Marina Hyde – satire’s deadly thrust

Marina Hyde, the Guardian comment wit, is a bright spot in the political and celebrity arena, pulling icons off pedestals and rubbishing parliamentary poseurs. Along the way she usually gives a helpful precis of complicated stories. Occasionally she goes too far with a few serous complaints against her but they are far outweighed by her awards.

  She was born 13 May 1974, daughter of a double-barrelled Tory baronet, so an unlikely left-wing rebel. She has a stalwart Taurus Sun on the focal point of a Yod inconjunct Uranus sextile North Node – which fits.  Plus a penetrating Mercury in Gemini trine Pluto and opposition Neptune – Neptune Pluto aspects usually bring sizeable ambitions. She also has Venus in pro-active Aries opposition Pluto squaring onto both Saturn and Mars in Cancer, which will give her an angry and cutting edge. And she may have, depending on an early birth time, a communicative Air Grand Trine of Mercury trine a mischief-making Aquarius Moon trine Pluto.

  An interesting astro-vignette.   

12 thoughts on “Marina Hyde – satire’s deadly thrust

  1. Personally I find her a bit of a playground bully but each to their own. Yes, she is talented but I never really get the hysteria her columns seem generate. There was a possibility of a soft Brexit – the customs union came within a whisker of succeeding in the indicative votes – the ultra remainer MPs who refused to compromise in the vain hope of gaining a 2nd referendum and overturning the first referendum result bear considerable responsibility for the hard Brexit we are facing but they will never admit it.

        • Er, you brought up the maligned left.
          I voted labour to stop Boris, fools errand as it was, but she was absolutely correct about Labours many missteps and excruciating own goals at the time.
          Being overly identified with a party makes for partisanship and pointless divisiveness.
          And as a result Labour and Lib Dems wouldnt work together, especially Labour, or rather, more factually correct, Momentum McCluskey and Corbyn.

    • I’ve only read 3 or 4 of her columns over the past year but I suspect what makes her very popular is that she doesn’t side with anyone. So it’s easy to think she’s in agreement with your own points of view. That could be seen as a playground bully though because she takes potshots at anyone and everyone, although she does defend them too.

      Take, for example, this section from the H&M column “Alas, no matter how ridiculous anything Meghan and Harry ever do is – and they frequently are ridiculous – it will never, ever be even a hundredth as ridiculous as the behaviour of those foaming at the mouth about it.”

      But subject matter aside, her writing style is fantastic. I know if you gave me the same material to write about, I would find myself diving into cliches or become repetitive about some old point. But somehow she finds a way to write originally and engagingly.

      The Gemini mercury opposite Sag Neptune manages to weave together a column that is very easy to read. You don’t stumble over sentences or have to think too hard about it. It just washes over you, usually bringing a smile, while making some points along the way that have your head nodding along in agreement.

      She’s easier to appreciate the less attached you are to a subject. Her Aqua moon in action.

      • Yes, I also think her strong Gemini Mercury opposition Neptune is important. Mercury/Neptune gives the wit and the imagination required to lampoon the subject and I think it also crops up in the astrology of poets and the ability to distort in order to create comedy is all part of that.

  2. She is hardly left-wing; more the centrist mould. It is striking how often the two are confused when there are significant differences (partly explains Starmer’s current woes). She is rather vicious and sneering towards the left in her articles and the antipathy appears to be mutual going by the twitter interaction. Her chart has a jousting take-no-prisoners feel about it so it shouldn’t trouble her.

    • While she may or may not be centrist, and Im not entirely sure how you can judge, she is no more ‘ vicious and sneering’ towards the left than the right, as it should be.
      And given Corbyn willingness to sell us into Brexit hell of the evisceration of workers and environmental rights and decimation of small businesses and at the time, Trumps encircling arms, I certainly cant blame her.

      Personally I think she is an incredibly talented and astute writer who lampoons fools and knaves with an even hand.

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