Sue Cox

Sue Cox

Monday 12 March 2012

The delia effect!

I didn't know wether to laugh or cry today when I read of the latest "secret weapon" being launched by the catholic church in a vain attempt to revive it's flagging reputation. None other than "St." Delia Smith! She of the smug,patronising cookery programmes, she of the mispronunciations of practically everything she utters, she of the drunken rant in front of thousands at Norwich City Football club. It seems that since Waitrose have usd her for their campaign, she is starting to believe her own hype!
The "Delia effect" as it has become known, refers to the fact that she can influence vast sales of food items, especially unusual ones, by simply mentioning them in her kitchen.(not quite water to wine but hey) Of course, that does say far more about her audience than it does of her!
So not content with directing our eating habits, she now has turned her latest crusade to that of "defending the church"! (didn't joan of arc do something like that?) and in true Delia fashion, gets her facts wrong, opening her mouth long before it occurs to her to engage her brain.
She refers to the very thorough Ipsos Moris survey commissioned by Professor Richard Dawkins MA DPhil FRSA FRLA and the Dawkins Foundation as "cheeky" and "not true"! presumably that kind of playground response  suggests that she hasn't come across the idea of "evidence" before, apart from perhaps the fact that you can prove that eggs are fresh by placing them in water, or if you put your hand on a stove it probably might burn.
Totally missing the point of secularism and the call for the end to religious priveleges, she rants on (again) about what she calls a running battle by " millitant neo-atheists"and suggests that christians  are "under the cosh"
She goes on to pontificate on how "one thing we all should stand united on is our common belief in human life and human flourishing" - I totally agree, and perhaps we should start by educating the pope and his heirarchy, they clearly have "human lives and flourishing" way down on their list of priorities. perhaps she should tell that to the AIDS orphans, the clergy abuse survivors, womens rights organisations, and  the oppressed in all the countries where the church has a stranglehold.
Perhaps because she is second only to Jamie Oliver in cookery book sales, she should take a lesson from him, who, having put on an enormous amount of weight is looking increasingly stupid when he tries to teach everyone about healthy eating!
I am tempted to say she is a prime example for why a women should stay in the kitchen! but I wouldn't insult my sisters that way!
She tells us she will have "more to say on the matter" (maybe when she has talked to someone who can tell her what to say)    I can hardly wait!

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