Conrad the con Black, Lord Black of Crossharbour, has met his Waterloo. Like Napoleon, he cast himself as invincible and unquestionably right. It's taken a Chicago jury to prove him wrong.
But what now for Lady Black or, as we knew her, Barbara Amiel. A former journalist and socialite who transitioned effortlessly from far left to far right as her matrimonial fortunes prospered, she is blamed by some for contributing to her husband's downfall. Even Black's former English flagship newspaper, The Telegraph, couldn't resist publishing a few words about the self-described "North London Jewish girl."
Derided as the ultimate hard-nosed gold-digger, Lady Black has yet to give her critics what they desperately want by leaving her husband as his fortunes take a dramatic dive.
Questions of sincerity aside, Lady Black, 66, has played a convincing role of the loyal wife.
That said, there was good reason for a little humility and understanding on her part. Not only was she a director of Hollinger International, but her flaunting of their extravagant lifestyle arguably first prompted shareholders to question the accounts.
Moreover, the conventional wisdom about Conrad Black’s financial difficulties is that the trouble only started when he met Amiel.
Having lived a privileged but relatively unostentatious existence, he suddenly became involved with a woman whose extravagance - as she famously admitted herself - "knew no bounds".
It is often said that Amiel’s taste for the high life - multiple homes and matching staffs, private jets and lavish entertaining - pushed her husband into a high-spending league which he could only finance with considerable effort.
"My husband is very rich, but I am not... I have been a bitch all my life and did not need the authority of money to be one," she once wrote.
"I am a North London Jew who has read a bit of history. This means I know this: in a century that has seen the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian, British and Soviet empires. Reversal of fortune is the rich bitch’s reality.
"One might as well keep working and have the family’s Vuitton suitcases packed."
And Amiel, the virulently right-wing journalist, did indeed keep working even as her husband stood trial. In a column earlier this month in Macleans, a Canadian magazine, she sketched a picture of her life far removed from the "rich bitch" of yore.
But what now for Lady Black or, as we knew her, Barbara Amiel. A former journalist and socialite who transitioned effortlessly from far left to far right as her matrimonial fortunes prospered, she is blamed by some for contributing to her husband's downfall. Even Black's former English flagship newspaper, The Telegraph, couldn't resist publishing a few words about the self-described "North London Jewish girl."
Derided as the ultimate hard-nosed gold-digger, Lady Black has yet to give her critics what they desperately want by leaving her husband as his fortunes take a dramatic dive.
Questions of sincerity aside, Lady Black, 66, has played a convincing role of the loyal wife.
That said, there was good reason for a little humility and understanding on her part. Not only was she a director of Hollinger International, but her flaunting of their extravagant lifestyle arguably first prompted shareholders to question the accounts.
Moreover, the conventional wisdom about Conrad Black’s financial difficulties is that the trouble only started when he met Amiel.
Having lived a privileged but relatively unostentatious existence, he suddenly became involved with a woman whose extravagance - as she famously admitted herself - "knew no bounds".
It is often said that Amiel’s taste for the high life - multiple homes and matching staffs, private jets and lavish entertaining - pushed her husband into a high-spending league which he could only finance with considerable effort.
"My husband is very rich, but I am not... I have been a bitch all my life and did not need the authority of money to be one," she once wrote.
"I am a North London Jew who has read a bit of history. This means I know this: in a century that has seen the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian, British and Soviet empires. Reversal of fortune is the rich bitch’s reality.
"One might as well keep working and have the family’s Vuitton suitcases packed."
And Amiel, the virulently right-wing journalist, did indeed keep working even as her husband stood trial. In a column earlier this month in Macleans, a Canadian magazine, she sketched a picture of her life far removed from the "rich bitch" of yore.
3 comments:
A former journalist and socialite who transitioned effortlessly from far left to far right as her matrimonial fortunes prospered, she is blamed by some for contributing to her husband's downfall.
Actually, having read some of her earlier columns, her transition looks a lot more like "transitioned effortlessly from centre to far right".
Far Left? Not quite.
I hope she spends every single dime of Black's money before he gets out of jail (if he does). Can you imagine living with a guy like that for all those years?
He was found guilty, end of story. He'll never be able to appeal himself out of the obstruction charge. Thank goodness for that.
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