political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Monday, January 26, 2009
Pickles 1 Paxman 0
Jeremy Paxman: Eric Pickles, you've been uncharacteristically quiet. Eric Pickles: Generally when I come on this programme, I like to respond to questions.
I'd have more respect for Paxman if he'd said, "sorry, that was stupid of me". Re Pickles; he needs to do a lot more TV. He takes a few minutes to warm up, but I can imagine he will be a strong performer with more experience. Tony Wright was pathetic. Paxo and Pickles were both amused and embarrassed at his desperation to bring up wicked Tories from the past.
I agree with Bird@11:03. Wright then tried to accuse Eric of partisanship when he'd been very measured. This correspondent was shouting at the telly, as is his wont.
Pickles 12 Wright 0
Wright did acknowledge how rubbish he looked, but by then it was too late.
I thought Pickles did well not to rise to the bait of the Ashcroft comment. Paxman did his work for him - quite correctly, given the context of the discussion.
I only watched a few minutes but it seemed to me that the whole item was constructed around a (predictable) Leftist attempt (by a predictably Leftist BBC) to make it an issue about the role of an unelected house of Lords rather than manifest (and politically significant) corruption by some Labour peers.
To his credit Pickles kept returning it back to the abuse of power issue, but why participate in a programme that from what I can see does little but retail lazy and self-serving Leftist prejudices.
I don't quite understand your love affair with Pickles Iain. Apart from having a silly name, his only memorable feature is a strange surly unctuousness - when he gets on to expressing ideas, they nearly always seem as silly as his handle.
I don't think the Tories will be truly viable until your affections move to Ken Clarke and you start calling for him to be either Shadow Chancellor or Leader of the Oppies - that way lies victory.
Until then I will continue to treat you and the current Tory leadership as well meaning, basically decent but confused and xenophobic on Europe people - a curious hangover of a sad 1950s wishful-ist past of vicars, tea parties, gay panto and bicycling jolly young Tories all sounding like Giles Brandreth and dressed like prunes.
Those were the days!
John Major is exceedingly grey and still annoyed with Mr Cash. He is 107. Iain Dale is 54.
The Demon of Rum is about in the land, His victims are falling on every hand, The wise and the simple, the brave and the fair, No station too high for his vengence to spare. O women, the sorrow and pain is with you, And so be the joy and the victory, too; With this for your motto, and succor divine, The lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine,
The homes that were happy are ruined and gone. The hearts that were merry are wretched and lone, And lives full of promise of good things to come, Are ruined and wreck'd by the Demon of Rum. Wives, maidens and mothers, to you it is giv'n, To rescue the fallen and point them to heav'n. With us for your guides you shall win by this sign, The lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine.
O mothers, whose sons tarry long at the bowl, Who love their good name as you love your own soul, O maidens with fathers, and brothers and beaux; Whose lives you would rescue from infinite woes, Let war be your watchword, from shore unto shore, Till Rum and his legions shall ruin no more, And write on your banners, in letters that shine, The lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine.
The appeal of Eric Pickles lies in his amiability and easy going nature. It's hard these days to find a politician with a genuine personality. If my generation is to connect with politics, we need exciting and engaging figures who are not groomed by spin doctors and PR man. We need decent, honest politicians! The fact that he is a fellow Yorkshireman also makes him more appealing and engaging!
I also loved his aside to the effect, for Labour, concensus only if we agree with what you say. Wonderful and endearing. As for "Desparing Liberal", I always thought that was a pre-requisite for a Liberal!
Withdrawing taxpayer funding for the Leftist establishment (as exemplified by the BBC) ought to be a priority for the next Conservative government. For readers unfamiliar with the BBC try to imagine getting preached at by cretins such as "Despairing Liberal" 24 hours a day. Needless to add he thinks it is great.
Oh Iain, your puritanical soda-water & a dash of lime... Like I shall keep saying, the Clarke/Pickles nexus is one the Tories need to expand/mine/explore/expand. This messasge needs forcing, exploring,expanding, pushing. Not all of us went to Eton, and those who didnn't need a mainstream voice
tut tut tut desparingliberal, how dare you consume alcohol, all that earth destroying co2 produced by the vats of fermenting devil's liquor, for shame on you, no more lentil soup for 2 weeks and may that be a lesson to you.
One of these days (possibly when Gordon Brown gets taken away from Downing Street in a straight jacket) NuLabour are going to lose their 'Big Mo' with a lefty press.
Thats when all the apparently fruitless interviews will bear fruit. In the meantime, keep plugging away.
Hang on a minute - one of these Lords defences was 'i ain't tabled no amendments' - hmm. Well step forward the senator for Illinois. Government of the people. Democracy? Shit, can't make no money from it?
Telly Tax / Iain - it's morning and I have recovered!
So to restore my position on this valued blog, can I just say that Eric Pickled er I mean Pickles is the very most marvellous Gentleman ever to have graced the House?
Pickles was extremely good on this item. I'll say that again. Pickles was extremely good. It was big of him to let Mr Wright's baiting about Ashcroft and Laidlaw more or less pass. Though Wright did have him spluttering a bit when he suggested keeping party politics out of things which Pickles had done and Wright clearly had not done.
But 'Bird' Ashcroft and Laidlaw are not from the past. Archer and Black ... you have a point. But Ashcroft and Laidlaw are currently taking the piss in a far greater way than their possibly out of order lordships and their puny price tags.
Let's all have a laff at the silly names people have which are clearly more important than anything they might have to say. Then let's join the Liberals.
Depairingliberal? That's a sensible name, if tautological. Not like mine.
33 comments:
OK, but the chin is a big distraction.
:)
Why do Conservatives agree to appear on the Newsnight?
I'd have more respect for Paxman if he'd said, "sorry, that was stupid of me".
Re Pickles; he needs to do a lot more TV. He takes a few minutes to warm up, but I can imagine he will be a strong performer with more experience.
Tony Wright was pathetic. Paxo and Pickles were both amused and embarrassed at his desperation to bring up wicked Tories from the past.
I agree with Bird@11:03. Wright then tried to accuse Eric of partisanship when he'd been very measured. This correspondent was shouting at the telly, as is his wont.
Pickles 12 Wright 0
Wright did acknowledge how rubbish he looked, but by then it was too late.
I thought Pickles did well not to rise to the bait of the Ashcroft comment. Paxman did his work for him - quite correctly, given the context of the discussion.
They just have to try and put down Tories. Pro Labour anti Tory thats the BBC.
Pickles 2 - Lloyd 0
I only watched a few minutes but it seemed to me that the whole item was constructed around a (predictable) Leftist attempt (by a predictably Leftist BBC) to make it an issue about the role of an unelected house of Lords rather than manifest (and politically significant) corruption by some Labour peers.
To his credit Pickles kept returning it back to the abuse of power issue, but why participate in a programme that from what I can see does little but retail lazy and self-serving Leftist prejudices.
I don't quite understand your love affair with Pickles Iain. Apart from having a silly name, his only memorable feature is a strange surly unctuousness - when he gets on to expressing ideas, they nearly always seem as silly as his handle.
I don't think the Tories will be truly viable until your affections move to Ken Clarke and you start calling for him to be either Shadow Chancellor or Leader of the Oppies - that way lies victory.
Until then I will continue to treat you and the current Tory leadership as well meaning, basically decent but confused and xenophobic on Europe people - a curious hangover of a sad 1950s wishful-ist past of vicars, tea parties, gay panto and bicycling jolly young Tories all sounding like Giles Brandreth and dressed like prunes.
Those were the days!
John Major is exceedingly grey and still annoyed with Mr Cash. He is 107. Iain Dale is 54.
Have you been on the sauce again?
Possibly, possibly Iain. I have indeed had a glass or two this evening. You?
My usual Tesco's sparkling mineral water with a dash of lime. I know how to live. I don't partake in the devil's milk.
The Demon of Rum is about in the land,
His victims are falling on every hand,
The wise and the simple, the brave and the fair,
No station too high for his vengence to spare.
O women, the sorrow and pain is with you,
And so be the joy and the victory, too;
With this for your motto, and succor divine,
The lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine,
The homes that were happy are ruined and gone.
The hearts that were merry are wretched and lone,
And lives full of promise of good things to come,
Are ruined and wreck'd by the Demon of Rum.
Wives, maidens and mothers, to you it is giv'n,
To rescue the fallen and point them to heav'n.
With us for your guides you shall win by this sign,
The lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine.
O mothers, whose sons tarry long at the bowl,
Who love their good name as you love your own soul,
O maidens with fathers, and brothers and beaux;
Whose lives you would rescue from infinite woes,
Let war be your watchword, from shore unto shore,
Till Rum and his legions shall ruin no more,
And write on your banners, in letters that shine,
The lips that touch liquor shall never touch mine.
(Temperance ballad. Well, obviously.)
The appeal of Eric Pickles lies in his amiability and easy going nature. It's hard these days to find a politician with a genuine personality. If my generation is to connect with politics, we need exciting and engaging figures who are not groomed by spin doctors and PR man. We need decent, honest politicians! The fact that he is a fellow Yorkshireman also makes him more appealing and engaging!
I also loved his aside to the effect, for Labour, concensus only if we agree with what you say. Wonderful and endearing. As for "Desparing Liberal", I always thought that was a pre-requisite for a Liberal!
Withdrawing taxpayer funding for the Leftist establishment (as exemplified by the BBC) ought to be a priority for the next Conservative government. For readers unfamiliar with the BBC try to imagine getting preached at by cretins such as "Despairing Liberal" 24 hours a day. Needless to add he thinks it is great.
Dear Mr DespairingLiberal,
When we need directions to victory from the LibDumbs, we'll let you know.
With regard to the EU, and your xenophobia crack, you should try not to confuse fear of foreigners with a preference for self-determination.
Oh Iain, your puritanical soda-water & a dash of lime...
Like I shall keep saying, the Clarke/Pickles nexus is one the Tories need to expand/mine/explore/expand. This messasge needs forcing, exploring,expanding, pushing. Not all of us went to Eton, and those who didnn't need a mainstream voice
tut tut tut desparingliberal, how dare you consume alcohol, all that earth destroying co2 produced by the vats of fermenting devil's liquor, for shame on you, no more lentil soup for 2 weeks and may that be a lesson to you.
One of these days (possibly when Gordon Brown gets taken away from Downing Street in a straight jacket) NuLabour are going to lose their 'Big Mo' with a lefty press.
Thats when all the apparently fruitless interviews will bear fruit. In the meantime, keep plugging away.
Hang on a minute - one of these Lords defences was 'i ain't tabled no amendments' - hmm. Well step forward the senator for Illinois. Government of the people. Democracy? Shit, can't make no money from it?
Telly Tax / Iain - it's morning and I have recovered!
So to restore my position on this valued blog, can I just say that Eric Pickled er I mean Pickles is the very most marvellous Gentleman ever to have graced the House?
Hope this helps.
Still think he has a silly name though.
I though Pickles was super.
One does not get 'minutes' to warm up. And his reposte was quite wonderful, it certainly knocked back Paxman!
The Conservatives will win a lot more votes with Pickles and Clarke fronting their campaign.
Canvas talks about chins...well you can have your stick insects and food facists. I rather like people with substance.
Winners all the way,
Pickles was extremely good on this item. I'll say that again. Pickles was extremely good. It was big of him to let Mr Wright's baiting about Ashcroft and Laidlaw more or less pass. Though Wright did have him spluttering a bit when he suggested keeping party politics out of things which Pickles had done and Wright clearly had not done.
But 'Bird' Ashcroft and Laidlaw are not from the past. Archer and Black ... you have a point. But Ashcroft and Laidlaw are currently taking the piss in a far greater way than their possibly out of order lordships and their puny price tags.
Let's all have a laff at the silly names people have which are clearly more important than anything they might have to say. Then let's join the Liberals.
Depairingliberal? That's a sensible name, if tautological. Not like mine.
Strapworld,
call me shallow...but...
chins do matter!
If your job is in the public eye then you better look presentable.
I would much rather look at David Miliband any day (or Ed Vaizey!) than the perfectly nice Mr Pickles...
:)
mind you - ed vaizey has a tory tendency to plump up sometimes... but he's still pretty dishy.
Looks and charisma really matter in politics. If you want to win BIG then you have to have a bit of both.
I know , I know, I know , it's supposed to be the brain that counts - but things aren't always that straightforward.
"I know , I know, I know , it's supposed to be the brain that counts"
Not much chance of you being confused with somebody with a brain.
ah, wild, that's where you are so very wrong...
:)
do you have any original thoughts on the matter?
Could I just say how heartwarming it is to find a liberal in despair?
Don't worry, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The next step is to stop being a liberal and see the world as it is. You will feel much better.
Despairing Liberal said,
"Until then I will continue to treat you and the current Tory leadership as ......"
Who cares?
You are like those people (perhaps you are one) who "have to say" things, whereas you don't.
Clams Linguini, your name is amazing, as is eating you!
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