Simon Heffer on “Londonistan” (with replies)

Simon Heffer has written what amounts to a puff piece for Melanie Phillips' book Londonistan in the Daily Telegraph, alleging among other things that Phillips had difficulty "exercising her freedom of speech" on account of the Daily Mail supposedly not publishing any of her opinions on this issue and her finding it difficult to get the book published over here, resorting to an obscure outfit called Gibson Square (the printed copy is in the shops now, and they could not get the title of her last book right – it's All Must Have Prizes, not All Must Win Prizes). Heffer calls it "well researched (complete with extensive footnotes)" – as if references are any guarantee of truthfulness nowadays, particularly in the circles in which Phillips now moves.

Still, the Telegraph now allows people to comment on the online copies of its articles, and many people have done, including myself, with views balancing out Heffer's. (I didn't link this straight away as I wanted to comment myself, and allow the comments to build up, which they now have done.)