to be as controversial as possible, to stir up a storm in a tea-cup wherever she goes, to use her myopic view of the world to create discourse and, essentially, to go into the playground and start a fight.

I’m glad I didn’t know who she was before today and I’m glad that after today I am very unlikely to read anything of hers again.