Low Profile

A beautiful exercise in media manipulation from the Oliver camp this week. Jamie stupidly allowed himself to…be himself and revealed his deep loathing for the ordinary people of this country.

Not surprisingly, his advisory team have told him to lay low.

Mummy to the rescue.

Sally Oliver told The Daily Mail he is ready to pack in his campaigns because of the stick he gets. She is quoted as saying:

‘It’s a daunting task and I don’t think he is going to do it anymore. It’s a bit depressing.

‘He gets so much stick for it. He’s kind of thinking, “Is it worth it?” and maybe he should do what he likes doing, which is cooking.

‘He really does care about these things and always thinks people will like all this lovely food he creates.
‘But he feels like he’s banging his head against a brick wall.’
A lovely decoy run there. Jamie Oliver gets an easier ride than 90% of celebs since being anointed patron saint of school dinners. People are up in arms at the moment because he declared that the people of Britain are a bunch of materialistic drunks. Mummy comes out and says that Jamie gets loads of stick for doing good deeds.

An effort to confuse the issue. Significantly- Mummy opened her heart to the Daily Mail; the reading matter of choice for middle class southern mums. She is speaking directly to Jamie’s book buyers. He is a lovely boy and everyone always has a go at him. The implication is- if you are against Jamie Oliver- you are in favour of animal cruelty and childhood obesity. The article conveniently mentions:

“At one school in Rotherham, mothers were photographed pushing burgers and fish and chips from local takeaways through the railings to make sure that their children ate.”

An appeal to his core audience to stay on board. Don’t question the methods he uses. Don’t be one of those bad people who doesn’t believe that exploitative reality television is not the best way to address serious social problems.

Remember-

‘He really does care about these things and always thinks people will like all this lovely food he creates”.

Sleep tight.

The article ends:

A spokesman for Jamie Oliver said: ‘ We are not going to comment on any of Sally Oliver’s comments.’

A cynic would suggest the spokesman wrote the article and the last comment at the same time. But- anyone who has followed the progress of Jamie knows he will do anything to keep his family out of the clutches of the evil media. He is always in the press saying that.

The next day – in the Mail on Sunday

She often becomes so incensed by inaccurate newspaper stories about Jamie that she rings up editors to complain.

‘I ring, say, “You can’t write things like that about my husband,” and they grovel and I get a bunch of flowers the next day. I don’t understand why people have to be so horrible, so bitchy. I’m very territorial about him.
‘

There isn’t a bad thing about Jamie. He may do and say some things that might irritate some people but he is a wonderful man,’ she pauses, with tears in her eyes, before adding, ‘He is the best man in the world.’

 

Another Oliver woman in the press- this time wife Jools. She was carrying on the family tradition of flogging books. This is not her first book. The intensely private Jools has previously written a book about pregnancy and child care. We get an insight into the lives of the Olivers:

Hers is, she insists, the kind of life that lots of other mothers in Britain lead – and not just those blessed with a husband with the earning potential of Jamie (money might not be his raison d’etre, but he has amassed a fortune estimated at £40 million and, in addition to their magnificent home overlooking Primrose Hill, they have a substantial house in the country).

‘I think it is perfectly possible to lead a simple, traditional life with your children in the 21st century. And it’s not dependent on having money. I hear all the time, “It’s all right for Jools Oliver, she’s got loads of money,” but actually what I do is what a lot of other mums do.

‘I accept that I’m lucky, but I don’t think you need endless money to make a nice life for your children. I’m sure millions of people would tell me that’s true. You can live in a council tower block and still have wonderful ethics – read your children stories every night, take them to places like a farm at the weekend. If Jamie and I lost everything, I would still raise them in the same way. I’m just a normal mum,’ she says.

Jools Oliver is described as a former model and TV researcher. If you have ever met a posh young southern lass- you will know they all describe themselves as models and TV researchers. If they lived in Rotherham- they would be described as unemployed. Jamie Oliver found success at an early age and his ability to keep producing golden eggs means that he is undoubtedly surrounded by sycophants. His wife has shared the spoils. One has had a charmed life- the other a sheltered life. Both feel qualified to tell people how to behave even though they have no understanding of how the other half live.

Jools’ use of the word ethics is telling. It’s almost as though the idea that some one living in council accommodation has any level of morality is supposed to shock the reader. Also- someone who is wealthy probably has no idea how hard it is to get to a farm with kids on public transport.

Her little publicity push gives us some interesting information:

“During the working week Jamie and Jools lead almost separate lives as they each pursue their jobs – Jamie frantically keeping his various business interests going in 12-hour days, while Jools looks after the children and the house.
‘

Maybe one evening every two weeks Jamie comes home and we eat together. I’m used to it now and it’s fine.”

Is this the same bloke who last week was mouthing off about the poverty of our culture because 80% of British people no longer sit down to dinner anymore. Was he just talking about his own life? The crusader against materialism’s desperate craving for a pound note keeps him out at work all hours.

If this arrangement works for the Olivers- good for them. Even though they choose to discuss their private life at length in the papers to sell their respective products- I don’t think their personal lives are any of my business. I don’t feel I have the right to tell people how to live their lives. I don’t refer to people who have lifestyles which I don’t approve of as “trash” and “scrubbers”. I don’t feel qualified to dictate solutions to problems I have no real understanding of.

Unfortunately- Jamie doesn’t share my view of the world.

 

No Blackmail