I wasn’t one of those impressed by Andrew Marr’s question about Gordon and drugs last week. The tone was gentle, and when Gordon replied incoherently “neagh” to the question, and went on immediately to talk about his eyesight instead, Marr did not bring him back to the point.
Cameron, meanwhile, was continually attacked by Marr in the segments of today’s interview that I have seen. Cameron was accused of misleading people even when he began to itemize his assets and their relative worth to him. This was Marr’s “personal question”, and contra his attitude to Brown he was a rottweiller who wasn’t giving up his locked jaws around Cameron’s ankle.
Worse though was Marr’s haranguing over the potential cuts the Tories might make in Government. He utterly ignored the imperative question of the deficit. He hemmed the question in to the narrow one of which of his statist fellows Cameron was going to sack. He didn’t even admit the question of the jobs that would be lost by higher interest rates, raised taxes or the other ills that may follow from failure to rein in the deficit caused by out of control public spending. “but you can’t!”, exploded Marr, “you can’t possibly avoid job losses!!!” Marr almost combusted.
Then there was Europe, where Marr quite brazenly affected not to understand the Cameron positon. It’s quite clear if you bother to inform yourself about the unfinished business in the Czech Republic and Poland. It’s also clear that we, the UK, have ratified the treaty, thanks to the broken promise of the Labour Government. When it becomes law throughout the EU it becomes law here. That will be a different position to work from, should it happen. Marr made out that it was inevitable, to create a straw man argument with which to make Cameron look evasive. It’s far from inevitable as Vaclav Klaus basically will have the last say, and st. Vaclav is a sceptic.
But the BBC have been busy bunnies, for those who assume that the Treaty is all but passed- they are trying to imply double standards from Cameron as he is said to have written to Klaus to make clear that he favours a UK referendum. The BBC have been beavering around trying to find dissonant voices on the eve of the Conservative conference. It’s a hatchet job alright- it’s absolutely clear the BBC have been using their media muscle to winkle out as much scandal as they can with which to spoil the coming conference.
As for Marr- the browbeating he delivered against Cameron was extraordinary. Again and again, right to the end, Marr swung ironic swipes at Cameron’s latest pledge to be direct with the public. Do you recall anything like that concerning Tony Blair’s infamous (because monumentally, historically provably hollow) “pretty straight sort of guy”? Me neither. There is clearly a kind of loathing in Marr’s heart against the Conservatives. He is a shocking ideological roadblock on the Sunday morning BBC schedule.
The BBC weakness here is that despite the Irish referendum coming up at NO TIE last week did any beeboid bother to question Brown over that broken promise, yet the beeboids seem very keen to try to make out that Cameron is going ot break his promise.
It’s imprtant to hammer this on Toenails blog and on all BBC outlets every time the beeboids bring this up.
Frankly, I simply remain gobsmacked at his tenure given his near total lack of competence for the job.
He was literally bouncing up and down on his seat like that sad little dog in the Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes cartoons running around his less than impressed Boxer idol, who eventually loses patience, says ‘Nah!’ and swots him across the room.
Oh, I forgot… it’s the BBC.
And this is what counts as a media elite?
Oddly, across the blogosphere, there seems to be an attempt at spinning this as him having bested Cameron.
All I saw was a look of benign puzzlement at times as he carefully didn’t answer some questions that were not asked of his political opponents, but I am still keen to know about.
Marr sounds back on message again then, can’t think why…..
He really is an over exciteable puppy when he thinks he has the postman by the ankles except that he looks more like a choirboy that has drunk one too many red bulls before evensong.
But his attitude is fine by the BBC, he’s critical of the right so more power to your elbow bruvver.
Perhaps his performance today will reduce the amount of pressure he may have been under by the government which is of course, only my opinion 🙂
Would that the same Andrew Marr wiho once a member of the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory? Would that be the same Andrew Marr that at Cambridge was by his own admission “raving leftie” and had the sobriquet ‘Red Andy’? Just wondered…
Just heard John Pinhead on Radio 5 interviewing Boris Johnson. Boris made mincemeat out of him, but Pinhead’s attack was standard BBC/Nu Liebour “rich Tory toffs” and “what about the EU referendum.
You just know that the BBC/Nu Liebour have sat down together to work this attack out.
Johnson reminded Pinhead that LABOUR promised a referendum back in 2005, but of course Pinhead can’t remember that.
Then what I found most ironic was the BBC’s attack on “Rich Tories” this coming in the same week that the BBC used OUR money to block the public from finding out what beeboids get paid.
Thing is if this is the best attack the beeboids can come up with it’s goin got fail. People don’t care about old Etonians, they voted one in as Mayor of London and the posh Tory trick failed in the recent by election in east Anglia. As for Europe the BBC/Nu Liebour partnership is out of step with public opinion, just as they are over public spending cuts.
An antidote to Marr and the BBC
Yes the BBC are happy to convince us plebs to follow labour policies, but for themselves they will seek alternative routes.
Like any dictatorship, it’s a case of ‘don’t do as we do; but do as we tell you’.
BBC presenters set up companies to avoid 50 per cent tax rate
Top BBC presenters are setting up their own companies to reduce their tax bill in light of Labour’s new 50 per cent top rate.
They are saving thousands of pounds by using the avoidance tactic – at the expense of the rest of the public.
Insiders say the BBC has advised them to set up ‘service companies’ so that they can convince the tax man they are legitimately working as freelancers.
Well to be honest Marr owed Labour one after his grilling of gordo last week…and especially after some of the ugly scenes that came out of the labour conference when Marr was confronted by a number of offended labour people (pictures published everywhere BUT al beeb).
So this morning was always going to happen.
Mailman
Just tuned in to Radio 5 to hear Stephen Nolan YET AGAIN going on about Europe, the glee in his voice “this could damage the Tories” was unmistakable.
To be honest the Tories have walked right into this, I could have told them they were going ot get this grilling from the BBC, Cameron should have simply said if the treaty is ratified we can’t have a referendum on Lisbon but we will have one of staying in the EU or coming out. That would have chopped the legs from under the BBC as that would be highly popular in the Country.
Much as I wish you were right, Martin, I don’t think it would be that simple. The entire establishment, especially the BBC, would go into overdrive to frighten the population about the consequences of leaving the EU. Any sentiment to leave the EU is in my view soft and look how the Irish were frightened into giving the correct answer.
You are quite right that the Tories have walked into this. It was obvious some time ago that this would happen on the eve of their conference and they should have had answers ready. They are starting to look ridiculous with their “we can’t interfere with other countries’ ratification and will decide after that” line. If the treaty is ratified, the reality is that the Tories have to live with it and they should be honest about that. Even I as a sceptic accept that is the reality They should then use it to harden anti-EU feeling by being honest about where any legislation is coming from, picking fights where they can win the support of the population and perhaps holding referenda on contentious legislation emanating from the treaty. If the EU forces the issue over unpopular legislation which they are known to be responsible for, that may be the time for an in-or-out question.