Celebrity politics
UK news media are sycophantically promoting Eddie Izzard’s campaign to be elected a Labour MP for Sheffield. They’re not sycophantically promoting the campaign of Sheffield councillor Abtisam Mohamed. What is it that indicates Izzard would be a good MP? Experience, training, education? Anything?
Abtisam, who has represented Firth Park ward on the council for the Labour Party since 2016, will now seek to be nominated by city party branches.
…
Abtisam said why she wants to become an MP: “It’s about making sure that the local voice is heard at a national level, being able to challenge the current situation with decisions being made by the Conservatives and the impact that has on us as local communities and on public services.
“I want to be able to take that back to a national level. My strengths are that I’m from the community. I always make sure I listen to local views and I’m listening to what people want and establishing services that meet their needs.”
For Eddie Izzard, on the other hand, it’s about Eddie Izzard, and being called “she” a lot. As far as I can tell he has no connection to Sheffield.
This is reminiscent of when aristocrats like Churchill would be parachuted into constituencies. That was acceptable in the 1930s, but not now. Celebrity is the new aristocrat, and transgender celebrity is la creme de la creme.
He studied accounting at the University of Sheffield, but dropped out to pursue fame and fortune. He has an honorary doctorate.
It’s like my connection with Grand Forks, ND. Not enough to run for Congress from North Dakota, but I did go to the University of North Dakota for a year and a half and owned a t-shirt for a while. They have yet to see fit to give me an honorary degree despite my status as a podcaster and former radio host.