EVEN MORE ON MARR

*
More on Marr's agenda...
*
Following The Andrew Marr Show for a year now has revealed an ongoing strategy on the programme's part. This is not only to keep asking Conservative spokesmen about cuts (far more often than their Labour counterparts) - as I mentioned in the previous post - but also to suggest in interviews with Conservatives (far more than their Labour counterparts) that they are not being clear/honest ("straight", as he often puts it) about their economic plans, especially on cuts and taxes - as if Labour and the Lib Dems are being clear/honest!!:
http://beebbiascraig.blogspot.com/2010/02/when-marr-met-george.html
(see also http://beebbiascraig.blogspot.com/2010/02/when-marr-met-peter.html)
*
Do you remember what happened to Philip Hammond and Alistair Darling when they were last on? Mr Hammond was set up by a mischief-making film, whereas Mr Darling was warmly welcomed without any mischief - or a film. (If you don't - and why would you! - please click here: http://beebbiascraig.blogspot.com/2010/03/marr-on-very-biased-form.html).
*
Here again Marr laid tripwires in front of his Conservative guest with a film (though not anything near as unpleasant a tripwire as that laid in front of Mr Hammond!)
*
In this film Marr spun the Mrs Duffy story (which he could hardly ignore) away from Labour and onto politicians in general. We don't like them and they don't like us, he said. Then he spun it away from politicians in general and onto the Conseratives. As proof of his point he took from a bookshelf the diaries of Alan Clark, who he made clear to mention was a Tory MP, saying sniffy things about the proles, and then drew out another book from "another Tory MP" , Gyles Brandreth, also expressing discomfort at having to deal with the proles. He then discussed the matter was another ex-Tory MP, Matthew Parris.
*
All this is by the by. The film's final section moved on to the topic that dared not speak its name when he talked to Brown and Clegg - the deficit, cuts and taxes: "In the election campaign politicians have flinched from the truth of taxes and the truth about what's being planned". This is rich coming from Andrew Marr!! He 'flinched' from asking about it to either of the other party leaders. The BBC refused to explain why in their reply to me.
*
After the film ended, Marr began his introduction to David Cameron with these words: "So is there the slightest chance of hearing more straightforwardly about the tough stuff ahead..."
*
He was then straight off into it!
*
I've also mentioned before the way Marr keeps trying to persist in the 'you Tories are not being straight with us' line regardless of anything his Tory interviewee actually says (see the first link above). I've also mentioned how he has that bad habit for an interviewer of adding his own criticism of the Tory interviewee then moving the conversation on to something completely different and not allowing the interviewee a right to reply to that criticism. Marr combined the two things today, ending the main section on cuts with this: "But you're not really telling us much more aboit how you're going to deal with the deficit. Let's move on..."
*
Bias that's predictable is hardly shocking any more. Inaction by its victims is the bigger issue.