What is the story with The Irish Times' "Signing On" column?

keanooo

I'm just back in the country and today is my first time reading The Irish Times' "Signing On" column. What it is the story with it? It appears to be written in this weird 3rd person style. Is the columnist referring to himself when he (she?) says "he" this or "his" the other...

I also find it a bit odd that this is meant to be a guy struggling on the breadline but he mentions "The little one has taken to the new au pair". It reminds me of that quip recently about Dalkey being in financial dire straits because they were "down to their last six wine bars".

Is this some kind of post-modern joke or is the new editor the world's greatest troll?

Earthhorse

It's awful, that's the story with it.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Its post-modern.

London Irish

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

Its post-modern.

I've been reading it for a while. I think it's pretty good. There is a background to the au-pair thing, you need to read the previous columns.

keanooo

London Irish wrote: »

I've been reading it for a while. I think it's pretty good. There is a background to the au-pair thing, you need to read the previous columns.

Is he referring to himself in the 3rd person? It reads very clunkily.

London Irish

keanooo wrote: »

Is he referring to himself in the 3rd person? It reads very clunkily.

Yes he is. Seems to me it allows him some kind of detachment from the events in his life. Its a style I found difficult to read, at first, though.

keanooo

London Irish wrote: »

Yes he is. Seems to me it allows him some kind of detachment from the events in his life. Its a style I found difficult to read, at first, though.

After reading it I was left wondering was it some sort of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly type parody of the whingey left.

He plays to all the stereotypes:

- The underlying tone of self-pity,
- Government's fault he doesn't have a job,
- Sense of entitlement in not having to pay for parking,
- The "Later, wanker" attitude towards the security guard who was just doing
his job.

After the au pair, I thought he was going to mention his chef, sous-chef and butler.

I'll read through a few of the previous columns...

super_furry

It's really poorly written and difficult to follow.

London Irish

keanooo wrote: »

After reading it I was left wondering was it some sort of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly type parody of the whingey left.

He plays to all the stereotypes:

- The underlying tone of self-pity,
- Government's fault he doesn't have a job,
- Sense of entitlement in not having to pay for parking,
- The "Later, wanker" attitude towards the security guard who was just doing
his job.

After the au pair, I thought he was going to mention his chef, sous-chef and butler.

I'll read through a few of the previous columns...

To be honest, if you accept all that has happened to him and what he has documented in the columns, I don't fault him one bit. He's quite honest, painfully so sometimes, in documenting his own faults. Hes made some whopping mistakes though - they sold up near the peak and spent a year living in Italy, I think, don't think they returned with much.

Suffering Jbox

Regarding his friend's extra-marital activities, I get the strong impression that it was him ringing up the "gossipers" to tell them the news....

keanooo

I read today's instalment. He is officially going insane. You can tell as much from reading his previous columns.

It is literally* like watching a car crash in slow motion. And a bit irresponsible of the Times to publish it too. I suspect they will have to pull the column soon.

*not literally