Speaking of mental health, it was interesting to hear the first utterances from populist hack Piers Morgan following his sacking from Good Morning Britain. “Meghan is still a fucking lying bitch. I don’t believe a word she says about having suicidal thoughts. Now go away because I’m going to keep my head down until I am announced as the latest hard right presenter on Andrew Neil’s new hard right TV station, GB news.” To be fair, I was still squinting as the light grey dawn filtered grimly into my man cave, so the quote might not be word-for-word accurate, but I think you get the general gist of what he is saying. Meghan Markle is a liar and she made up the bit about having suicidal thoughts.
Morgan is clearly another celebrity ‘expert’ who has emerged over the last year or so. COVID-19 turned elderly rocker Ian Brown and TV presenter Anthea Turner – young people will need to ask their grandparents who these people are – into virologists and epidemiologists, qualified to pronounce on deep and complex issues.
Morgan, we know, is somewhat obsessed with Ms Markle. Not long ago, he was a gushing fan boy, to the extent that one wondered if he had ambitions to – how do I put this politely? – engage in Ugandan discussions with her. Now, he hates her guts. I will not repeat his attacks on her – you can find them yourself, but I can only conclude she rejected his advances and chose instead the Queen’s grandson. And, as they almost say, hell hath no fury like a middle aged man scorned.
I don’t really have a view as to whether it was wise for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to appear with Oprah Winfrey on a TV chat show. I am not particularly interested in them, although I find them far less unattractive than the rest of our dysfunctional royal family. Whether they chose to do the show in order to ‘set the record straight’ or to make a few bob in advance of their new career as a celebrity couple (no talent required) is a moot point. I suspect it was both and there was probably more of the latter, but this does not keep me awake at night. However, I am inclined to believe Ms Markle when she talked of suicidal thoughts.
Four years of relentless abuse and gross intrusion from the media can’t exactly benefit one’s mental health, especially Harry’s given the terrible trauma he had to endure when his mother was killed following a high speed chase with the same media that tarnishes her name today. I could’t cope with abuse and bullying from a handful of abusers and bullies at the British Red Cross. In Harry and Meghan’s position, I can’t imagine I’d have got this far with my marbles intact.
Morgan’s damaging messaging could have the effect of making it harder for others with mental health issues to come forward. If a hugely influential gobshite like Morgan can say publicly that a woman is lying about her mental health, what price anyone else? And anyway, perhaps Morgan is just a jealous guy?
