http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-the-internet-is-no-place-to-fight-a-general-election-1825390.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-the-internet-is-no-place-to-fight-a-general-election-1825390.html <p>Has the level of political debate really come to this? The next prime minister will probably be elected on the basis of the biscuit he nibbles. Winning an election is about cleverly targeting undecided voters, and you can guess what group the spin doctors have in their sights this time. In 1992 the Tories wooed the "pebbledash people" who'd bought their own council houses under Maggie Thatcher. In 1997 Tony Blair's team was obsessed with middle-class voters they tagged Mondeo Man and Worcester Woman. This time around it's mums. </p> Janet Street-Porter Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-nurses-are-not-heroines-they-are-professionals-1820959.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-nurses-are-not-heroines-they-are-professionals-1820959.html <p>There's been plenty of hand-wringing over the news that from 2013 all new nurses will have to spend three years studying for a degree to qualify. At present the majority train for two or three years and are awarded a diploma. Critics claim these higher standards mean that trainee nurses will spend time sitting in lectures when they could be learning practical skills on the job, and widespread concern has been expressed that the profession will attract the wrong kind of applicants, more concerned with their careers than carrying out menial tasks.</p> Janet Street-Porter Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-what-a-bunch-of-whingers-and-the-women-are-worst-1816856.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-what-a-bunch-of-whingers-and-the-women-are-worst-1816856.html <p>They still don't get it, do they? MPs and their lucky relatives on the public payroll insist they're a special case. Thousands of families are facing a bleak Christmas with factories closing, shops going bust and factories operating on short time. But MPs live and breathe in a bubble where hardship is something they quantify differently from the rest of the country. </p> Janet Street-Porter Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-face-it-martin-ndash-katie-sells-books-and-you-dont-1812777.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-face-it-martin-ndash-katie-sells-books-and-you-dont-1812777.html <p>Martin Amis tells an audience he's based a character in his forthcoming novel State of England on the glamour model turned celebrity author Jordan/Katie Price. According to Amis, "she has no waist... an interesting face... but all we are really worshipping is two bags of silicone". Not just a repulsive comment, but a bit rich coming from the man who's spent thousands on improving his own dentistry.</p> Janet Street-Porter Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-nicoles-sex-roles--betray-women-in-the-real-world-1808989.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/janet-street-porter/editoratlarge-nicoles-sex-roles--betray-women-in-the-real-world-1808989.html <p>On the face of it, Nicole Kidman would seem to be a rum choice to be talking about violence against women. After all, she's been raped in one film (Dogville), and had kinky sex with Tom Cruise in another (Eyes Wide Shut). She had a bath with a rather young boy (in Birth) and shagged Billy Zane in Dead Calm, her Hollywood debut – all in the name of art, of course. But Nicole isn't just a highly successful actress who's managed her career so brilliantly she now earns over £7m a film; she's decided to do her bit for the less fortunate by becoming a "goodwill ambassador" for the UN Development Fund for Women. </p> Janet Street-Porter Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100