'Mad' Max gets a Black eye!

As always, the world's greatest weekly magazine, The Spectator, scores again with a coruscating attack on Max Hastings by the 'Speccies' previous owner, Conrad Black.  As y'all no doubt noticed a few days ago, Max Hastings, a previous editor of The Telegraph (under Black!), launched a ferocious attack on 'Boing-Boing' Johnson, and I would urge everyone to read both sides of the argument.  It is not often that the ultra discreet curtains are ripped off the salons of the ruling class and the bloody sight and sound of it all is delicious!

For me, my rough and ready opinion of 'Boing-Boing' has not been altered because Hastings' vitriol exposes nothing that I either did not know or could not guess!  However, hitherto, I have admired Hastings as a writer but knew little of him beyond the occasional military history book but Conrad Black's massive assault has knocked chunks off his edifice:

I stood by Mr Hastings, despite differences, despite problems he needlessly created (such as antagonising the family of the then prime minister Margaret Thatcher), and through great misfortune. I raised his income for compassionate as well as meritorious reasons, took him into my confidence and even asked him to help organise my small wedding to Barbara Amiel in 1992.

When Mr Murdoch launched the cover price war in 1993, Max, the liberator of Port Stanley, made a few purposeful noises and then scurried out the back door into the tall grass, self-demoting to the Evening Standard, a dwarfish title compared to the one from which he defected. [...]

When my legal difficulties arose, he publicly threw in his lot with my chief defamer and, I am told, predicted that Barbara would quickly decamp for greener pastures. The spurious case against me failed and has been withdrawn and expunged, and no one has ever had a more loyal and indomitably supportive wife than Barbara.

So, who is right and who is wrong?  Well, 'yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice'!

 

 

 

Comments

[Ben]

Wasn't he found guilty of fraud, then wrote a glowing biography of Trump and was pardoned? "Withdrawn and expunged" seems an odd way to describe that.

[David Duff]

Unquestionably, 'Boing-Boing' is, in the words of Monty Python, " A very naughty boy!" On the other hand, Mr. Hastings, doesn't come out of it smelling of roses, either, especially from the commenters to the Spectator piece!

[Loz]

Mmm, the definitive "red on red" incident.

Hold their jackets and leave them to it.

SoD

[JK]

David?

Maybe y'all Brexiteers ought look for kinfolks of this guy to find yourselves a leader:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Carton_de_Wiart

I gots to admit - that's a helluva Wikipedia page.

[Loz]

Extraordinary bloke, great Saturday afternoon tea-break read that JK, thanks!

SoD

[JK]

Yeppers SoD, an extraordinary fellow.

Probably a good thing he's not around anymore because if he was and ever had to wear his military parade dress his chest adornments would likely contribute mightily to global warming.

And Bob would freak.