The Mail on Sunday has gone into overedrive today calling for the BBC to sack Jonathan Ross over his interview with David Cameron. Norman Tebbit has rather predictably called for heads to roll too. People should calm down. David Cameron knew precisely what he was doing by going on the programme and will have expected some fairly near the knuckle questions, although not THAT 'one off the knuckle' question, perhaps. (sorry, couldn't resist).
The whole interview lasted 40 minutes and it was edited down to 10. I do think the BBC should have edited THAT remark out, but apart from that I have no complaint. There's no conspiracy here and those who decry both the BBC and David Cameron should read this comment, which has been left of a previous thread.
Posters should ask non politicos they know (age 18 - 30) what they thought of Cameron. I did this yesterday at a Charity BBQ and all thought Cameron "got it right".What's more surely the most significant thing is Ross saying "I haven't had politicians on before - but you are interesting" - Anyone think Brown would be getting this - The Cameron Steam roller rolls on.
I have to say this has been my experience so far too. I've heard one or two died in the wool Tories spluttering about it but everyone else from the real world thought Cameron came out of it very well indeed. Surely people realise that if we're to build the big tent we need our leaders - not just DC - to appear on programmes Tories would normally not have been seen dead on. It's not fumbing down, it's not debasing ourselves, it's appearing on programmes that normal people watch. Five million people watch Jonathan Ross every week. I'm one of them. We can't all be wrong.
15 comments:
Perhaps old Norm should auction his services as a complainer on http://www.auctionyourservice.com
Im sure he would get a lot of bids as he is quite a pro!
Cameron did well, but the Ross programme is dumb, down and degrading, and the viewing profile is proof. Get real Ian.
Well said Iain. DC came across very well. The young people like DC and full marks to him for having the courage to go JRs show.
5 million people watch Jonathan Woss, maybe, but how many of them vote? One? Two? Bah!
I was in a bar for the France / Togo game and had one eye on 'Ross' when it came on. My two drinking buddies were a card carrying LibDem (hey, I'm a small 'l' liberal, I'll drink with all sorts) and a left-leaning Frenchman. They both thought DC came out of it very well.
That's definitely the key point Iain - the Jonathan Ross interview was not designed for those of us politics obsessives who are used to analysing every word, but to a far less politically engaged group. It was a gamble for DC to do it, but I reckon it will have paid off.
Given how increasingly turned off by politics people are becoming, there's surely a case to be made for more of these 'less traditional' interviews to take place. Although I'm not sure how many MPs would survive the JR experience as well as DC!
I was at an Indian wedding in the Midlands over the weekend. The consensus there (yes, I couldn't resist asking the question too) was that DC had done well. Now don't tell me that's not a target demographic and don't tell me Norma Tebbit would be better at getting them.
Somewhat disappointed by Dave's recorded performance in his back garden with Andrew Marr (or "Andy" as his femail American guest insisted on calling him) this am.
He completely bottled the question as to whether the huge subsidies paid by English taxpayers to the Scots should be reviewed - disappointing.
Meanwhile "Andy" appeared to be wearing the very same shirt and tie for both this Saturday recording and his live show on Sunday. Does he only have one of each or perhaps the good lady Marr was on strike.
As I've said on CH, this whole hissy fit by the Mail is predictable but utterly absurd.
Don't watch British TV but I cannot see what it benefits Cameron to go with Ross...........it is not TV audiences he needs it is infrastructure in Northern England.................
TV Politics turns people off...........TV turns people off
The young people like DC
Indeed. All my peers think he's "phat" and admire his ownership of both an iPod and a pair of Converse sneakers: we really respond to that.
I don't really care about the Dave interview. He was stupid enough to go on, so probably deserved what he got. But Woss is a pain, and is to public service broadcasting what food is to excrement. So what 5 million people watch. 15 million of the morons watched Rickett on Coronation Street. Don't pander to their stupidity!
As for non-politicos. Well I don't care about them. A lot of them tend not to vote, or vote for the wrong reasons. If we are going to just go for cheap populism without policy, when not just get someone off a soap opera or something. Oh hang on a minute...
Ah!Norman. He showed great promise of his early days.
Needs to be back in the fold.
Look forward to his return.
Not enough pain being enjoyed within the ranks.
Doom
I wonder how long it will be before we find DC in the Big Brother house with the sound of birds twittering everytime he says something political.
Davide,
Don't even joke about that. After Friday, I think no action of stupidity is too much. Don't give them ideas.
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