Guido Fawked – Guardian Editor Hypocrisy

As the news broke of Alan Rusbridger’s intention to step down from the editor’s chair at the Guardian next year to head the Scott Trust, the speculation as to who might succeed him began. And joining this movement, with their customary snarky take, were the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog, seeking to smear the paper they all hate.

Fart In Lift Inquiry detects wind of no change at all

Under the snappy title “Runners and Riders for New Guardian Editor”, there is the customary sniping at Russell Brand, Edward Snowden (note that the Fawkes rabble plays the other side of that field when talking all libertarian), James Ball and Dan Sabbagh, but precious little insight, perhaps because despite all the abuse The Great Guido hurls at the paper, it achieves little in the way of insight.

Maybe Staines’ attitude to the Guardian has also been coloured by the recent Guardian Media 100 list, which has Rusbridger, Brand, Ian Hislop (remember Staines’ pal Matthew “Gromit” Elliott telling some time ago that the Fawkes blog had “almost killed off Private Eye”?), the highly sound Eliot Higgins, and Zoella all ahead of him? Staines comes in at a lowly number 94.

At least The Great Guido beat Gary Lineker, Piers Morgan and Kim sodding Kardashian, but this will only have served to rile the thin-skinned yet increasingly, and unjustifiably, vain Staines. So the Fawkes blog ended its not-at-all authoritative list of challengers for the Guardian succession with a snipe at the way in which Rusbridger and his predecessors have been educated.

After suggesting “Ian Katz – Return of the Prince from the Guardian’s broadcasting arm”, a typical BBC smear, but at least more intelligent than some of the names pitched, the post ends with “Surely it’s time for the Guardian to have their first non-private school educated editor?” The author of that post, newly anointed Fawkes teaboy Alex “Billy Liar” Wickham, may not have seen the potential pitfall.

While it’s true that Rusbridger, and his illustrious predecessors Peter Preston and Alastair Hetherington, all attended independent schools, there is one other editor’s post that Wickham would have done well to bear in mind – that of the blog on which he works. Yes, the Fawkes blog has an editor, or to be more precise a “news editor”, and he is hardly a shining example of state education.

That is because the post is held by the odious flannelled fool Henry Cole, Staines’ tame gofer. Master Cole was educated at the reassuringly expensive Tonbridge School. An awful lot of dosh was sprayed up the wall only to result in a seriously shonky grasp of English grammar. So surely it’s time for the Fawkes blog to have their first non-private school educated editor?

The grammar couldn’t be any worse than Cole’s. Another fine mess, once again.