I never liked Piers Morgan when he was a newspaper editor in the UK. He came across as stroppy and aggressive, and I didn't feel much sympathy for him when he fell from grace and disappeared.
In his new incarnation, with his own daily news show on CNN, he is much more appealing. He seems more at ease with himself, more human, and his style - still bolshy and opinionated - goes down better on this side of the Atlantic than in his home country. As a fellow Englishman in the US, I admire him for how respected he has become here.
He is now getting a lot of attention in the gun control debate that was sparked by the Connecticut shootings. Having decided that Americans don't get angry enough about these tragedies, he compensates by getting super-angry each night on his show. He berates pro-gun guests, almost hugs those against, and generally works himself into an undignified lather.
I think this public hissy fit performs a valuable public service - that of counterbalancing the pantomime baddies in this debate, the NRA. These are the people who suggest solutions like giving teachers weapons, so that they can pick off would-be gunmen between Math and Science and keep the school day moving along.
With Piers Morgan baying at the moon on one side, and the NRA practicing their commando rolls on the other, the politicians are left looking calm and rational in the middle. All the outrage, and stupid ideas, have already been used up, so surely the right answers are there for the taking.
If something good comes out of all this, then Piers Morgan will have done his bit - embarrassing as it is to watch. Good luck to him.
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