Question Time tonight comes from Ipswich, parliamentary seat of Conservative Ben Gummer, son of John Gummer.
On the panel tonight is the Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, the shadow home secretary Alan Johnson, Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer, Professor of Classics Mary Beard and social policy campaigner Dame Dr Camila Batmanghelidjh (go to that link just to look at the outfit).
David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be engaged in legitimate crowd control here from 10:30pm.
Strewth, if Miss Batmanhelidjh’s relationship with the Conservative’s is anything to go by it might be a panel with 3 conservatives to two lefties!!!
Hippie,
So the BBC can claim QT is a balanced and unbiased programme. Expect the ratio to revert to normal next week !
Dimbleby showed his colours a bit here didn’t he? Iain Duncan Smith speaking on welfare and benefit issues gave what I thought was one of the best performances I have seen on that programme, and for once the level of debate rose above juvenile, with even the left-wing panellists and audience members acknowledging that it was a very interesting discussion and giving Duncan Smith a fair hearing. Dimbleby looked a right tool reading out verbatim Tebbit’s “on yer bike” speech just after Duncan Smith had very cogently explained his policy. But the real winning moment was Dimbleby’s discomfort at the credit Duncan Smith was receiving from the panel and audience; “We don’t want this to turn into an Iain Duncan Smith benefit night“. I bet he didn’t. I can’t remember him or his brother ever making such a comment about St Mo of Mowlem or St Vince of Cable (not before he went over to the Dark Side anyway)
IDS did well – Dimbleby was as poor as ever. The on your bike bit was sheer folly and didn’t endear him to anyone.