Morning folks – hope you have all recovered from Mr Darling’s scintillating Budget yesterday. No doubt this will be the lead question on QuestionTime later tonight and we will be blogging it live! Yes, we are back and ready for some more lively debate, the wittier the better. The panel may prove interesting insofar as we have two communists, a gay historian, a living saint and a token mild conservative – the usual representative mix. Hope you can potter along and join in the fun later – I will be expecting you!
I’m sure we’ll find that the gay historian is the real conservative.
I note from Guido Fawkes that the other Dimbleby, Jonathan, attended a meeting of lefty journalists held at the Guardian. He laid in to the BBC Trustees for its recent censuring of Jermey Bowen over his Midddle East reports, calling it “censorship”.
Of course brothers don’t necessarily think alike, but Jonno’s stance is a dead give away for what the rank and file of BBC journalists (and probably his brother, too) actually think -i.e., they are anit-Israel zealots.
And we are asked to believe that these people can be objective and fair?
Oh no, Philip Hammond. I’m sure he’s very pleasant and intelligent but he is a charisma vacuum. I think the phrase “savaged by a dead sheep” might apply.
Starkey, as the previous poster said, is an out-and-out Brown-hater. He will, I’m sure, do the job Hammond is supposed to do and lay into the Government with gusto…
Starkey is such good value — with the authority of intellect, knowledge and crystal clear thinking…and he can be funny…ha ha
Brilliant, I’m hoping Starkey is in as fine a fettle for this as he was at the weekend:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00jxxwz/Gabby_Logan_19_04_2009
(Sure this has been posted already – Round about 1hr10min in the comparison between Brown and Henry V sets him off on one).
Sorry meant Henry VIII
Does Lord Vince of Cable get paid to be on my telly all the bleedin’ time?
He loves himself so so so much – hope Starky bitch slaps him but I guess he’d have to listen.
james i so agree about Philip Hammond.trouble is the tory front bench is full of dead wood.Most of the talent seems to be on the backbenches.
don’t think Billy Hague is exactly deadwood?
When was the last time a professional politician said anything vaguely unexpected on QT? It’s only the independents like Starkey or – even better – the Hitchens Brothers (Cristopher: who tore a new a***hole in, among others, Shirley Williams and Peter: who added some refreshing honesty to a discussion concerning the EU) who provide any genuine political comment.
Robin Horbury | 23.04.09 – 8:43 am |
J Dimbleby is as Gramscian as they come. I have read that a number of years ago he produced what amounted to a pro-Hamas documentary for ITV.
David Dimbleby on the other hand for me is ‘old BBC’ and will be a great loss when gone.
Oh, and did I say to my fellow Englishmen – ‘HAPPY ST. GEORGE’S DAY!’
To mark the occasion I will share one of my favourite quotes from the World’s Greatest Living Englishman, who is in fact a woman:-
“Our history shows that when evil rises in the world Britain will bear arms to oppose it”
Margarat Thatcher, valedictory speech to the Commons as Prime Minister, 1991 if memory serves right.
Ceann P | 23.04.09 – 1:57 pm |
That was awesome. Thanks for the link.
I believe that’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone in a BBC studio talking seriously about the unelected, non-representative situation going on in your country.
I let the iPlayer run on while writing this, so I just heard Gabby Logan basically apologize to the audience for all that anti-Labour, “anti-government” talk everyone just heard. Lame – when was the last time they apologized for…etc. But what made it better (worse?) was that she said that for “redress”, Kevin Maguire was coming on later.
Hi on the lets talk show the panel is Dame Nuala O’Loan, Jeffrey Donaldson, Ruaine, and Alister Mc Donnell. uggghhh won’t be able to blog live with you guys later unfortunately, I’m just back from holidays, literally only in the door, so hi to Geoff and hopefully will enjoy reading all you guys had to say tonmorrow!!
Is it St Goerge’s day today? Can’t say I’ve noticed anything on the BBC, especially from all those Scottish accents all over the place.
Martin | 23.04.09 – 8:08 pm |
We had a good dose of Morris dancers in Newcastle – but of course there was the massive police prescence ( 2 aging bobbies) – wonderful.
Where’s my mate Universal Shami these days?
By the way
Ceann P | 23.04.09 – 1:57 pm |
Thanks for the link – Starkys anolgy was brilliant.
Vince Cable is only on all the time cos he’s now seen as the wise old man type. He was perhaps the only prominent (ish) politician to forsee the credit bust. Or if the others did, they sure as hell didnt say anything about it.
I don’t recognise the woman in that pic, but she looks butchish.
“Career : Claire Fox is the director of the Institute of Ideas think tank, and was co-publisher of the controversial magazine, Living Marxism.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/question_time/8008100.stm
As a Scot, may I just wish all my English friends a happy St. George’s Day. Even Martin !!!
Sorry, that should have read “especially” Martin !
Thank you!
BS
What is this love in for David Starkey.
He is just a self publicist prepared to be as deliberately provocative as possible and didnt make any more sense than the rest of the awful panel.
Perhaps he thinks a couple of flippant remarks dismissing the Scots, Welsh and Irish will somehow endear the English to him and make them forget his tirades such as calling the queen uncultured and poorly educated, that she has element like Goebbels in her culture.
Just because he is patron of the Tory Campaign for Homosexual Equality is no qualification to deny he still desreves his accolade of rudest man in Britain.
Apparently he was only voted 22nd most influential gay man.
All that happened was he looked etter then the dross he was up against tonight, no real problem there then.