BBC1, 10.35pm
David Dimbleby is in Manchester tonight, asking the questions of Our Glorious Vince Cable with supporting cast of political midgets. Oh, all right, Community Sec’y of State Hazel Blears, Shadow Commons leader Theresa May, general secretary of Unite Derek Simpson and Spectator political editor Fraser Nelson.
Dunno about the audience’s questions (do they matter in this weekly battle of the egos?), but we can expect DD’s focus to be on who said what about who in the bar at the Tory and Labour conferences, and those yawning – or is it narrowing? – gaps in the polls. Simpson will be the key used to crank open this particular can of sardines, I think. A Labour man, he dismissed David Milliband as “smug and arrogant” when speculation over the Prime Minister’s position was at its height, er, a week and a half ago, and declared that we might just as well get Cameron in since his policies were so similar. A very public disillusioned lefty.
My prediction: our Vince will rise serenely above all this nausea. As ever, feel free to sound off in the comments thread.
BBC1, 10.35pm.
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37 Comments
First! Anyone else around?
We’re listening to Hazel and Vince.,..
Frighteningly obedient applause, seemingly just for the use of the word “greedy”.
But my partner is watching the official Hazel Blears fan video on youtube
Vince, a giant, to coin a phrase, ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Midgets’.
Vince sounds authoritative as usual
What I found astonishing in those opening comments was that when DD turned to Blears to fire Vince’s comments at her, she didn’t even try to say Vince was wrong, she just tried to pick the more comforting parts out of what he had said. That is the real measure of the cross-party respect in which Vince is held.
“… supporting cast of political midgets. Oh, all right, Community Sec’y of State Hazel Blears …”
Oh dear. The “50-inch” tag has really stuck, hasn’t it?
http://heady.co.uk/rm/hazel_blears_harriet_harman.jpg
Alix’s prediction has so far been prescient: Vince has indeed risen above that little May-Blears spat, with a look of faint disapproval on his face.
There’s a perfectly reasonable line that Hazel could take over the credit crunch . . . which would be to point out the numerous was in which the Bush administration have f***ed us over during the course of the last eight years. Sadly, this option is not available due to our continued craven subservience to the US.
. . . of course everything would be just fine if Sentamu and the the bearded idiot were in charge . . .
[I meant ways not was]
Hi Laurence! Mention of the archbishops woke you up?
This business about Ruth Kelly is really very straightforward. It’s all to do with the embryology bill which she can’t support because she’s a mad Catholic. That’s it. If the third reading had been held in the last session, as it should have been, Kelly would already have resigned.
Ha yes! I’ve just been watching the film The Pianist on DVD. Watching QT is a pretty dreadful sequel!
Has the bill not been passed for 3rd reading yet? Didn’t know that. You could be onto something there.
How was the Pianist?
Yes, it was postponed so as not to upset the Catholics of Glasgow East. But it should be coming up soon. To be fair, the press have mentioned the HFEA bill in connection with Kelly, but they just don’t seem to get how central this is to the Opus Dei member.
The Pianist is a totally brilliant film. More gruesome than I was expecting, but unmissable.
Hazel Blears – ugh. How can anyone take this woman seriously.
To be honest, I’
Have you just been murdered?
Oops. I’ll start again:
To be honest, I’m warming to Hazel Blears. Obviously I don’t agree with much she says, but she seems to have endless energy to go out and slag off Tories, when half her colleagues seem to have given up or turned their fire on their colleagues, and she comes across as genuine.
Still, awful centralising statist hag etc.
Thankfully no, just having a senior moment with my keyboard.
There are people who see Hazel as a future Labour leader…
Steady on, not sure I’d go that far…
Not me,,,
Nice to see the audience so worked up about ID cards. About a dozen speaking against, and just one in favour.
Because his wife is a grown woman who can make her own decisions. Next?
There was this article in The Express recently on Blears, which I guess just goes to show how desperate journalists can get sometimes.
Oh God, Farage is on next week. *hits head against wall*
Laurence, what have you been doing fishing around the Express site? Go for the full-fat Mail, mate.
Meanwhile, over to Andrew Neil and chums. With the buildup Neil was giving to this $700bn bail-out earlier (on the Daily Politics), I’m frightened to go to bed before they pass it, in case the world ends tomorrow.
There’s a perfectly rational explanation Andy. I had a haircut the other day. I was last in the queue behind about half a dozen people. Eventually I was forced to read the Express.
Ouch! Traumatic.
Great comment on QT extra:
“The Archbishops know nothing about finance, so stick to prayer because we’re going to need it.”
Laurence might be onto something there with his explanation of the Ruth Kelly resignation
There were (past tense) quite a number of catholics in Hazel’s Lanky Lunatics. Past tense because plotting is on hold.
Great performance by Vince Cable. True leadership on how to deal with the global financial crisis. Not a word about silly, irrelevant, unconvincing tax cut gimmickry. Let’s hope this continues.
Gordon Brown is quite right, of course. Now is not the time for a novice. (Nor, of course, is it sensible to trust the man who led us into this hole with the job of digging us out again!)
Gordon’s comment was clearly aimed at the Davids Miliband and Cameron. But, shouldn’t we also sit up and take notice?