Westminster after dark Photo: Shane Global
Another day, another person with press office experience makes a curious media choice. Today it’s former press officer turned author turned Tory MP Louise Mensch with an appearance in the latest issue of GQ magazine.
Not quite 2 years into her political career Mensch is no stranger to a little controversy. Having already dealt with the first sniff of a drugs scandal with trademark frankness and made her mark on the phone hacking scandal, Mensch is naturally setting her sights on promotion.
In her interview with Matthew d'Ancona, Mensch discussed her belief she has been overlooked by Cameron. Suggesting that some of this is due to the type of press women MPs tend to receive, the 40 year old blonde explained, “Everything I had said was washed away under the fluffy-bunny thing of looks. It is Theresa May's kitten heels all over again.”
Not quite 2 years into her political career Mensch is no stranger to a little controversy. Having already dealt with the first sniff of a drugs scandal with trademark frankness and made her mark on the phone hacking scandal, Mensch is naturally setting her sights on promotion.
In her interview with Matthew d'Ancona, Mensch discussed her belief she has been overlooked by Cameron. Suggesting that some of this is due to the type of press women MPs tend to receive, the 40 year old blonde explained, “Everything I had said was washed away under the fluffy-bunny thing of looks. It is Theresa May's kitten heels all over again.”
This comment seems fair enough, even when you see Maggie Thatcher’s name you know the term ‘Pussy bow’ will follow soon enough. One could even be forgiven for believing Theresa May’s job spec involved shoes. However, as the Mirror and the Daily Mail have pointed out, Mensch’s remarks might have had more impact had she not posed in a fitted leather skirt for the interview’s accompanying photos.
Of course Mensch has every right to appear in whichever publication she might choose and clothes are not known for influencing the wearer’s policies. This brings us to the interesting question of compromise.
Louise Mensch is clearly quite media savvy; she knows how to court attention and is no doubt well aware it wasn’t wit that got her on to the Have I Got News for you panel. As an MP who wants to get ahead in this era it seems the Boris Johnson school of shameless self-promotion is the ideal fast track to a top job. Get your face out there and you can have anything you want.
Wondering aloud to a journalist whether or not you’re loyal enough to your party (unlikely, Mensch’s voting record shows she rarely rebels) won’t score you points with your leader but it gets you noticed.
Mensch knows what acceptable Westminster route she could go down to solve this promotion problem, “I need to sit down with my whip and say 'what do I have to do?'” So why doesn’t she? Perhaps her real priorities lie elsewhere.
When discussing her husband Mensch commented, “I was longing to brand myself with his name for a very long time. He’s a living legend, and to be his wife is the greatest honour.”
This is a telling quote. Corby’s MP is not simply recognising but embracing of the notion of both the Bagshawe and Mensch brand. One assumes allowing critics to describe your books as ‘fizzy’ does that to you. Obviously we are aware the chick lit writer Bagshawe and the MP Mensch are one in the same but this allows her to dart between two different kinds of celebrity.
During the interview Mensch mentions how she’d like her parliamentary career to develop. Mensch has a desire to see a Veterans Administration Department and that she’d like to have a crack at International Development.
As the interview appears to descend into a game of Would You Rather? Mensch chooses a Cabinet Minister post over the Booker prize, “‘But if they gave me a choice between having a movie made (out of one of her books) and being a cabinet minister, I’d take having the movie made.’”
Perhaps she won’t have to decide between the two.
To call the man who brought us Snow Patrol a living legend is perhaps a rather serious issue to be addressed at a later date.
Squeamish Kate
Of course Mensch has every right to appear in whichever publication she might choose and clothes are not known for influencing the wearer’s policies. This brings us to the interesting question of compromise.
Louise Mensch is clearly quite media savvy; she knows how to court attention and is no doubt well aware it wasn’t wit that got her on to the Have I Got News for you panel. As an MP who wants to get ahead in this era it seems the Boris Johnson school of shameless self-promotion is the ideal fast track to a top job. Get your face out there and you can have anything you want.
Wondering aloud to a journalist whether or not you’re loyal enough to your party (unlikely, Mensch’s voting record shows she rarely rebels) won’t score you points with your leader but it gets you noticed.
Mensch knows what acceptable Westminster route she could go down to solve this promotion problem, “I need to sit down with my whip and say 'what do I have to do?'” So why doesn’t she? Perhaps her real priorities lie elsewhere.
When discussing her husband Mensch commented, “I was longing to brand myself with his name for a very long time. He’s a living legend, and to be his wife is the greatest honour.”
This is a telling quote. Corby’s MP is not simply recognising but embracing of the notion of both the Bagshawe and Mensch brand. One assumes allowing critics to describe your books as ‘fizzy’ does that to you. Obviously we are aware the chick lit writer Bagshawe and the MP Mensch are one in the same but this allows her to dart between two different kinds of celebrity.
During the interview Mensch mentions how she’d like her parliamentary career to develop. Mensch has a desire to see a Veterans Administration Department and that she’d like to have a crack at International Development.
As the interview appears to descend into a game of Would You Rather? Mensch chooses a Cabinet Minister post over the Booker prize, “‘But if they gave me a choice between having a movie made (out of one of her books) and being a cabinet minister, I’d take having the movie made.’”
Perhaps she won’t have to decide between the two.
To call the man who brought us Snow Patrol a living legend is perhaps a rather serious issue to be addressed at a later date.
Squeamish Kate
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