Barbara and Her Maligned Sisters

Published: 22/03/2007

My husband, unfailingly understanding and non judgemental, comes into the bedroom after his shower and asks: ‘What is it about that Barbara Amiel that makes me react with such distaste? Why do I hate her more even than Mugabe?‘ Good question. Why does she provoke so much loathing and is it fair? Conrad Black is in the dock, accused of colossal embezzlement yet Barbara gets the greater opprobrium for wanting posh frocks and admitting her boundless extravagance. No worse than our star footballer’s wives or Liz Hurley you might think. In this unfolding fable, Amiel, whom age cannot wither, uses her sexuality to sink the fatefully flawed Conrad into a life of gross hedonism which has led to where he stands today, grey faced. Poor, poor old Conrad. One columnist even thinks: ‘It is unfair to persecute him just because his wife owns too many shoes’.

Now I detest the woman’s views – her particularly rabid Zionism, relentless attacks on gay and black rights, Thatcherite selfishness and hauteur that makes the real Queen appear humble. I once sort of accused her of being clever with the truth in a column and when we faced each other at an event soon after, her green eyes burned into my face and I thought I would be immolated and turned into a small pile of ash. However she doesn’t deserve to be hounded as a Lady Macbeth figure.

These witch hunts are all too common.
I admit I have castigated Cherie Blair for the sense of betrayal so many Labour voters now nurse. She too likes rather too many frocks and expensive holidays, not very leftie, though hardly crimes. Blair the powerful makes some pretty bad judgements. His wife, who has no case to answer, gets too much of the blame .
Same story with the Clintons too. When Bill was found with his trousers on the floor Monika Lewinsky and Hillary were slagged off more than the man himself as he fell from amazing grace. Hillary is still seen as a wicked manipulator and dodgy political merchant while Bill today strides the globe an unchallenged American hero. Imelda Marcos is another woman with too many shoes hated more than her gruesome dictator husband.

Whatever the court verdict, you can be sure Barbara Amiel will be pronounced guilty on all counts. Who would now be in her many pairs of Jimmy Choos? I stick up for her today because for the media and public there is always female evil behind every ambitious and unsound man and that is blatant, sexist prejudice.

Published in Evening Standard