The Londoner: McGowan lined up for #MeToo clash

  McGowan and Greer face #MeToo clash / Nuns stuck at border control / Gove admits he's technologically challenged / Brosnan fails to hit the high notes / 
#MeToo clash: Rose McGowan:
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17 July 2018

Actor Rose McGowan and writer Germaine Greer are set to go head to head in the fiercest feminist spat since Camille Paglia and Julie Burchill’s famous fax wars of the 1990s.

The pair are due to share a stage in London next spring for the first #MeToo festival and will be among a number of high- profile speakers de-bating the motion “Has #MeToo Gone Too Far? Or Not Far Enough?” They have clashed bruisingly in the past.

McGowan, who was one of Harvey Weinstein’s first accusers, told her: “Germaine Greer. You are a fail and a fraud,” after Greer said of women assaulted in Hollywood: “The display of female victimhood in entertainment media is not the result of a conspiracy between wicked men to objectify, reify and sexualise women. But a straightforward capitulation to market forces.” The festival is organised by Richard Hillgrove, Julian Assange’s PR, and Stuart Lyon, a promoter who worked with Elton John and David Bowie. A second festival is due to take place in New York in September next year.

“Rose McGowan now sees herself as an auteur, director and humanist,” says a festival source. “The ‘Hollywood actress label’ is now a husk.”

McGowan says she was raped by Weinstein in 1997. Her allegations prompted multiple others to come forward and she subsequently became the face of the #MeToo movement.

But during a book tour to promote her memoir, Brave in February, McGowan had a “meltdown” when confronted over trans rights. Greer, who wrote The Female Eunuch in 1970, has made controversial comments about trans women, who she once dubbed “not real women”. She also said, “Most rape is just lazy, careless and insensitive.”

Speakers being lined up to join the pair include journalists Bryony Gordon, Camilla Long and Caitlin Moran. Piers Morgan and Rod Liddle will also speak as well as the actor Steve Coogan and writer Alan Bennett.

Leave blinded by the technology

As Vote Leave is fined today by the Electoral Commission for breaking electoral law, Michael Gove has admitted even he didn’t understand the technology used. “I knew a lot of work was going on but I didn’t have the smarts to understand every stage of it,” he told Tom Baldwin, author of Ctrl Alt Del. Dominic Cummings, who ran Vote Leave’s technical operation, claimed: “If you haven’t got a maths or physics PhD, you’re not going to understand.” John Holmes, the Electoral Commission’s chair, has a degree —in Ancient Greek.

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Edward Leigh MP backs the sisterhood: he asks Home Office ministers to show mercy at Immigration because “nuns have had visas refused for a lack of a personal bank account”. Perhaps officials are suspicious of wimples. After all, who can forget John Simpson smuggling himself into Afghanistan in 2001 in a burqa?

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Was Mark Boon, Govia Thameslink’s head of operations pictured refusing to give up his seat on a full train, taking liberties with his free pass? Passholders must give up their seat to paying customers, say GTR, but Boon didn’t because “the woman who complained did not have a first-class ticket”. The spirit, not the letter, Mark.

Henry Holland marks his card as his pals gather for rooftop celebration

Fashion magnate Henry Holland welcomed his friends to a rooftop party in Shoreditch last night.

The designer was toasting his new collaboration between House of Holland and stationery brand Papier. Holland was the first to try out his new collection: he Instagrammed a profound “affirmation” on one of his signed cards: “Never try and explain yourself to idiots, you’re not the f***face whisperer.”

The designer, who is famous for his slogan T-shirts, was joined by singer Remi Nicole and Pixie Geldof.

The model and daughter of Bob Geldof had a busy weekend at the Trump protest; she was snapped parading a sign that read: “It’s simple — people hate you.”

Artist Sabrina Percy was also among the attendees, as was brand consultant Rosanna Falconer and filmmaker Fenn O’Meally.

The party was held at the Boundary Rooftop Bar and Grill.

SW1A

Missing the point: Tim Farron: (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
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Lib-Dems Vince Cable and Tim Farron both missed last night’s super-tight Brexit vote, which the Government won with a majority of three. Farron, former leader of the party and a staunch Remainer, was busy speaking at Sherborne Abbey on “illiberal truths”, a talk addressing his problems over his opposition to gay sex during the 2017 election. What happened to Farron’s election promise to put Brexit “front and centre”?

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Amid Commons chaos yesterday, MPs enjoyed the lighter moments. When Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing admonished the House, “Order. This is not a music hall,” MPs singsonged back: “Oh yes it is.”

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After the Strangers’ Dining Room was criticised for “smelling of cabbage”, Labour MP Jess Phillips leaps to the defence of another Commons restaurant. “I love the Members’ Tea Room — they do an amazing ham and cheese omelette,” she raves.

Quote of the day

'All the women, who are independent. Throw your hands up at me. All the honeys, who making money’

Liz Truss, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, channels Beyoncé in her support for the free market

Licence to trill (but only in SOS situation)

Tone deaf: Pierce Brosnan: (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
WireImage

Pierce Brosnan was at the Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again premiere at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith last night. He admits that his performance in the sequel has been curbed. “I wasn’t asked to sing as much this time — I don’t know why,” he says. “I thought I did such a good job.” The former Bond actor was pilloried for his “tone deaf” recitals in the original. Brosnan assures fans he does sing at least one ditty in the follow-up. “I do a good refrain of SOS — acapella,” he muses. “It will bring a tear to people’s eyes.”