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This week's Andrew Marr Show closed with a debate between three party old-timers: Michael Howard, Paddy Ashdown and Lord (help us!) Neil Kinnock.
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Who was the only one to be interrupted? Michael Howard.
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Who got least time to speak? Michael Howard.
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Who was the only one of the guests not to have Andrew Marr "mmm" with approval at something he said (usually an attack on the Tories)? Michael Howard.
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Finally, the endings of whose answers kept being talked over by Marr? Michael Howard.
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On the timings, here's how things worked out:
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Paddy Ashdown got 4 minutes 56 seconds
Neil Windbag got 4 minutes 25 seconds
Michael Howard got just 2 minutes 44 seconds
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On a different point, Lord Ashdown had a real (and enjoyable) go at Andrew Marr for saying that Nick Clegg had no chance of becoming prime minister & complained that Lib Dem policies are ignored in favour of crystal-ball gazing. Marr was having none of it, but Lord Ashdown was absolutely right. I've always felt a bit of sympathy with the Lib Dems over this. It must be frustrating if you want to talk about your policies but all that every BBC interviewer wants to ask you about is what you'd do in the event of a hung parliament. That said, it hardly works against them. Lib Dem policies are not closely examined by the BBC (Andrew Neil excepted, of course) and they have plenty of policies that might make them far less popular if they widely known (on Europe or crime, for example) and others that might collapse like a house of cards at the first whiff of reality. It's this lack of probing (again Andrew Neil excepted) that ensures Vince Cable's reputation for infallibility.
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Five or six years ago there was a late night coverage of a Labour party conference on the BBC, possibly Newsnight but can't remember.
ReplyDeleteIt featured the conclusion of a fringe meeting and it seemed that the BBC crew were actually part of the meeting. There was a trendy lefty comedian, Mark Steel, spouting far -left tosh (I think the BBC calls it "edgy", whatever that is) Sitting next to him on what looked like a bar stool was a decidely pissed-as-a-fart Neil Kinnock who was muttering, quite malevolently, "Lets grind the bastards into the dust". I can only presume the old drunk meant the Conservatives.
I just wish that I'd punched him on the nose when I had the chance.
Andy C