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Breaking down the David Cameron interview (which lasted 23 minutes) into its consistuents topics shows the extent to which Marr dwelled (as I confidently predicted he would) on spending cuts and tax rises:
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Cuts, deficit - 15m 26s (67%)
Priorities - 3m 20s (14.5%)
Hung parliament, campaign - 3 m 0s (13%)
Living Wage - 1m 18s (5.5%)
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That is 2/3 of the whole interview spent discussing the subject Marr chose not to talk to Nick Clegg and Gordon Brown about at all!!! He even paused midway through the interview only to return to the subject again nearly 5 minutes later!
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Compare that to Nick Clegg 's interview last week:
Hung parliaments, Clegg personally - 11m 7s (49.7%)
Immigration - 7m 32s (33.7%)
Trident - 3m 42s (16.6%)
Cuts, deficit - 0m os (0%)
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Or to Gordon Brown's the week before:
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Hung parliaments, campaign, the Queen - 12m 18s (48.5%)
Immigration - 5m 21s (21%)
Bankers - 3m 11s (12.5%)
Ash cloud - 2m 40s (10.5%)
Afghanistan - 1m 56s (7.5%)
Cuts, deficit - 0 m 0s (0%)
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This is probably to place to reprint my complaint to the BBC after the Gordon Brown interview. I think you will see why!
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Whenever David Cameron is interviewed by Andrew Marr, Mr Marr concentrates on asking him about Conservative cuts, yet when Gordon Brown was on this Sunday Andrew Marr did not ask him about cuts at all.
For months now, Conservative politicians have faced questions from Mr Marr about cuts. Why didn't he ask the Labour leader about what cuts he will make, how much will be cut from each spending department, how many jobs will be lost as a consequence?
Why does Andrew Marr seem to want to connect the idea of 'cuts' just with the Conservatives rather than with Labour?
The interview with Gordon Brown lasted 25 minutes. There was time.
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Marr's agenda has been blindingly obvious for months. This was its crowning glory!
But will the Conservatives complain? No they won't because they don't want to upset the BBC. Don't they realise how anti-Tory the BBC is?
ReplyDeleteHave you complained again to the BBC about the balance of these three interviews? If so any response?
ReplyDeleteNo, not yet. I've e-mailed the Conservatives office about it but I'm not expecting a reply from them for a while, given that they may be a bit busy this week!
ReplyDeleteI finally found the time to officially complain to the BBC about the bias you identified in the three interviews. I used your figures, I hope you don't mind, but I did identify you as the originator.
ReplyDeleteMy complaint ran as follows (much of it recognisable from above!!):
ReplyDeleteHi
I recently complained that Andrew Marr's interview with Gordon Brown had ignored the vital issue of cuts, taxes and the deficit. I pointed out that Mr Marr has pursued this subject repeatedly with Conservative politicians (as if trying to tie the idea of cuts to the Conservative Party) while not pursuing the line anywhere near as frequently with his Labour and Liberal Democrat guests.
Broken down by subject matter, the interview with Gordon Brown looked like this:
Hung parliaments, campaign, the Queen - 12m 18s (48.5%)
Immigration - 5m 21s (21%)
Bankers - 3m 11s (12.5%)
Ash cloud - 2m 40s (10.5%)
Afghanistan - 1m 56s (7.5%)
Cuts, deficit - 0 m 0s (0%)
The following week Nick Clegg appeared. He too was not asked about cuts, taxes or the deficit:
Hung parliaments, Clegg personally - 11m 7s (49.7%)
Immigration - 7m 32s (33.7%)
Trident - 3m 42s (16.6%)
Cuts, deficit - 0m os (0%)
However, despite my earlier complaint, when Andrew came to interview David Cameron yesterday, he spent the majority of the interview on the issue of cuts, taxes and the deficit:
Cuts, deficit - 15m 26s (67%)
Priorities - 3m 20s (14.5%)
Hung parliament, campaign - 3 m 0s (13%)
Living Wage - 1m 18s (5.5%)
Why did Andrew Marr 'flinch' from asking Mr Brown and Mr Clegg about the most important issue facing our country? Why did he spend so long on that one issue (yet again) with the Conservative leader?
Both Mr Brown's interviews and Mr Clegg's interviews spent a lot of time (roughly half) on the less serious, non-policy-related side of politics. Given that both interviews lasted well over 20 minutes each, shouldn't some of that time (at least 5 minutes) have been given over to asking about cuts, taxes and the deficit? Of course, different interviews don't demand the same subjects, and the questions about immigration to the Labour and Lib Dem leaders were right and proper. Still, acknowledging that doesn't negate my question.
Last Sunday was a chance for Andrew Marr to prove that he wasn't biased against the Conservative Party and he blew it.
How can his actions be justified?
Thanks
Craig
The more the merrier Not a sheep!
ReplyDeleteYou never need to ask to use anything here. The figures are open for all. Please feel free to use any of my findings in whatever way you see fit any time you like.
After all, I 'borrow' things from you enough!!