Saturday, November 19, 2005

Dalai Lama ...

Is back in Scotland. Let's hope Johann Hari gets another interview.

We take some quick photographs, and, as he poses, I try to ask him to elaborate on his comments criticising the massive inequalities of wealth in the West. "Yes, it is wrong," he says as he smiles. "Why do the rich need so much? We each only have one stomach. Well, not you," he says, looking at my belly. "You appear to have two."

I see that Johann is a fan of Chris Dillow, who has just been Normed, revealing a love of Hank Williams and Gray's Elegy, but a dislike of public schoolboys.

Chris Dillow went to a State grammar and was obviously well educated there, but I think bashing publicans is, while great fun, otherwise pointless. In huge areas of Britain (i.e. those with comprehensive education) they will soon be the only educated people to be found.

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