Talk:Carol Ann Duffy

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Moved to new page to correct spelling of "Carol". Mswake 12:10 Jan 8, 2003 (UTC)

Contents 1 homophobia allegation 2 NPOV 3 OBE and CBE 4 Maureen Duffy disambig

[edit] homophobia allegation

"Carol Ann Duffy was almost appointed the British Poet Laureate in 1999 (after the death of previous Laureate Ted Hughes), but lost out on the position to Andrew Motion. A Downing Street official said that Prime Minister Tony Blair was 'worried about having a homosexual poet laureate because of how it might play in middle England."

Is this definitely true? There were rumours at the time but it seems a bit unlikely that "a Downing Street official" would have said anything quite so frank, admitting to disgraceful if not illegal bias by a highly image-conscious PM. Statement would appear to need verifying, attributing and/or toning down. Flapdragon 02:51, 4 Dec 2004 (UTC)

"She regards Andrew Motion as a friend and says that the idea of a contest for the position between her and him for the post was entirely invented by the newspapers."

Added the above summary of her comments heard on the BBC Radio 4 programme Book Club on Sun 5 Dec 2004. Harry 01:04, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] NPOV

"She is one of the few poets in the UK to combine academic integrity with accessibility and popularity."

This may be perfectly true but doesn't seem like NPOV somehow -- who says so? Added a rather pusillanimous little "perhaps" to tone it down. Harry 01:07, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] OBE and CBE

I have read that she has been awarded an OBE and a CBE. Can anyone verify this?

OBE in 1995, CBE in 2001, Hon DLitt (Warwick), ditto (Keele), Honorary something-or-other (Dundee), FRSLit. Prof (Creative Writing School) at Manchester. All that and The World's Wife still makes me laugh out loud. Angus McLellan 00:57, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Maureen Duffy disambig

Do we really need this? Guinnog 19:49, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it's necessary.From my layman's point of view, she's not nearly so famous. Maybe it's because they share a surname, and are both homosexual. I guess if a few more people post saying they don't think it's necessary and noone posts otherwise, we could remove it. Kymara 20:40, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

I agree it shd probably be deleted. Once we start disambiguating people whose names aren't even the same where will we stop? Flapdragon 21:23, 26 March 2006 (UTC)

If all they share is the same last name, I agree: delete. Kdammers 02:38, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Done Guinnog 03:26, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Duffy-Civil partnership?

Is it true Murice Oldamon is her lesbian partner, and that they had a civil partnership in 2004?