Katie Hopkins Debate Bigotry

The ITV-hosted Leaders Debate last night gave every broadcaster the chance to give their pundits an airing, however indifferent the analysis. And out there in the Twittersphere, those who did not merit pundit status, but were rather too full of their own sense of entitlement, did their own punditry, with predictably tedious results. And the results do not get more Tedius Maximus than with Katie Hopkins.

Young Dave and his bestest fan

Now, we all know who Ms Hopkins wanted to win: Young Dave is her hero, her kind of man, although Cameron might not be so keen after her recent “gas oven” jibe at his principal opponent. So Dave got a free pass, but everyone else got a kicking because, well, she probably had nothing better to do. And the nastiest of the Hopkins kickings was reserved for the women participants, which is interesting in a petty jealousy sort of way.

First to get it in the neck for having her own opinion was Natalie Bennett: “Natalie couldn't find a jacket to fit - so she thought screw it, I'll wear this terrible old sack”. It got worse: “Christ, an irritating Australian is trying to tell us how to run our country. Darling, you can't even run Brighton … Look Green Party. You aren't getting in. You aren't even properly British. Get yourself to M&S and get a suit”.

Ms Bennett does not run Brighton, and she is British, but Katie isn’t finished: “Natalie celebrates free movement of people in the EU. Oh yes Natalie, I celebrate the buggers climbing in lorries at Dover”. Free movement within the EU does not entail climbing in lorries, but then, facts are not Ms Hopkins’ strong suit. This should be borne in mind as she turns on Nicola Sturgeon. Here, she starts nasty and gets nastier.

“Ah, the poison dwarf has a voice in England. Someone show it daylight, daylight will kill it … Little Miss Salmond chooses children not nuclear weapons. These are big and strange choices to make [WHAT?] … Chuff off you little poison dwarf. We pay for Scottish education and Scottish prescriptions. DO ONE”. In case you missed it, she really has a problem with other women being successful. And, as the man said, there’s more.

“The Poison Dwarf promises everything without making a single cut. THAT is the luxury of getting English cash … No Nicola, you have not kept university free of tuition fees. ENGLISH MONEY has kept that free. Utter crap”. You think that’s unpleasant? Ah, but then she notices Leanne Wood. “Why is there a Welsh person speaking on my TV. Did she just say we offer f*ck all?” Patronising, much?

“'So much pain for so little gain' oooo Wales likes rhymes. She probably thinks breast is best too … SHIT, Wales gave the world the NHS. I thought they gave the world Jihadis and a bloody silly accent”. I did say that factual knowledge was not her strong suit. But ignorance and abuse certainly are, particularly towards other women.

Fortunately for Cameron, nobody has yet asked him if he approves of the behaviour of his self-proclaimed bestest fan. He will be hoping that moment never comes.