JON SOPEL MAKES A BURQA OF HIMSELF

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UKIP's call for the banning of the burqa was bound to lead the BBC to attack it. Today's The Politics Show was staged so that UKIP's case, as presented by Nigel Farage, would be bombarded from all sides.
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The section began with a report from a burqa-clad woman, Rehana Sidat. She made the case for being allowed to wear the burqa. It was her choice, she said. She feels comfortable in it. (As I'm sure do members of the Ku Klux Klan in their spacious white robes and hoods).
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Next came Jon Sopel's interview with Mr Farage, but Nigel was not alone. With him was Salma Yaqoob of Respect. Sopel treated Salma with a great deal of respect, not interrupting her once. Not so with Nigel Farage, who was interrupted 6 times (I.C. of 1.1). Moreover, Sopey asked Salma just 2 questions, whilst asking Nigel 15 questions. Amusingly, two of those questions began with the statements "No, Nigel Farage, let me put a point to you here" and "Nigel Farage, let me put a question to you." Nigel let Jon Sopel put 15 points/questions to him!!
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During the interview, a highly animated Sopel returned to the agenda he was pushing so aggressively in a previous edition of the programme (please see http://beebbiascraig.blogspot.com/2009/11/ukip-get-full-sopel-treatment.html), trying to tar UKIP with the BNP brush: "This isn't playing to the BNP is it?", he asked, after angling after that point with his previous question.
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Later Jon Sopel asked Ed Balls about the matter. You won't be surprised to hear that Balls launched a vicious little attack on UKIP as a result. As the BBC News website reports it 'But Schools Secretary Ed Balls said it was "not British" to tell people what to wear in the street (oh, the Ku Klux Klan will be delighted to hear that too!), and accused UKIP of indulging in "unpleasant politics"' (well, he'd know all about that, wouldn't he?).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8464124.stm
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