Dan Wootton Private Jet Snipe BACKFIRES

[Update at end of post]

Yesterday brought this year’s Golden Globe awards ceremony in Los Angeles, where the great and the good of the film and television industry gather to see and be seen, and in some cases to be rewarded for their efforts. Everybody who was anybody was there: actors, writers, composers, producers, directors, technicians, business people, logistics specialists, agents, and of course studio bosses.

But one person was not there: the Murdoch Sun’s deeply unappealing Executive Editor Dan Wootton, who is also a host at Murdoch-owned TalkRADIO, was not. But he was talking about it. From Ricky Gervais’ compering, to the acceptance speeches, the outfits, those phoning in their excuses, and passing judgment on the winners, Wootton had something to say. And then there was the food. He wasn’t happy about it.

Who not? It was vegan. And he works for Rupert Murdoch. So out came the smearing iron: “This is the plant based meal being given to all guests at the Golden Globe Awards this year. No option with meat at all. No choice. Welcome to Hollywood in 2020 where vegan extremists rule”. Vegan linked to extremism? Check! And there was more.

“Despite our species being developed over millions of years to eat meat [no citation] - in fact, many scientists argue we wouldn’t have become human beings without such consumption [no citation] - to publicly support eating it in 2020 is akin to saying you support the destruction of the world! Wowsers”. No, it’s just a vegan meal.

Dan Barker, on the other hand, mused that Wootton’s Tweet “might have worked better if the food didn’t look absolutely delicious”. He had a point, but Wootton was right there to pour cold water on it. “It doesn’t look good to me on the Keto diet!” So what? Anyhow, he was by now on to the subject of Rotten Vegans™ forcing their diet on others.

So when James Jordan frothed “Absolute bullshit!! Be vegan if you wish but don’t force it upon those who still wish to eat meat. I’ll have my steak blue please. The world gets madder by the day”, there he was again. “Absolutely. And there’s actually a hell of lot of science [no citation] to show a vegan diet is not healthy anyway”.

Claire Trévien, who you can call as she’s a Doctor, didn’t agree: “if there was just steak, vegans, vegetarians, etc would not be able to eat at all. Whereas (allergies & other health issues pending) a vegan option can be eaten by anyone” Wootton was by now losing it. “But that’s not why they did it. They did it make another virtue signalling point to us mere mortals. While still continuing to fly private jets around the world whenever they please!”

Virtue signalling! Private Jets! How did he know? Er, don’t ask. But then The Great Man had to let his tenuous grasp on the argument slip. “So lucky to see in 2020 with my loved ones in beautiful New Zealand. Getting recharged for a big year and an even bigger decade”. AND HOW DID YOU GET THERE, DAN? Away with you.

Playing Climate Change Look Over There is so very Murdoch press right now. But it is outside the intellectual range of Dan Wootton to discuss it competently and convincingly.

But he’ll still get far too generously paid and be invited on TV, so that’s all right, then.

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[UPDATE 1805 hours: it seems Dan Wootton even got his claim that the Golden Globes meal was vegan totally wrong.

As Charlotte Moore has pointed out after studying the photos of the food, "Scallops aren't vegan". Indeed not. Nor, whisper it quietly, are they vegetarian.

So Wootton has gone off on a rant on a totally false premise. It will be interesting to see whether he perpetuates his howler in any future Sun column or Good Morning Britain appearance. Someone will be watching]