d'Ancona: a prime example of all that is wrong with British journalism

Matthew d'Ancona is attempting to make great play, in the most supercilious manner possible, over the fact that his name has been omitted from Cameron's list of visitors to Chequers. Instead of indignation at the fact the name of the most important journalist (in his opinion) has been omitted, we are presented with six paragraphs of what I can only think he believes is humour but which I can only describe as self-opinionated drivel. Writing that someone has to puncture the general mood of priggish vindictiveness and joyless inquisition, he seems not to realise that many would welcome the opportunity to puncture the priggish self-promotion that oozes from his pen.

For a journalist - who also appears to act as his own publicity agent when writing - to state that Cameron put the environment at the heart of his campaigning whilst failing to acknowledge that Cameron had no option but so to do as he had to comply with 'His Master's Voice sitting in Brussels', is not what I would consider honest journalism. For d'Ancona not to admit that journalists and politicians have become far too friendly with each other, each entertaining the other, can only be described as the height of self-delusion - an ability with which d'Ancona seems well practised.

That what considers itself a serious newspaper allows such journalistic rubbish to take what should be considered pride of place as the op-ed article illustrates how far the Sunday Telegraph has plummeted in the world of journalism. It is obvious that desperate d'An, who used to appear in The Dandy (an appropriate name), still does!