Congratulations, First Great Western, you dismissed a woman - and just lost a regular customer.

[Bidisha]

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/bidisha/first-great-western-_b_3839118.html

I see she hasn't graced us with her presence again.
I'm surprised her ego isn't making it unbearable to leave her critics unanswered; although I expect it to be 4 paragraphs of hyperbole that boils down to 'shut up, I'm great and you're all wrong because...because I'm great. And important.'

Maybe I should write my own article 'Journalist accidentally submits diary entry to HuffPost, loses readers and respect' oh no wait that was it.

Bidisha is v active generally in Feminist threads, almost always as Op which ALWAYS starts with a plug to her blog. Interesting, hey? Not quite advertising but considering she's a journo, not far off. And rather taking advantage of MNers goodwill imho...

I could Salbetina but dd2 puked on my keyboard and I dont think its up to such highbrow articles and I didnt go to 'habs'. Or have posh suits.
Oh well. But I could tell the hilarious tale of the time Virgin trains left me on the train at Manchester Picadilly and turned all thge lights off. My plaintiff voice could be heard echoing up the platform shouting 'help, I'm in a fucking wheelchair stuck on the fucking train and I need a fucking wee'
I am such a laydee.

Obviously they did it because I am a woman

On a tangent - am I the only one who didn't realise we had an etiquette topic? Might have to start some controversial threads about napkin folding or similar.

Only if it links to OPs blog Seriously, do a search, she must get loads of hits courtesy of mn for free, and all thro cynically plugging nonsensical articles such as this on MN on a v regular basis. Sigh. Wish i had her gall.

She doesn't have that much gall if she couldn't summon up a polite "Do you mind keeping the noise down, this is the quiet carriage" rather than needing a man to do it for her.

The previous night I'd presented Margaret Atwood at St George's: she was sharp, yet deep; the full capacity audience was adoring, yet shrewd; the venue was large, yet elegant; Atwood's latest novel, MaddAddam, is ingenious, yet humane.

The article this far is verbose yet boring.

Anyone care to fill me in on what happened? I cba to finish it.

Bloody hll thats a shaggy dog story and a half.

there were some noisy arses on the train and a man wouldnt go and sort it for her. Oh and some boasting about what school she went too and clothe s and shit.
In a nutshell.

Love the bit where it details what happened last week, what was happening this week and what the author was looking forward to doing next week. None of which had any relevance to the point

Oh God, what a load of drivel. It was so long and tedious I tried to skip to the terrible act that FGW had done and I assume I missed it by not reading to the end as the "dismissal" I assume you mean was so pathetic it can't possibly be the subject of your strop.

Would far rather hear about Twisty's journey - abandonment in dark carriages at midnight and the free coffees Far more human interest or even just interest to relate to.

Article a reminder for me of much of what i hate about the Uk and forget now i live overseas- the utterly misplaced sense of entitlement of some people due to birth/schooling. This is NOT normal and is utterly unmeritocratic. Few countries are this bad!

Am I the only one who didn't know we had an "Etiquette" topic?

whatelse She got on a train. She sat in the quiet carriage. Some students got on and were chatting. She asked the guard to tell them to be quiet. He told her the quiet carriage related to the use of mobile phones, not talking. OP is appalled by his blatant sexism and refuses ever to get on a train again.

You know how things happen that you moan about to your friends over a cup of coffee? Well, she's taken one of those and tried to stretch an article out of it. For filler she's used her entire CV for the past 5 years.

Think that covers it. Maybe I should become a journalist too?

Little- maybe OP's working thro the alphabet backwards? F for Feminism, done.. Onto E for Etiquette. It'll be dogs next

littlemisswise Me either! I feel like the people in WallE when they find the lido deck.

I could dress up my train abandonment as sexism.
'Woman abandoned on train in wheelchair BECAUSE SHE IS A WOMAN' then whine for half a page about my O levels at a comprehensive. Sadly it wouldnt end with being resceud by Wolverine or some other hunk and HuffPost wouldnt give me a squillion pounds.
I did do a review of a book on Goodreads that was far better tha the drivel written about Attwoods book though. Honestly, my 9 yo could do better than that!

LeGav - Thanks for reminding me of the vomited clementines.

The kindest thing I can say about this article is that it inspired an interesting and funny thread.

The unkindest, is that there are orchestras with less trumpet blowing.

I have to get on a First Bus later. As a 'woman'. Do I need a man with me do you think? What if someone is 'noisy'?

No, Twisty, just find a stray man and catch his eye and give him a pathetic, silent, yearning look. And, apparently, you need to "peep" at him rather than speak.

Just put it down line by excrutiating line in your blog then plug shamelessly on random MN threads, works a treat, seemingly!

Surely journalists should be able to work with noise in the background? I can't imagine John Simpson not filing his copy from a war zone because it was too noisy, what with the mortar attacks going on.

Noted. On the way back I'll be rather drunk so will be witty and charming with the peeping and the catching of the eye