The Londoner's Diary reports that Diane Abbott's appearance on Desert Island Discs has had to be shelved until after the London elections for electoral law reasons. Not that I am being unchivalrous, but I do have to ask why she was asked on in the first place. Sure, she was the first black woman to be elected to Parliament but that was more than twenty years ago. I always thought Desert Island Discs specialised in inviting people of real achievement onto the programme. It is hard to pinpoint much she has achieved in her political career since then besides chortling alongside Michael Portillo every Thursday night and gleefully sticking the knife into the Party without which she wouldn't be where she is today.
One of the first books I publsihed at Politico's was a book of arty photos of the 121 female MPs elected in 1997. It was published in aid of a breast cancer charity. Diane Abbott was the only one of the 121 to refuse to be photographed by the photographer Victoria Carew Hunt. Many of her female colleagues begged her to but she wasn't having any of it. So much for the sisterhood.
27 comments:
saucer of milk for you Iain?
you are better than this.
Personally I believe DA sticking the knife into a party that deserves every bit of stabbing it gets. Is more of a positive achievement then the other 121 put together. Come to think about it more positive then all of Labours MPs with the only possible exemption of Frank Field.
Virtually all of the rest have clearly betrayed all but the most lazy and unemployable idiots that voted for them.
Socialism democratic or otherwise has now discredited itself for generations to come YET AGAIN.
DA is one of the very few that still dares to hold her head up, without a police guard, and retains a right to do so.
Oi Iain the 'Heffer Confronted' vid hasn't updated today. Whats the story?
Oh, come on, that's a petty posting, Iain!
What the point in bashing Diane Abbott? She's fine - she's OK. Pick on the real bad guys - go for the slobbery kiss given to Carla Bruni by Gordon Brown or something more interesting - please!
:)
Never been able to faux leftie Diane seriously since she sent her son to a fee paying public school
John
Wendy Alexander's comments just confirm my view that the election will left to the last legal date, as per James Callaghan in 1979.
Wendy Alexander's comment just confirms my view that the election will be left until the last legal date, as per James Callahan in 1979.
What provoked you to say this about Diane? Has she ever done you any harm? I think you getting a little carried away with yourself. I have always found her a pretty straight person and I think This Week and her contribution is pretty good.
Another post that calls into question your judgement.
Howard, you are a leftie, I am not. What the hell has this got to do with judgement? In my view she's apolitical failure and doesn't deserve a spot on D I D. Am I now not allowed to express an opinion on my own blog? YeGods. If you don;t like my opinions don't come back. It really is that simple! But don't come all holier than thou and be so patronising.
"I always thought Desert Island Discs specialised in inviting people of real achievement onto the programme."
But they had Boris Johnson on a couple of years ago, and David Cameron recently but not Gordon Brown.
Iain, it's the petty tone of your post 'that done you in'.
D Abbott has a place in politics - and the term 'failure' is subjective. Give her a break. She doesn't deserve a mean spirited bashing.
However, Gordon deserves everything that is thrown at him.
Baldwin said...
"Wendy Alexander's comments just confirm my view that the election will left to the last legal date, as per James Callaghan in 1979."
Callaghan didn't leave it till the last possible date. That would have been another 6 or 7 months. He had to call an earlier election because he lost a vote of no confidence.
Maybe you are thinking of John Major who hung on until almost the last possible date in 1997 in the hope that the Conservatives party's fortunes would improve.
I'm amazed that anyone (even a Labour troll) could have anything positive to say about that lazy fat hypocrite. Portillo must feel physically sick after an hour on the couch with her. I suppose it says something about him that he grins, rather than grimaces, when she spouts inane rubbish and rolls her eyes yet again at the ceiling.
I love it when people castigate the great labour mp, diane.
Where did she send her kids to school?
I bet they, with their education can spell hypocrite.
She won`t read this but I hope someone passes my sentiment onto her.
That she sent her child to a fee-paying school, against all socialist principles, says it all about Diane Abbott. There is absolutely no reason for her to appear on Desert Island Discs.
Iain, so she a political failure just like Derek Conway then!
Opinions are one thing. Being petty and vindictive is something else.
It's much less fun when you have DA as your local MP.
Here's a transcript from This Week, sent to me earlier on in March:
DA: I did something very pusillanimous, I abstained.
On the one hand I think we should have a referendum because we
promised one.
Andrew Neil: So why didn't you vote for one?
DA: Actually, if we had a referendum it would be a disaster
for the Labour Party, we would lose.
Andrew Neil: So better just to break your promise?
DA: Yeah.
I don't remember Derek Conway appearing on D I D. I rest my case.
and on the subject of This Week, Charlie K is on there at the moment.
Looks a bit like the drunk uncle after Christmas dinner.
It's all very well, but maybe Diane was right not to be in that book. I was in it and I was made to look utterly constipated. It flattered nobody.
“but not Gordon Brown”
Who could forget Gordon Brown on DID? Sue Lawley badgered him about his sexual proclivities in a very so-why-don’t-you-have-a-girlfriend sort of way.
@ Howard:
"Opinions are one thing. Being petty and vindictive is something else."
Do you want to explain the difference?
I don't see why DID should only be open to high level politicians who have, supposedly, achieved something. Its a rather dated, self-satisfied little programme, like most of Radio 4's output.
DA is clearly a woman who you have taken a personal dislike to, Iain. I have never met her but I don't think refusing to get involved in the book makes her a bad person, and I rather enjoy her sparring with Portillo on This Week, though she was not on the best of form with the rather "over-enthusastic" Charlie last night.
Cath writes: "I don't see why DID should only be open to high level politicians who have, supposedly, achieved something."
And you are correct! It is not "only open to high level politicians". The invitees are normally individuals, in any field, who have achieved something worth noting.
Don't suppose you've been invited on Desert Island Discs
I disagree that Diane is sticking it to the party.
Post Gordon she has become increasingly tongue-tied, if not a total waste of sofa space. A pity. At one time the Labour back benches were the most effective opposition.
Like Glenda J and Claire S, I think the role of castaway is rather appropriate.
Surely the producers of DID had noticed that the London elections were forthcoming, could they not have rescheduled the programme before the 'Radip Times' went to press?
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