Question time

I was invited on Question Time this week, which gave me a few sleepless nights. Natalie Bennett’s disastrous interview on LBC was a reminder that appearing on a current affairs programme in this febrile pre-election environment can be a bit of a minefield. Admittedly, I’m not the leader of a political party but that’s no guarantee I won’t make a fool of myself — a moment that will be preserved for ever on YouTube. There are no opportunities for glory on Question Time, but plenty for embarrassment. The most you can hope for is to get through the experience in one piece. By now you may well have seen what

Tristram Hunt caused upset on Question Time when he appeared to question the abilities of nuns as teachers during a debate with Cristina Odone. He has since tried some damage limitation in the form of a tweet saying he was attempting ‘to make a generalised point about the use of unqualified teachers in schools’. Now one of the more technologically savvy Benedictine nuns Sister Catherine Wybourne has taken to Twitter to speak of her pity for the shadow education secretary. Poor Tristram Hunt. Think how much brighter he might be if he’d been taught by nuns. 😉 — Sr CatherineWybourne (@Digitalnun) February 6, 2015 The Labour MP was educated at the University College School in London, which

Question Time last night. My colleague Cristina Odone of the Legatum Institute  is explaining that ‘some of the most inspiring teachers who taught me were not out of teacher training college… they taught real values’. And a snooty, taunting voice interrupts her. ‘But these were nuns. They were nuns, weren’t they?’ That word ‘nun’ was larded with contempt. The voice belonged to the Honourable Tristram Hunt, the square-jawed narcissist who serves Ed Miliband as shadow education secretary and cannot conceal his desire to succeed him. This is the same Dr Hunt who wants to clamp down on five-year-olds using the word ‘gay’ inappropriately. Presumably he’s also opposed, quite rightly, to talking

In case you hadn’t heard, Russell Brand was on Question Time last night with Nigel Farage. It was explosive to say the least, with Brand and Farage clashing over pretty much everything. The most electrifying moment – see above – came when a member of the audience rightly pulled up Brand over his throwaway remark that Farage didn’t care about disabled people. The fellow pointed out that the Ukip leader had ‘never criticised the disabled’ and told Brand ‘if you’re going to campaign, then stand…you have the media profile for it, do it.’ Yet instead of his usual reasoning that parliamentary democracy is broken and not fit for purpose, Brand offered a mealy-mouthed pitiful excuse for his incessant shouting from

Greetings from the 2013 Radio Festival, in Salford. I’m here to take part in a debate about whether or not radio reflects the opinions and concerns of a broad enough tranche of the public. It certainly does a better job of this than TV; Radio Five (especially Nicky Campbell) and some of the local stations seem to reflect the views of middle England pretty well. Still, on Radio Four, you get the bien pensant toss rammed down your throat, almost without variation, which is a shame. There are problems enfranchising the silent majority, though: they tend to be silent. This is most obviously evident on BBC1 Question Time, for example,

Question Time last night featured Tory bad boy, and granny’s favourite, Adam Afriyie. Gosh he was a spectacle to behold. Coiffed and primped like a Savile Row supermodel, he looked as if he’d spent six months in makeup. His tailored suit was as smooth as Clingfilm. His hair was a combed flap of silvery darkness. His flawless white shirt was set off by a knotted tie of regal purple that nestled at his throat like a priceless jewel that faraway brigands are plotting to steal. Surely, one thought, this is not a politician. This is a kidnapped prince in a Tintin story. Afriyie has learned some of the rough-and-tumble skills.

Why was Melanie Phillips ousted as the Monday columnist for the Daily Mail? The Guardian suggests that she was frustrated by the ban on writing about Israel, which is not a restriction placed exclusively on Mel. Meanwhile, the peaceniks over at the Indy claim that Mel’s incendiary appearance on Question Time in June made Paul Dacre hit the red button. The clip above will refresh your memory. The Indy has an axe to grind (having lost Dominic Lawson, who is tipped to replace Mel); but I hear that it’s on the money. A source at the Mail tells me: ‘She played up to every stereotype of the paper, and it got too over the top’. Apparently, after the infamous

Great stuff from David Starkey on BBC Question Time last night, hammering away at Harriet Harman, David Dimbleby, Victoria Coren and Shirley Williams for having attained their current positions in society with considerable assistance from their famous and influential (and of course loaded) parents. Yes, precisely; it is pretty much the same every week. Starkey made the point that it is the left which does this sort of thing most often, although I think – looking at the cabinet and the staffing of Number 10 Downing Street – that he would be hard pressed to maintain that point. But nonetheless, he is right that the left does it too and