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Agreed. The reason PJ O'Rourke is funny and Giles Coren is not is nothing to do with their politics and everything to do with being cunty.
mr_tom-
nothing to do with their politics and everything to do with being cunty
There's a more positive way to say that; P.J. O'Rourke, Jeremy Hardy, Benjamin Zephaniah and their like start from the point of loving other people. Because of this, it's hard to hate them whether you concur with their conclusions or not. It's much easier to dislike the cluster of narcissists, misanthropes and nihilists who dominate current politics and political commentary, even when you agree with them.
gbj_tester
o’rourke can’t be compared to coren. the former is a real writer, his zeal for reagan was depressing but his funny moments were also often self deprecating. Having a craft, being funny and having/showing a modicum of awareness of his own fallibility are three things that he has over coren. Also coren is now, whereas o’rourke’s awfulness wasn’t a context we share, it makes hating him more urgent!