LBC radio host James O’Brien, a purveyor of grandiose opinions, took leave of his senses on Thursday by taking an unprovoked shot at manual labourers.
The radio show host made the extraordinary claim that the “intellectual exertion” of his hosting duties was harder and more exhausting than a full day of manual labour.
A claim that, amid the worst cost-of-living crisis of the century, will surely appeal to his left-wing base.
In this unflattering evaluation of the work labourers do, O’Brien claimed that the average person could do manual labour for eight hours a day but not his job.
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He said: “I think this job is harder than manual labour, I don’t know what I would compare it to, probably flying an aeroplane without autopilot or being an air traffic controller …
“I honestly think this job is more exhausting, because manual labour you can do eight hours a day. You could not do this for eight hours a day.”
James O'Brien: I think my job is harder than manual labour. You could not do this for eight hours a day.@mrjamesob pic.twitter.com/jJNlhJrVeE
— LBC (@LBC) August 12, 2022
Resentful of the suggestion that his opinion on manual labour may not be valid, O’Brien, in an unmistakably lofty tone, offered his credentials - that he had worked two weeks on a building site in South Yorkshire in 1988.
Declining the opportunity to indulge in some self-awareness, O’Brien added that he believed there was a blue plaque on the toilet that he had helped construct on the site – a building where this opinion may have found a more apt home.
Amid a cost-of-living crisis where leaders have claimed that lives could be lost if urgent action is not taken, it is quite bizarre to see a media personality, who has a track record of targeting the enemies of the working class, devalue the work of a lower-income trade.
With families finding it harder than ever to make ends meet, the last thing manual labourers need is a radio show host telling them how hard he has it.
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