Norman's Column

I always admired Norman Tebbit for his column in the Telegraph.  They obviously bunged him well for it but he put in so much more effort than most other columnists do.  For example... He would literally read every comment below the line and respond to them.  Raising counterpoints, responding to arguments, even on occasion altering his opinion.  He'd then weave these updated opinions into the next column so it wasn't just "subject of the week" but more like a continuous narrative mixed with a right wing soap opera.  His opinions were still bollocks and frequently repugnant but he tried to see other points of view and tried to engage with other people even if he wasn't always successful.  Of course he was semi retired then and had fuck all else to do but it was what I would call proper activism.  Engaging with, debating and listening to the public.  So many politicians today don't even try to engage.  They go from Oxford PPE course to the Council to MP without ever brushing by a real person.  Then they lock themselves away in their ivory towers and only appear with the public in carefully choreographed photo ops, usually in a factory surrounded by lots of plebs in high vizes who can't answer back.  Tebbit (a bit like Major) actually liked the intellectual challenge of a debate.  I mean, Kemi "it's too early for policy" doesn't even have opinions, she just throws shit at the wall to see what will stick.  And Starmer actually states publicly that he doesn't even read the speeches his spads write for him.  Tebbit wasn't particularly likable but he was a real person and he wasn't a fake.  I wish we had more politicians who weren't fakes.