Londoner’s Diary
Pity Matt Goodwin, the right-wing prof who seems to spy “new elite” conspiracy wherever he goes. Earlier this week, Goodwin sat down to debate the thesis of his book Values, Voice and Virtue with liberal journalist David Aaronovitch at Conway Hall.
They clashed over one of Goodwin’s central claims, that a “new elite” is responsible for many of the ills of British society. But who are the new elite? Journalists, architects, publishers, civil servants and people who went to Oxford, among others, according to Goodwin. Aaronovitch argued that the prof was cherry-picking to support his argument.
Soon after the debate, it emerged that “people who don’t invite Matt Goodwin to dinner” also qualify as part of the dastardly “new elite”. After Aaronovitch slipped off for supper with Prospect magazine editor Alan Rusbridger, who convened the debate, Goodwin fired off a tweet complaining that the pair “didn't even bother to invite me”. He described the snub as “classic New Elite” behaviour and claimed to find this “amusing”. Yet the email Goodwin sent to Rusbridger grumbling about the dinner slight had a distinctly unamused tone, we hear.
“Matthew’s obviously used to speaking at posher events where they throw dinners,” Rusbridger told us. “David and I had a plate of pasta round the corner at the end, together with some of the Prospect team involved in the event," said the former Guardian editor, "it’s called ‘supper with a friend,’ I think."
Goodwin claims “it is common courtesy after events to extend an invite to speakers”, especially since he took part in the debate for free.
