to not give a toss about which skanky ex-celeb was or wasn't given some bloody diamonds

[Jux]

Two news channels showing it live. Most of the day.

Someone tell me why. Please.

I want to know when they're going to bring in Nelson Mandela to answer some questions as to a) why he invited Charles Taylor (known war criminal) to South Africa for a cosy dinner and b) whether or not he has anything to do with the arms that Charles Taylor allegedly obtained in exchange for the diamonds. That's what I want to know, but I think they're using all the Naomi Campbell stuff to distract people from asking questions about Nelson Mandela's role.

I'm not naive - don't you think there is something a bit wrong with our society when blanket coverage is given to a supermodel's testimony and yet not a column inch has been given to the trial in the three years before? I bet some of the testimony has been truly shocking - but does the media think we are all too busy in Ikea to care?

Actually it might be right...

Marina Hyde puts it far better than me

YANBU. Everyone seems to be obsessing about Ms Campbell because for some reason they have decided she's some horrible person, purely based upon what they read in the tabloids no doubt.

People make such a big fuss about her when actually someone much much worse is on trial.

Utterly stupid. If people are going to get their knickers in a twist they should get their priorities right and stop using this to have another go and a 'sleb they dislike.

Abs of Croissant - you've hit on something vital I think.

Naomi Campbell, lording it up... or Nelson Mandela retaining sainthood?

Can anyone answer this - I can't find it anywhere - how much were the 'blood diamonds' Naomi Campbell received worth? Apparantly she got eight, gave three (or so) away. The rest, snaffled somewhere. WHat monetary worth are we talking? It's written nowhere...

The whole thing is like an episode of Ugly Betty.

Can Ms Campell really be as self centered and ignorantly up her own backside as she appears? Could anyone be that awful in real life?

How terrible for her that she found being a witness in a war crimes trial inconvenient. Poor dear.

Exactly - the war crimes are much worse than some model receiving diamonds, but the fact that the monetary worth is never ever mentioned is interesting. Must be millions.

Plus, the war crimes not mentioned, just the flaming diamonds.

One set of diamonds (around eight of them - value unknown) from a vault of... how many diamonds... in a war costing how many lives?

Haven't explained fully how I mean, sorry

If people are made to think: 'oh it's just a few thousand worth of diamonds' then it makes the other crimes - war crimes - pale into insignificance.

If, on the other hand, we're talking millions, then it puts a different slant on things.

So, does anyone know how much these diamonds were worth? It's never reported anywhere.

Plus, Nelson Mandela, he held the party - when's he being called as a witness? (apologies if I've missed it, so much going on at the moment RL)

No one seems to know what happened to them. They were given to a charity apparently but the guy who received them has disappeared.

So why did Campbell receive these diamonds? Was it for turning up to the party? Or other favours?

The diamonds are important (which is why they are questioning slebs) because the court thinks that they were used to buy weapons, particularly on this trip in 1997. Charles Taylor went to SA, had dinner with Nelson et al and then returned to Liberia with lots of weapons. Coincidence?