I’ve known Jeremy Paxman since I worked with him on the university newspaper in Cambridge in 1971. Then, like most students of that era, he was an crusading lefty. Over the years, his politics have undoutedly changed, partly, I suspect, because he’s now firmly part of the hunting/fishing set. But elements of that sneering lefty, it seems, are still not far beneath the surface. They came out last night when he interviewed Boris Johnson on Newsnight. Boris strongly pooh-poohed suggestions that his past as a member of the Bullingdon Club was relevant to what he is doing now. Jeremy was having none of it. He descended into muttering name-calling, the main theme of which (though it was largely incoherent) seemed to be that Boris was a toff and the Tories were a party of privilege. That, of course, is a constant theme of BBC coverage of the party conference. Well worth a look.
PAXMAN TORY TOFF CLAIMS
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“David Cameron at Oxford University: the truth”
(by James Delingpole)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/david-cameron/6263155/The-truth-about.html
This is truly rich coming from Paxman who attended 2 public schools Charterhouse and Malvern College. It’s not even unusual for the BBC who have many employees from public school/Oxbridge backgrounds including Nick Clarke (Radio 4), David Dimbleby, Rageh Omaar (now Al Jazeera), John Inverdale, Rob Bonnet, Chris Lowe, Monty Don, Frank Gardner, Hugh Pym, Chris Hollins, Robin Oakley, Tim Sebastian, James Reynolds, Andrew Marr, Brain Taylor, Nicky Campbell, Gavin Esler, Mark Goodier, Martha Kearney, Ken Bruce, Stephanie Flanders, Sophie Raworth and many more.
I hope he similarly badgers David Dimbleby who is also a former member of the Bullingdon club.
I really wish Cameron and Boris would fight back on this casual bigotry from the Left.
Nick Clarke may have been to public school, but he no longer graces Radio 4. He died of cancer three years ago, having lost a leg to the disease a year before.
So what? I included Rageh Omaar who doens’t even work at the BBC. Neither have I see Tim Sebastian (Hardtalk) for a while. I chose people who are among the well known and I highlighted Clarke and Radio 4 in case people had forgotten. Unless of course this is the new BBC definition that once you’ve died you no longer qualify for toffness.
I could have included a whole host of managers, editors and producers, present and past, not to mention John Reith himself.
Oddly the Marxist (and associated) backgrounds of many of the Labour government are not seen as at all relevant. Alistair Darling was a member of the International Marxist Group then the British section of the Trotskyist Fourth International. Bob Ainsworth attended meetings of the revolutionary International Marxist Group in his 30s. Alan Milburn was a one-time Trotskyist, John Reid was a member of the Communist Party, Stephen Byers (as well as Alistair Darling) was a Trotskyist. Looking at recent Labour leaders: Tony Blair was a member of CND (an organisation that many believe was partly funded by the Soviet Union), Gordon Brown was a student leftist with some beliefs now airbrushed from such as his Wikipedia entry whilst the probable next Labour leader, Peter Mandelson, was a member of the Young Communist League.
All irrelevant, but Boris and Dave’s membership of a drinking club at Cambridge is hight significant. The BBC have an agenda and it will be pushed at all times.
http://notasheepmaybeagoat.blogspot.com/2009/08/marxist-as-secretary-of-state-for.html
Neither do the elitist and exclusive backgrounds (their prejudice not mine) of Labour and Lib Dem politicians get accused of toffery.
Including Tony Blair, Alistair Darling, Hariett Harman, Ruth Kelly, Chris Bryant, Nick Raynsford, Chris Smith, Donald Dewar, Tony Benn, Tam Dalyell, Nick Clegg, Chris Huhne, Paddy Ashdown, Shirley Williams, Susan Kramer and many more.
Or past public school alumni like Clement Attlee and Hugh Gaitskell.
Oxford 1 cambridge 0
Good old Boris whiped the floor with the smug bastard.
Bringing it round to Paxos wage was bloody genius because he looked like a bunny in the headlights.
Why shouldn’t the public know about paxos million plus gravy train.
Half of the people having a go at Cameron for his ETON past are ex public school and oxbridge any way. Smacks of rank hypocrisy.
Mind you I am not a massive fan of slick Dave hows about the Half turk half sheepdog for PM. Come on Boris.
‘Cranmer’:
“Boris Johnson – the darling of the Conservative Party Conference”:-
http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2009/10/boris-johnson-darling-of-conservative.html
“Boris v. Paxman: the unseen ‘Newsnight’ clash”
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23752982-boris-v-paxo-the-clashes-that-newsnight-viewers-didnt-see.do
Thanks for that link. I had a good laugh.
Paxman: Do you want a referendum?
Boris: Yes
Paxman: But do you want a referendum?
Boris: Yes
Paxman: Answer the question, please.
Paxman’s pay:
“In April 2006 The Sun claimed that Paxman earned £800,000 for his Newsnight job and £240,000 for presenting University Challenge, bringing his TV earnings to a yearly total of £1,040,000. This was one of a series of BBC salary leaks in the tabloid press that prompted an internal BBC investigation. [23]“”(Wikipedia.)
I bet you can’t guess who wrote this about George Osborne:
It was one of the cleverest political speeches many of us have seen, eschewing the usual facile promises, and full of doom and gloom about the mess we’re in. The party has evidently decided that everyone appreciates the sickness in the public finances, and is willing to take the medicine necessary to begin a cure: pay freezes, public sector pension cuts and an end to various benefits. He also came up with a slogan which may just work: “We’re all in this together”, which he repeated time and again.
I think the threat of salaries being revealed under a Tory governemnt is chastening to one or two big name BBC presenters.
It was a superb show by Boris – watching Paxo get shafted watching Saint Paxman deliver some of the most ridiculous gurning seen since the previous Miss Marple was a pleasure to behold.
I’d rather be a PR man than displaying vegetables that look like genitalia on That’s Life.
DV Anyone else seen this Mail story claiming that the BBC cut the bits where Boris attacked Paxo and other beeboid losers over their pay?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1218478/Boris-v-Paxo-How-Johnson-turns-tables-Newsnights-attack-dog.html
I thought Boris wiped the floor with Paxo who is rather boring and predictable these days.
Johnson is one of the FEW politicians most people wouldn’t mind a pint with even if you disagree with him politically, can’t say the same for Brown, Blair, Livingturd and co.
Johnson may have been born with a good name, but he behaves as a complete buffoon, avoiding answering questions whenever he can. No wonder B-BBC readers warm to him so much.
Shame to see the faecal matter returning – whatever happened to the civility drive?
Lst ime I passed Paxman in the street, it was in Henley-on-Thames circa 1995. I think he was slumming from the rather Toffy village about fours miles north of Henners, where he resided in a Toffy home that probably cost a few quid above a million or two.
Nothing Toff like there.
Didn’t Paxo employ some Polish bird on minimum wage as a nanny or something? Not very Socialist.
Just watched the interview again.
Boris is a genius.
He plays the buffoon and pwned Paxman from the outset (ask your kids!).
Shut it about priviledge, don’t talk about salaries (yours will have to be OK’d by Osbourne soon matey) and don’t try to dress up a cheap, tabloid jibe as serious political discussion.
You have been well and truly found out Paxman and if you had any professional integrity, you’d admit it live on air tonight.
Ypu used to be good, what happened? Did you start to believe your own hype about how ‘ruthless’ you are?
Perhaps you’re still upset about the quality of M&S underwear.
More on Paxman:
1.) Rod Liddle re-Paxman, Aug 2008:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1049153/Paxmans-right-TV-biased-middle-class-white-men–people-like-blame-according-colleague.html
2.)’Mail’ on Paxman’s Romanian servants:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-513498/And-starter-Just-Romanians-living-Paxmans-garage.html