Nicholas (nwhyte) wrote,
Nicholas
nwhyte

November Books 6) The Private Eye Annual 2008, edited by Ian Hislop

I hadn't got around to reading this until now, and it was quite amusing to be submerged again in the long-ago world of 2008, when Gordon Brown had just become Prime Minister and the US presidential campaign was just getting under way. A lot of the humour is childish rather than undergraduate, but some of the barbs are still telling: an advertisement for putting your money Under The Bed (instant access twenty-four hours a day, but not regulated under the financial services compensation scheme), for instance. I love the list of made-up facts about the Queen and Prince Philip:
Although the Duke comes from Greek. Danish, German and English stock, he speaks none of those languages.
And the story under the headline Nationwide Fury Erupts As Archbishop 'Converts To Islam' is actually an acerbic deconstruction of the political / media rhetoric on Islam generally, with this cutting sidebar:
That Shock Lecture In Full - The Words That Shook The Nation
followed by a spoof of opaque theological commentary. I don't always agree with the Eye's target or line but I am glad that its sæva indignatio continues.
Tags: bookblog 2011
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