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Fri, Feb 10 2012
Blog: Nice one, Samanfa...
Please give me votes!!
The prize for last week's funniest interview goes to Samantha Cameron, wife of British Conservative opposition leader David Cameron, although perhaps you would have to be English to understand why.
Granted, the cut-glass, strangulated vowels of the late Dame Celia Johnson, or art critic Brian Sewell, looks hopelessly out of place among today's younger generation in the UK.
Only London mayor Boris Johnson, or actor Hugh Grant, are allowed to speak like that but then again they have long since carved out the niche for upper class buffoons. It's alright to "speak posh" as long it's for entertainment, so it would seem. A possible exception is Keira Knightley...well done, Keira.
Granted too that even the so-called Queen's English - without the obvious pretensions to grandeur - seems only to be spoken by the likes of Joanna Lumley and Anna Ford, but is there anyone out there who believes 'Samanfa's' estuary English "mockney" accent - fashioned after Guy Ritchie's or Nigel Kennedy's - is anything other than an obvious affectation designed to give her street cred and ward off accusations that this born with a gold spoon in her mouth (sorry mouf') baronet's daughter is out of touch with ordinary people? "When I me' Dive..." Ha ha!!!
Estuary English is elocution's equivalent of grunge dressing. Nobody wants to stand out from the crowd as elitist or privileged or well-educated lest they attract charges of snobbery. Excellence, achievement and refinement are lampooned. Mindless avarice, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable in the UK of 2010.
People may say everyone should be allowed to speak how they please. Yes, people should be allowed to speak in a way that is natural for them, within reason. Clearly, however, that is not the case with Samantha Cameron who has obviously spent many year practising her re-invention, trying to iron out those elongated vowels and getting that glottal stop just right, until she has perfected that home counties classless drawl. Maybe she thinks it will help to win votes? I dunno, difficul' to say, innit?
Granted, the cut-glass, strangulated vowels of the late Dame Celia Johnson, or art critic Brian Sewell, looks hopelessly out of place among today's younger generation in the UK.
Only London mayor Boris Johnson, or actor Hugh Grant, are allowed to speak like that but then again they have long since carved out the niche for upper class buffoons. It's alright to "speak posh" as long it's for entertainment, so it would seem. A possible exception is Keira Knightley...well done, Keira.
Granted too that even the so-called Queen's English - without the obvious pretensions to grandeur - seems only to be spoken by the likes of Joanna Lumley and Anna Ford, but is there anyone out there who believes 'Samanfa's' estuary English "mockney" accent - fashioned after Guy Ritchie's or Nigel Kennedy's - is anything other than an obvious affectation designed to give her street cred and ward off accusations that this born with a gold spoon in her mouth (sorry mouf') baronet's daughter is out of touch with ordinary people? "When I me' Dive..." Ha ha!!!
Estuary English is elocution's equivalent of grunge dressing. Nobody wants to stand out from the crowd as elitist or privileged or well-educated lest they attract charges of snobbery. Excellence, achievement and refinement are lampooned. Mindless avarice, on the other hand, is perfectly acceptable in the UK of 2010.
People may say everyone should be allowed to speak how they please. Yes, people should be allowed to speak in a way that is natural for them, within reason. Clearly, however, that is not the case with Samantha Cameron who has obviously spent many year practising her re-invention, trying to iron out those elongated vowels and getting that glottal stop just right, until she has perfected that home counties classless drawl. Maybe she thinks it will help to win votes? I dunno, difficul' to say, innit?
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For once - note, O moderators - I agree with EVERYBODY who has posted so far, especially Susie. If elected, Cameron will be Ashcroft's puppet......
Samamfa is welcome to Dave; but please god he is not inflicted on the UK; he just is not a statesman and will only be a political puppet for the likes of SIR Ashcroft; the `non dom` multi millionaire. who will surely be pulling Dave`s strings adeptly from his tax haven.
There is no way that would be her normal accent because of her school background; Well done Samamfa for getting pregnant again at the right time;
she is a peach isn`t she? NOT
me finks i' is righ' wickid that them posh birds ge' a bi' of a kickin'. i is well pleased.
as an aside, one would have expected the daughter of a baronet and a landowner would demonstrate a firmer sense of breeding and culture and it is indicative of the general demoralisation of britain's governing class that the product of an all-girls' school should show a mock affection for vulgar english. a politician's wife would do well to gain the affection of the masses in support of her husband, but it is only the not very perceptive who [...]
Read the full comment would be ever so readily deceived by her faux common touch.
with the above in mind, one is left to ponder whether england will be the death of english?
Yeah, well, it's 'er, innit ? Sam the Pram, with today's news that she's got a free-munf sprog up the jacksie, and ain't 'arf 'appy she can 'ighjack the autumn Par'y Confruns wiv sproglet in tow. Dunno wot it'll be called yet - pro'lly Wayne or Shayne.
(To our US, BBC and European readers: translation - Samantha Cameron announced today that she is 3 months pregnant, and looks forward to appearing with the baby at Party Conference in the autumn.
Naming options have not yet been discussed, but "Wayne" and "Shayne" have not so [...]
Read the full comment far been excluded. )