For the special election edition of Total Politics, I thought it would be wrong to interview a party politician, so for the first time I am doing one of my IN CONVERSATION interviews with a political journalist, and Sky News's Adam Boulton has I'll be doing the interview tomorrow afternoon. As usual, on the basis that many minds are greater than one, I am soliciting advice on questions you might like me to ask him.
Do suggest them in the comments.
Is Gordon Brown really as bad-tempered as he seemed to be in a couple of interviews Mr Bolton did with him last year? Did he think he was ever in any physical danger at any point!
ReplyDeleteObvious question that he'll expect from you (as an avid watcher of everything he does on Sky)- During this morning's paper review with Kevin Maguire and Amanda Platell, today's MonS splash was discussed and AB said that he doesn't think political hacks should become politicians so quickly. (and Maguire revealed that he's been asked several times to become an MP)
ReplyDeleteWhy is this AB's view and has he never been approached?!
"Is your constant conflation of the deficit with the debt symptomatic of bias or of economic illiteracy?"
ReplyDeleteor:
"How do you manage to stay in shape?"
Are you as pro New Labour as Andrew Marr?
ReplyDeleteWill he be an unbiased moderator f Sky's leader's debate or will he protect Gordon Brown from too much criticism? Asking David Dimbleby the same question would be a waste of time - http://notasheepmaybeagoat.blogspot.com/2009/07/bbclabour-relationship-in-one-video.html
ReplyDeleteAsk him whether he believes that any new government will be able to overcome the public cynicism towards politicians and disengagement with politics in general or have there been changes in society which mean the days of trust have gone for ever?
ReplyDeleteHow many hours a week does Adam work!!? He seems to be available 24x7 for Sky!!
ReplyDeleteHere's a question I hope you will ask:
ReplyDelete"When Gordon lost his cool and ran off when you asked him some rather mild questions during the famous or infamous interview, what went through your mind at the time? And what were your subsequent thoughts about how he (Brown) handled himself?"
'Given that Tony Blair attended his wedding - along with Blunkett Jowell and Hain - and that his wife (a posh public schoolgirl, I note) worked for Blair ("the most influential non-elected person in Downing Street") .... how does he justify his independence as a journalist?'
ReplyDelete'Is it not thus clear that he is institutionally left wing, that he views the world through left wing glasses and is this not inevitably going to colour his journalism?'
'Does his own probable self justification of his independence blind him to the institutionally left wing stance of the BBC?'
'Is he not ashamed of the cowardice shown by the Lobby in questioning Blair and Brown? Is he not sickened at been used as a platform for the spreading of their blatant lies and 'brownies'?'
'Deep in is heart does he not admit that spending 100 days in Washigton DC to cover Obama was a total gimick and unjustifiable waste of time, his and ours? Might his time for instance have been better spent investigating the equipment shortages and lack of political will affecting our armed forces in Afghanistan?'
How much time have you got Mr Dale?
In America the rules on broadcasting, especially on cable, are more relaxed on ours and this leads to more 'opinion shows' which have a more biased slant to the left and to the right - does he feel that relaxing the laws here would give rise to more interesting news and politic relating programming on Sky and other networks
ReplyDeleteTo what extent is it possible to remain politically neutral - and do you think that you are?
ReplyDeleteAsk him whether he feels that Sky is more or less even-handed than the BBC in political coverage.
ReplyDeleteIs Sky News independent of the views of the Murdochs?
Roughly how often is he or his colleagues invited into No 10 for a chat?
how can he claim to have any integrity when he participates in a corrupt lobby system, where a coterie of insiders decide which parts of thectruth are to be revealed to the huddled masses?
ReplyDeletee.g. gordon'd bare-faced lie about wanting darling at number 11 when the whole press pack had been briefed he was being sacked, and ed balls had cleared his desk in preparation fro the move.......
I think that AB and Sky generally are reasonably unbiased - unlike their appalling stablemate Fox News. How does Sky News keep neutral when Fox is so utterly biased?
ReplyDeleteWell said 'Unsworth' -- though I still prefer my long vituperative 'when did you stop beating your wife' version of the same question.
ReplyDeleteAs the Speaker has apparently refused to enforce the Code of Conduct for MPs by clamping down on non-answers, crafted sound bites and personal attacks (particularly by Brown and Cameron at PMQs), shouldn't the main political interviewing outlets - Newsnight, Today, Sky - do the job for him when politicians appear on air? Perhaps Sky could set an example to the others in the forthcoming Leaders' debates?
ReplyDeleteMany people consider SkyNews is Pro Labour. Being married to Tony Blairs right hand woman, would you agree?
ReplyDeleteWhen are SkyNews going to have you and Jeff Randall interviewing politicians together? Now that would be a riveting programme!
Will Jeff Randall be interviewing the would be chancellors on a one to one basis for Sky?
Why have internet Blogs not been given the credit for many of the top political revelations?
http://cyberboris.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/gordon-tells-the-truth/
ReplyDeleteGordon tells the truth.... and it's the only time in living memory. Somebody should remind him of this remark.
"How do you (and Alistair Stewart & David Dimbleby) propose to get the prospective Prime Ministers to actually answer the questions posed in the debates and not make negative party political comments attacking their opponents as seen in PMQ's ?"
ReplyDeleteI'd ask Adam if there is any remote chance that he might subject government ministers to the same level of scrutiny he gives the Tories? (or is it only when the PM gives key interviews to puppy dog Marr rather than himself that he gives Labour politicians the sort of rough ride they deserve?)
ReplyDeleteAt what time in the morning do you receive word of Today's Murdoch Line?
ReplyDeleteHow did you and your fellow lobby correspondents fail to notice blatant and massive corruption by MPs for many years? Or is it just that you chose not to report it - if the latter, why?
ReplyDeleteStrapworld sais, "When are SkyNews going to have you and Jeff Randall interviewing politicians together? Now that would be a riveting programme!"
ReplyDeleteI think Sky have done this to Brown with Martin Brunt (Crime), Jeff Randall (Economy) and one of the sky politics bods (could have been Adam Boulton).
It was a good interview and needless to say Jeff Randall didn't hold back. None of the defference normally seen by a bought off media.
. What does your wife think of Cherie Blair
ReplyDelete2. what was it like having to deal with alistair campbell
3. do you ever feel used by the politicians
4. do you ever have sympathy for the politicians
5. has gb treated you badly?
6. do you think politicians are treated with less respect now
7. does it annoy you when politicians or their famalies make comments on twitter that you would rather have heard?
8. do you realise how important your job is to the frustrated millions at home - shouting the questions at the tv?
9. were you concerned for gb when he gave youthe death stare?
Why did Sky not provide more coverage of the story that Lehman Brothers came to London to have their creative accounting methods (repo 105, as reported in Private Eye) signed off. So the 'global' financial meltdown actually started in London...also why is so little made of the scandal of the Private Finance Initiative, why is it 'off record' and how many billions will we be paying for how long to cover the profits.
ReplyDeleteAsk our 'leaders' how the human and financial cost of the war in Afghanistan will discourage 'home grown' terrorists or Saudi Arabian led terrorist attacks such as 9/11?
ReplyDelete