Mad Mel – My Part In Her Downfall

Far away from most prying eyes, the new location for the blog of Melanie “not just Barking but halfway to Upminster” Phillips brought bad news to her adoring readers (Louise and Douglas K Bonkers) this week. Her regular Monday column for the Daily Mail is no more. It has ceased to be. It has run down the curtain and gone to join the choir invisibule. It is a late column.

Still not even slightly fair and balanced

Yes, Mel’s Monday morning moanfest wouldn’t “voom” if you put five million volts through it, because the legendarily foul mouthed Paul Dacre has, not to put too fine a point on it, terminated her contract. “My 12-year relationship with the Daily Mail is about to change”, Mel tells her followers. “I shall shortly stop writing my regular Monday column for them. Instead, they want me to write other major pieces”.

That’s called “letting her down gently”. But do go on. “They say they are very keen that I should continue to have a significant presence in the paper ... That’s certainly an option, although I have other plans for writing” which sounds like whatever the Vagina Monologue was offering was not to Mel’s liking. The last sentence gives the impression that this is not Au Revoir, but Adieu.

This comes shortly after Mel was ditched by the Spectator after she left Andrew Neil and Fraser Nelson with a five-figure legal bill following one of her rants which attracted a libel case – a losing libel case. So one of the great ranting hopes of the neo-con right has gone from hero to what looks suspiciously like zero in short order. And that’s a pity, because this blog enjoys taking the piss out of her.

Here on Zelo Street, there has been much enjoyment at her baseless frothing at the BBC – where she still has a nice little earner – over the totally false story accusing the Corporation of abandoning the use of “BC” and “AD”. And who can forget Mel’s ranting against currently illegal drugs? This was filleted over a number of posts, examples of which can be seen HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

The strict attitude of Mad Mel towards all those young people who get above themselves has also been a memorable aspect of her ranting, for instance the cruel and almost sadistic gloating as she attempted to trash the reputation of Rory Weal, because he spoke at the Labour Party Conference (with intent). And there was more Mel gloating over the Mail’s attack on the unfortunate Paris Brown.

Add to that Mel’s unapologetic clambering on the MMR-bashing bandwagon, ranting about sex education, and her attempt to blame Twitter for spreading hate, instead of the hate being spread by the Mail, written by Herself Personally Now. Yes, we will miss her, as she goes off to ply her trade Stateside, no doubt facilitated by the likes of Fox News Channel (fair and balanced my arse).

Yes, there goes Melanie Phillips ... on her way ... out.