The hounding of Adam Rickett, both by the media and disdainful Conservatives, has gone far enough. It's time to stop. It's a disgrace that he has been villified in such a disgusting manner by people who should know better. He has become the lightning rod for the whole 'A' List saga, and it should stop now. Surely the Conservative Party should be welcoming a 28 year old into its fold rather than ritually slagging him off? I have never met Adam Rickett or spoken to him, but I know a witch hunt when I see it. Of course people will question his experience and why he should be on the 'A' List, but it's gone way beyond that now. The latest example comes in today's Daily Mail, where Jonathan Holborrow has the following to say: "I think it is unlikely that Mr Rickett will advance much further in the selection process in Folkestone & Hythe, which is a very traditional Conservative seat." Well, it's a point of view you might say, and what's wrong with that? What's wrong is that Jonathan Holborrow is the constituency chairman in Folkestone & Hythe and has no business commenting in public on either the selection process or the people who have applied. I trust his wrists will have been well and truly slapped by the powers that be at CCHQ. Adam Rickett is no one's fool. He had a place to study law at Cambridge before deciding to take the part of Nicky Tilsley in Coronation Street. He's been successful. Surely as Conservatives we ought to be welcoming that. While his appearance on Question Time was not an unqualified success - as I am sure he would himself admit - it was hardly a disaster. He actually answered the difficult questions reasonably well, but was weaker on the easier questions. Surely that's the best way round for it to be! As everyone reading this will know very well, I think there are probably a number of people who ought to have been on the 'A' List in preference to several of those who are actually on it. But that's life. And it should not provide the excuse for people who should know better to publicly slag off a fellow Conservative. We should have learned from the past how far that gets us. So let's call off the dogs and wish Adam Rickett well. End of lecture.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
In Defence of Adam Rickett
The hounding of Adam Rickett, both by the media and disdainful Conservatives, has gone far enough. It's time to stop. It's a disgrace that he has been villified in such a disgusting manner by people who should know better. He has become the lightning rod for the whole 'A' List saga, and it should stop now. Surely the Conservative Party should be welcoming a 28 year old into its fold rather than ritually slagging him off? I have never met Adam Rickett or spoken to him, but I know a witch hunt when I see it. Of course people will question his experience and why he should be on the 'A' List, but it's gone way beyond that now. The latest example comes in today's Daily Mail, where Jonathan Holborrow has the following to say: "I think it is unlikely that Mr Rickett will advance much further in the selection process in Folkestone & Hythe, which is a very traditional Conservative seat." Well, it's a point of view you might say, and what's wrong with that? What's wrong is that Jonathan Holborrow is the constituency chairman in Folkestone & Hythe and has no business commenting in public on either the selection process or the people who have applied. I trust his wrists will have been well and truly slapped by the powers that be at CCHQ. Adam Rickett is no one's fool. He had a place to study law at Cambridge before deciding to take the part of Nicky Tilsley in Coronation Street. He's been successful. Surely as Conservatives we ought to be welcoming that. While his appearance on Question Time was not an unqualified success - as I am sure he would himself admit - it was hardly a disaster. He actually answered the difficult questions reasonably well, but was weaker on the easier questions. Surely that's the best way round for it to be! As everyone reading this will know very well, I think there are probably a number of people who ought to have been on the 'A' List in preference to several of those who are actually on it. But that's life. And it should not provide the excuse for people who should know better to publicly slag off a fellow Conservative. We should have learned from the past how far that gets us. So let's call off the dogs and wish Adam Rickett well. End of lecture.
Iain - re-read what you wrote and spot the inconsistency... Adam Rickett is no one's fool..... He had a place to study law at Cambridge before deciding to take the part of Nicky Tilsley in Coronation Street.
ReplyDeleteJudgement, dear boy, judgement.
What would any parent advise their child to do? Getting a solid foundation is important in life. The failure to recognise this basis fact is one of the follies of the ariveste enabling priority list and shows the same lack of judgement.
By the way the offer was conditional on A levels .. were they achieved or is this a little spun?
Spot on, Iain. And far from being a lecture, it simply had to be said. I endorsed Adam on my blog yesterday, but my one reader was in hospital having her varicose veins removed so she missed it. By applying for Folkestone & Hythe, Adam shows great courage. Considering the stick he's taken over the last few weeks it's a wonder he wants stand at all. The kid has got what it takes. And he's a northener. Not that I'm biased you understand.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - Adam Rickett is no one's fool..... He had a place to study law at Cambridge before deciding to take the part of Nicky Tilsley in Coronation Street. Judgement, dear boy, judgement.
ReplyDelete====================================
Go to Cambridge, study law, get in shedloads of debt and spend the next twenty years working it off.
or...
Take a part in one of the biggest soap operas in the country, guarantee you get a good start financially.
judgement my arse.
Couldn't agree more Iain.
ReplyDeleteI don't know Adam Rickett, I don't know if he would make a good Conservative MP or not - that's a matter still open for judgement. You're right, he has become the poster boy for people who have complaints about the A list and frankly the treatment he is being subjected to is appalling. From some elements it has been little more than school-yard bullying. I hope it doesn't put him off continuing to apply for seats.
As for the F&H chairman, he should be removed from the short-listing panel as he is obviously not going in with an open mind.
Adam, along with every other member of the candidates list/A list, should be judged on their merits.
Time for the hounds to be called off.
Iain,
ReplyDeleteI am on record on this blog as saying that if you had been on the A-list and Adam hadn't, there would have been much less controversy within the party, and I'm sticking to that.
This is not a comment on the merits of Adam vis-a-vis yourself or any candidate, merely a comment on the political wisdom of the party hierarchy in making the judgement that it did. By putting Adam on the A-list at 28, before he has fought a losing seat, in fact before he had done much in politics except appear on Question Time to mixed reviews, they made him a target for those who were determined from the start to brand the A-list as a Trojan Horse for "mincing metrosexuals." It would have been much kinder to Adam to let him gain more experience before subjecting him to that kind of exposure.
Similarly, by leaving you off, they made you a martyr to the anti A-list camp and raised suspicions that you were being victimised either because of your connections with David Davis or because this blog does not always make comfortable reading for party bosses. Neither of which, if true, would be acceptable.
Mr Dale,
ReplyDeleteI don't know what you're fussing over. You sound like a clucky mother hen.
This attention is absolutely nothing compared to the global ridicule he will have to endure if he attains any governmental position. All those semi-naked (and not so semi-) pics of him will never permit him to be anything politically credible.
He had a choice (so reports say) between Cambridge or Coronation Street. He chose the latter. It must now face the lifelong consequences...
I agree the criticism has gone too far but there are still things which trouble me about this whole matter. The A-List candidates should be those capable of winning seats for the Conservatives not simply looking good by taking up a safe constituency. I think his choice to go for F&H rather than others show he doesn't have the ability to fight a proper campaign and instead is attempting to take the easier option which will do nothing to prove his apparent capabilites. He needs to show far more political skill, intelligence and dedication to the Conservative cause before I would want him to represent the party I believe in.
ReplyDeleteIain, I basically agree, but if he's so smart and savvy... he would surely have realised that he would be a receptor for opposition to a mind-numbingly weak idea.
ReplyDeleteIt pisses me off so much that the hard-working likes of yourself have been side-lined for the vapid and unproven. I don't see the logic.
Mind you, having seen Sayeeda Warsi's limp performance on last week's Question Time... I'd struggle to endorse her either.
The whole A List thing is a joke.
Adam Rickett is no one's fool..... He had a place to study law at Cambridge before deciding to take the part of Nicky Tilsley in Coronation Street.
ReplyDeletePrecisely. There is far too many Lawyers in politics, T Blair being the extreme example of why thats a bad thing.
I'm with Dizzy on this one. He made the right decision.
I can't help but shake the feeling that if Labour had picked an ex-Corrie actor with no political experience to fight a winnable seat at the next election, you would be hounding the hell out of them.
ReplyDeleteI would envisage comments such as...
"Does Blair seriously think that the British people are going to be fooled by such a dispicable PR stunt"
"Putting forward gimmicky individuals as candidates who will be asked to take decisions on war, civil liberties and the future of the country shows the comptempt Labour show for Parliament"
"Spin, Spin, Spin. You couldn't make it up!"
Admit it.
I shall be delighted if Conservatives rally around Adam, as a central figure in your party. In fact, he already seems the natural heir to Cameron.
ReplyDeleteI think Adam could be the sort of statesman this country needs, to help end the war betweem the Hooties and Tutus, a terrible conflict which is tearing Sri Lanka apart.
Can we verify the A level point? If he actually failed to meet the requiremnts of the claimed offer then the statement that he "gave up a place to go to Corrie" is exactly the type of Clintonesque deceit that has caused Labour such trouble. If that is the case he is showing early warning signs of being a liability.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I object to is that he's referred to by Conservative Home as a gay icon!
ReplyDeleteI posted this to the CH website the other day:
I don't know why ConsHome keep labelling this poor young man as a "gay icon". Not that I'm terribly knowledgeable on what would constitute a real icon, but my, umm, passing acquaintance with the constituency suggests it's usually something to do with tragedy, nobility and romantic yearning. Think Celia Wossername going home to hubby at the end of Brief Encounter. Think "I'm ready for the cameras now Mr De Mille". Do *not* think of some grimy northern soap. If by "gay icon" you mean we're supposed to *fancy* him, then, umm, again, well, umm, no. Next! If he's an icon for anyone I would imagine it's for nice grannies who watch soap operas. If I can make myself even more unpopular, maybe indeed he's perfect for Folkstone!
usqall of this is a storm in a teacup, voters dont know what the a-list is, its only known to insiders, if Ricketts gets chosen and runs a good campaign it will be good for the party. all publicity id good publicity. think of all those younger voters and old dears who will look at him running a local campaign and wathc their perceptio of the party change for the better
ReplyDeleteIain, you now fall into the 'Ah, isn't he lovely' bracket, when it comes to young Adam.
ReplyDeletetruth is, that everyone who claims to be a responsible adult in the world of politics shouls encourage young people like Adam to take up the sport.
If Adam were to be selected, then I think you have more problems than you think you have.
gary
Why attack Adam Rickett when Zak Goldsmith remains insufficiently ridiculed?
ReplyDeleteSurely you cannot be rebuking the legitimate criticism of Adam Rickitt's apparent fast-tracking to the A-list without any substantial credentials?
ReplyDeleteIf he lacks any formal political background or qualification, then what of his activities with the Party itself? People have been asking what he's done in terms of campaigning, contributions to the Party, local efforts etc, but there seems to be little response- at least, I've heard little, anyway.
Being 'nearly' there doesn't quite cut it. Actually seizing the opportunity and making something of it is something else.
I 'nearly' went to a decent school and would likely have come out with better qualifications than I have now, but I don't flaunt that on my CV or in interviews!
I would agree taht positive achievement in whichever area of life is to be commended, particularly as a principal of being Conservative, however I feel that proposed prospective candidates should have the capacity to be taken a little more seriously than it appears.
If he can truly prove his contribution and credentials to the Party, and has the skill to provide effective and proper representation for his proposed constituency, then I will back him as I would any other candidate. Until then, I remain a little sceptical at what appears to be misdirected opportunism (Rickitt doesn't quite have the media kudos that older and out-of-touch Conservatives seem to think he has, you know).
Iain, as often you are absolutely right. It is soicalists who indulge in the politics of envy, not us!
ReplyDeleteWell his performance on Question Time was frankly embarrassing. The problem is not Rickett as such, but the reasons why he was selected. The outcry has been remarkably restrained.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think you had better tell Guido to stop putting THAT picture up if you eant anyone to take him seriously! Your pic on the other hand make him look ALMOST credible.
Dare I point out the hypocrisy of Mr Dale creating yet another thread of potential blogging abuse for this poor, innocent, misunderstood creature?
ReplyDeleteUnless Mr Dale is filtering out all the nasty comments...
Louise
ReplyDeleteI actually agree with what you say about JH and his "open mind"
Cards on the table. I am a member of FHCA, I do not want Adam Rickett to replace Michael. personally, I think he needs to wet his political beak a little more than just suddenly appearing on the A List - and I do not mean make him run in an unwinnable
My personal favourite for FHCA has never run for any office whatsoever, however, they know the area better than almost anyone, were the reason that MH's campaign was so focused and drilled, the majority increase being down to them activating areas people hadn't been into for 20 years - the right and correct way to run any campaign.
However Jonathan has shown immense political stupidity by speaking publically about this matter, and he should be instantly removed from the selection panel at the very least - what is to say he won't reveal the entire list of who makes the 2nd round and the reasons why? What is to say that the people he puts through are not loaded so that his prefered one candidate wins the membership ballot later this year?
Yes the above happens all over the country anyway, and that should be stopped (I know of one seat where, ironically, the strongest candidate was local and she was rejected specifically so the panel could get their favourite through to stand again in 05, and put complete duffers up against them in the AGM). But JH has stepped completely out of line here and should be at the very least removed from the selection process, with someone of a more neutral position brought into play
Iain, I am totally with you on this. I am not saying that Adam is going to be a run away success - but lets not rubbish the boy before he shows us what he is made of. None of us were in his interview and he may have been amazing and hugely impressive. Lets just reserve judgment.
ReplyDeleteAs for the comments that I have heard about his Question Time appearance, many seasoned politicians struggle on this show so his performance should not be the only measure by which he is judged.
And as for the comments about his semi-naked posters - purrlease - Glenda Jackson was hardly renowned for keeping her kit on in her films and Ricketts form is in much better condition (in my humble opinion)!
"The hounding of Adam Rickett, both by the media and disdainful Conservatives, has gone far enough. It's time to stop. It's a disgrace that he has been villified in such a disgusting manner by people who should know better."
ReplyDeleteCranmer said you sound like a clucky mother hen. I'd say more like an aspiring authoritarian headmaster scolding his naughty children. As someone else has pointed out, all this is as nothing to what he can expect if selected - then elected. Good experience for him - and FOC too.
I agree with Ross. Zac is much more likely to be trouble. He is not an "ariviste" as anonymous so charmingly put it, since he runs his political power base (the widely unread Ecologist magazine) on daddy's money & has some distinctly eccentric opinions. Whereas Adam played (rather than was) a lower middle class boy & is very much on message. That Adam is the less acceptable one says a lot about many Tories.
ReplyDeleteI suspect tactically he will be parachuted into a very safe seat so that he can put his work into the national campaign where his face is a real asset.
Graehme the reason he is a gay icon is because the character he played on Corrie is a straight guy who is clearly troubled by gay tendencies but would break his mum's heart if he changed. I regret that politics is so much about image rather than substance but we work with the tools we have.
I would like to see him go for one of the Brighton seats.... he is a gay icon (Fact) and there are many gay people in Brighton (who will be PREPARED to LISTEN to a person like and Adam and realise that voting Tory is perhaps a good idea), he will take any of those three seats.Tactically, he will be wasted on Folkestone.
ReplyDeleteSympathies with both sides here - a bit less of a vindictive attitude would probably help a lot. I do have to ask the question though....which college at Cambridge actually offered Mr Rickitts a place? I only ask because until very recently I'd only ever heard he was "going to Oxbridge to study law". A statement which was on his website and always confused me...surely he knew which one...?!
ReplyDeleteBlessed is the peacemaker for he shall inherit a safe seat...in the not too distant future, we hope Iain.
ReplyDeleteYour sermon is timely. These are early days. If Adam is made of the right stuff he will succeed whether now or later. I think the consensus is that he must do purga'tory' for an election or two after which he will have a few battle scars to confirm his credentials. Yorkshireladdie is talking sensibly.
Iain
ReplyDeleteWith CCHQ talking about local candidates getting a step in to local seats, perhaps you could be keeping an eye on a couple of seats that neighbour your current abode?
This change is a good workaround to the A List, and could work in your particular favour if you wanted to represent T&M, and has Widdy said anything about the next election yet?
Re: Laura
ReplyDelete1. He is judged on his Question Time appearance because that is ALL there is to judge him on! I can find no other political achievement or expression of opinion on any subject.
2. Yes none of us were in the interview. But we know why he has been selected. It is about showing we are "young". It is about grabbing headlines. It has nothing to do with real politics and Rickett has got rightly slaughtered for that reason. He is a joke and you won't stop people from saying it.
3. Other politicians are bad on QT. Well maybe. But they tend to owe their positions to some form of achievement. Not appearing in some two-bit TV programme.
4. Glenda Jackson. Was rather hoping we were going for better people than that. Surely the only moral of that story is that TV "celebs" don't necessarily make serious politicians.
I just want to challenge again this idea that the man is a gay icon! It's part of the label that is always attached to him & it's surely this perception that he's nothing other than some pinup that is damaging to him. I'm not a walking opinion poll, but the two gay people I know very well (me and my other arf) had never heard of him before CH's A-list furore kicked off; and it transpires that we've never heard of him because we don't watch Coronation St.
ReplyDeleteComplicated waffle, sorry, what I'm sort of suggesting is that it's *because* he's been (inaccurately I think) labelled as a "gay icon" that partly leads to Tory commentators routinely dismissing him. If he'd been consistently labelled as "successful actor from nation's favourite television programme" I think perceptions of those, like me, who'd previously never heard of him would have been a lot more positive.
A lot of the tory blogosphere is just viciously opposed to A-listing. They have alighted on Ricketts as a perceived weak link in that chain and are doing everything they can to rubbish his chances in being given a fair hearing anywhere. Iain, your article has made me think a lot more deeply about this than I had previously so thank you for it.
I think he's great, leave him alone! He's been through quite a lot. A major injury that buggered what could have been an even more promising rugby career, followed by deep depression and an eating disorder (that I wondered when I saw him on QT if it might have resurfaced) for which he was apparently badly bullied at school and survived. I would want a break from all that if I was offered it, wouldn't you?
ReplyDeleteAs for the pictures - I thought that too, but let's face it, Governor Schwarz... bugger it, Arnie, and the wrestler bloke who's also a state governor, have all got pretty near naked body shots out there in cyrberspace to haunt them.
The only thing I have against him is that he chose the Tory party...:)
I don't watch Corrie - but seemingly 17 million others do. I would hardly call the longest running soap in teh country "two bit".
ReplyDeleteIain
ReplyDeletewell done for this!
Adam Rickitt has been the easy target for the anti A listers and unimaginative comics. I have no idea about his stregths but he was seeking approval as a candidate before the A list so its not a new idea for him.
Unfortunately he's in position that many of our female & ethnic minority candidates are of now having to prove he's much better rather than as good as other candidates. Shame to judge people on their looks isn't it.
michael oakeshott - I enjoy your posts, but I've rejected the last one. Please stop the personal insults!
ReplyDeleteAm sorry you think that Iain. But there was no personal insult. I merely expressed an opinion you disagreed with. Entirely your right of course, but let`s call a spade a spade.
ReplyDeleteGraeme Archer... "I don't know why ConsHome keep labelling this poor young man as a 'gay icon'....my, umm, passing acquaintance with the constituency suggests it's usually something to do with tragedy, nobility and romantic yearning."
ReplyDeleteGraeme, you obviously haven't seen his acting. Believe me... it is tragic.
Hey, I love all this 'A' list stuff. Terrific. "We should have learned from the past how far that gets us...." Keep it up boys and girls, only three or four years and you can get back to tearing each other to pieces.
Bob, you make my point for me.
ReplyDeleteYou could have used a better picture. He looks 12 in that photo, never mind 28.
ReplyDeleteAs for the seats he's going for it would be more appropis if he went for a winnable marginal with a young commuter belt rather than a dyed in the wool Tory fortress.
(And why am I giving this advice when I'm not even a Tory!!! Must be feeling charitable).
I agree with you... to an extent. I can see where the vitriol is coming from, and partially agree with the F&H Chairman when he suggests AR should bang on some doors and work on some campaigns.
ReplyDeleteAs for the personal and nasty stuff... I think that is uncalled for. I never form a judgement about someone until I meet them. As I have never met, and am thoroughly unlikely to meet, Mr Rickett then I certainly won't be slagging the guy off
Hellfire, Iain.
ReplyDeleteSo far he's been put up on Question Time and given an awful performance. He shouldn't have been there and to go on it so woefully underprepared indicates his lack of experience. While I'm happy to encourage more young people into politics, I'm not sure that youth itself is a qualification (speaking as an elderly bloke of some 35 years).
It is entirely possible that he could mature into a politician, but on the showing so far, he's got where he is solely on the back of his limited acting/music career. If the Tory party want to hold beauty parades and pick the most gorgeous candidate, then that's their problem and I wish them luck. I'd be looking for a candidate with a bit more political nous and experience than somebody who has just turned up and expects special treatment.
Feel free to defend him - I'd expect no less of you as a loyal party man - but he is only on the A List because of his media profile. Despite my Labour activism, I suspect that you would be thousand times better as a candidate than Mr Rickett and your exclusion from the pointless A List merely indicates the bankruptcy of the whole process.
There is a hidden agenda behind the attacks on Adam, but I do have to say that if he is selected as a candidate, he can expect far worse. If you can't stand the heat, don't walk through the door of that kitchen.
I thought about this long and hard, I’ve read all of the comments by other readers and I agree with Iain that we should leave Adam alone let him prove himself as a person and a future Conservative politician.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that really bothers me is the fact that every time his name is mentioned for good or bad, the Nicky Tilsley and half naked pop star pictures and snippets come out.
Do you remember how much stick William Hague got for his conference speech when he was 16 years old, did this ever leave him? In my opinion it made him and almost destroyed him. Now don’t get me wrong Hague is an excellent Politician and Adam Rickett isn’t party leader, but it’s something to consider.
Iain forgive me for saying and believe me I’m not taking the piss out of Adam Rickett here. That picture looks really odd; think about it, it looks like one of those picture quizzes made up of 3 or 4 celebrity faces???
ReplyDeleteI think it’s
Peter Crouch’s Hair
Michael Jackson’s Eyes & nose
Will Young’s Mouth
Norman Wisdom’s Ears
I said this over at Guido's but it's probably worth repeating here.
ReplyDeleteThis whole A-list to do is doing the candidates no good whatsoever. Mr Ricketts may be the next Thatcher/Gladstone/Churchill/whoever. He may become a solid MP one day. Or he could be a pretty face selected for his "Dim Doreen" voter appeal.
If the latter then ConHQ has done him a great disservice by putting him on the list. If either of the former the party is failing him by not mentoring him so that he can overcome the disability of his celebrity.
The fault is not Adam Ricketts, but rather that of the party which has mishandled the whole A-list thing very badly.
RM
Spot on. Any list like this is going to be controversial and there will always be disagreements, but the treatment of Adam has been the sort of bitter jealousy that I expect from socialists.
ReplyDeleteThe guy made some sensible choices in his career and has done well.I am sure that his fame does have something to do with his getting on this list and why shouldn't - he took some risks and no doubt worked bloody hard to get it and is now reaping the benefits. Sounds like a sound Tory value to me.
Let's leave bitterness to the left eh?
When I first read about this candidate, in the Sunday Times being on the tory A-List, I thought ok lets see, whats what, and look him up then I read from Adam Ricketts website, took a look at his press cuts and noticed how seriously, political journals of our day, take Adam, heavy weight political journals such as OK magazine, Soaplife, What's on in London and Woman's own journal.
ReplyDeleteI was rather upset that the last press story on a these Web pages which goes back to February 2004 real-life 20 things about Adam (Soaplife magazine) glosses over his significant political philosophy.
No wonder he's on the A-list
Dynamite - I am baffled by your reference to the Hootis and the Tutus in Sri Lanka. As in, what are you talking about? If this was an attempt to be clever and worldly, perhaps you should get your continent right.
ReplyDeleteThe fight in Sri Lanka is between the very brave Tamil Tigers and, quelle surprise, "Muslim militants".
The Lib Dems seem to have found their own Adam Rickett in their Bromley By election candidate, Ben Abbotts. He seems to have had an almost nauseating Mills and Boon like effect on Islington Lib Dem blonde 'tough cookie' Susanne Lamido:
ReplyDeletehttp://susannelamido.blogspot.com/
"Heard great things about the candidate and the hustings the previous night. I was curious to meet the man himself. Needs a special kind of person to take on the Tories. About to leave - looked up and there he was walking towards me ready to introduce himself. Well! my first impression - wow. Such a smart, handsome looking man. He exuberates confidence, natural charm and charisma - has a winning smile. Just the kind of candidate I'd envisaged. The women voters will love him.
We have never met before but he claimed he had heard of me by name and my blog (that did surprise me). My camera always ready to hand he posed for the picture above specially for tonights posting"
I agree with you Iain but have one question.....
ReplyDeleteThe article in yesterdays Mail (pages 10 and 11) said that he was due to study Law at Cambridge (on page 10 and according Simon Ashworth) and then Oxford (on page 11 in the Mail's profile)... With that in mind, which was it? Does anyone know for sure?
"The fight in Sri Lanka is between the very brave Tamil Tigers and, quelle surprise, "Muslim militants"."
ReplyDeletePure off-topic pedantry I know but Sri Lanka is overwhelmingly Hindu on both sides of this fight.
You would make a good start in defending him by spelling his name correctly: Adam Rickitt, according to his serious political web site:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.adamrickitt.com
when you're near me
ReplyDeletei breathe again
when you touch me
i breathe again
oooh-ohh-ohhh
The reason Adam is oft referred to as a gay icon is because as a leading tv actor, he was one of the few who happily embraced the gay community some years ago when it was less often embraced than perhaps today. His willingness to discuss major issues in the gay press, and yes, OK to appear topeless and looking naughty in some photo shoots, only strengthened his popularity. One could be callous and say it did his pop campaign no harm perhaps with a big music buying part of the population, but having seen some of the articles, he comes across as genuine and very at ease with people. Why it is an issue that he has been in photo shoots I do not know, he seems a good chap, sincere in what he wants to do and good looking with it - good luck to him. It doesn't matter how or (no offence Adam) with whom we win the seats we need, we just need to win them. If Mr Rickett wants to be part of it, and is willing to use his skills and yes, his good looks to help his party, then good show.
ReplyDelete