DISILLUSIONING STEFAN

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Contradicting Stefan-at-the-BBC's naive belief that "all BBC interviewers are careful to abide by well-established interviewing guidelines that prescribe a scrupulously even-handed approach", Shirin Wheeler continues to treat her Conservative guests (usually poor Timothy Kirkhope) less kindly than she treats her other guests. Further to my earlier post (on 'Thatcherophobia'), the other studio discussion on The Record: Europe was yet another gang-up-on-the-Tory session, with Timothy Kirkhope being attacked by all three of the other guests - Graham Watson (Lib Dem), Derek Clarke (UKIP) and Glenis Willmott (Labour) - and, of course, Shirin Wheeler herself.
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Unusually she did interrupt all of her other guests. This is the first time I've heard her interrupt a Labour or Lib Dem speaker. (Only UKIP and the Conservatives are usually interrupted.) But...she only interrupted the Labour and UKIP spokesman once, and Mr Watson of the Lib Dems twice - because he ignored her first interruption! In contrast, she interrupted Mr Kirkhope 4 times (I.C. of 1.3)!!
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Timothy Kirkhope also received most questions, and all of the questions were specifically directed to Conservative strategy and challenging in nature. Only Mr Clarke for UKIP also received a question targeted at his own party, as both Mr Watson and Glenis Willmott (who looked uncannily like Lady Kinnock) were also asked about Conservative strategy but never about Labour or Lib Dem responsibilities.
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And there's more...
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I've pointed out before that Shirin has a habit of casting a contradictory or sarcastic comment at a (right-of-centre) guest then moving on to another (left-of-centre) guest without giving them a chance to reply. She did it again, first to Mr Kirkhope, saying drily "Well we heard a policy anyway at least. Graham Watson, do you agree, do you think..." (Yes, that really was the whole of her question to the Lib Dem! Challenging, eh???!!!). She later contadicted Mr Kirkhope when he attempted to rebutt an attack by the Labour spokeslady. Within 7 seconds of his beginning his answer she barged in, contradicted him and moved on to Graham Watson again ("She was talking about the new financial committee but let me just ask Graham this. Graham just let me ask you this point.") The only other guest she contradicted was Mr Clarke of UKIP ("Well, perhaps he does know what he's talking about" in response to Mr Clarke ending with "He doesn't know what he's talking about.")
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Oh Stefan, sorry to shatter your happy illusions about BBC interviewers. Shirin was not abiding by the guidelines, nor being scrupulously even-handed today, nor last week, nor the week before...(etc).