Tag Archives: bbc question time

Alix Mortimer

Question time: open thread

By Alix Mortimer | Thu 2nd October 2008 - 10:25 pm

BBC1, 10.35pm

Tonight’s edition comes from Birmingham (because the Beeb block-booked their hotel for the whole week presumably), so if you’re watching feel free to sound off in the comments thread. And if you’re not  watching, it’s generally quite fun to try to work out from the utterly scattered observations on said comment thread what is actually going on.

As last week, we get to bask in the idle satisfaction of fielding the best panellist. Tonight Charles Kennedy will be alongside Home Secretary Jacqui “We’ll just change the law” Smith and Nigel Farage of the Planet

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged | 93 Comments
Alix Mortimer

Question Time: open thread

By Alix Mortimer | Thu 25th September 2008 - 10:25 pm

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

…

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | 37 Comments
Mark Pack

Alan Duncan gets it wrong on Question Time

By Mark Pack | Thu 18th September 2008 - 10:56 pm

Tonight on Question Time Alan Duncan has repeatedly denied that the Conservatives were in favour of removing regulation from the mortgage market.

So now might be a good time to remember the policy proposals John Redwood penned for the Conservative Party last year:

We see no need to continue to regulate the provision of mortgage finance.

Even at the time, the idea that the problem with our financial systems was too much regulation of the mortgage market seemed a little, er…, at odds with reality, but given what’s happened since, this wasn’t exactly the best policy call, was it? And perhaps Alan …

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Posted in News | 22 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 18th September 2008 - 10:07 pm

Lynne Featherstone, Lib Dem MP for Hornsey and Wood Green and the party’s spokeswoman on youth and equality issues, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT), back for a new series tonight.

The panel will also include the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman, Conservative shadow business secretary Alan Duncan, editor of Private Eye magazine Ian Hislop, and chief executive of the Next fashion chain Simon Wolfson.

So, if you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | 41 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 10th July 2008 - 9:50 pm

Julia Goldsworthy, Lib Dem MP for Falmouth and Camborne and the party’s spokeswoman on communities and local government, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the Secretary of State for International Development Douglas Alexander, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, television presenter and business woman Saira Khan and the winner of the people’s panellist competition Michael Heaver.

So, if you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 27 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 3rd July 2008 - 9:50 pm

Lib Dem MEP for the south-east of England Baroness Emma Nicholson is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the Minister of State in the Scotland Office and Labour MP for Greenock and Inverclyde David Cairns; Conservative shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley; Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, the SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon; and comedian, actor and writer David Mitchell.

So, if you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 26th June 2008 - 9:50 pm

Lib Dem shadow shadow home secretary and two-time leadership runner-up Chris Huhne is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper, the Conservative shadow security minister Pauline Neville Jones, contemporary artist Grayson Perry and the veteran Daily Mail journalist Ann Leslie.

So, if you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 19th June 2008 - 9:45 pm

Lib Dem shadow foreign affairs spokesperson (and women and equalities spokesperson, too) Jo Swinson is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

Once again, I have to say it looks like a good line-up… The panel will also include the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Hilary Benn, the former Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis, American TV star Jerry Springer and the leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage.

So, if you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 8 Comments
Alix Mortimer

Question Time: open thread

By Alix Mortimer | Thu 12th June 2008 - 11:47 pm

Somewhat belatedly, Question Time started on BBC1 at 11.35pm and is bound to be a lively affair after today’s events.

David Dimbleby chairs the weekly political debate from London, with panellists Baroness Williams, George Pascoe-Watson, June Sarpong, and MP’s Tony McNulty and Michael Gove.

If you’re watching, feel free to use the comments thread to sound off, Laurence.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | 12 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 5th June 2008 - 9:45 pm

Lib Dem deputy leader, shadow chancellor and all-round party star Vince Cable is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

In fact, dare I say it, it looks like really quite an interesting programme this week, as – alongside Vince – will be sitting the Labour Foreign Secretary David Miliband, former Tory Foreign Secretary Lord Hurd, the director of Liberty (and LDV readers’ Liberal Voice of the Year 2007) Shami Chakrabarti and the right-of-Ghengis-Khan columnist Peter Hitchens.

If you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the …

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 26 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 29th May 2008 - 9:46 pm

‘Fraid there are no Lib Dem panellists on tonight’s Question Time, (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT) – but only for the second time in three weeks so no complaints from me.

The panel will include the government’s chief whip, Labour’s Geoff Hoon, the shadow secretary of state for communities and local government, the Tories’ Eric Pickles, the Green Party member of the European parliament for the South East of England Caroline Lucas, the historian and broadcaster Dan Snow and the director of Global Vision Ruth Lea.

If you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free …

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Posted in Lib Dem TV and News | Also tagged | 12 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 22nd May 2008 - 9:50 pm

Lib Dem party president and two-time leadership contender Simon Hughes is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears, the Conservative shadow minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude, the chief executive of the Royal Opera House Tony Hall and the journalist and writer Cristina Odone.

So, if you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV and News | 7 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 15th May 2008 - 10:18 pm

‘Fraid there are no Lib Dem panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel includes Health Secretary Alan Johnson, shadow business, enterprise and regulatory reform secretary Alan Duncan, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and social services in the Welsh Assembly Helen Mary Jones, broadcaster and journalist Lauren Booth and businessman Simon Woodroffe.

So, if you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | 8 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 8th May 2008 - 9:49 pm

After Paddy last week, it’s the turn of another former Liberal Democrat leader, Ming Campbell, to represent the party on the panel on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (and future Labour leadership contender?) James Purnell, senior Conservative politician Lord Heseltine, “well-known television personality” (aka the smuggest man in the world) Piers Morgan and novelist and journalist Rachel Johnson.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 24 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 1st May 2008 - 9:50 pm

Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord (Paddy) Ashdown is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (and is broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will include the Secretary of State for Defence (but for how much longer?) Des Browne, the shadow foreign secretary William Hague, the “writer and author” (according to the BBC website; not the epithet I’d use) Richard Littlejohn and the journalist Polly Toynbee.

If you’re not at an election count right now, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV and News | Also tagged | 37 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time – London mayor special: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 24th April 2008 - 9:46 pm

Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London Brian Paddick is one of the three panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include (you may have guessed) Labour incumbent Ken Livingstone, and Tory hopeful Boris Johnson.

So, if you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV and London | Also tagged and | 30 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 17th April 2008 - 9:45 pm

Liberal Democrat shadow housing minister Lembit Opik is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time, which returns after its Easter-ish break (and is broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will include the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman, the chairman of the Conservative Party Caroline Spelman, the author and columnist for The Mirror Tony Parsons, and the right-wing commentator Simon Heffer.

I’m not always convinced by Lembit’s penchant for grabbing unnecessary headlines, but he’s undoubtedly one of the party’s most eloquent, passionate and liberal communicators. Which makes it all the more of a shame …

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 18 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 13th March 2008 - 9:45 pm

Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond, Conservative shadow chancellor George Osborne, Innovation, Universities and Skills secretary John Denham, and businesswoman Nicola Horlick.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 5 Comments
Stephen Tall

QT’s pro-Tory bias: the BBC replies to Lib Dem Voice

By Stephen Tall | Thu 13th March 2008 - 8:17 pm

Its a month since Lib Dem Voice found that the BBC’s Question Time is “officially pro-Tory”, with considerably more Conservative-aligned panellists than Labour, let alone the Lib Dems. (We even produced the obligatory bar-chart as conclusive proof.) As promised, we emailed the BBC with the link to our story, and have today received their reply:

Dear Mr Tall

Thank you for your e-mail and I’d like to start by apologising for the time it has taken to get back to you. I hope you haven’t been inconvenienced.

Turning to your concerns I did raise the issue with the programme’s editor

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged and | 24 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 6th March 2008 - 9:45 pm

Shirley Williams, veteran Liberal Democrat peer, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband, the shadow home secretary David Davis, the leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage, and comedian and broadcaster Marcus Brigstocke.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

PS: I’ll be on Question Time Extra (on BBC News 24 immediately after the main show finishes) alongside Tim Montgomerie… What do you mean, you’ll be tuning into BBC1’s This Week …

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 83 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 28th February 2008 - 9:53 pm

Nicol Stephen, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

He’ll be alongside the Deputy Scottish Labour leader Cathy Jamieson, the Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie, the Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon, and Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow George Galloway.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 20 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 21st February 2008 - 9:47 pm

‘The cult of Cable’ – rather sweetly profiled by The Guardian’s Michael White yesterday – comes to tonight’s BBC Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

And what better week could there be for Vince to be a guest, with Labour having finally accepted the Lib Dem shadow Chancellor’s advice to nationalise Northern Rock to protect the interests of taxpayers, with the Tories left as utterly confused (and clueless) bystanders.

The QT panel will also include the Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly, Conservative shadow secretary of state for business, enterprise and regulatory reform Alan …

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | 15 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 14th February 2008 - 9:54 pm

Okay, so there’s no Lib Dem on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT) … but I’m saying nothing more.

The panel will include Labour’s Minister of State for Housing Caroline Flint, the Conservative shadow minister for community cohesion Sayeeda Warsi, the Church of England’s first Bishop for urban life and faith, Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, writer and broadcaster Clive James, and the author, columnist for the Daily Mail, and all-round paranoiac, Melanie Phillips.

If you can bear to watch Melanie, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | 31 Comments
Stephen Tall

Official: BBC Question Time’s pro-Tory bias

By Stephen Tall | Tue 12th February 2008 - 11:25 pm

Time to revisit BBC Question Time’s political balance… 10 days ago, you may recall, Andrew Hinton’s Mindrobber blog questioned the omission of a Lib Dem representative from the panel, following on from a Lib Dem Voice thread. Andrew crunched some figures, which suggested parity between the Tory and Labour parties, with a lower number of Lib Dem panellists.

This seemed to lend some reasonable plausiblity to the BBC’s defence that “The programmes try to achieve balance over a reasonable period and certainly have a firm commitment to political balance over their series as a whole.” It’s worth noting, …

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Posted in News | 53 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 7th February 2008 - 9:50 pm

Julia Goldsworthy, the Lib Dem shadow secretary of state for communities and local government, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

She’ll be alongside the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham, the Conservative shadow secretary of State for work and pensions Chris Grayling, the director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti and entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne from BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den.

Damn the BBC… just days after I cynically queried whether Auntie would ever put up a liberal commentator alongside a Lib Dem MP they do precisely that. And …

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged and | 44 Comments
Stephen Tall

How balanced is the BBC’s Question Time?

By Stephen Tall | Mon 4th February 2008 - 8:31 pm

That’s the question LDV posed in last Thursday’s Open Thread on the programme. It was prompted not only by the absence of a Lib Dem on the panel, but also by the appearance of a second Tory-in-all-but-name, Amanda Platell, alongside former Tory chancellor, Ken Clarke (as well as former Tory MP, and now New Labour cabinet minister, Shaun Woodward).

So what?, you might ask. And fair enough, except that this was the fourth consecutive QT in which a Tory-aligned commentator has been signed up to appear alongside the official Tory representative. Ms Platell followed in the stilettos of Sarah Sands …

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | 9 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 31st January 2008 - 10:34 pm

There’s no Lib Dem on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT), so former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke is as close as we’ll get to a liberal voice of sanity on the panel.

He’ll be alongside Northern Ireland Secretary (and Tory turncoat), Shaun Woodward, Daily Mail columnist (and former Tory spindoctor) Amanda Platell, actor John Sessions, and playwright and critic Bonnie Greer. What a politically balanced panel… ho-hum.

Anyway, if you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | 8 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 24th January 2008 - 11:08 pm

David Laws, Lib Dem shadow schools and families secretary, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

He’ll be alongside Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson, Chairman of the Conservative Policy Review Oliver Letwin, the bassist for the band Blur (and Labour council candidate) Alex James, and consultant editor of the Daily Mail Sarah Sands.

Anyway, if you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

(Sorry for the technical problems which delayed this thread.)

Posted in Lib Dem TV | 8 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 17th January 2008 - 9:55 pm

Chris Huhne, Lib Dem shadow home secretary, and the man 49% of the party voted to be its leader, is one of the panellists on 2008’s first edition of Question Time tonight (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

He’ll be alongside Labour’s Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, the Tories’ shadow defence secretary Liam Fox, the political editor of the Daily Mirror, Kevin Maguire, and author and Tory PPC, Louise Bagshawe.

(There’s an interesting symmetry here with the last edition of Question Time in 2007, when three politicians representing the main parties were joined by former editor of the Daily …

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Posted in Lib Dem TV | 17 Comments
Stephen Tall

BBC Question Time: open thread

By Stephen Tall | Thu 13th December 2007 - 9:55 pm

Charles Kennedy, former Lib Dem leader, is one of the panellists on tonight’s edition of Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

He’ll be alongside Hazel Blears, Labour’s secretary of state for communities and local government; Lord (Chris) Patten, former Tory party chairman; Piers Morgan, former Mirror editor; and Kirstie Allsopp, TV presenter and celebrity Tory.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Posted in Lib Dem TV | Also tagged | 46 Comments
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