Jan Moir - Dancing On The Grave Of Stephen Gately

There isn't much more to say about Jan Moir's evil and poisonous article in last week's Daily Heil. Some far better writers than I have already brought this pathetic woman (pictured left) to task - Charlie Brooker for one - and more power to their typing fingers, I say. The fact that this spiteful, nasty little hack was even allowed to peddle her vile filth before the British public is enough of a wonder, but that she even felt justified in her loathsome attack on a defenceless dead person is a total mystery.

What I would like to comment upon, however, is just that. What was this malicious bigot's motivation for writing such an article? This is a question we must ask ourselves – and the sad answer is that she clearly felt capable of oozing such bile because she felt comfortable in doing so because she sees herself as a "member of the club". Brooker called her article a "gratuitous piece of gay-bashing" but he singled her out as if she had invented such vitriol herself. In fact, she was just luxuriating in the confidence that she is not alone by holding such views. She was fully expecting her wicked malevolence to be welcomed by her readership. And this, dear reader, is the awful truth. There will have been many, many Daily Heil readers sagely nodding their dogmatic heads in agreement with her. Of course Stephen Gately deserved to die – he was gay, after all.

The fact that the Press Complaints Commission is powerless to handle the furore of outrage that has poured in about this disgusting piece of fascist dogma is sweet justification for her foul words. Only Stephen's family is entitled to complain about the filth that she wrote – and are they likely to do that, given that they are in a state of shock and grief? Of course they won't - they have more dignity. De mortuis nil nisi bonum is an adage that the despicable Ms Moir seems to have forgotten. She has not only attacked a defenceless young man and his family; she has also attacked the very ramparts of morality and decency.

The dangerous truth though, is that she obviously feels that her insidious venom is the lifeblood of her odious readership. And she is probably right in that, at least. That is what is so truly awful about her article – more awful even than its hateful content.

We need a wake-up call, that's for sure. Aux armes, citoyennes!