Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Nicky Campbell & Guido Make Their Peace

Apparently Guido had a dust-up with Nicky Campbell on 5 Live Breakfast this morning. I didn't hear it, and sadly the programme isn't available on iPlayer (despite the subsequent phone-in being freely available). I'm told the conversation went like this...

NICKY CAMPBELL: And now let's talk to the right wing blogger, Guido Fawkes.
GUIDO: It's nice to be on the left wing BBC.
NICKY CAMPBELL: Well, it's the first time we've had a fascist on the programme...
GUIDO: Take that back.


Campbell then issued a perfunctory apology before issuing a more fulsome one at the end of the interview. I'm told it was one of those 'I can't believe what I just heard' moments. The Guardian writes it up HERE.

Guido, to his credit, is dismissing the whole thing as a storm in a teacup and has made clear he accepts Campbell's apology.

For what it's worth, I have always found Nicky Campbell to be a hard but very fair interviewer. I have to say that I always get a little more nervous before going on with him that I do most other interviewers. That isn't because I perceive that he is left wing - it's because he usually asks the one question you would rather he didn't. That's why he's a good interviewer.

PS Is it possible that Guido could do just one media appearance without causing some sort of controversy? Maybe that's where I'm going wrong...

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Iain, with everything going on in the UK today - this is what you choose to write about!!?? OMG who cares? Come on - raise your game! :) xx

Iain Dale said...

I'll write what I damn well like on my own blog. Thanks for your advice though.

I have very little time in between meetings today so can't indulge in thoughtful posts.

Desperate Dan said...

Your friend Shelagh Fogarty couldn't have written it better herself.

Anonymous said...

hahaha! at least you bothered to admit that it's a crap post. I sense progress.

:)

Gman said...

Guido is a fascist, black is white, war is peace - welcome to BBC world

Anonymous said...

guido schmido...he is just soooo last year.

Arthur Dent said...

Is it just me, or do we all find Canvas somewhat boring, predictable, usually missing the point. Shame, almost a waste of HTML. Oh well.
EG

golden_balls said...

Have you found any more information about the pickles party ?

you blog about a harmless exchange between guido and campbell but don't comment on the brawl at the party chairmans shindig tsk tsk

David Boothroyd said...

It seems perfectly fair for Nicky Campbell to try to give viewers some background on Paul Staines' general position; they might not know otherwise. If he disagreed with the description the better thing to do would be to suggest his own alternative ('libertarian and anti-politician' might be a suitably short and neutral description), rather than attacking the interviewer.

Unfortunately Paul Staines does give the impression of being able to start a fight in an empty room, or radio car.

Plato said...

To be frank - when I see Canvas' photo or Chris Paul/Despairing Liberal I have a real challenge to actually read what they have posted. It is such delusional drivel.

Servalan Gardner at least says the odd acerbic thing even if I disagree with 98% of it.

Canvas - get a blog then perhaps you will be considered more than an attention troll.

Conand said...

Guido's point is absolutely valid. They do present Left wingers as impartial experts all the ******* time.

Note to the BBC:

Iain Dale should ALWAYS be 'Publisher of Total Politics Magazine AND conservative blogger'

Let's have our cards out on the table.

Plato said...

Mr Balls

It was a director from Sugar Media.

Here is their site now and cached

Anonymous said...

@english guy... now try and have an original thought...

;)

Tim said...
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Tim said...
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neil craig said...

Fascism - a political doctrine that calls for more government control of everything & believes the media should not give time to opposing views in case the public get confused. In its latter days allied with Nazism - a doctrine with similar ciews but also committed to racial genocide.

Perhaps Nicky Campbell can say how often the BBC gives coverage to sceptics on warming alarmism, supporters of economic freedom & smaller government or indeed exactly when the BBC is going to get round to reporting that NATO "police" dissected 1,300 living Serb teenagers & sold the body parts to our hopsitals.

Mr Campbell to meet a fascist look in the mirror.

Tim said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
no longer anonymous said...

"Hm. So you don't recall tagging me as a 'nihilist' and then denying it (on the basis that you had never even heard the word before)?

You still haven't apologised for that, have you?"

Bugger off you attention-seeking bore, nobody cares.

Tom Paine said...

The BBC systematically tags as right-wing anyone of whom it disapproves, and sometimes appears to be trying to conflate all non-leftists with the BNP. Guido's reaction was reasonable and the counter-reaction telling. It's rather sporting of him to accept the apology. The taxpayers should be grateful he's not litigious. To be called a fascist on a broadcast is worth a small fortune in damages for defamation. I wish someone worth suing would do it to me.

Simon Gardner said...

Conand said... “Iain Dale should ALWAYS be 'Publisher of Total Politics Magazine AND conservative blogger'”

I prefer Tory über-blogger which is what I tend to use. Perhaps better in writing???

Plato said...

Oh Tim time out. Iain and you clearly don't get on, so why persist with this?

You've great investigative talents - make the most of them where they are of most value.

Tim said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
John M Ward said...

Interesting to note as a (valid) part of what is going on, even if the cowards who hide behind some form of anonymity can't handle more than one topic per day.

Some of us are broader in outlook than that, which is why those such as yourself, Iain, are award-winning bloggers who set the standard whereas as the snipers have no credibility of their own.,

I think Guido was to an extent being big here, but I think he also has something else going on. Time will no doubt reveal what that is, as it always does with him…

Bob said...

Being libertarion and anti-state intrusion is anti-fascist isnt it?

Bob said...

@ Tim

Comment deleting roadshow, no comments deleted here in this thread is there?

And as was discussed (alot) this is about shaking the government tree.....

Its a long game....

javelin said...

I think your analysis is 180 degrees wrong. Campbell simply revealled his visceral assumptiveness as a beeboid. He, like Blair and brown actually believes his own perverted mindset. He is weak minded, which helps him to sound convincing. To give the draper beeboid his due he ISA least aware his left wing views are a load of crap , which is why you hear his mind working when he speaks. There is a genuine struggle in his voice as he tries to turn shite into gold. Campbell on the other hand - like Blair - believes it when he says it.

Patrick said...

Iain, Do you mind being called a right-wing blogger ?

niconoclast said...

All BBC journalists should have to declare their political allegiances and reveal what party they vote for.This way a quota system of journalists could be established providing an equal distribution of journos of different political persuasions.Lie detectors could be used and also a comprehensive questionaire which would reveal political beliefs and biases.Of course we can hear the bias as it is patently obvious from every word these BBC fellow travelling leftists utter but this would be a way of nailing the leftist bastards. Campbells comment is proof positive of his leftist bias and I think it is enough to warrant his immediate sacking.

no longer anonymous said...

"Nice of you to honestly recognise and respect my freedom to pursue that apology, BTW."

I just find it irritating having to wade through posts concerning a personal dispute between you and Iain. Can't you email him?

Simon Gardner said...

niconoclast said... “All BBC journalists should have to declare their political allegiances and reveal what party they vote for.”

Oh good grief. Now I’ve heard everything. Talk about Stasi...

And what about the many who don’t vote? And on what basis are you going to make the quotas. Will the Beeb have to sack a tranche after each election? I can just see the court cases now; not to speak of the cases in the Court of Human Rights.

This is absolutely the silliest idea I have ever seen...

Andrew Ian Dodge said...

A libertarian like Guido accused of being fascist. But the BBC is unbiased and competent to report on politics?

Conand said...

Simon Gardner,

OK 'Tory über-blogger' it is. He might be a Whig though. Iain are you a Tory or a Whig? He definitely knows German anyway.

Tim Éire (ire maybe),

Don't put too much into Guido/BNP I used to be a LibDem. Ahh the utter idiocy of youth, takes me back... Anyway, you sound like a really horrible person. I've met Iain and Guido, they seem really nice. I almost bought Guido a Guinness but I'm a really stingy nasty Tory. Maybe next time.

Chris said...

But isn't Nicky Campbell some light entertainment person from the 1980s, who occasionally makes anti-English comments?

golden_balls said...

@plato

the link is much appreciated thank you

i wonder what made the man go beserk !

perhaps just over indulgence in alcohol but who knows. it does make you wonder what went on at this party.

who signed him into the house of commons that would be my next question.

still no word from ian about this sorry saga. wasn't he praising pickles when he was named party chairman only afew weeks ago.

to me this is far more serious than a silly remark by a radio hack.

golden_balls said...

even more detail is given in the paul waugh article.

i wonder when the next pickles party will take place they do sound like a hoot.

Simon Gardner said...

golden_balls said... “@plato the link is much appreciated thank you i wonder what made the man go beserk ! perhaps just over indulgence in alcohol”

Indeed. Thanks for the links. And what a shame it wasn’t the usual tired and emotional hacks from the News of the Screws or the Mirror settling a long-held grievance. How disappointing.

But Pickles’ parties do indeed sound a hoot.

Barnacle Bill said...

Anyone notice how Canvas disappeared after Mr. Ireland popped up?
Very interesting!

Anonymous said...

@Barnacle Bill - that's what you call interesting?! hmmmm
maybe in your world :) but not in mine. I was on the train...but now I'm back to haunt you.

Anonymous said...

@ conand me old mucker > "I'm a really stingy nasty Tory"

Maybe ...but I've been on the blogs with you for years now and I think you're OK really - for a Tory :)

Barnacle Bill said...

Sorry Canvas, I've got better things to haunt me!

Doubting Richard said...

Shows Camobell's ignorance. How can he be right-wing and a fascist? The fascists were left-wing.

Martin said...

Sorry Iain, but nicki Campbell is an irritating little p***k. You might find he asks you tough question and that is because you are a 'right wing Tory boy'

Listen to him bottom lick Labour MPs or even worse the Alzheimers man Vince Cable (I call him that because he forgets from one day to the next what he said the day before) where Campbell gives them a soft time.

Campbell is a little sniveller as well. He tries to crack very unfunny jokes (which he repeats several times thinking you missed the punch line when in fact you just found it unfunny) and interrupts co-presenters half way through a question to crack some pointless quip.

This pint sized prat once claimed to be better than Paxman. No he's not.

This pint sized prat is also proud of his IRA heritage that he regularly boasts about, much to the distress of him own family.

The point Guido was making Iain is that left wing guests are NEVER introduced as left wing on the BBC, just right wing. If you don't believe me just listen.

The Grim Reaper said...

Why is Guido suddenly so keen to appear on the mainstream media? That's what I don't understand.

As for Tim Ireland, please for the love of all that's holy, ban him from the blog. He's just a pain in the arse and an ugly hoon to go with it.

Simon Gardner said...

I hate Red Ken and Fatty Brown said... “I call him that because he forgets from one day to the next what he said the day before”

Tasteful.

Twig said...

niconoclast said... “All BBC journalists should have to declare their political allegiances and reveal what party they vote for.”

Sounds good to me. The police and the fire brigade use positive discrimination to ensure they reflect the society they serve, so why not the BBC?
especially since the BBC is supposed to be all about balance and fairness.

Anonymous said...

Poor Guido. And he goes so far out of his way to pretend Mohammedans don't even exist in Britain.

Nich Starling said...

Is it possible he could just do an interview under his real name ?

Why must he be treated like Phil "The Power" Taylor or the Wrestler "The Undertaker" and allowed a silly false name.

You ar enot called Iain Dale's Diary and he is not called Guido Fawkes.