Libby Purves

12 forgotten novels,journalism, formerly Times theatre critic - now R4 presenter & loyalist 40+yrs, thrown out 2017

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

God Bless Jacob Rees-Mogg

[Jacob Rees-Mogg @Jacob_Rees_Mogg]

The English are a mongrel people, not an Aryan master race.

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

Why are none of these warring commentators ever mentioning that Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed would very likely have lived if - like their useless protection guy - they had worn their seat belts?

[Yoni Leviatan @songsofyoni]

Here’s what the media doesn’t tell you about the caricature of Israel you have in your mind.

In less than two hours, over 7 million Jewish Israelis will mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Some will go to synagogue. Some will go to the beach. Nobody will drive unless they have to. Many will not eat or drink for 25 hours, religious or not.

Then you have over 2 million Arab Israelis who will go on with their lives as usual. Many will not drive in mixed cities out of respect for their Jewish neighbors. Nobody will drive in Jewish neighborhoods. And the hospitals will only be filled with Arab doctors and nurses to let their Jewish colleagues observe the day at home. (The opposite happens on Ramadan.)

Not long ago I went out to run a few last-minute errands before the holiday begins. Every Arab I interacted with – at the dry cleaners, in the supermarket, in the elevator – wished me an easy fast.

Every one.

It happens every holiday. Any holiday. Their holidays and ours.

This is the real Israel. A country filled with Jews and Arabs that get along better than anywhere else on this planet, that nobody shows you because it’s simply not newsworthy.

It’s everyday life.

To all those who observe – have an easy fast.

גמר חתימה טובה

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

Good points can't see why any berk would take them out of context!

[James Marriott @j_amesmarriott]

Perhaps worth saying that this short video clip of me talking about my book has been taken out of context. I don't think fascism and illiteracy are connected. But I do think there is a fascism + radio/cinema connection.

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

@GuidoFawkes @SarahDuggers Is this real??

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

@gilescoren Thatis exactly the happy confident tone characters take in Coronation St , the week before they are dismayedly written out.....

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

@SimonWilson2021 Not that speculative. Spencers really DO think they're heirs to greatness....

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

Fascinating. And makes the point about alimony: Spencer is not a man with a record of making wives happy and secure…

[Times Radio @TimesRadio]

Earl Spencer’s claim that the King said “we’ll forget her soon enough” after Diana’s death reflects the family view of the royals as “vulgar mud bloods”, says Michael Gove.

“[John] will have regarded his daughter as marrying down when she consented to ally herself with Charles.”

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

Well, I put it more tactfully earlier today, but....

[The British Prince @freedom_007__]

Earl Charles Spencer has absolutely no right to be righteous about King Charles when he has treated his own wives and daughters disgustingly.

The Earl has fathered seven children across three different women, leaving behind a chaotic trail of fractured families, serial infidelity, and cold discardment that makes the King look like a saint.

The sheer hypocrisy of him taking the moral high ground over the King is staggering—while the King had one messy, public divorce, the Earl has spent decades making a mess of multiple households.

He behaves like the ultimate defender of family values, but behind closed doors, the reality is a masterclass in how to alienate every woman in your life.

The horrifying extent of how Earl Charles Spencer has treated his wives behind closed doors paints an even darker picture of serial betrayal, emotional cruelty, and a complete lack of empathy.

If people think the first breakdown was bad, the deeper details of his three failed marriages are truly shocking. 🧵

The cold, hard breakdown of how he treats the women in his life:

💔 The Wives & Sordid Affairs:

Victoria Lockwood (First Wife / Mother of 4 children): 

Humiliated her at their first anniversary dinner by publicly announcing their marriage was failing. During their brutal 1997 divorce, court papers alleged he conducted up to a dozen extramarital affairs.

Most sickeningly, Victoria’s lawyers alleged he cheated on her with at least 10 different women during the five months she was confined to a clinic fighting for her life against anorexia and substance abuse.

The "Alienation" Plot & Best Friend Betrayal: 

He allegedly uprooted Victoria and their children to South Africa under the guise of "escaping the media glare".

In reality, court papers alleged the move was to cover up his aggressive pursuit of South African model Chantal Collopy—whose husband later sued Charles for "enticement and alienation" of his wife's affection.

Furthermore, Charles was savagely beaten by his former best friend, Darius Guppy, after it emerged that Charles had tried to seduce Guppy's wife while Guppy was serving a prison sentence.

Caroline Freud (Second Wife / Mother of 2 children): 

Blindsided and abruptly discarded her in 2007. Caroline was left completely heartbroken and "shattered" when he walked out.

He reportedly embarked on a fresh affair with an American television presenter while their youngest child was a mere four months old, completely abandoning his family responsibilities for the next thrill.

Karen Gordon (Third Wife / Mother of 1 child): 

Used her for emotional support through the heavy toll of writing his childhood trauma memoirs. The exact moment the book promotion ended in 2024, he dumped her.

Explosive High Court documents revealed he had been carrying out a secret, long-term affair since 2021 with Dr Catrine Jarman—the archaeologist he brought to Althorp—blindsiding Karen with a divorce text just weeks after a romantic Valentine's Day message.

Karen accused Charles of orchestrated "bullying" and highly insensitive behavior as their marriage dissolved, hounding her with legal actions while she was dealing with the devastating grief of her own father's failing health.

He then went to a literary festival with his new girlfriend and openly insulted Karen to the media, publicly bragging, "It really is nice to be with someone who wants to do stuff... someone who is dynamic and interested."

Charles Spencer acts like a righteous saint on television, but his actual life is a masterclass in how to alienate, cheat on, and abandon every single woman who ever loved or depended on him.

Don’t get me started on what he did to Princess Diana. It is disgusting what he wrote to her in 1996, calling her horrible things and refusing to let her stay at the Althorp estate.

He also has basically no relationship with his three eldest daughters and couldn't even be bothered to go to their weddings.

He is a vile, chauvinistic, pompous cheat.

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

@MaxJLHardy Could be worse. Could be "bro"

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

Recommendationsfrom https://t.co/TFkHPSuG67 of shows still running - Woody Sez (one more week), A month in the country at Donmar, and Tartuffe @MaryleboneTHLDN both running into October.

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

@HadleyFreeman But as you may have noticed I have approved a lot of your writing , and posted that way. Just not this.

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

@HadleyFreeman Hated its attitude to us. Fine. Sorry if upset. Free speech.

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

@NickJS Unable to spot satire?

[Libby Purves @lib_thinks]

This is absolutely brilliant... https://t.co/gwLN6EhoUn

[Jamie Metzl @JamieMetzl]

Ethnic cleansing must be unequivocally condemned.