The political life of Walter Mitty
Nigel Farage attacked the ‘Walter Mittys’ in his own party. A few of the many uses of James Thurber’s daydreaming character in politics:
— In 2003 Tony Blair’s official spokesman Tom Kelly described the late government weapons scientist Dr David Kelly as a Walter Mitty. He was later forced to apologise.
— In 2011 friends of Liam Fox described his friend Adam Werritty as a Walter Mitty who had exaggerated his role as an aide to Dr Fox.
— In 2009, a leaked British National Party training manual called many supporters ‘Walter Mittys’ who ‘can’t write proper English’, are ‘compulsive liars’, ‘get carried away with conspiracy theories’ and who therefore should be discouraged from writing blogs.
Eastern promises
Labour committed itself by returning the top rate of income tax to 50 per cent. High earners could save themselves a fortune by going against the general flow of European migration:
| Top rate of income tax in 2012 | |
| Bulgaria | 10% |
| Lithuania | 15% |
| Czech Republic | 15% |
| Romania | 16% |
| Hungary | 16% |
| Slovakia | 19% |
Source: KPMG
Moneyball
Liverpool fans complained that they will be charged up to £93 for a ticket to see their team play away at Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in