DUCKING THE ISSUE

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A minor point, but indicative nonetheless. Norman Smith (Tory/Tories 4, Conservative/Conservatives 0) appeared on this lunchtime's The World At One to spin Gordon Brown's congenital inability to answer a straight question: "In his reply Mr Brown rephrased the tax question as an argument about protecting public services". Would it really have been a breach of BBC rules on impartial reporting to tell it as it really is: "Gordon Brown didn't directly answer David Cameron's question, but instead chose to rephrase it as an argument about protecting public services"? Even that was far too much for Norman.