jamie oliver is he total fake?

orangelotus · 2023-09-13T09:26:20+00:00

i read this today and must say i had no idea of the scale of financial stuff going on. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-perverse-greed-of-jamie-oliver-2/ i think i feel angry as i've spent my entire working life in Newham and can see how poor many children are there. It is shocking how he presents himself as this do goofing crusader but his dealings with small businesses and local councils have been so shady . i feel angry with myself for having fallen for his nonsense.

Wolvesart · 13/09/2023 10:33

So this article is in the right wing Spectator and written by the notoriously vicious Julie Burchill. Too much slant to be taken at face value.

Jamie isn’t a saint but praps not as much of a sinner as she makes out

Original poster

orangelotus · 13/09/2023 10:50

i've looked at several other articles including the guardian and the financial times all say much the same thing really.
I guess it must just be how business works but seems seems unfair especially as he presents himself as such a good guy.

OP posts:

JingsMahBucket · 13/09/2023 10:59

Is it time for the semiannual Jamie Oliver character assassination again already?

Damnloginpopup · 13/09/2023 11:14

Can't be arsed to read this but I'm very angry with him anyway. He's an idiot and his crusades have twice screwed me and you over.

Cheap chicken (with Who's Fucking-Whittering) was attacked and they showed how you could make multiple meals out of an expensive one. Yeah. You can put of a cheap one too but they didn't mention that. So, they stopped the supermarkets doing two for a fiver...so then they did the same ones for £4 each or two for £7.50. A few tears ago now hence the price.

Sugar tax - because us minions must be hit in the pocket for wanting a coke etc (that doesn't contain artificial sweeteners - I can't drink anything with aspartame, cheers Jamie) as that's fattening. Meanwhile, his recipes are full of butter, cream etc and he's added a fair bit to his waistline through his luxury feeding but us mortals are clearly in need of his championing our health.

I like his early books, good end results, but he's a sanctimonious, posturing cunt with no capability for thinking past the initial brainwave.

LlynTegid · 13/09/2023 11:16

His mockney accent is fake for starters.

murasaki · 13/09/2023 11:21

Those adverts where he was cooking for his mates back at the start of his career? Total bollocks. Our best man was in them, through a casting agency.

mindutopia · 13/09/2023 11:22

I mean, this is a ridiculous article in a ridiculous publication, but I don't think his business practices are new news. He has been a relatively successful brand, but his actual restaurants have had all sorts of financial and legal issues. Also, they are sort of rubbish. Like not nice food really at all. He's a decent enough tv personality, but he's not a great chef.

WeWereInParis · 13/09/2023 11:28

murasaki · 13/09/2023 11:21

Those adverts where he was cooking for his mates back at the start of his career? Total bollocks. Our best man was in them, through a casting agency.

I have no strong feelings either way about Jamie Oliver, but I wouldn't have assumed an advert would be anything other than him plus actors.

Butterkist8 · 13/09/2023 11:42

I was appalled to hear of his debts to cash-strapped councils and suppliers, yet he is worth millions and millions.

Ollifer · 13/09/2023 11:46

He's a knob. I don't know about the article but I cannot stand the bloke and never have.

periperisaucemama · 13/09/2023 11:50

He doesn't need to do all the campaigning for school meals, but he does. He could retire in luxury or not bother with any of it, and he'd get less stick, but he still does it. He's a human being and as such he's flawed. Business can be brutal and his people have managed relationships with small businesses very badly, but on balance I think he's a better person than many, and I don't think he deserves the amount of bashing he gets.

Unlike the pp I am happy for Coke, sugary crap, and other substances which kill us and explode the NHS to be made less accessible.

WildFlowerBees · 13/09/2023 11:51

I'm also annoyed that as a nation we're dictated to. You can no longer buy most drinks without sweetener. Clearly we can't be trusted and wankers like JO make it more difficult.

Bramshott · 13/09/2023 11:56

I guess this is kind of the point of a limited company - so that if the company fails the founder isn't personally liable for the debts?

rockingbird · 13/09/2023 11:57

Years I worked in the magazine industry.. the spectator was one of our funded titles. I met many of their 'journalists' over the years and can honestly say they were with doubt the most vile bunch of pompous c*unts and I've met a few in my time. So in summary- l anything written by that bunch is instantly dismissed given their entitled views of the world.

LaRevolution · 13/09/2023 12:06

rockingbird · 13/09/2023 11:57

Years I worked in the magazine industry.. the spectator was one of our funded titles. I met many of their 'journalists' over the years and can honestly say they were with doubt the most vile bunch of pompous c*unts and I've met a few in my time. So in summary- l anything written by that bunch is instantly dismissed given their entitled views of the world.

I can believe this, and I have a very rocky relationship (albeit one-sided 😁) with Julie Burchill, but if the facts are correct about the amounts his company has left owing to councils that have already been through 12yrs of austerity, in some very deprived areas, then that's pretty damning.

Having said that, as a pp has flagged, that's literally the point of a Limited Liability Partnership (assuming that's what it was?) and I don't know where we should start drawing lines in the sand about which creditors should trump that, as it were.

KingsHeath53 · 13/09/2023 12:19

The accounts of Jamie Oliver’s various businesses are public record. He has personally stepped in to make sure his staff wages and so on are paid out of his own pocket when things have gone bad. This is really unusual behaviour in the business world where most business owners or major shareholders wouldn’t dream of doing that. I’ve had the experience of working with a bunch of them including Dyson and Green… they wouldn’t part with a penny of their own money to help people out, they’d cut and run.

Yes, it’s bad when businesses go under and debts are left unpaid. But Oliver’s behaviour (based on facts, not hearsay) has been waaaay better than 99% of other business owners in the same circumstances.

I don’t know where Burchill got the £240m from, that was the valuation back when he had all the businesses that have since gone under. But her article is about the businesses going bust so she must understand you can’t ascribe the value of those businesses to his wealth estimate any longer.

Also with others on the spectator, a rightwing rag, supporter of openly profiteering members of parliament and business leaders, lecturing anyone on greed is ridiculous

Moonwatcher1234 · 13/09/2023 12:20

murasaki · 13/09/2023 11:21

Those adverts where he was cooking for his mates back at the start of his career? Total bollocks. Our best man was in them, through a casting agency.

I think most people with an ounce of sense would know that adverts use professionals through an agency so that’s a silly thing to castigate him for. Tbh, if the vile burchill dislikes him, then he’s one of the good guys

KingsHeath53 · 13/09/2023 12:20

LaRevolution · 13/09/2023 12:06

I can believe this, and I have a very rocky relationship (albeit one-sided 😁) with Julie Burchill, but if the facts are correct about the amounts his company has left owing to councils that have already been through 12yrs of austerity, in some very deprived areas, then that's pretty damning.

Having said that, as a pp has flagged, that's literally the point of a Limited Liability Partnership (assuming that's what it was?) and I don't know where we should start drawing lines in the sand about which creditors should trump that, as it were.

Show quote history

When businesses go bust sometimes debts are left unpaid. It sucks, but that’s capitalism and what happens in a recession sadly

ThreeFeetTall · 13/09/2023 12:23

I imagine this is how most businessmen behave. Is it news because he is supposed to be a nice guy?

Astella22 · 13/09/2023 12:26

Business is business and it’s a shady shady world these days. Jamie reaching into his own pocket to pay his workers is very rare. I think he genuinely tries his best and that’s all any of us can do.
Love Jamie Oliver and won’t hear a word said against him.

IClaudine · 13/09/2023 12:28

He is a businessman. You have to be a bit ruthless, sadly.

KingsHeath53 · 13/09/2023 12:28

WildFlowerBees · 13/09/2023 11:51

I'm also annoyed that as a nation we're dictated to. You can no longer buy most drinks without sweetener. Clearly we can't be trusted and wankers like JO make it more difficult.

Rubbish. You can buy whatever you want. All major brands still sell full sugar versions. No one is forcing anyone to be healthy or cut sugar. In fact the NHS is paying gazillions for insulin to pharma companies so people can exercise their free will to gorge themselves to death with sugar until diabetes rots their legs off and they don’t have to pay a penny for any of their treatment because it’s all provided for by the taxpayer.

But yeah moan away that being advised feeding kids a diet of rubbish which kills them is curbing your human rights 🙄

ruffler45 · 13/09/2023 12:29

How does a business run up debts of £84million?

His suppliers presumably assumed he was good for them based on his nicey nicey TV persona now they have been stung..not a nice person at all

IClaudine · 13/09/2023 12:30

At least he has tried to do good.

losenotloose · 13/09/2023 12:32

Rubbish. You can buy whatever you want. All major brands still sell full sugar versions. No one is forcing anyone to be healthy or cut sugar. In fact the NHS is paying gazillions for insulin to pharma companies so people can exercise their free will to gorge themselves to death with sugar until diabetes rots their legs off and they don’t have to pay a penny for any of their treatment because it’s all provided for by the taxpayer.

But yeah moan away that being advised feeding kids a diet of rubbish which kills them is curbing your human rights 🙄

Hear hear!