THE WORLD AT ONE, AT ONE, AT ONE

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After its abysmal performance last week The World at One has a lot of ground to make up this week if it's not to be judged irredeemably biased.
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Its coverage of the manifesto launches has been carefully choreographed. Each programme begins with a report on the launch followed by short reaction clips from the opposing parties. Then Martha Kearney considers some key policy areas and interviews some experts who are critical of the party's plans. A leading politician from the party concerned is then interviewed. Finally, the BBC's anti-Tory correspondent Norman Smith delivers his judgement.
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Prior to discussing Labour's manifesto with Lord Mandelson on Monday, Martha talked to two critics - firstly Labour-supporting businessman and candid friend Sir Gerry Robinson, who is not keen on foundation hospitals, then Tony Butler, the former chief constable of Gloucestershire, who had some concerns about Labour's policing agenda. Peter Mandelson followed. This nigh-on-seven-minute-long interview concentrated nearly all of its interruptions during a short spell towards the end when Martha question his Lordship about the part-privatisation of Royal Mail. Other than that he got an easy ride. Norman Smith also gave Labour an easy ride in his assessment of their manifesto, using very measured language rather than his usual hyperbole.

The only breach of the programme's carefully choreography came later in this edition when another Labour pledge was assessed - on the national minimum wage and the idea of a 'living wage'. Ray Furlong explored the question "What difference will it make?" He talked to Diego, an immigrant Columbian cleaner, who described how much his life would improve if Labour's plan were widened to embrace the likes of him - point echoed by those "campaigners" who "see it as at least a small step in the right direction". One such, Matthew Bolton from London Citizens, who had "lobbied Labour on the manifesto pledge", was flushed with success but also wanted more. No voices against the idea were canvassed by Mr Furlong. Lord Digby Jones, former trade minister under Gordon Brown and ex-director of the CBI, was then interviewed by Martha. He loved the idea and wants it to become "aspirational" but he warned, reasonably enough, that we have no money left to keep promising this sort of thing.

This programme, incidentally, closed with a panel discussion, chaired by Martha, that featured Lord Digby, along with two Guardian-reading types - Josephine Fairly, who founded an "organic chocolate factory" and is a leading light in the Soil Association, and - from the far-Left - Marina Warner, a cut-glass-voiced "expert on fairy tales" (and a believer in one of them, written by a certain Mr K. Marx, by the sounds of it.) Ms Fairly attacked Liam Fox over Tory foreign policy while Ms Warner described the expenses scandal as a "skirmish to prevent us looking at the more serious problems which is basically the inequality of distribution of wealth and that fact that we no longer think there can be a philosophy of politics because we're being run by the finance economy that we actually think is irrevocable". She defended Labour, praised Europe and talked of "the others, on the Right" with their "dangerous" stuff about immigration.


The following day's programme turned to the Tories. Prior to Martha's interview with George Osborne, not two but three critics appeared. Why the extra critic?
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There were no candid friends here. Conservative education plans were criticised by Emma Knights of the National Governors' Association, then their policing policy was rejected by Gloria Laycock, "a professor of crime science at UCL and a former advisor to the Home Office", and finally their plans to involve people in politics were rubbished by Andrew Russell, "a senior lecturer in politics at Manchester University". Well might George Osborne have said the following: "You did manage to choose three people who were pretty cynical about the public being involved in anything, as far as I could tell, the three interviews I've just listened to. It was all about Whitehall knows best how to police communities, and Whitehall knows best how to run schools and Whitehall knows best how to take decisions over your life and..." At which point Martha interrupted him. Despite a dodgy phone-line, Martha managed to interrupt him more consistently than she did Lord Mandelson. Norman Smith was back to his usual self afterwards (with hyperbole everywhere). There were difficulties for the Tories, they had nothing new to say on policy, their strategy on tackling the deficit is "already compromised", etc.
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Shaun Ley was in Preston. It's one of many key marginals here in the North West (including the fair seaside resort of Morecambe). Jonathan Tonge, prof of politics at Liverpool University, talked of "Ashcroft money", a phrase Shaun picked up on, saying "and both those issues, Ashcroft money and immigration, we'll be talking about tomorrow..."


Today it was the Lib Dem manifesto launch. Vince Cable was preceded by two critics (note, not three): David Buik, "a market analyst with BGC Partners. He's also a supporter of the Conservative Party", said Martha (just to make sure we know where he's coming from), and John Whiting of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Mr Whiting was measured in his criticism. Not so Mr Buik, who went in all guns blazing (good man!) The interview with Vince was, surprisingly, the toughest of the lot. Martha interrupted him more than either of the others. (Has she been watching Andrew Neil?) Norman Smith's assessment was certainly less reverential than his assessment of Labour but not as loaded as his assessment of the Tories.
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Two ordinary voters appeared later in the programme. What had appealed to them so far? One said said Labour's pledge to get young people back to work, the other said "Labour are the only ones who have said actually there is going to be a national insurance rise which in my eyes just scores points for honesty." The BBC's plan is clearly working, if those reactions are typical.
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