Celebrity Big Brother.

                                  Celebrating with some ex work colleagues last summer

When I first started working in special needs education, a predominantly female environment, what struck me most was the woman on woman harassment. Over the years I witnessed a lot of under-the-radar abuse of pulling rank and behaviours such as sabotage, and this my feminist friends, was in a caring environment! 

Women are supposed to be nurturing peacemakers, however, because it's taken us so long to make progress in 'a mans world' we're terrified of going backwards. 

I'm currently watching celebrity big brother, I find these types of programmes a great way to study human behaviour, because sure enough, put a few women together in a small space and it's not long before the knives are out and 'sisterhood' is out the Window.

Katie Hopkins (a general media hate figure) provoked the vitriol which she is highly paid and famous for, even being called the C word on many social network sites, when she entered the BB house. Katie has incited our wrath for all number of reasons, from hating chavvy names to her current bete noire, fat people. 

Katie's polar opposite (Nadia's own words) Nadia Sawalha, entered the BB house immediately taking the moral high ground and here's the interesting thing: Nadia started preaching about how Katie stands for everything she's against, attaching herself to the latest fashionable, public parading of anti Katie outrage. Yet when Katie Price entered the house she was clever enough to understand Hopkins public persona and decided to get to know her as a person before passing judgement, along with several other women in the house, Katie has decided she likes Hopkins. 

I've always been very cynical of sanctimonious people who take the stance of being morally right in order to be viewed by their peers as being a good person (in Sawalha's case a bunch of gossipy, middle aged women on ITVs Loose Women.)

Sawalha, chief exponent of principles, is not viewed kindly by her ex husbands family following his suicide in 1997. Condemned as callous, Sawalha's decision to split with Justin Mildwater and then begin an affair with her 26 year old Eastenders TV co star, allegedly drove heartbroken Mildwater to hang himself in their home. The family said Sawalha never read her husbands farewell letter or collected her wedding ring which had been placed on the letter.

The irony is, Sawalha has backed the wrong horse. Hopkins has a huge following on Twitter, evidence that plenty of her views are shared, albeit many people are too scared to admit it because they fear the self righteous Sawalha types. And, as many journalists have written, Hopkins is a sparkling, intelligent, eccentric woman who hasn't disappeared into nothingness. 

Whilst Sawalha likes to attach herself to the latest cause celebre, which to me just smacks of disingenuous, self-promotion, Hopkins puts her money where her mouth is and has regularly stood up to Perez Hilton, whose obnoxious behaviour has upset all the housemates, even seeing the legend, Alexander O'Neal leaving because he was being relentlessly provoked by Hilton. Sawalha has jumped on the 'right-on' bandwagon but it has backfired! 

As a food writer, and overweight person, I've read about Hopkins argument re fat people. I take no offence because basically she's right, as a society we are eating too much and as a consequence we have a obesity epidemic. But, rather like the story of the emperors new clothes, we all want to be seen as politically correct and 'good' therefore we go with what's circulating and fashionable, and admitting we're fat is neither. 

In the past bullying was defined by physical violence, making us less aware of covert bullying tactics, however, this type of bullying is on the rise, exacerbated by everyone being terrified of voicing an opinion. Solidarity of the sisterhood is a myth and a stereotype which has been quashed by the thought-police brigade. 

Fortunately for me, I no longer have to be in an environment where any form of bullying takes place and I hope that by sheer twist of fate, Hopkins honesty and courage paves the way to help rid us of dissembling characters (Sawalha, Hilton) masquerading as saints.

This next recipe would meet with Katie Hopkins approval I'm sure, like myself she has an abhorrence for our overindulgence in crappy food. A baked potato is a nutritious, healthy comestible just waiting to be topped with baked beans or tuna and sour cream, that wonderful combination of crunchy skin and fluffy interior, dusted with sea salt and massaged with olive oil, cooked in an hour and costing very little, this is the ultimate winter comfort food. 

Jacket potatoes

Recipe

1 large baking potato per person

1 onion per person, peeled

Olive oil

Coarse sea salt

Black pepper

Feta cheese

Baked beans

Prick potatoes with a fork, place in a roasting tin

Add peeled onions and massage with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper

Place in a hot oven for an hour, skins should be crisp and the inside of the potatoes soft and fluffy, the onions should be crispy and caramelised on the outside

Fill potatoes with onion, top with grated feta and return to the oven for 5 minutes

Add cooked beans and serve immediately

'If they don't like you for being yourself, be yourself even more.'
- Taylor Swift

'The secret is to find out what you feel is important, and not pursue what others think is important. When you think highly of yourself, me thinking highly of you will never be enough.'
- Shannon L. Alder

Love Donna xxxxxxxxx