Given current circumstances, I just cannot bring myself to do the weekly QT liveblog tomorrow night. It has always been a (fun) part of my week and Geoff has been central to making it work. It will return when things improve. Hope you understand.
This is the update on Geoff….
He is intubated, on a ventilator and sedated, the next 24/48hrs are critical.
Please continue to spare a thought and a prayer to help him through his darkest hours.
Shame. Kelvin MacKenzie is on the panel. Finally we will get fireworks!! Might just hang out here.
David's reason for not running the QT chat this Thursday is understandable.
As an alternative diversion for B-BBC commenters this week, here's a little challenge – write the blurbs for the ultimate Today programme running order.
For example…
"This weekend the Almeida Theatre in Islington sees the premier of Viva La Planet Our Kid, a new musical about a group of asylum seekers in a West Yorkshire town who overcome the antagonism of local white racists by educating them about the problems of climate change with the help of Che Guevara's ghost. Nicola Stanbridge talks to writers Jarvis Cocker and Ekon Eshow."
"The Joseph Rowntree Trust has produced a survey which shows that the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza is having an adverse affect on the chances of ethnic minorities in Britain going onto higher education. Home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw reports from Leicester."
"Vince Cable's Thought For The Day."
Anybody else fancy a go?
Sure. "Nick Robinson gives us his view on Gordon Brown's piles problem"
DV what is the point of keeping things running for Geoff if you fall down on what he liked best here. This is a result of stretching yourself far too much, with 3 blogs……
Spreading yourself thin and working yourself into the ground running three blogs is madness.
Couldn't someone else here run the live blog.
If its going to be arbitary what is the point, up and down like a fiddlers elbow with no consistency?
You can't physically do everything DV, if you do everything will go to pot, dumping the live blog success will result in it falling away. People meet here who don't come all week on a Thursday night, and now you can't do it, because you are overly committed. If you have to do this for any length of time, you will spread yourself so thin you won't be any use to any of your blogs.
You need a strategy old bean, the one you have at the minute is not the best.
Good luck to Geoff.
Anyway I'm off to bed, Gawd this bloody humidity……
Sorry if that sounded a bit harsh, I don't mean to be, but quantity over quality was never you DV. Thats a back handed compliment btw 🙂
Damn. Best wishes to Geoff and family.
I agree with Gosh about getting another helping hand.
I will pray for him. I feel awful now after what I wrote above. we buried my sister in law on monday. There is never any good news.
I still think you are over doing it DV.
Sorry for blurting above.
Me and my big gob.
Poor Geoff
Thanks for the update, David… this is a very sad story indeed.
My best wishes and prayers are with Geoff.
I have to agree with some of my fellow commenters, David. You need to think of yourself (and your health) too. Most of us on here tend to get worked up because of all the insanity in the world but you can only do as much without causing harm to yourself.
Prayer can work if it's meant to. You have my small contribution.
Heads up for Geoff. God bless.
Hope your buddy pulls through ok.
I hope Geoff gets through this.
Wishing Geoff a full and speedy recovery. I hope to see him in the QT chat in the not too distant future.
Fingers crossed for poor Geoff. Please keep us updated on how he is getting on.
Probably just as well there is no live blog, these past few weeks QT has been just about the worst I can recall. Insipid panel, weak questions. Anyone would have thought that the beeb had an interest in ensuring that its main so-called debating programme fails to concentrate on the worst post war government stumbling its way from disaster to disaster led by a man who will ensure that by the time next May comes their popularity will be nearer single figures than the twenties.
The BBC try to deflect attention from a piss-poor Labour government surely not? After all they only decided the QT audience, the questions, decide on the panel, edit the show. It is like the last days of Ceaucescu the state broadcaster determined to stick to the party line whilst the country collapses around them.
Question Time is the television equivalent of 'Comical' Ali: deflecting attention from the real issues that matter and denying what is really happening, when everyone else can see the helicopters in the background.
It is the brave face of the BBC spin machine – still ensuring questions are asked about the 'important' topic of the BNP, just to ensure that the words "right wing" and "fascist" can get used together as many times as possible. What other vitally important subjects will there be questions on tonight? Iran? Tory fat cats paying back more expenses? Swine Flu? Wimbledon? Tory spending cuts?
You can put your house on the fact that there won't be a question on Gordon Brown's recession, or record increases in unemployment or the fact that the OECD hammered the UKs chance of recovery.
Rant over – get well soon Geoff.
I will say a prayer for Geoff
Get well soon Geoff!!
Best wishes to Geoff