Get rich before you grow ugly - Diary 29/05/25

You're a fine piece of real estate, and I'm gonna get me some land

Every Sunday, paid subscribers of the Human Carbohydrate receive their “Seven-Day Carb Loading” -a recap of the week in my political/media/London/BRAT life.

“Stella, how can you possibly do something interesting every single day?”. Infidels, consult the back catalogue.

Insight, gossip, heartache, mischief, all in an honest day's work for a hard-working, reverse Lady Byron.

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Monday 24th June

There is something deeply intimate about whispering into the ears of a lorry driver at 5:00 am.

Reader, get your mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about reviewing the morning papers on the radio;

I knew I was destined to rule over men because I am a morning person. When I tell people who ask me for advice on getting into punditry how early I wake up for morning radio (4:00 am) and how much I get paid for it (£30-50) they are shocked. Oh, that’s not worth it! Well, if this is not worth it for you, then you don’t love it enough. Do you think you’ll get many opportunities in your life to be the first voice thousands of people hear right after the morning birds or their newborn’s cries?

Political punditry should never be anyone’s main paycheck, let alone a full-time career- that’s how people slide into bad habits. Here’s the cycle: a producer rings and wants your take on a story. They’ve already filed you as “left” or “right.” You may hold a nuanced view, but if you rely on the fee and the airtime, you feel pushed to sound fiery. Some producers even say it outright: “We’re covering topic X and need someone to back extreme position Y, could that be you?” You have to answer on the spot. Say no, and, unless you’re already a big name, they may not call again; deadlines are brutal and they can’t spare time for long chats. And you can’t stay the flavour of the month forever unless you keep turning up the volume or finding new ways to stay relevant.

Being in the media means both that more people know of you (nice) and form opinions about you based on 3-minute clips (not nice). This both expands and limits your career opportunities. Many people use it to leverage careers in consulting, such as media, PR, and public affairs, but that’s frankly a hollow basis to advise clients from unless you maintain your connection with your political, policy, or industry base.