The last question on Question Time this evening was this. If Tony Blair entered Downing Street to the sound of THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER, which song should he listen to on his departure. Quick as a flash, Ming Campbell replied: "Spinning Around by Kylie Minogue!" Respect to DJ Ming!
Incidentally, wasn't it great to have only four panellists and no comedians (Peter Mandelson excepted!)? Everyone had time to speak and it was all the better for it. And now over to THIS WEEK with Mariella Frostrup, Richard Eyre and Kirsty Allsop. I've suddenly lost the will to live. What possible light can this curious threesome shed on today's events?
28 comments:
Sorry, this was posted elsewhere but here is a better home!
Question Time with Mandelson - fascinating.
Watching Mandelson was like watching a snake being clubbed to death. Mandelson lied in claiming that Bliar did not lie. His lie was simple - that there was no dispute over the WMD intelligence. This is a lie, plain and simple. There was dispute, notably amongst experts of the Defence Intelligence Staff and also from the CIA with regard to the ridiculous yellowcake uranium story. I worked in one of the headquarters involved in the attack and (without breaching any secrets of course) the notion that Saddam had WMD deployable within 45 mins or capable of hitting Cyprus was laughed at. Indeed, personnel were being stripped of protective equipment in Cyprus because there wasn't enough for the troops in the Gulf. Mandelson lies - big surprise.
Needless to say, the audience were not convinced (apart from one Labour slaphead toady and his mate in the red tie, Mr Clapping-On-His-Own) and I don't think the Prince of Darkness liked this departure from the "message" and came out with some claptrap about either joining in with the US or abandoning them. Not what Parliament was told as I recall. He may spout all he wants about "respecting" arguments against the war but that it is "unacceptable" to accuse Bliar of lying. As a former Armed Forces officer, if I heard that claptrap and if I was within striking distance, I would find it "unacceptable" not to wring his slimy neck. This does all add up to an interesting reappraisal of the Iraq events, particularly if there is a future inquiry which should really take evidence under oath.
Incidentally, Mandelson is in a pretty pickle. He can't pick up a coronet from Bliar's departing honours list (should that be the "manila list" after the colour of cash-bearing envelopes) as he will have to give up his plum EU job. He can't wait until his EU job expires because Bliar will be long gone by then. To quote the unruly gesticulating child from the Simpsons - ha ha!
As a final thought, perhaps the likes of Ming Campbell should get off the fence instead of getting tied up in knots about the PM not exactly lying. He lied - plain and simple. I know that is not the done thing to utter in Parliament, but it is the truth and what the public accept as the truth.
i thought David Dimbleby nailed Mandelson completely on the issue of Iraq.
You could hear Mandelson in his thought process trying to work out an answer.
Essentially, Dimbleby asked Mandelson, if the problem was, that the government where so used to spinning about issues in general, that it overspan the case for war.
Well done David.
On Tone leaving, the ONLY song to be played is, yep, "Things can only get better" only played louder.
Watch Newsnight on the Internet if you can. Despite being surrounded by 4 Blair supporters Michael Howard was superb.
His savaging of that puffed up thug Alastair Campbell was magnificent. Campbell obviously isn't used to being tackled by people he can't bully.
Sorry to repeat myself from a previous thread but it is ten past midnight and I have just made a complaint to the BBC about the outrageous bias of tonight's Newsnight programme. I know its a waste of time and I am a bloody fool to bother but.....
In a balanced discussion on Blair's legacy Polly Toynbee, David Hare, Alistair Campbell, Charles Kennedy and Alan Milburn are ranged against Michael Howard.
Not only is Howard outnumbered, Paxman sits silently as he his interrupted and talked over when he gets one of his few chances to speak.
After 10 years of complaints and some apologies the BBC has learned nothing. The programme is beyond parody
I thought the idea that Ming Campbell would come up with that reply unaided and so quickly was slightly ridiculous. I've heard before the panel get some forewarning of the questions and I suspect he had a little help with that one.
I saw a BBC or Sky news report today that played Kylie's 'Spinning Around' over images of the Blair era. Ming is not to be credited for originality.
However, maybe he really is familiar with Kylie. Gordon Brown apparently is . . . And Ming does enjoy watching 'Striclty Come Dancing' and eating fish and chips like the common man . . . . Remember that story? The SCD series had long finished when Ming was ill-advised to claim he'd been watching it. Politicians should steer away from references to popular culture, unless they're true. Like Gordon and his iPod. . .
Adam, I do indeed remember the Strictly Come Dancing story. I wrote it!
Surely it should have been Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. Here’s a nice version for hand bells.
Is this the "bad news" that was buried today?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=QRHLEJV4O41R1QFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/05/10/nraf10.xml
How can our foreign policy have been fucked up so much to get us back to RAF jets being scrambled to intercept Russian planes - AGAIN?
Did Blair not only squander the Peace Dividend but the peace as well?
Could it be that we're set to clash with two civilisations? In 1992, Samuel Huntingdon wasn't sure if the Orthodox (Russia) world would side with the West or Islam.
Blair's long term legacy could well be that he totally failed to keep the Ruskies on side.
sorry iain, i couldn't remember where i'd read it! i should have guessed it was from you!
To be fair to the This Week panellists Allsop was only on for about 2 minutes for a lighthearted look at double acts, and Eyre wasn't bad.
Frostrup was absolutely appalling though, a totally unthinking devotion to Blair followed by...a totally unthinking devotion to Brown. She's just totally unthinking!
ross f and fr are right about tonight's Newsnight. Howard was making excellent points, but was constantly bullied and dismissed by Campbell, Milburn and Toynbee in particular.
And Iain, you are quite right about Question Time - four people on the panel works quite well. Dimbleby was on form, and even Ming had more fire in his belly than usual. Mandelson was as devious as you would expect - although I didn't see it all as it was up against Newsnight. Why don't the BBC broadcast QT live at 9pm instead of putting it on prerecorded at the same time as Newsnight?
I used to like This Week, but it has become far less relevant in recent months.
I normally enjoy Andrew Neil's The Politics Show, but I didn't tonight. Too many Lefties! No proper balance, but this was the BBC so what did I expect!
The absolute worst Lefty was Mariella Frostrup. It looked like she was auditioning for some sort of PR job with the next Comrade PM [aka Brown].
On songs to play as the lights go down: The Only Way Is Up.
On Michael Howard: I have never liked the man but he long ago showed himself to be an impressive performer in the HoC. His accomplished dismissal of Jack Straw's ineffective bites was annoying for those of us on the left but 'awesome' as they say across 'the pond'.
On the BBC complaints desk: It's located in Sc*tland, so complaining in any accent other than Scotch is useless.
On Peter Mandelson: Some very ugly rumours and allegations have circulated about Mr Mandelson for some years. He clearly has enemies and it's difficult as an uninformed layman to know what to believe but I believe in giving a man the benefit of the doubt, especially when there is considerable doubt to be given.
Glad your poster has picked up on outrageous bias of Newsnight. 4 from the Labour Party or the left (Campbell, Toynbee, David Hare and Milburn) up against Kennedy and Howard. Milburn was a few minutes late and I was already fuming at their cheek when it was 3/1/1. They may say that 2 of the 4 lefties were against Blair on foreign policy but that was only one of the three parts of the programme.
Unfortunately I missed Question Time because I felt I had to keep watching to see who would be on that balancing panel later in the programme when 3 Tories would discuss the Blair years on their own - surprise, surprise it never came.
Decending to the show biz end of things, Richard Eyre on the Polly and Diane show was actually rather good - Frostrup clearly only there as very well-wearing middle aged tottie, for the pleasure of both the presenter and the viewers. I don't care what nonsense she was talking as I can happily listen to that sexy voice, and wonder at those clear features when she has been around for so long, for a long time and her comical incredulity at others' scepticism about Blair and Brown was a wonder to behold.
just wanted to thank Blair for
For establishing the foundations of the Orwellian State.
The State interfering in every aspect of peoples lives. The State dictating to people how they must think. The State monitoring everything. From spy satellites monitoring road tolls, compulsory ID cards & an increasing cashless society. The State controlling people via fear (eco threats, terrorist threats). The State turning the education system into dumbed down social engineering rather than real education.
I had to turn off that moron frustrup. What planet does she live on??? The BBC signed its own death warrant yesterday-Cameron should privatise it ASAP.
Having been forced to watch the BBC World climate change channel while on holiday i have decided I will not pay the license fee, i suggest others do the same to make a point- what else can we do?
"you spin me right round baby like a record baby" King
Anon 12.27, the panellists definately don't get any forewarning of the questions, if they're smart they can guess them though.
Mariella Frostrup went into positively Onanistic overdrive mode as she recounted how excited she felt at the prospect of Bliar and Mrs Bliar taking over and even appeared ennervated at the prospects of Brown's Scots Camarilla. With Luvvies like these, who needs enemies?
The thought of a six-week lovefest for the most left-wing government in British history is quite nauseating. (Those of you who cavil at the description above of Bliar's regime should enquire where the Looney Left of the 80s are now and what happened to their policies. Answer: in government and enacted as law).
Generally a good Question Time but I'm surprised no-one spotted that once again Ming Campbell went on a panel containing Cabinet Ministers from yesteryear. If he wants to get away from his out of date image, he needs to start appearing with the likes of the Milibands and Osborne.
I was busy watching the semi finals of the Eurovision song contest, but did catch The Politics Show.
Going by what other writers have said, it appears that the BBC were committed to stacking the various news and current affairs programmes with Blair admirers. The Television is going out of the door this week.
There seemed to be a message yesterday that Blair had ushered in a "liberal" society. Both Nick Robinson and Diane Abbot singled out Gays as being a paradigm (yes you can use paradigm without being accused of being a swot)of this liberalisation.
Is this, I wonder, the sum total of Bliar's efforts to make us a more caring sharing society or just that the two protagonists couldn't think of anything else to cite?
Ahhhh Iain - feeling left out? Perhaps Andrew will invite you onto the sofa with Mike and Diane one of these days.
"Ahhhh Iain - feeling left out? Perhaps Andrew will invite you onto the sofa with Mike and Diane one of these days" (Anon)
Perhaps Iain will invite Abbot and Portillo onto his sofa one of these days - if he gets stuck for more interesting guests. The writing's on the wall for the BBC.
Michael Howard calling Alistair Campbell a liar to his face on Newsnight was TV gold. He used his absolute mastery of the English language and debating skill to demolish Campbell. I doubt Newsnight will be repeating this as they did endlessly with the Michael Howard / Jeremy Paxman spat when Howard was Home Secretary but they should.
To see Michael Howard call Alistair Campbell a liar on Newsnight it is 1 hour 18 minutes into the high quality version of the repeat at www.bbc.co.uk/newsnight
Far more light from those three than the Moore-Clarke-Campbell trio. Mandelson's not my cup of tea but he completely dominated.
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