Stephen Tall

So, on the plus side, five days ago the Daily Mail billed her as “Miriam Clegg… the wife of Nick Clegg, who goes by her maiden name of Miriam Gonzalez Durantez”… whereas today she is allowed to be Miriam Gonzalez Durantez — y’know, her actual name — in her own right.

On the minus side, five days ago the Daily Mail’s focus was on her clothes:

And today the paper’s focus trains in on Miriam’s ‘derriere’:

Two points for the Daily Mail to bear in mind:

1. Derriere is French. Miriam is Spanish. The Spanish word for bottom is culo.

2. In Spain women do not change their surnames when they marry. So Miriam’s decision not to call herself Miriam Clegg is not a feminist statement (which would, I realise, be EVIL) but just a case of calling herself by her own name, Miriam Gonzalez Durantez. Think of it as Miriam respecting tradition and custom if it makes it easier to deal with.