Getting up at 5.15am, whizzing down to College Green to do Sky News Sunrise and then driving for two hours to Arundel was perhaps not the ideal preparation to present what turned out to be a nine hour marathon election programme. And due to traffic I was late.
However, we got started at 9am on time and despite some people having difficulty in accessing the site in the first hour it was clear that we were building up quite a substantial audience. In the first hour I interviewed LibDem leader Nick Clegg who was about to board a train to visit his victorious LibDem councillors in Bristol. This was followed by a chat with Conservative MP Paul Goodman who had announced that he was standing down at the next election. Throughout the rest of the day we talked to all sorts of political luminaries including Boris Johnson, Tom Harris, Andrew MacKinlay, Kerry McCarthy, Nick Palmer, Chris Rennard, Jonathan Isaby, Paul Waugh and Keith Simpson.
We also interviewed the deputy leader of the British National Party, Simon Darby. If I am completely honest, I wasn't looking forward to this, but I firmly believe they need to be taken on and that a no platform policy is counter productive. My fellow presenter, Hopi Sen, refused to take part in the interview, which I think was a mistake, as Donal Blaney and I took Darby to task for his wholly objectionable views. Indeed, I thought he tied himself up in knots. My interviewing style is not ideal for people like Simon Darby. I am not confrontational, but maybe in retrospect that was a good thing. Judge for yourself. The podcast is HERE.
We had some very good calls from listeners - no nutters! And we also gleaned a lot of information from all around the country which meant that we could talk about individual results with some authority and 'call' an authority way before the BBC or Sky could announce a final result. I think we came into our own discussing the Ian Gibson by election announcement as Morus from Political Betting is a friend of the Norwich North Tory candidate and I know the seat well from my political work there in the 1980s.
I have to admit that I completely lost it during the Gordon Brown press conference, which we carried live. Brown's announcement that Glenys Kinnock was replacing Caroline Flint was just too much. If you saw it, you;'ll know what I mean.
So, was it as polished as a BBC production? No, but it wasn't meant to be. Was it professional? I hope so. Wa sit informative, entertaining and analytical? I think so, but those who listened must be the judges. We're doing it all over again on Sunday night from 6pm to midnight, so if you have any tips for improvements, do feel free to tell us.
I want to thank Hopi Sen, Morus, Donal Blaney, Alan Douglas and Gareth Knight for making it work, and also to PlayRadioUK.com for allowing us to make the programme. I hope everyone felt it was worth it.
If you'd like to hear any of the podcasts from the programme click on the links below.
Boris Johnson (8 mins)
Paul Goodman (11 mins)
Nick Clegg (8 mins)
UPDATE: Joshua Chambers reviews the Simon Darby interview.
108 comments:
It was great (and not just because I got a mention). The Boris interview was my highlight; it is amazing to see the development he has gone through since becoming mayor. He has kept his sense of humour, but now his intellectual stature shows through much better.
The BNP interview was also excellent. You gave Simon the grilling,a nd the light that is needed to show up the contradictions as well as the nastiness within his party. Having been shocked to find people I know would until recently have voted BNP, I know this is important to counter their racist ideology.
I agree about the BNP interview - very good, iain. However, I thought hopi was a real duffer.
Iain, thank you for the name-check. I really enjoyed my very exhausting day.
This gave me the buzz I had hoped to get when attending the Mid-Sussex count way back in the Referendum Party days, when there was just a huge anti-climax when no RP candidates made any headway, and soon after Goldsmith paid the price of his exertions while quite ill.
Silly perhaps, but I had some feeling of being part of history today, and I found your whole programme very professional and entertaining at the same time. See you Sunday !
Alan Douglas
One more thing. Hopi is a delightful gentleman, for even while maintaining his "institutional blindness" re Brown he always remained courteous and pleasant. Without him I think you would have appeared too one-sided. He said afterwards that he was more of a social democrat than a solialist. Hmmm ....
Alan Douglas
Thought it was an excellent show, informative, entertaining and with the right degree of irreverence. Also meant I got no work done today!
Thought the BNP interviews were very good - they made complete fools of themselves. The second chap in Austria was hilarious - goes to show how those with less developed thinking skills get sucked in by this malicious party.
I tried several times to listen in, but the link didn't work. Shame.
I thought it was a breath of fresh air - actually having guests on that aren't afraid to express the opinion, and presenters that are prepared to argue with them rather then try to shut down the discussion.
Thumbs up. Will Listen again!
Please link to this. What an utter hoon Brown is!
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/3674858/facing-browns-spending-deceptions.thtml
sorry Iain but you are going to have to speak to that talkradio lot. I used to listen to James Whale when he worked there and their site worked well, but now it sucks, it's shit. The site continually times out.
I just gave up.
Thoroughly enjoyed your show. I started listening at about 10am, when I finally managed to get the stream to work, until you closed at 6pm... Sad git or what? :-)
Hopi Sen may be courteous and "a gentleman" but he's as delusional as Gordon Brown. One cannot fault his loyalty to his "tribe" but that casts grave doubts over his objectivity and common sense.
You showed unequivocally that giving the BNP a voice does a far better job of demolition than "censoring" them.
Nice to hear the crack in your urbane persona when Glenys Kinnock was announced as Minister for Europe! I guess you reflected the feelings of a large majority of your listeners.
Looking forward to Sunday evening.
It was great. The rough edges are exactly what allows you to make a better programme than the BBC style of things. Hopi Sen showed why Labour has lost much support to the BNP - if you don't hold them up to public scrutiny (like you did Iain!) then they only have themselves to blame. Political correctness is holding many Labour people back from doing the right thing.
Your results were, at least, more accurate.
We spent a lot of time this morning (before work) trying to get the BBC to report the real results from North Norfolk as opposed to their "selected" results.
The BBC reported two Tory gains in North Norfolk, ignoring their three losses (and a net loss of one), but would they report it properly ???
Spent a fab afternoon listening to you guys Iain, have to say I thought it was very much a success and the unstructuredness (is that a word!!??) of it made it seem a lot more real and less BBC...which can only be a good thing....Thought the phonecall from the BNP guy was hilarious when he tried to say Hopi was totally different from him...and he started to get himself all tied up in knots...I had a chuckle in the office at that!! All in all well worth tuning in for (and to have my email read out on the Radio!!)
Hi Iain,
The show was great, I wouldn't worry too much about the background noise and stuff like that.
The interview with Darby was first rate and you and Donal dealt with him in a very professional and considered manner - being agressive with these guys doesn't work, far better to engage them and then systematically take them apart, which the both of you did. Full marks.
An opportunity for improvement for me would be in the numbers area and by this I mean the running analysis.
In my opinion it needs to be sharper and I would suggest that some comparitives would have been useful. Numbers need context to get the most out of them.
Will be listening in on Sunday.
I have to agree that Hopi Sen was most pleasant. Opinions rather questionable, but not his character.
I listened until about 12.30 and what I heard I liked. I'd welcome a little less interview-repeating but other than that, top stuff.
Very admirable that you allowed Darby the opportunity to speak and treated him with respect - the mainstream media is also, slowly, coming to the realisation that the BNP speak for a significant number of British people and, therefore, deserve to be treated in a manner analogous to UKIP and the Greens on national TV and radio.
However, he certainly did not disgrace himself, contrary to what many others on this site may claim, nor did he "tie himself in knots" as you claim. In fact, I'd rate his performance as between mediocre and quite good.
My router was down (expletive) so I missed it. Damnit! Can we view a rerun?
Loved your show the night before. Cutting edge.
I really enjoyed the all day broadcast while flipping (that word has band connotations now) around various other news and blog web pages, including those county council sites you were getting result info from. It was a great way to keep tabs on the days dramatic events and some excellent interviews and insight into the prospective Norwich by-election.
You weren't the only one to lost it during the press conference when Brown' announced that Glenys Kinnock was replacing Caroline Flint. That was unbelievable.
If you can find time to fit in a few more phone calls and emails from folk other than your mates or people you know, it might help open things up.
I agree that he did not disgrace himself. He didn't come across as nasty, but then neither do the people I know who have supported the BNP (one of whom is not even British). However I think that his party was exposed for being racist and for the internal contradictions in its philosophy and policy.
Contrary to what Hopi Sen would accept, I also think that the BNP's left-wing ideology was exposed.
I sneakily listened while I was working. Loved the fact that there were a wide variety of opinions in your co-hosts, interviewees and callers and it wasn't overly slick.
Good job, all!
Enoch, I was referring to the guy from Austria who DID tie himself up in knots with Hopi!! I've only just listened to the Podcast of Darby...a fair interview of a Political party who's policies don't stack up to the real world....forget racism, his economic policiy doesn't hold water!
@Enoch
Sorry mate, his performance was very poor.
His arguments were weak, poorly conceived, inconsistent, bigoted and misinformed.
At no point was he able to make any convincing counter arguments to any of the points and arguments that were put to him.
Dale and Blaney - 10
Darby - 0
Very good, Iain. A good rapport between co-hosts; your Boris interview was a highlight. Had trouble connecting at first -iPlayer was the only way to go.
Looking forward to more.
Natalie,
I was referring to Iain's comments and not yours but yes, their economic policies are risible. However, their views on immigration and multiculturalism are, although somewhat extreme, representative of millions of British people. Instead, the BNP are treated as beneath contempt by the media - and especially so when one reflects on the comments made by many newspaper 'commentators'.
SHB,
I've heard no plausible explanation as to why their policy with regard to membership is any more contemptible than that of the Black Police Association etc.
However, I would highly recommend that the party get rid of this rule. It would at least give the British media one less pathetic reason to attack the party with and doesn't, in my opinion, serve any real purpose given that the numbers of non-white British citizens wishing to join the BNP would probably be negligible.
Blaney/Dale: 6
Darby: 6
I thought it was very good indeed — once I was able to connect, which wasn't until 0916 hrs. I stayed with it throughout, apart from a short lunch break :-)
Listened on and off from the start at 9am - bit difficult to get the stream working at first but fine thereafter. I thought the highlight was the Boris interview, especially the "introductory bit" while you were passed up the line by his minions. Unfortunately I missed the Kinnock "incident". :-) Overall a very balanced and thoughtful presentation by all concerned, undoubtedly better than the near hysteria of the mainstream media channels.
Answering the phone for Boris... was that Mrs Doyle??
Yup, I agree with pretty much all of the comments here.
I'd say one thing though, and I don't know if it's even possible in the time frame available to you, but the BBC had an interactive map, which was awesome, but updated painfully slowly.
Seeing as you guys were so far ahead with calling the results, if you could somehow combine that speed and your commentary with a frequently updated map of some kind hosted on this blog we'd have absolutely everything we need to make Sundays show AMAZING!
I enjoyed it. I thought Hopi Sen was good too. I cracked up at him interviewing the British BNP who lived in guy in Vienna who did not like immigrants, but approved of the European Union.
You should make a pod of that.
What I do not understand is why the BBC TV news have failed to report many of the events that have unravelled today.
1800. Only mentioned Flint resigning.
2200. talked about Mandy being DPM. More chat about Flint.
So, why no mention of Hoon and McNulty resigning, no mention of Kinnock, no mention of Hain.
Oh yes I forgot, we live in marxist Britain!!
The links didn't work properly via the browser so eded up using VNC on the talk link no problem enjoyed what I did hear but work took over and I had to give up,will listen again as it was easy on the ear.
Off topic slightly but I am just furious. According to Sky Labour has lost 324 councillors and won only 172. In short they have lost 2/3 of the seats fought. The BBC are saying that Labour has lost 250and won 159. These results are bad enough but do not give the viewer a true picture of what has happened today. On the basis of these false statistics they suggest the Tories have done alright instead of really well. They must not get away with this.
It was excellent Iain barring my comments about Hopi Sen's performance that you read out. I made the point earlier that Sen should say whatever he likes when defending his side of politics but when he deputised for you in presenting or co-interviewing his bias was undisguised in the way he always tried to play down the Tories in blatantly loaded questions. You on the other hand are able to interview polticians of all stripes fairly. Then again if you wish to remain mostly impartial as the main host then I'd like to see a Tory who can more explicitly defend Cameron and the Tories (Sen was allowed to get away with personal slurs against Cameron) and shred the socialist nonsense of Sen.
The only problem with the BNP interview (the guy from Austria) was that you jumped all over him on some occasions where it would have been more embarrassing for the fellow to have his contradictory views heard.
I though the nitty gritty statistical stuff was excellent - don't remember who was doing that - Donal Blaney? And it was also far more detailed than the mainstream media ever do.
Also what marks it out for a non MSM production is the quality of guests you wrangled up. Easily outclassed Fivelive.
Time we had something like it in Scotland. Come on Iain, have a word with some of your pals and ask them if the want to broadcast from the section of this island called paradise.
I think Nick Clegg stayed in Bristol all day. It was his only crumb of comfort.
you were fantastic iain, everything a talk show should be. Outspoken, controversial and being allowed to say whatever you want. The tasteless jokes were excellent. I listened for the full show on my iPhone as the net work didn't work for me, glad you said what everyone was thinking when kinnock was promoted.
Good luck on Sunday, thanks for the namecheck too.
The BBC's coverage of this has shocked me. Of course, it should not have, because I should be familiar with their approach by now, but it's still astonishing how they have presented this news on TV and also online (Nick Robinson's blogging today was particularly poor.)
after seeing cameron on the box for the umpteenth time today, it is obvious that he looks different. I can't put my finger on it but something has been changed in his facial appearance. It is Dave isn't it?
Iain,
Not had a chance to listen in...yet, apologies. However O/T
Esther Rantzen - if she's keen to stand, why doesn't she put herself forward for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath? The current MP is largely to blame for the deceit in Parliament - so whadyathink? Could Esther be persuaded?
Iain, your show was excellent! The interview with Darby was really good. You and Donal were like prosecution barristers leading a defendant into revealing much more than they would ever want to. As for Hopi Sen? I think he let himself down very badly by refusing to take part in the interview. He doesn't realise it, but it is HIM and others like him in the Labour Party who have allowed the BNP to capture so many Labour (not Tory!) votes.
Interesting about Caroline Flint. Which I did via your show!
Brown performs the resurrection shuffle, and why isn't Gerald Ratner ennobled as well as Sugar?!
There is no "nastiness" in the BNP. It's just an absurd and biased piece of mechanical speech that glides over the real reason the BNP exists, and why it is vilified.
It is arguing for the survival of (in effect) the English people in an age when that survival is characterised as "hate", "racism" and "fascism" by a culturally marxised and self-loathing Establishment. It is they, who deny the right to life and homeland of the English people, who are the "nasty" ones.
Ian, you are an ambitious politician working for the submersion of your own people in the bottomless seas of the Third World. The ONS says you will get your way around 2070, when we English, the most creative and wonderful people on God's Earth, will become a minority in our land.
You do not care that Africans and Moslems will outnumber us. You prefer it, in fact, providing you don't have to give up your ambitions, your political respectability, your insignificant ideals.
God help us that such cowards think themselves moral and worthy of leadership.
I couldn't listen because I was at a count in Fenland, Cambridgeshire. I was sending plenty of results through to you as they came in but I have no idea if (a) you got them or (b) you used them.
Hopefully you did and they were interesting.
Anyhow, the whole of Fenland remained entirely blue. I (standing for the first time) and all my Fens colleagues (most experienced existing councillors) won all our seats. A really fantastic, exciting day!
Incidentally, I can't listen live to your show at home using Firefox, but I listened with no problem at work, where we use IE. Hmmm. I might have to see if I can get IE to work again at home. Our router doesn't like it, for some reason.
"There is no "nastiness" in the BNP"
So the fact that they lie, that they advocate vioolence, that many of their senior officers have committed violence, that they think that people born in Britain should be sent to countries where their grandparents happened to grow up just because of their skin colour (of course a white person of say German extraction would not be sent back to Germany) is not nasty? What on Earth does a person have to do to be nasty? I am sure that someone in the senior hierarchy of the BNP has done it.
Thatsnews
Firefox worked for me, using version 3.0.10 and the URL http://www.playradiouk.com/V4/iplayer/talk/launchradio.php
It was a great show, listened from 11-4ish. Only stopped for that awful bloody press conference. I shall be tuning in on Sunday so keep up the good work.
Enjoyed the show but must agree with Doug @10:39 that you appeared to jump all over the guy from Austria when he was perfectly capable of tying himself up in knots.
Must agree with some other listeners that you do sound like Rick Stein!
JohnW
Richard,
Would you care to substantitate the following allegations, which you make, with proof i.e. BBC News Reports, statements on the BNP's website:
-- they lie
-- they advocate vioolence
-- many of their senior officers have committed violence (does that include voting for illegal wars?)
-- they think that people born in Britain should be sent to countries where their grandparents happened to grow up just because of their skin colour
I await you response...
Total circus and whitewash, Iain.
And the clowns still won't get out the ring, even if everyone is constantly laughing or in tears at their performance.
If the jesters could shuffle off in their vain but pathetic manner without hurting one another, we might actually get quality entertainers like lion tamers in the show that can run the circus with few complaints or rubbish performances that bear crap value for money.
It's a shame the Labour clowns cannot even run themselves without looking like fools. The ringmaster is in denial, the show must go on to him, but the audience are looking at their watches and are trapped inside the tent.
Good show, a small technical point - the audio level on the pre-recorded promos and adverts were quite a bit louder than the live studio audio. Was necessary to adjust the volume between the former and later.
An excellent broadcast, sir. The volume difference between yourselves and the news reports and adverts was a little irksome, but on the whole it was most informative!
Heard the Boris bit.. It was good stuff.
Well done for tearing that idiot Michael White a new one on Sky News, most entertaining!
First rate. The feeling of 'keeping it real' and being close to the action was palpable. Highly enoyable - I just kept it running, with Sky in the background :-) Whatever is the opposite of the infuriating and patronising way Michael White behaved on Sky tonight, your team was it. Roll on Sunday.
Richard,
Ah, an innocent, i see.
Some questions.
Do you support the race-replacement of the English? Yes or no.
Do you think the English are as worth preserving as, say, Jews or Tibetans? Yes or no.
Do you think it is "hate" and "racism" for Jews and Tibetans to pursue their own survival, or does that only apply to the English?
Do you think the pain of non-white people helped to start a new life elsewhere is equivalent to the pain of the English suffering race-replacement and loss of his homeland?
I could go on. The point is that you are unable to answer the great existential questions, aren't you? Not your fault. You are a simple-minded conventionalist who has swallowed the rubric of anti-white culture war and anti-white racism, and lack the intellectual power to free yourself.
But one last question. Are you English by descent - and I mean wholly English, not Jewish or mixed-race? Because if you are wholly English, you're a left-racist, even though you do not consider yourself a leftist. It is ALWAYS racism to deny a people the right to life and land.
If you are not wholly English ... if you are a minority member, for example, you are a simple an anti-English racist, aren't you?
Either way, you are in no moral position to complain about Englishmen who decide that the MultiCult must be ended. It must, of course. And only the BNP will even contemplate this great and necessary English salvation.
Good show but very dry. More of your jokes please. They can be quite amusing....
Enoch
Unlike you I have been taught international law, and so am quite aware that the the term "illegal war" is all but meaningless, and certainly does not mean what those who use the term generally believe. I am also aware that what meaning it has cannot be applied to the wars in Iraq or in Afghanistan.
As for the rest, do your own research. It is all in the public domain. None of it is hard to find. When working I charge around £35 per hour, so if you want me to do your research for you I can send you an invoice. Don't blame me that you are ill-informed abnout the true nature of the BNP.
Don't suppose there's any a podcast of the press conference itself anywhere?
I had to watch the thing at work with the sound off, so while I think I got the right gurning impressions from the Great Leader, I missed the full-on loon effect that sound would have provided.
Unlike some others here, I had no technical issues at all and, despite being a bit in & out (of the office), listened most of the day. Sadly, missed the BNP and Tom Harris, even more sadly did not miss Gordon Brown.
Really enjoyed the marathon session - nicely balanced, with well chosen guests, and good rapport amongst the team.
On the technical side, I should have mentioned that I use Firefox 3.0.10 under Windows XP fully patched - no problems at all.
It was excellent and very enjoyable, and I say that from a 'left' perspective. The early technical difficulties were frustrating but after some persistence it worked and was worth it.
I think the format worked brilliantly and it was good that guests got appropriate air time. I thought the stats were brilliant (helped by the listeners!), in much more detail and far in advance of what the major news organisations and newspapers were reporting.
I've never been too sure on giving a platform to racists and fascists, since they get a lot more attention than other similarly sized parties (e.g. the Greens) anyway. But today Darby and whoever that guy in Austria was lost complete credibility (if they ever had any). They were full of contradictions which were exposed and that guy in Austria didn't have a clue. I'm coming to think challenging their racist ideology with them directly is worthwhile. Surely they wouldn't get so many votes if their flawed arguments are so easily exposed like this in the media.
Can't wait until Sunday's show (may even be worth missing the Apprentice Final for!).
I use the latest version of Firefox which can't cope with Realplayer, s a for instance.
Richard,
Unlike you I have been taught international law
Indeed I have been taught international law. In fact, I was privileged enough to have been taught, until very recently, by one of the world's most eminent public international law professors until his sudden departure to pastures new...
Therefore, believe me little man, I know a thing or two about the legality and illegality, the legitimacy and illegitimacy of international warfare.
Maybe you were just taught many years ago? Or maybe you 'stumbled' across your academic credentials on the internet?
When working I charge around £35 per hour
My, we do have some Walter Mitty types around tonight. Do provide me with a link so that I can consider the services which you offer in some more detail.
Don't blame me that you are ill-informed abnout the true nature of the BNP.
Pot. Kettle. Black. First of all, I did not blame you, so you can drop the defensive tone. It's not like you're wrong about any of the claims that you make, is it? Why don't you try to substantiate just one of the claims which you make about the party, just one.
Let's see your research credentials in action, little man....
Iain, I've blogged about it: http://joshuachambers.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/bnp-exposure-important-scrutiny-or-undue-publicity/
Brilliant that you interviewed Darby and a strong interview too.
Excellent work, guys. You and Hopi are a v good team. No technical problems at all at my end, no buffering or other annoyances. Your microphone technique needs some improvement though, so that we can hear what people are saying and _not_ hear them when they're whispering in the background!
It was a remarkable day and you and the network were proved right - the show was a great idea. Other networks took your lead and increased their coverage. (They're going to have to rethink their results presentation policy though.) My highlights were Hutton (which caused such ire in me that I had to phone in), Gibson (surreal!) and Kinnock/Flint, though I only caught up on that later.
The tweeting worked really well too. Roll on Sunday.
I didn't hear that guy in Austria who supposedly supported the BNP but given the comments that have been made about him it seems that he made a right tit of himself.
Although maybe, just maybe, he mightn't really have been a BNP supporter after all.
Black propaganda, anyone? It's not like there's anyone out to discredit the party, is there? The mainstream media give them a fair crack, don't they?
Guessedworker
"Do you support the race-replacement of the English?" The term "race-replacement" has no rational meaning. Meaningless questions cannot be answered yes or no.
"Do you think the English are as worth preserving as, say, Jews or Tibetans?"
I think every person is worth preserving, with rare exceptions irrelevant to this discussion. The race or nationality (when you say Tibetan you don't specify which you mean) is completely irrelevant.
"Do you think it is "hate" and "racism" for Jews and Tibetans to pursue their own survival, or does that only apply to the English?"
See above answer.
"Do you think the pain of non-white people helped to start a new life elsewhere is equivalent to the pain of the English suffering race-replacement and loss of his homeland?"
Errrr, what? That is complete and utter nonsense. Has no more meaning than a Spike Milligan poem. I suspect that if one approaches it with a racist assumption it has meaning to you, but even on that basis I can't for the life of me work out what.
As for my race, what possible relevance does that have? The great thing about the internet, or any written communication by people with no knowledge of each other is that race makes no difference. The direct meaning behind the words is all that matters.
It appears you are trying to say that I am simple-minded and conventional, which to those that knew me would be one of the most inapt descriptions I know. I am not so naïve as to equate simple minds with stupidity, as some of the simplest people I know are quite clever, but even on that basis my mind is far more complicated than I really like. I would like to be simpler, as well as more conventional but accept that I am quite complicated and unconventional.
It is stupid arrogance to assume things about people you don't know. For that matter I do not even assume that you are stupid or arrogant, just that what you have written is stupid and arrogant. You might be quite bright and humble in person, just when writing about people who can never hold you to account you write things that are arrogant and ignorant.
Your odd concept of a left-racist is completely made up by you, and only indicates you know nothing about left-right politics. I am right-wing, but as a libertarian.
If I was not English by descent, what have I said that is racist? If I am, why does that make a difference? If you answer those questions I am happy to tell you my racial background and even anything about me that will show how wrong you are to call me simple-minded and conventional.
P.S. You have admitted to racism simply by differentiating between your reasons for disliking me if I am of purely English or Jewish descent. You have only seen my words, how does my race affect my words?
I have been critical of some aspects of the Telegraphs nitpicking approach to the expenses issue.
But I cannot resist this bit from tonight's web page (alongf with him double claiming a la darling on his houses)
"A detailed analysis of Mr Brown's expense claims also reveals that the Prime Minister claimed £30 on his office expenses for the cost of hiring a bagpiper to play at a ceremony for veterans."
And you thought Ebeneza Balfour was tight fisted.
Richard,
Your labelling English survival racism is the issue. You wouldn't label the survival of your own people that way, would you?
So, hypocrite, are you going to answer my questions, or are you going to continue trying to use left-racist labelling tactics?
They won't work. Morality lives in the house of the victim people, and the victims of the postmodern world are the English.
Enoch, dear boy, I have never had to advertise my services. There is no link. If asking me to correct your lack of knowledge of the BNP you were not intending to suggest I should take responsibility for your ignorance then I accept your correction. However you did give that impression.
As for the legal implications of the Gulf and Afghan wars I can only assume then that if you are so well-informed you are quite aware that neither could be illegal in any meaningful sense of the word. Therefore you are dishonest to imply otherwise.
Guessewdworker
I never labelled English survival racism. Morality is independent of who the victim is. Nothing i have said is hypocritical, and all the questions you have asked that are not just a meaningless stream of words with a question mark at the end I have answered.
Are you now going to answer my questions? What have I said that is racist? What difference does my race make?
Race-replacement, incidentally, is a term from political science. I realise you would probably not know this, but it would be a good thing not to pursue your ignorance any further.
I don't hold out much hope generally of debating with you, partly because you are not English and don't share our ethnic interests, but also because I am afraid you lack the mental acuity to parse an unfamiliar concept.
To put it as simply as possible: No Englishman can be racist in his own land. It cannot ever be racist to defend oneself against an invader on one's living space. It is natural to defend oneself.
It IS racist, however, to discriminate against a native people with exceptionalist labelling. I strongly recommend you not to employ the semiotics of the cultural left any further.
I have the honour of being the last caller today. It was a great show, Iain, although the sound on the telephone when I spoke to you was very low, but I could hear the music very clearly whilst I was on hold.
You are great on the radio. More of the same, please.
Just listened to the podcast with the BNP. You were absolutely right to interview him...he showed himself to be ill informed and stupid. Good on you!
The Ziwbabwe bit was a classic where you ran rings around him.
Frightening but people need to hear it.
I never labelled English survival racism.
What do you think you are doing when you label the BNP and, by extention, any loyal Englishman as nasty?
Nothing i have said is hypocritical
I suspect you really believe that.
all the questions you have asked that are not just a meaningless stream of words with a question mark at the end I have answered
Dear fellow, in my long political life I have debated with the best the left has to offer. Those people could penetrate concepts of English ethnic continuity. You can't, apparently. Look to your limitations for the cause.
Are you now going to answer my questions?
Answer mine if you can. I want other readers to see you struggle.
Your racism is not merely a matter of words. It is your Weltenshauung. You are, and I repeat myself, a product of the postmodern zeitgeist which is itself anti-white racist from top to bottom.
For example, you wrote: "they think that people born in Britain should be sent to countries where their grandparents happened to grow up just because of their skin colour (of course a white person of say German extraction would not be sent back to Germany)"
There is your racism, in the automaticity of your assumption that the English have no right to claim life and reclaim land, and the default setting for "decency" and "fairness" is empathy sans limit for Third World populations in our land.
You have to go back to my father's and grandfather's wartime generations to find a milieu that contained none of this self-estrangemenbt and ethno-masochism.
Racism in England in our age is only and always anti-white racism.
What frustrates me Iain is not you but the factional illiterate minority of your audience. Once again you conducted yourself with decency and aplomb talking to the BNP.Sadly your co-presenter was an ignorant amateur abhorrent.The more we give BNP a platform the more we as an electorate harvest personal opinion and do not have to subscribe to monopolistic unelected quangos orgs such as BBC. I make no judgement here about BNP and their politics. But i do make judgement of your courage. Fucking well done.Apologies for my profanity.Yours...
I listened from $pm when I got home from work & to the podcast of Boris.
The 2 hours I listened to were very good. Hopi came a across as a bit hokey, in the last hour he really lost his credibility.
Loved your remark about Cornish independence movement 'Known to most of us as beardy twats'!! :)
and the Kinnock reaction was spot on.
Sundays show should be awesome, I'll be able to listen to all of it.
Guessedworker
Actually “race replacement” is a term in vehicle maintenance. In politics it appears only to be used by racist groups, as far as an internet search suggests (and no, I don’t use Google precisely because it is politically biased).
More arrogant assumptions from you. You are assuming that I am not English, as well as that whether I am English or not matters. As for my mental acuity, you have no reason to doubt it. In fact you appear to be struggling to understand what I am saying, so I am tempted to start reducing the complexity of my arguments, but am reluctant to be so patronising.
An Englishman can be racist wherever he so pleases. I think you mistake the definition of racist, invader and defend. That suggests again that you are the one lacking in mental acuity, but again I will not patronise you but give you some dictionary definitions to work with:
Racist is an adjective derived from the noun racism, defined as
1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
Both of which definitions fit English people I have known. I have even known black-skinned English people who fit one or other description.
Invader is a noun derived from the verb to invade, defined as
1. To enter by force in order to conquer or pillage.
2. To encroach or intrude on; violate.
3. To overrun as if by invading; infest.
4. To enter and permeate, especially harmfully.
None of these definitions can possibly apply to people born in Britain, whatever colour their skins might be or whether they have foreskins or not.
Defend means
1. To make or keep safe from danger, attack, or harm.
2. Sports
a. To attempt to prevent the opposition from scoring while playing in or near (a goal or area of a field, for example).
b. To be responsible for guarding (an opposing player).
c. To compete against a challenger in an attempt to retain (a championship).
3. To support or maintain, as by argument or action; justify.
4. Law
a. To represent (a defendant) in a civil or criminal action.
b. To attempt to disprove or invalidate (an action or claim).
Which do not apply to the BNP’s blanket disapproval of certain people. They are not causing danger, there is no sport involved, the BNP struggle with the idea of reasoned debate and well, the BNP’s relationship with the law is well-documented.
Guessedworker
"What do you think you are doing when you label the BNP and, by extention, any loyal Englishman as nasty?"
The BNP are not loyal Englishman. Certainly you are either stupid or deliberately dishonest to extend my dislike of racist thugs to any loyal Englishman.
Since you have not shown anything I have said to be hypocritical then of course I believe that. My argument has been far more consistent than yours has.
In your idea of English ethnic continuity are you talking about the Anglo-Saxon part (and the Angles or the Saxons?), the Norse part, the Celtic part, the Roman part or one of the other minor contributions? It seems irrelevant when we all come from the same tribe if you go back far enough. I suspect I know what you mean by it, but since this is the first time I have addressed it you are clearly not very sharp in implying I don’t understand. That makes you look to be lacking in intelligence, not me.
I have answered your questions. Your meaningless rambles I have not, although I will if you reword them in terms that make sense in plain English. I look forward to you explaining what you meant without looking like an ignorant racist.
“There is your racism, in the automaticity of your assumption that the English have no right to claim life and reclaim land, and the default setting for "decency" and "fairness" is empathy sans limit for Third World populations in our land”
You just made that up entirely. I have never said anyone cannot claim their own life. If land belongs to a person then they can claim it. If it does not then they cannot reclaim it. The concept of property rights is fundamental to a sound economy, and right-wing politics. Third World populations are well known for not being on any land that could be claimed as yours, them being, you know, in the third world. Of course I know you didn’t quite mean that, but are still trying to use weasel words to hide your racism.
“Racism in England in our age is only and always anti-white racism.”
What an utterly ridiculous statement. It is demonstrably false. I have seen racism against non-whites, from both whites and non-whites. There is racism against whites; it is not reported as often or as widely as it should be. Denying that there is racism against non-whites does not help that, it just proves you have a very poor idea of what racism means.
P.S. You have answered what I have said that you claim is racist, and of course it turns out I am not racist against the English race as fixed after the Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Celtic, Roman and Norman (essentially more Norse) invasions but before the advent of immigration in the 20th century*, I just don't like BNP thugs, and you made a bizarre leap.
I am still willing to let you know my racial background as far as I know it myself if you answer my question as to why my race actually matters, and my words are made more or less relevant by my skin colour or whether my foreskin was removed by a doctor or a rabbi.
Iain Dale knows my surname so can probably guess my race. He can tell you if I am telling the truth.
*P.P.S.What about Irish? They have some common ancestory, as they are Celts. Also they mixed with the English a bit earlier than the arrivcal of significant numbers of black and asian people, but do they count as other races?
P.P.P.S. How about the Spanish? No significant mixing before the 20th century, but some common ancestory and they aren't actually black. Are they OK?
P.P.P.P.S. The slavs are very white. Is it skin colour that matters or actual closeness of the common ancestory?
P.P.P.P.P.S. Inuit and other Eskimos or Turks? Eskimos are very white, but common ancestors might, in some cases, be further back than darker people, say the Turks or Greeks. Which are better staying? I like a kebab you see after a few drinks (English bitter of course, not the foreign lagers most racist thugs drink) but have never really fancied seal blubber.
Just heard the Boris interview, Iain. First rate job. Well done!
Incidentally, I agree with Boris. I think Brown will try to bottle, sorry, battle, on to next May.
In the meantime
The long goodbye?
I couldn't listen live, as I was at work, but I have listened to the Simon Darby interview this evening.
Firstly, I agree with your approach of letting the BNP have their say and attempting to actually counter their arguments by debate, Iain. No opinion, be it holocaust denial, "9/11 was an inside job", or "all politicians are shape-shifting lizards", should be regarded as so offensive that we simply refuse to sit down with their proponents and argue things out with them.
As for the interview itself, I think Mr Darby made a few interesting points, but nothing that would persuade me to vote BNP. I also thought he lacked political skills while being interviewed. He allowed you to keep interrupting him and cutting him off in mid flow, whereas an experienced politician should expect that from a "non-friendly" interviewer and should simply not let it detract them from completing their points. He'll have to learn how to handle his interview(er)s much better, if he is to stand a chance of making an impact on the more mainstream media. (Mind you, they probably never give him the opportunity anyway, so it's little wonder he hasn't had the chance to learn!)
I liked the show, but again, please retire the veritable queenly jokes and vintage innuendos.
I think you could have done better against Simon Darby, the Zim joke was funny in a way but you ended up conceding the point by default because you were more interested in scoring a cheap shot to impress the home crowd than winning the argument proper.
You know you can, and you know that it has to be done straight, with a smile... watch this young man's superior technique and learn: http://www.vidivodo.com/269221/too-curious-kitten
This is the first time I have listened and I was gripped and stayed on the whole time from about 1pm (9am Bermuda). I thought you all did a good job of keeping it interesting and informative and were well ahead of BBC and Sky. The former seems to think that Brown did a good job at his news conference. Unfortunately par for the course and leads one to despair sometimes with the World Service, which is normally excellent (except its complete bias in UK politics). I will make a point of listening when I can on Sunday and will now look at your blog (which I never visited before).
With great respect to you Iain may I point out that to gain a British passport does not instantly make a person English.
The English/Scottish/Welsh/Irish are the main native inhabitants of these islands, for example if I lived in China I would never become Chinese or if I lived in Pakistan I could never ever be described as being a Pakistani or if I lived in Japan I would never be considered japanese.
Each and every nation of the world deserves a homeland where their own culture and way of life is celebrated and protected, multiculturalism dictates that the native inhabitants must give way to alien and sometimes hostile colonisation.
For centuries the UK has been able to integrate immigrants into our culture with relative success, the Jews for example have integrated extremely well and the same goes for other groups BUT recently some immigrants groups have not integrated well and have brought alien ideals and ways of life which directly conflict with our own.
The British islands have a long history of inviting people to share our way of life and our wonderful culture but recently there has been a change in the direction of integration, we the native inhabitants are being forced to integrate with foreign cultures, our nation is being forced to accept the alien ideals of immigrant groups who in large measure shun our native British culture and wish not only to bring their own way of life to these shores but force the native inhabitants to give way.
Mass immigration has been a disaster and along with enforced multiculturalism it is breeding mass discontent.
I listened to the final four hours of your programme from Hungary, and thoroughly enjoyed it - I loved the warm and very pleasant atmosphere.
Obviously, that fact that the BBC didn't provide a rolling results service but you did will raise some very interesting questions for the BBC about public service broadcasting when the Conservatives win the next election, particularly given the number of Tories that listen to your programme.
I thought Hopi Sen came over as a very likeable person and more than capable of holding his own with the BNP, as the interview with the chap in Austria proved. It is also great that you have someone to discuss things with in the studio.
You sometimes forgot the faders when the ads were on but that was no problem as we could hear that you are all just as nice off mic as on it!
Look forward to listening to your rolling General Election results programme in a few weeks time ;)
Must admit I missed it but the idea was very good. Just puzzles me why a clever man like you supports extremists like the European Latvians etc in their European grouping. Don't you remember the anti gay legislation - section 22 if I remember rightly. Think how much worse it will get when the Torys pitch in with people likekthat! Do you have a lemming mentality, or what?
all hope remains in Spedo Shorts
Good luck on your show because aything is better than piggy boulton at Sty News where we have top watch him eating hos own vomit (metaphorically of course).
In my opinion, this show puts the broadcast media to shame, I congratulate you.
In discussion with Simon Darby, Ian Dale said that those born in the UK or perhaps whose (grand)parents were are indigenous.
How then would one define the indigenous peoples of North America, Australia or Tibet?
Are Europeans indigenous to Africa? Are Africans indigenous to Europe?
More generally, is anyone indigenous to anywhere? If so, how? If not why not?
Or consider that their has been a post WW2 movement of Han Chinese into Tibet, without the consent of the indigenous Tibetan population. How has the latter benefited? Are these Han Chinese Tibetan or immigrants? Are the offspring of these Han Chinese Tibetan or immigrants? Do the same disciples of Diversity who describe UK as a mongrel nation say the same of pre-WW2 Tibet?
Indeed why is the replacement of the indigenous UK population by a large number of disparate groups deemed desirable when the empirical data demonstrates that Diverse societies worldwide are almost always a failure? [1]
It appears to me that the Ruling Class acknowledge and promote the existence of indigenous peoples outside the British Isles but not within them.
[1] A qualitative description of how Multi-ethnic societies are a failure worldwide is given by Professor Tutu Vanhanen in his book “Ethnic Conflicts Explained by Ethnic Nepotism”. ISBN 0762305835 . An illuminating review by Johan M.G. van der Dennen, Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Groningen, the Netherlands can be found at http://rint.rechten.rug.nl/rth/dennen/vanhanen.htm. The review is well worth the time it takes to read it. A synopsis is … Vanhanen’s macroquantitative research on ethnic conflicts, a life-work spanning several decades, is an important contributing factor in this tide-turning process.
Conflicts are common in all countries of the world where people are divided into separate groups on the basis of racial, ethnic, national, linguistic, tribal, religious, caste, or other differences. … explained by our evolved predisposition to ethnic nepotism, which is regarded as an extended form of kin nepotism. Evolutionary theories of inclusive fitness and kin selection … explain the evolutionary origin and universality of nepotism. …,[b] (1) significant ethnic divisions tend to lead to ethnic interest conflicts in all societies and (2) the more a society is ethnically divided, the more political and other interest conflicts tend to become canalized along ethnic lines. These two hypotheses are tested by empirical evidence covering 148 contemporary states … the degree of ethnic conflict is indeed strongly related to the degree of ethnic divisions. [/b][emphasis added]… What the cultural theorists have in common … is a reluctance of
acknowledging the existence of ethnic conflicts … Ethnic groups can thus be perceived as extended kin groups. … People belonging to the same ethnic group tend to support each other in conflict situations. … Our tendency to favor kin over nonkin has extended to include large linguistic, national, racial, religious, and other ethnic groups. … Ethnic divisions seem to have produced ethnic conflicts in practically all countries of the world. Vanhanen notes that cultural theories are hardly able to explain the universality of ethnic conflicts. …
Great show, and you beat sky news to air with the news of Hutton Quiting.
Roll on Sunday
Forced repatriation of all of those of Norman descent!
Iain, I enjoyed the show-it was a refreshing change to have more in depth coverage than the usual thirty seconds per item sanitised package that the main-stream media provides.
The fact that your guests (and indeed hosts!) came from a rainbow of party affiliations and positions was also a much needed change.
I look forward to listening to the broadcast on Sunday.
Iain,
I tried a few times to get through after our initial chat, but the phone was never answered.
I did manage a tally of over 2,500 votes from various boxes around Waltham Forest and we won. However, I was concentrating on those where we had been working so not surprising!
What did become clear was another squeeze on the Lib Dems who did not advance, even retreated in areas where they were up against Labour. I don;t think it was on the scale of last year's London elections, but I am pretty confident that they will be behind both Labour and UKIP in London, possible also the Greens.
London MEP line up therefoe likely to be C - 3, UKIP - 2, Lab - 2, Green 1.
Anyone know what has happened to politicalbetting.com? I can only get a post from April.
"So, was it as polished as a BBC production? No, but it wasn't meant to be. Was it professional? I hope so"
Please never ever allow it to become 'as polished as a BBC production or, indeed, 'professional'. If you do, you'll have joined Them. And that is the moment when I shall turn off my wireless.
I thought it was very good, and I hope to be able to tune back in on Sunday night. I have a Mac, but there didn't seem to be any problems playing content - it just opened in iTunes, which was a bit of a surprise!
The one criticism I had was that I thought you were a bit unfair on Hopi over the Brown press conference. Yes, his viewpoint was one I flatly disagreed with as well, but it was a point of view that many in the Labour party do hold, so it should have been aired and I think it's a pity you lost your rag at him (I know it's Brown you were mad at, but it didn't quite come across that way). Hope you don't mind me saying that.
Apart from that, I enjoyed the show and was very impressed - the three of you made a good team. A rolling type out of the latest updates on the net would have been a further boon to stop me having to leap between local authority websites, but I know you've only got one pair of hands each!
Iain,
I listened to the show for a large chunk of the day - I thought it was excellent.
You had the right balance of people, opinions and the guests were all free thinking people. There were no idiots on "just towing" the party line in their interviews - which is all you hear elsewhere.
@Cassandra
"The English/Scottish/Welsh/Irish are the main native inhabitants of these islands, for example if I lived in China I would never become Chinese or if I lived in Pakistan I could never ever be described as being a Pakistani or if I lived in Japan I would never be considered japanese."
But if you moved to and became a citizen, you and your children could and could be consider "American", "French", "Canadian", 'Australian", "South African", "Peruvian", "Brazilian" or even "Argentinian." - - these days this norm applies in Britain.
I heard the BNP podcast. It wasn't great to be honest and was only memorable for the fact that someone called Hopi Sen spat his dummy out.
The past few days has been more about a disastrous Labour government coming to an end than anything else. Then there are the revelations that Gordon Brown is as guilty as any other MP for trying to fiddle his expenses.
I of course got straight through on the phone - a testament to my seniority no doubt, as well as my many very important contributions to this blog.
The amateurishness was charming and refreshing, as was your willingness to debate everything with Hopi.
The BNP thing was a bit of a mixed bag - I think they need challenging primarily on their lack of real patriotism (they are against British interests on many points) and the reality of their racism (something they deny now, at least in front of a microphone) - you had a stab at these but it could have been better. Good luck next time!
I think it's becoming clear now everyone has had time to reflect that despite your gung-ho jubilation yesterday, the Tories did not actually advance very much and their percentage gain of the vote was unconvincing for what is allegedly a landslide government in waiting. All that really happened is some Labour voters stayed home.
Bit of a depressing reflection on the reality of British voters that after so much muck being thrown at all 3 leading parties, the most the voters could come up with was a small shift in apathy.
Let's see if the Euros are any different!
In all the celebrating think on this. There were three by elections in Scotland on Thursday - all won by Labour with the Tories a long way back in fourth place.
I found it really difficult to listen to the show, my girlfriend just wouldn't stop talking all the way through.
Is there anything you can do to sort this?
Spedo Shorts
It seems that you have fallen for the media pro-EU misinformation. There are extremist groups in the EPP and the left-wing group that Labour follows (can't remember teh name or be bothered to look it up). In fact one of the more extreme parties is about to join the EPP, a great time for the Conservatives to leave, I think!
Richard
Sorry, I am not familiar with this board so this reply may end up in the wrong place. Thanks for the reply and you may well be right - I am no expert in things European. Anywy, let us all just keep a level head on our shoulders, that is all I would say,,,,,,,,,,Spedo
Loved the show Iain.
Kepp up the phenomenal work.
You are making a difference
I listened for most of the day and really enjoyed it (as other people have already commented, it interfered with my workflow too much!). I had forgotten just how much I enjoy intelligent political analysis (must be years of being bored into submission by the BBC!).
A very welcome addition.
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