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
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Interviewing Shirley Williams
Tomorrow afternoon I'll be interviewing Shirley Williams for my next IN CONVERSATION interview for Total Politics.
If there is anything you think I should ask her, feel free to suggest questions in the comments.
Does she think it was fundamentally dishonest of Ashdown, Kennedy and Campbell to support proportional representation, which increases the likelihood of hung parliaments, while privately rejecting the very concept of a LibDem/Tory coalition?
She's a doughty old dame. How's retirement suiting her?
Oh, so maybe she hasn't retired yet. What can these former movers and shakers do now? Does she believe that she and her former colleagues can influence the Young Turks - or do they just pay lip-service? Youth rarely listens to wiser heads - be they older or not.
And, incidentally, welcome back to the lunatic asylum!
Does she regret that so few of her colleagues failed to follow 'the gang of 4' in creating/joining the SDP which meant that Labour was not perceived as unelectable with the resulting disastrous financial consequences that have ensued by having another Labour government?
Iain, can you ask her if she truly believes the coalition will last out this parliament and if she expects some Lib Dem MPs to cross the floor of the House?
I'd be interested to know if she feels the somewhat lenient policies towards India's nuclear weapons program are hindering anti-proliferation efforts: particularly against Iran. I'd also be interested in how she thinks the world should handle the Iranian nuclear program.
As a jest, you might also ask her if she can get Gordon Brown a job at Harvard...
Please ask her why the destruction of the grammar schools was not even debated in Parliament but was executed by something called Circular 10/65 (admitedly Crosland was Ed. Sec then), which avoids all parliamentary scrutiny of a government action.
Also ask her why even now there is only one "comprehensive" school in the top 100 UK schools and that is called Watford Grammar School and “selects a sizeable minority of its pupils”. Given this, does she consider the policy a success?
Finally ask her if she is prepared to admit that she and Crosland (both privately educated, as are the vast majority of Labour Ed. Secs, including the last one) did more damage to social mobility in this country than any other single "act" - handing the higher eschelons of UK society back to the public school boys just as the 1944 Education Act was breaking down class barriers as never before.
13 comments:
Does she think it was fundamentally dishonest of Ashdown, Kennedy and Campbell to support proportional representation, which increases the likelihood of hung parliaments, while privately rejecting the very concept of a LibDem/Tory coalition?
Ask her if she feels any personal responsibility for the destruction of the state education system.
I bet you don't though.
Ask her if she is willing to see me (and other People with AIDS) reduced to penury as benefits are taken from those too ill to work.
Ask her if she still has a soul.
I've met Shirley on a number of occasions and she is always utterly charming and also razor sharp in her analysis.
She's a doughty old dame. How's retirement suiting her?
Oh, so maybe she hasn't retired yet. What can these former movers and shakers do now? Does she believe that she and her former colleagues can influence the Young Turks - or do they just pay lip-service? Youth rarely listens to wiser heads - be they older or not.
And, incidentally, welcome back to the lunatic asylum!
Does she regret that so few of her colleagues failed to follow 'the gang of 4' in creating/joining the SDP which meant that Labour was not perceived as unelectable with the resulting disastrous financial consequences that have ensued by having another Labour government?
Iain, can you ask her if she truly believes the coalition will last out this parliament and if she expects some Lib Dem MPs to cross the floor of the House?
You seem to have plenty of material already ! I'm always interested in her mother's influence.
Does she think that abandoning grammar schools has improved educational standards and social mobility.
I'd be interested to know if she feels the somewhat lenient policies towards India's nuclear weapons program are hindering anti-proliferation efforts: particularly against Iran. I'd also be interested in how she thinks the world should handle the Iranian nuclear program.
As a jest, you might also ask her if she can get Gordon Brown a job at Harvard...
Why she's always late!
Ask her where she gets her hair done.
Please ask her why the destruction of the grammar schools was not even debated in Parliament but was executed by something called Circular 10/65 (admitedly Crosland was Ed. Sec then), which avoids all parliamentary scrutiny of a government action.
Also ask her why even now there is only one "comprehensive" school in the top 100 UK schools and that is called Watford Grammar School and “selects a sizeable minority of its pupils”. Given this, does she consider the policy a success?
Finally ask her if she is prepared to admit that she and Crosland (both privately educated, as are the vast majority of Labour Ed. Secs, including the last one) did more damage to social mobility in this country than any other single "act" - handing the higher eschelons of UK society back to the public school boys just as the 1944 Education Act was breaking down class barriers as never before.
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