From a discussion about crime, punishment and rehabilitation on Kate Silverton’s Radio Five Live show this morning:
Laurence Lee (solicitor for Jon Venables): It goes back in my opinion to maybe the sixties, lack of parental discipline. I don’t want to sound too right-wing here…
Silverton: No, carry on because we all get accused of being too left-wing here so we like a bit of the other.
Yeah, a “bit” being the operative word. Apart from Lee, who felt the need to apologise for sounding right-wing, Silverton’s other guests were The Guardian’s chief political correspondent Nick Watt, leftie blogger Sunny Hundal and, for the second week running, leftie lawyer Philippe Sands. And people have the nerve to talk about left-wing bias. As Beeboidal says in the comments: “Kate take a look at your programme today and tell me if the accusers might just have a point.”
Silverton’s programme was followed by the first in a new series of 7 Day Sunday which, for once, did try “a bit of the other” by including in its guest line-up Toby Young of the Telegraph and Spectator. I only caught some of it but what I did hear was a definite improvement on the last time I listened.
Perhaps I should do one of these about a production meeting for Kate Silverton’s show.