Julia Hartley Dooda Goes Postal

[Update at end of post]

Even though she has been reduced to a rant slot on the increasingly downmarket Murdoch media outpost Talk Radio, Julia Hartley Brewer wants everyone to know that she is someone. We should know who she is. After all, she is still a paid-up member of the Pundit Establishment. She is big - it’s the pundit opportunities that got small.

Yes thanks, we already know who you are

Armed with this suitably self-important mindset, Ms Hartley Dooda proceeded from her daily rantfest to the Post Office just south of the river on Blackfriars Road, where she was subjected to the ultimate humiliation - not only did she have to queue for service, but had to do her queuing with ordinary people who were less important than Herself. And it also seems that nobody at the Post Office knew who she was.

But she did know how to run a branch of the Post Office, because, well, she knows about this sort of thing, as she’s a Talk Radio host, and they know everything about everything. So, having been forced to stand in line, the outpouring began: “Just waited in line 25 mins at the Post Office to get proof of postage. Staff sent on lunchbreaks while 30 people queued. Unbelievable”. Perhaps she would write to the Times about it.

What she did do was to jolly well tell the manager how to do his job, because she’s a very important person. “The PO manager said his staff have to eat lunch. Yes, but not at lunchtime, the busiest time of their working day. Why not at 12pm or 2pm?” This was a poor substitute for talking loudly in restaurants, but it would have to do.

Did the manager take her words of wisdom on board, and bow to the devastating clarity of her superior insights? Sadly, no he didn’t: “I asked the PO manager if he knew how to run a business properly. His response was to accuse me of ‘being abusive’. Laughable attitude”. Yes, her attitude was laughable, but the manager seems a sound bloke.

In any case, she still knew more than the manager about running his Post Office, and so could easily latch on to something else that incurred her displeasure: “New staff arrived but at the Travel Money desk - where there was no queue. Apparently people who can't use a cashpoint abroad have priority”. People want the choice of being able to have some foreign currency before travelling. Isn’t that freedom of choice in action?

Whatever. The whole thing had by now totally exasperated Ms Hartley Dooda. I mean, there she was, knowing more about how to run the place than everyone else there, and still she has to queue up. “There's no sense among Post Office staff that they're providing a SERVICE for customers. We're merely irritations in their working day”.

They still didn’t know who she was. And she had a message for all those out there on Twitter who (rightly) concluded that she was merely attention seeking (again): “To the people replying to this tweet who think it's outrageous to expect basic service. YOU are the reason we've such bad service in the UK”. It’s all someone else’s fault. As usual.

People have to stand in line. Sometimes that takes several minutes. But, guess what, it’s all about Herself Personally Now. No prizes for guessing the subject of tomorrow’s Hartley Dooda Talk Radio Rant Sermon. Another reason to tune in … elsewhere.

[UPDATE 4 July 1400 hours: Ms Hartley Dooda has, despite having had the Zelo Street Twitter feed blocked for some time now, read this post, but sadly has been unable to take a hint.

So she has taken to Twitter to indulge in a little projection and ignorance, claiming "Hilarious. An angry man @zelo_street writes an entire blog about my Post Office whinge. I think he needs a new hobby". Hilarious is right, but there is no anger involved in taking the piss. Try again.

"But bless him for using a photo of me from about 15 years ago. I'd thank him personally but he's blocked me". No, I haven't blocked her. But she has blocked me. It seems Ms Hartley Dooda has suffered a memory lapse. Perhaps she left it in the same place as her sense of humour]