Oh dear, you have to laugh…..I did say it was amazing Miliband could get up Brand’s stairs without tripping….Perhaps there were several takes for that glorious video judging by his fancy footwork tonight.
On Question Time Dimbleby gave Cameron a harder time than he did Miliband, often asking some daft questions but the audience, however the numbers actually balanced out, managed to ask difficult questions to all the leaders so in the end what came across was a reasonable interrogation for each of them….one point though is that Cameron went first and Miliband and Clegg were able to hear his answers which I think gave them an edge in their own sessions as they were able to react to what Cameron had said….Miliband making a joke about ‘the other guy’ and trying to turn what Cameron said to his own advantage.
Fraser Nelson points out that it is easy for Miliband to swan in and bluff his way...which is why Dimbleby should have been more on the ball to tackle him harder….
Fraser Nelson: Being cheered and whistled on the way out of that strange wee stage was perhaps the best part of that for David Cameron. He looked like a winner (for a short while). But it was a reminder about why the PM is always at a disadvantage: he has to spend his time defending his record, taking fire for every mistake his government made over five years. The others just talk about what they would do, about their hopes and theories: it’s far easier for them. And also all the audience hears about is Cameron’s problems, not his strengths. I can see why Cameron wanted to avoid this trial-by-television.
Miliband I thought had the easier ride from Dimbleby whose main barb was to ask about Labour’s rising debt before the crash…shame the BBC hasn’t been asking such questions for the last 5 years.
Miliband tried to swat such questions away with suggestions that such spending had been good…on hospitals and schools….might have thought Dimbleby would have been ready to ask about PFIs the huge costs of which are undermining so many NHS Trusts and hospitals now….the audience reacted with an outburst but Dimbleby didn’t challenge Miliband on that.
On Europe Miliband wasn’t challenged on the hypocrisy of his claim to represent ‘The People’ against ‘Big Business’ and vested interests….how can that be when his whole approach to Europe was based upon Big Business saying to leave Europe wouldn’t be good for their businesses? Miliband ruled out a referendum because Big Business doesn’t want one. The audience asked about the lack of democracy with Miliband deciding the issue all by himself on our behalf but I thought Dimbleby should have further challenged Miliband on that hypocrisy….which is blatantly obvious.
Miliband made a big play of saying he wanted to be the first PM to underpromise and overdeliver…..again why did Dimbleby not step in with the obvious question about the NHS and Labour’s promise to ‘Do whatever it takes to keep the NHS running’? Miliband was criticising Cameron for making unfunded promises and yet Labour’s promise is even more amorphous and pie in the sky.
Miliband categorically ruled out any coaliton and any deals at all with the SNP…now the maths would suggest that, if we have a Labour government, it will have to deal with the SNP to get legislation through…Dimbleby did press Miliband on his statement that there would be no Labour government if he had to rely on the SNP but Miliband was let off the hook on that major issue and not pressed nearly hard enough as to what will happen if Labour managed to form a minority government….especially as he seemed to rule out any coaliton with anybody at all saying he wouldn’t ‘barter away his manisfesto’.
Miliband was also allowed to make the usual Labour claim that welfare spending was going up becasue the economy was tanking….but the truth is that welfare spending is increasing because, in the main, pensions were increased and we have an increasing pensioner population and pensions make up the vast bulk of welfare payments. Not only that but spending is actually lower than in previous recessions and that is despite this being the worst recession in one hundred years. Not only were pensions increased but also spending on tax credits due to uprating…but also more spending on housing as private sector rentals increased, though if the government had to provide social housing the rents would have been lower but there would have been a hidden subsidy as well to keep those rents low….and who would fund the house building?
Many people think benefit spending is high because this country spends a lot on unemployed people and others who should ideally be in jobs. In fact, spending on pensions (£83 billion) is 20 times as high as spending on Jobseekeer’s Allowance (£4 billion).
The largest contribution was from the uprating of state pensions as inflation outstripped growth in earnings and GDP. Spending on tax credits and housing benefit also increased significantly, the former reflecting generous discretionary uprating (especially of the child element) and the latter reflecting growth in the number of renters and rent inflation outstripping earnings growth.
All in all not too bad a Question Time, the audience able to interrogate the leaders to the same degree….Dimbleby, in my opinion, letting Miliband off with an easier ride than Cameron…but not a great deal in it at the end.
Cameron came across fairly well…Miliband with his talk of equality and fairness, Big Business and ‘The People’ was just too naive and facile…making easy, feel good, crowd pleasing pledges that say little in the end and were more suited to the student union…..and a very obvious tactic of asking people’s names…too staged….but what to expect from someone who sought a bit of Brand’s star dust but also wanted the headlines that came, courtesy of the BBC….Ed ‘Miliband tells Russell Brand he’s ‘wrong’ on politics‘….very tough!
Should be an interesting day next Friday.
Now though we really get to see if there’s any BBC bias with their post mortems…will they spin it for Miliband?….not looking too good so far…..
Nick Robinson has his own take….Miliband again gets off lightly but Cameron is damned….
With David Cameron looking confident the Tories and the Tory press will claim that this was the night the election turned.
But – and it is a big but – the prime minister’s performance relied on either ignoring or dodging the hostile questioning he faced about welfare cuts, the bedroom tax, food banks and the morality of his policies.
Firstly the Tories have been on the up for a while now so this wouldn’t be ‘the night the election turned’ and Cameron didn’t dodge the questions…..he certainly answered on the ‘morality’ of his policies saying it was the moral thing to do to get people into work. As for the bedroom tax and food banks….standard attacks from the Left which neglect the realities and the facts….what about all those families who have to squeeze into tiny homes whilst single people live in homes too large for their needs? Food banks?….a Trussell Trust political game in the main….most recipients are in fact only in very occasional need when their beneifts have been stopped or delayed….not a result of economic failure….though I will admit Cameron waffled on welfare.
‘…one point though is that Cameron went first and Miliband and Clegg were able to hear his answers…’
Not a level playing field, then.
The BBC will always find a way of stacking the odds in favour of their left wing chums.
just watched the 4 main partys leaders debate tonight, and i have to declare nigel farage the winner even though for some strange reason he was excluded from the bbc1 8.30 pm debate and ended up being shifted off to birmingham where the audience was 75% lefty and had the usual nasty lefty plants who tried but failed to get nigel to slip on the question of immigration,nigel farage came across as sincere tonight and did not dodge any questions,my snap poll tonight is nigel farage 47%,david cameron 33%,red ed 21% and nick clegg 18 %.well done to nigel farage as the clear winner tonight.
My snap poll had him winning by an even higher margin:
Farage: 68%
Camerson: 14%
Milliband: 8%
Clegg: 10%
1-10 scale – Cameron 9 – Milliband 3
But audience did appear representative and not what we have come to normally expect of Biased left BBC on QT for example.
Of course the audience was very different and left biased for Nigel Farage, with Jo Coburn adding to the predicted and expected experience. It would be far too much to expect anything different for UKIP. The BBC really are unable to control the red mist at times.
Agreed. I saw the tail end of that program and thought that the woman cut in on Mr Farage each time he was making some good points.
Al Beeb hate Mr Farage , I think its quite obvious.
I watched it all – JoCo showed her true beeboid (bias ) education.
Of course the audience was very different and left biased for Nigel Farage,
Ofcourse. The BBC might be thinking, that if Cameron stays on as PM, then he might just take actions to limit the power of the BBC. No such fear of Farage.
If Farage gets any sort of power after next week you can guarantee it will all kick off on the streets. Labour will pull out every stop and thug to show their displeasure.
After the event the BBC News Channel interviewed Paul Nuttall in the spin room. Behind him but clearly in shot was the unmistakeable figure of Newsnight’s Allegra Stratton bear-hugging Lucy Powell, Milliband’s campaign manager and Labour MP, like long-lost friends. They were deep in conversation, and seemed to get on famously.
How very unlike a BBC journalist……..cough.
Is that true? That needs to be GIF’d if so.
Stratton is someone I simply do not trust, her left leaning is not far below the surface and becomes apparent far too often.
Like for example…the Nigel Farage snigger from Newsnight earlier in the week – which was an echo of the way she commented on Boris’ earnings during the London mayoral election (the election where Newsnight backed off and failed to pursue Ken Livingstone on his tax arrangements).
And in one of the earlier debates you could see her palpable excitement in the Green Room thrilled at Miliband’s performance ( which was marginally above peole’s low expectations).
Yes, true. I’ll swear on a stack of bibles. Difficult to miss Ms. Stratton, given her interesting fashion sense, and Ms. Powell had been interviewed earlier, so recognised her too.
OK, I have not watched it all – as yet! – but I did watch the first ten minutes of the Cameron inquisition.
I found it rather “interesting” that the most indignant challengers of Cameron were quite hefty, obese [feminist] individuals, who seemed to be torking about the number of “food banks” in the country.
Hmmm …
OK, I shall go back and watch the whole programme after I have finished my glass(es) of Hardy’s Shiraz “Stamp” Cabernet, which is not posh peoples’ plonk, but merely stuff I have spent a very few pounds on from my carefully saved for annuity which I now look forward to receiving every month.
I wish I could have joined the audience just to tell ’em about putting a bit by when the sun was shining just so you could have some shelter from rainy days.
I did that. It cost me dearly during my working years. I now reap the meagre benefits of my frugal living.
Some of them audience members should be a bit more frugal with their food budgets. (Just saying, like!)
OK – again – I’m now sitting down to watch the whole programme from start to finish. Now let me ask you this! Is it usually so very difficult to find a kind of “very important programme” – blah, blah, blah?
Well, I have eventually found it but it was like the proverbial needle in the haystack. Did things not go according to plan, mebbe, or summick like that?
Anyhoo, like I say, I’ve found it and shall now watch it in all its glory (including replays as I find necessary with all of them parcel of rogue leaders) and though I shall probably dispute wot many of them say – including Mr. Cameron! – I shall probably never, ever discuss this programme again for to talk of any of them is to maybe give them some sort of semi-approval.
Instead, I shall keep a copy of this “programme” and with a bit of luck, one day, I might be able to show one of the participants just where he told his lies. Either that, or I’ll hit him ower the heid wi’ a sock o’ hot shyte, so I will! Goodnight all!
Ah Henry, the circumstances resonate with me too on your annuity contributions.
Mine was a final salary scheme tho’ which I managed to begin drawing down in 1999 before Gordon McMental killed it totally.
Throughout the 80’s my contemporaries were borrowing against the increasing equity in their homes to finance new cars/posh holidays…not me tho….I was paying AVC’s into my pension.
My reputation at the time with Mrs Dysgwr of course was not good, finance-wise.
I spent some years paying AVC’s at the maximum of 15%. Some folks find it hard to believe there was a max….I tells yer…there surely was, but you wont doubt me.
Now….work just a memory, if I want some Hardy’s stamp, or owt else, the tesco man delivers it by the case.
I hear these hard luck stories, it’s always someone elses fault they cant have what they ‘want’.
I spent 34 years contributing to what I’m seeing as income now….luck plays no part in it….as you know..
I rather suspect I wont watch a replay….of the leaders, saw only half of Milipede, and all of Claggy-boy, how people fall for that shit is utterly beyond me.
Nigel Farage is a real politician. The other three leaders are soundbites on legs.
An impressive performance despite Coburn’s attempts to spoil it.
So obviously contrived by her to embarrass Farage.
It was quite painful that when she was asking for questions about defence, all she got from the “carefully selected audience” was wibble about the NHS and smoking. And of course she had to try and smear Farage for “supporting” Putin, that one was written in the stars. Farage must be a very calm sort of person, I’d have lost it big style with some of these morons.
He’s probably bored of it – every single time he’s allowed on by the Beeb, they role out the same old tropes.
Farage is the only MAN. in that ensemble.
BBC Bias. BBC1 30.4.15
2230Hrs2250Hrs.What a night! Ed/Dave/Nick! There was a clash for me at 2000Hrs, so I missed it in favour of a 24-24 draw between the heroic Giants and those jammy guys from Leeds. It’s called priorities. We were robbed by the biased referee, Richard ‘biased’ Silverwood! As always. But that’s my bias for you. He probably called it right.
However, I just got back in time for the 2230 BBC1 Farage QT with Jo Coburn.
One can never know whether the audience figure was affected (though it can be estimated statistically), but the program started at 2250Hrs, a time when more elderly or working people on a Thursday evening may have retired to bed. The BBC could have aired this program at 2230Hrs when a wider audience would have been reached. Is this not obvious political bias?
Farage was on the front foot, with direct positive responses to the questions posed. There appeared to be at least three left armed ringers ready with the odd yorker or bouncer. A health care guy who talked about there being a demand / supply problem, but could not link demand to increased population. ? . That really is a bit dim. And two gals (who were seen chatting to each other) on the front row, both of whom asked a question, one of whom asked the final question (nice one Jo) with a tangible spite in her delivery. N Farage played it all with a straight bat; with the odd accomplished cut though point. The bouncers were lacking pace and the yorkers overpitched. Farage dispatched them to the boundary with aplomb.
Whilst Farage often plays an innings disturbed by interruption and smear, (he’s been playing on such sticky wickets for a couple of decades) he took this one in his stride. Jo Coburn, chosen to umpire, deliberately interrupted NF as he was completing his detailed and thoughtful responses. NF batted through to complete his sentences which were well constructed. Is this a deliberate attempt to prevent the audience from hearing a complete answer? To affect the result of the game? As umpire, Jo should know the rules especially with regard to ‘Umpire impartiality’ and ‘Ungentlemanly Conduct’.
And the multi-coloured hypnotic sight screen behind the batsman, distracting the attentive spectator! What’s that all about?
If not bias, the scheduling; the interruptions from JoCo and the flashy sight screen were all very annoying. And most certainly not cricket!
Silverwood robbed you. Shudds were epic.
The f&^*£r. He’s shite that Silverwood.
Never watched it. Conservative Lord Kenneth Baker let the cat out the bag. ” Labour and Tory parties agree on most things, housing, NHS, Trident, education, we should have a grand coalition.”
Hmm, Lib Lab Con, a nice cosy cartel.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02q4b1v
The bBair Brown administration achieved something on benefits spending as a %age of GDP that no previous government has. Increased it in a time of milk and honey. The spending %age is usually contacyclical to the health of the economy. Normally around 10% it ballooned to 13% in 2010 as a result of GBs GDP “downturn”.
As for schools and hospitals that Labour built, but “forgot” to pay for at the time another millstone around the neck of a government trying to get us out from under.
I think Brillo might have had these facts marshalled ready for Ed.
I watched both the Leaders’ QT and ‘Ask Nigel Farage’. Over all, I’d say the BBC acquitted itself fairly well on both programmes. How refreshing (and unexpected) to see Ed Miliband get a good duffing up from the audience on Labour’s past economic record. I’m sure there were plenty of nervous twitches in the production team’s bunker as that particular delight unravelled on live TV last night.
Later on, buried in the graveyard shift (10.50pm BCC1), Nigel Farage got a chance to do what he does best – straight talking, no nonsense Q&A, despite the best efforts of the bullying, churlish Jo Coburn to frustrate his ability to answer questions in full.
Yes, all in all, not bad, BBC. If only you could be even half as objective and fair-minded all of the time – you know, like you’re supposed to be.
‘If only you could be even half as objective and fair-minded all of the time – you know, like you’re supposed to be.’
http://order-order.com/2015/05/01/another-labour-fraudster-candidate-convicted-six-days-before-polling-day/
Hush, now.
jgm2 ostrava
He’ll have 5,000 or more postal votes in the bag already.
Comparing his total with the total number of postal votes will be a useful indicator of what percentage of postal votes are Labour.
Buttscratcher jimmy jgm2
125%?
That was the Kinnock Sheffield rally moment.
Farage took the chequered flag with Dave in second place.
Milliband in the pits.
Euphoric result if translated next Thursday.
Labour joins the BBC in being yesterday.
Open the Champers.
Alas, I feel you’re being too optimistic, but I do feel UKIP will do better than the polls indicate. My guess 18 to 20%. Champers will come out at 25%, but I fear I’m getting carried away now.
Oh deary me!
Last night’s QT was the exception that proves the rule. Although the audience was 50% + left leaning, the right got to have their say.
The BBC are aware that since Nigel’s “outburst”, people are watching them like hawks. Audience make up is a fact and can not be waved away with “we got it about right”.
I thought the audience was pretty balanced, in fact I think this caught Milliband out initially and had to be saved by Dumbbley… The problem is Cameron did not fully answer the questions, Milliband had no real answer on the economy and Clegg is finished, although I thought he did OK even though I am no Liberal…
Just one other point, why do they always give Stirgeon an easy ride, not sure of her name but only the Scottish TORY leader has really exposed her…
Ruth Davidson is very good. The Tories need to get her out of Scotland and get her a safe seat.
OK, I could not remember her name she impressed me, in fact TORY % in Scotland is going up. I think she will give the Sturgeon a run for her money and expose the SNP, who have simply been given way to much air time plus a very easy ride.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3064417/Ed-Miliband-f-communist-says-Noel-Gallagher-happy-Tony-Blair-Cool-Britannia-days.html..lol
Miliband didn’t do well because he has no real policies only sound bites .They have been keeping him away from real people.Once someone asks a real question he’s got no answer..
Cameron may have not answered some questions fully,but did put his case for full employment and lower taxes.People should keep their own money ,and not have to be constantly means tested.Its not the governments money.
Interesting that Labour accusing the audience of having a Tory plant. Oh the irony. Their man did bad and nothing could disguise that.
And after his poor performance he managed to stumble as he left the stage. The funniest thing about that was that he looked down briefly a second before he stumbled to try to make sure that he knew where he was going.
The man has missed his calling. He should have been a comedian. As a politician he is just a buffoon.
Cameron may have not answered some questions fully…
With regard to his primary duty of protecting the borders of the United Kingdom; either he didn’t answer fully, or the question wasn’t asked. All the other stuff will be academic in a few years.
I don’t think it was asked and I don’t think even Farage was allowed to get into that .
I agree about the future ,I was born and still live in East London………..
Stephen Nolan is a wily individual; he’ll not enjoy having been caught out:
Broadcaster Stephen Nolan has apologised publicly for revealing his personal religious views on air.
…
A caller named as ‘Stephen from Dungannon’ told Nolan that on Easter Monday, he had said, “I don’t believe in God” during an interview with Tyrone missionary Maud Kells.
…
The presenter replied: “It was a mistake. I was trying to be honest. I was trying to have a discussion about God because it has been on my mind for a while. And it was a mistake. So I shouldn’t have done it. And I appreciate that.”
…
BBC guidelines on impartiality say presenters “may not express personal views in BBC output”.
BBC presenter Stephen Nolan forced to say sorry after revealing he is an atheist
Of course the BBC guideline that ‘presenters “may not express personal views in BBC output”.’ is less than useful when they are free to exhibit subtle bias and slant a discussion in pursuance of their own prejudices.