Nadine’s Selective Outrage

Normally not one to allow a slight to pass unchallenged – and then exploited for maximum media and sympathy value – the Tory MP for Mid Narnia (yes, it’s her again) Nadine Dorries has missed a trick by not picking up on an item in the current issue of Private Eye magazine (available at all newsagents at the surprisingly modest sum of £1.50), that paints her in the most unflattering light.

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The latest in the “Dave Snooty And His New Pals” cartoon strip (based very loosely on the long running “Lord Snooty” in the Beano) features a caricature of Ms Dorries, carrying a bucket of mud, and haranguing Young Dave and his jolly good chums about their being posh boys who don’t know the price of milk. Only one female MP has made that accusation – her.

This blog might occasionally refer to Ms Dorries as “Nad”, but the pejorative “Mad” is not used in her case (it’s reserved for those who really suit the description, like Melanie “not just Barking but halfway to Upminster” Phillips). The strip refers to “Mad Nad” twice. It also features the Cameron character literally putting the boot in to her, which is then described as “Putting One’s Scouse In Order”.

On top of that, the Cameron figure describes that based on Ms Dorries as “Common and Touched” (“Touched” is another slang term for “Mad”), with the figure based on the Chancellor of the Exchequer calling her a “Nad Cow”. That’s quite strong stuff, even for that particular strip. So where is the Twitter storm from Ms Dorries and her fans? Where is the outrage in the Maily Telegraph?

Thus far there has been nothing noticeable. The Dorries Twitter feed is otherwise engaged. So calling the MP for Mid Bedfordshire a series of unflattering names in a magazine with a circulation of around 200,000 must be OK. Or am I missing something here? All answers gratefully received.