Our Man in Hot Water…..Undiplomatic confessions of a diplomat screams the headline in the Mail on Sunday-Scottish edition. Not quite hold the front page but a decent spread on pages 16 and 17. (Page 40 in the English edition-not a story that travels well apparently). Although it has to be said that those pages take up more room than the story! It’s a typical tabloid treatment-some true, some untrue, and generally snidely treated. One or two quotes allegedly from me in my garden and in quote marks are entirely invented so as not to spoil a good story but others are accurate if in places out of context. And to a certain extent the story is a balanced one with Huttonians explanations as to why he done it given in some detail. Several quotes from the rant itself are included -4 out of 5 from the old removed blog so the friendly whistle blower or ‘free lance journalist’ must have handed over the printed out version before it was removed from the air. This hard copy is referred to in the article: allegedly an outraged villager printed out the entire old blog and ‘distributed a copy to every adult in Hutton’ That must have cost a pretty penny and I can only hope it came out of the ‘local's’ pocket and not out of some other more accountable funds.
For all the angst allegedly caused by Huttonian a year ago there were only two hostile quotes one from a ‘villager’ and another from a’ local.’ I am mentioned by name but not them. By this public spirited couple Huttonian is described as, amongst other things ‘colonial and patronising’ ‘hating everything to do with the village life with snide comments’ ‘definitely anti Scottish’ revealing private business like local house prices’ and ranting about ‘farmers and landowners’. I also apparently went round the village ‘cap in hand’ apologising to all I offended and made a series of ‘grovelling apologies’ –this from a quote attributed to me that I did not actually make. Although I did tell the hack that I had apologised on the old blog to any who might have been offended and personally to two people (two note-not the 200 villagers that the M on S has credited to Hutton) whom I knew were upset.
Enough of that. £1.20 will buy you the whole paper. Money well spent? I hope you think so. Oh yes the article mentioned my whimsical rantings about a pet peacock! Sadly I am lacking such a beast but ‘Cockie’ and ‘Ollie’ the pheasants in the garden console me in
I still wonder why this story now. A year out of date. I am sure we should be told.
