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

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello hello

Thanks to those who have reported this. We do indeed ask people not to post and run with blog links outside the Bloggers topic. We've moved this there now. We'll also drop the OP a line to explain our rules.

We would appreciate it, though, if folks could remember our rules about personal attacks. It's fine to criticise or attack the piece itself, but please don't extend the attacks to the writer.

Thanks
MNHQ

[TheFallenNinja]

What a load of drivel.

[anonnymousey]

twaddle much yah?

[PacificDogwood]

Aw, no longer in 'Etiquette'

SDTG, I took you comment to be intended in a 'general purpose' phrase rather than 'personal attack'. Hey ho

Could this be somebody else posting in THP as Bidisha?? That'd be really quite evil. I do like a good conspiracy theory.

[wokeupwithasmile]

I am soooo bored. And you stole 10 minutes of my life. I want them back and to not hear from/about you ever again.

[MissStrawberry]

I am sure TheFallenNinja doesn't mean you, Rowan .

[K8Middleton]

Perhaps the OP is still writing her next post

Hahahahahaha

[Dolallytats]

That was quite possibly the most boring and pointless thing I have ever not bothered to finish reading!!

[ChasedByBees]

Oh testify! That was a load of bollocks.

You wrote that much about that ridiculous tiny tiny non-event? Good lord. All the overblown, pompous twaddle about cheap suits and name dropping, just urgh. If you write like that on a daily basis I am amazed you've managed to make a career in journalism.

You could have dealt with it a lot sooner yourself rather than give the conductor a plaintive, pathetic look. Your colleagues will think you are a loon if you raise this as an extraordinary incident.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

That was indeed the intention, PacificDogwood - I was a bit baffled - proud was putting a good face on it.

[BrianTheMole]

Maybe this isn't her. The style of writing doesn't seem to be quite the same.

[ButThereAgain]

I have a DREAM, that one day travelling chatteratti will be judged NOT by their ability to phrase a request efficiently to an overworked train guard but by the contents of their journalistic portfolio and media events presentation experience. I have a DREAM of a world in which the over-entitled noisy will no longer oppress the over-entitled seekers of a little bit of peace and quiet. I have a dream.

Surely this is some sort of pisstake/idenity theft?

[RowanMumsnet]

@MissStrawberry

I am sure TheFallenNinja doesn't mean you, Rowan .

[confuddledDOTcom]

"Writer, broadcaster and outreach worker specialising in social justice, human rights and international affairs"

You'd think she has more social injustices to worry about than a guard not telling some kids to lower their voices on a train.

How can she judge an entire company who, as she states herself, she's had lots of positive experiences of by one employee? The better test of a company is how they deal with complaints.

[Lethologica]

I think it is her article.

Here is a direct quote from an article she had published in the Guardian online in April 2011.

I'll be frank. I loved Haberdashers'. Habs was rigorous and the teachers were legends ? hola Senora Fanning, bonjour Madame Gradon. The wall between the boys' and girls' compounds (which I always imagined being completely symmetrical, like a textbook illustration of a set of ovaries) was sprayed with spermicide and patrolled by snipers.

She has a distinctive style

[usualsuspect]

Do you think she's finished writing her reply yet?

[PacificDogwood]

What on earth did she have to say about CSs??

No. Wait. I probably don't want to know.

Spermicide and snipers

[exexpat]

Has Bidisha written anything slagging off MN yet? If not, I wonder what her next Huffington Post piece will be...

I have to say, I read the blogpost thinking, surely this must be some kind of subtle satire/pisstake/take-off of someone's else's over-entitled wordy garbage - surely no one can be so completely unassertive and somehow come to the conclusion that it is male oppression/FGW's fault - but came out scratching my head and thinking that if it is, it is done so subtly that it has gone right over my head.

There are all sorts of negative things I could say as a Bristolian with not many options other than FGW for getting to London, but I don't think I will be boycotting it in support of Bidisha's traumatic experience...

[K8Middleton]

c-section piece Pacific. Natural birth is apparently a myth It's a often fucking painful reality and many, many women do it. We should be proud of our births however they happen and muddling a women's right to request a c-section (perfectly valid and a Good Thing) with a women's ability to have baby vaginally (great if you can/want to and most women can and do) is IMHO based in patriarchal bull shit.

[exexpat]

It would be interesting if Bidisha came back on here to respond, but that looks unlikely - no history of engaging with people on MN, and I noticed that while she has nearly 3,000 twitter followers (none of whom found her HuffPost piece interesting enough to retweet it, even though she tweeted it twice), she follows no one. Broadcast only, not interested in anyone else's ideas?

[PacificDogwood]

See. I told you I would not want to know.
But thanks for linking, Kate; I could not be bothered to seek it out.
Hear, hear re 'patriarchial BS' - and much more of an issue than unchecked chattering yoofs on a train...

[Msbluebozooka]

Mardy agree with everything!

That's journalist for you they exaggerate everything.

And how snobbish " I cut the label out of my D Perkins Suit "
Get a life !
Will be avoiding anymore blogs of Boring Biddy

[Salbertina]

Oh god she's annoying!! The Grauniard can be so bloody dull, lightweight and petty sometimes about total non-issues!

Reminds me of my rather immature and naive sister who's forever taking umbrage at perceived slights from random strangers or getting her knickers in a twist about life threatening matters such as why women should ever still take their husbands' surname (apparently far more of an issue than the affordability of childcare to most women, she speaks as a non-mother )

[exexpat]

Salbertina - this is Huffington Post, not Grauniad. They do let some whiney stuff through into Comment Is Free sometimes, but I think someone at the Grauniad might have raised an eyebrow and said "really?" at this one.