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Andrew Marr interviewed Michael Gove and Ed Balls today - and he gave Balls the hard time! Will wonders never cease!
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Balls was on blood-boilingly bad form today, turning every answer into an attack on the Conservatives, lying shamelessly about Michael Gove (saying that Mr Gove had spent most of his interview attacking Labour, which he most certainly had not! Andrew Marr picked up on this and pointed it out. Well done Andrew!) and generally behaving like a spoiled kid. Even the bit on the sofa and the end saw three digs from Balls at Michael Gove (including a nasty class gibe at the end). Only Ed Balls could use a discussion about daylight saving to attack the Tories over trades unions! Even Andrew Marr couldn't take this embarrassingly unpleasant performance lying down. He strongly challenged Balls's myriad evasions over cuts and over the BA strike and tried again and again to get him to talk about Labour policy.
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In contrast Michael Gove was reasonableness personified and the interview was good natured and positive.
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The interruption coefficients were these:
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***Michael Gove - 0.8
***Ed Balls - 1.6
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If Andrew Marr were like this every week - not just once in a blue moon -, going for any party's spokesman who is being evasive and discussing rationally with any party's spokesman who answers honestly and rationally, there would be no problem with his programme.
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Watching Ed Balls being interviewed is too bad for my blood pressure, he makes Gordon Brown seem non-partisan and amenable.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Marr is Labour through and through, he probably loathes Balls on a personal level as much as anyone. Can we have a competition for the most repulsive cabinet member ? It's a tough one.
ReplyDeleteMy vote would go for Balls. His wife is deeply annoying too, but he's in a league of unpleasantness all of his own.
ReplyDeleteGuido tonight is saying that the odds on Balls losing his seat are looking promising. That would be a dream come true, wouldn't it?
Ben Bradshaw is quite charmless too though, as is Shahid Malik. Outside the cabinet, how about Kevan Jones, the defence minister, or the odious Denis MacShane?
We're spoiled for choice really.
Yes, Denis MacShane is especially repulsive. On another tack, I have some liking for John Hutton.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, whatever happened to "forces sweetheart " ( to quote David Vance ) Tony McNulty ?