Why should we subsidize intellectual curiosity? Simon Hoggart More Quotes by Simon Hoggart More Quotes From Simon Hoggart Seeing John Major govern the country is like watching Edward Scissorhands try to make balloon animals. Simon Hoggart edward-scissorhandsanimalcountry There are few tribes more loathsome than the American Right, and their vicious use of the shortcomings in the NHS to attack Barack Obama's attempts at health reform are a useful reminder. Simon Hoggart nhsreformuse All over the U.S. there are people whose lives are being destroyed for lack of proper health care provision, and there is no sight more odious than the rich, powerful and arrogant trying to keep it that way. Simon Hoggart powerfulsightpeople Peter Mandelson is the only man I know who can skulk in broad daylight. Simon Hoggart peterdaylightmen I cannot be alone in being pretty nauseated by Red Nose Day, or at least its television manifestation. Do I think that wretchedly poor children in Africa should get food and life-saving drugs? Of course. Do I want to be hectored into contributing by celebrities who earn more in a 10-minute slot than many of these families get in a year? Nope. Simon Hoggart childrenyearsthinking It's sad that the BBC is toning down Dennis the Menace for a cartoon series. He is losing his weapons, catapult and peashooter, will no longer pick on Walter the Softy, and his ferocious grimace is to be replaced by a charming, boyish smile. Simon Hoggart downsmilesadlosing She is the first head of government in history to give a whole country its second childhood. Simon Hoggart childhoodgovernmentcountryhistory The Tory party is like a rugby union match in which all 30 players are wearing the same strip. They're not sure who they are grabbing round the knees, but they're having a lot of fun doing it. Simon Hoggart doinglikepartyfun To be fair to the Inquisition, they only used confessions extracted after the torture had ended, which let them claim that admissions had been freely given; the fact that the torture would have started again if they hadn't confessed was a minor detail. Simon Hoggart detailfaironlytorture When people move from one extreme set of views to embrace another equally batty picture of the world, they expect us to applaud their choice, as if the fact that they have rejected one form of nuttiness somehow validates the screwball views they hold now. Simon Hoggart picturechoicepeopleworld We all have our opinions. But I suspect that writers are actually less worth heeding, because they regard themselves as so uniquely important, so culturally sensitive. Simon Hoggart worthopinionsbecauseimportant Denis Healey refused to contribute an article to the 'Guardian' about his intentions, and was punished by the electorate - and then all Labour MPs - for his presumption in assuming they already knew everything about him. He became famously the best prime minister we never had. Perhaps. Simon Hoggart intentionseverythingneverbest During my own gap year, I learned an invaluable lesson - that I was a lousy teacher. Even though the children I 'taught,' in upcountry Uganda, were desperate for qualifications, they largely ignored me. Until, that is, I realised that they wanted to hear about other young persons around the world. Simon Hoggart meteacherchildrenworld Jim Sheridan, the MP who wants to ban sketchwriters from the Commons for being rude about politicians, is a blithering idiot. Sorry, scrub that - clearly a very thoughtful person with whom I might conceivably disagree on some marginal issues. A blithering savant, perhaps. Simon Hoggart politiciansidiotrudesorry What has always puzzled me is the flexibility of God's word. For instance, Catholics can now eat meat on Fridays. And limbo has been abolished. How does this work? Who tells them? Simon Hoggart mealwaysgodwork A married vicar is likely to regard his vocation as a job - a tough and ill-paid one, to be sure - but a priest is seen as a pillar of the community, answerable only to his parishioners and his God, rather than to a wife and children. Simon Hoggart wifecommunitygodchildren
