Mar/10
23:51 33
Carol Vorderman metamorphosises into Sarah Palin on BBC Question Time
Numerous tweeters had noted the similarity between the shrill, shallow, populist Carol Vorderman and the shrill, shallow, populist Sarah Palin before a member of the audience did so with some style, adding that that Boris Johnson wasn’t the only Tory on the panel.
Dimbleby had it about right:
“This programme is an hour … it felt like more to me”.
UPDATE 5 MARCH Guido has pitched in with this:
For someone who has been on television for donkey’s years, her performance last night was less than exemplary. Reading constantly from CCHQ briefing notes she gave a blizzard of Tory lines. As head of the Conservative “Maths Task Force” Vorderman seems to be edging towards a peerage, though this idea took a hit last night.
UPDATE 8 MARCH The internet, it seems, has an insatiable desire for all things Carol. Scrapbook is getting so many hits that it’s worthwhile posting some “highlights” (if you can call them that).
Jan/10
23:34 7
As thick as thieves
Sarah Teather seems to be compensating for her persistent and all-too-convenient absence from Parliament this year with an appearance on tonight’s Question Time. Given this week’s revelations on her office expenses, one assumes her exhortations that “thieves should not be attacked” bear an element of self-interest!
From the look of Tory Bear’s teaser post, tomorrow’s Guy News looks like a total hoot. In other news, Scrapbook and friends have been trawling expenses receipts.
Better get the cheque book out, Sarah.
Oct/09
22:35 1
Mark Thompson: BNP on Question Time could be annual fixture
Full story over at, well, where else?
Oct/09
01:03 1
Nick Griffin stutters, shakes and laughs awkwardly as he attempts to defend himself and his party
Scrapbook would have blogged this earlier had the whole site not gone down for 90 minutes along with the 397 others hosted on the same server. Anyway, Nick Griffin stuttered, shook and laughed awkwardly as he tried to defend himself and his party. More than a handful of YouTube-able moments and well worth a look on iPlayer:
Oct/09
20:07 4
Nick Griffin booed by Question Time audience as his past “comes back to haunt him”
The Daily Mirror’s James Lyons (@MirrorJames) tweets live from Question Time – which is currently being recorded for transmission later – that “Griffin’s past [is] coming back to haunt him”. Similar from The Sun’s David Wooding (@DavidWooding):
This may be a total car crash for Nasty Nick.
Fingers crossed, eh?
Oct/09
17:29 2
Nick Griffin arrives at BBC Television Centre
He came through a back entrance, to avoid the main protest (below). Relatively little resistance, the main obstacles weren’t anti-fascists but a gaggle of photographers and a difficulty in getting the gate open.
Oct/09
09:18 2
David Dimbleby cleared to grill Nick Griffin on holocaust denial during Question Time
While steadfastly defending the Beeb’s decision to invite Nick Griffin onto Question Time, director general Mark Thompson has told the Guardian that the BNP leader will be “challenged tenaciously” on the programme. David Dimbleby has been given the green light to raise issues such as holocaust denial.
In other developments:
- 400 police will be on duty and a plan is in place to get Griffin into the building “in a timely and safe manner”.
- The BNP reportedly explored the possibility of chartering a private helicopter to ferry their leader before the BBC told them there was nowhere suitable to land.
- Filming has been brought forward by two hours to 6:30pm to allow time for scuffles to be edited out.
- An alternative secret venue have been prepared in the event that filming at Television Centre is prevented for some reason.
- Radio 4 Word of Mouth presenter Michael Rosen has criticised the appearance of Griffin, saying the BBC “were relishing” the ratings.
- Renowned legal expert Peter Hain QC is still giving out free advice.
Eleven hours to go!
Oct/09
12:34 2
Griffin restrained as BNP activists salivate over Question Time appearance
When interviewed by Adam Boulton for Sky News yesterday, Nick Griffin was keen to play down the importance of his appearance on BBC Question Time this Thursday*:
“I don’t think it’ll be a particularly important event. Question Time is about various political personalities. It shouldn’t be about sniping against each other, it should be about answering the questions of the day but either way it’s not going to change the world.”
Good to see the left arm knows what the right is doing at the BNP, whose website barely mentions … oh, wait a minute …
Leaving aside the fact that Jack Straw looks poised to assault Griffin with a countdown timer, this isn’t exactly downplaying things. And then there’s a series of “Question Time participant profiles”.
The BNP are virtually weeing themselves with excitement.
* Amusing contradictions aside, the tone adopted by Griffin for this interview will probably be consistent with that for this Thursday.
Oct/09
18:06 15
Jack Straw, Sayeeda Warsi, Chris Huhne and Bonnie Greer to face BNP leader on Question Time
The addition of Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi to BBC Question Time on 22 October completes a lineup of Chris Huhne, Jack Straw and Bonnie Greer to appear alongside BNP leader Nick Griffin.
Reaction on the blogs has been mute, with Sunny Hundal questioning the appropriateness of a softly spoken, middle class American playwright (flanked by two white, middle class frontbenchers) to take on Nick Griffin:
“Middle class people generally hate cheap populism and the use of emotion to make political points. They prefer ‘rational argument’. Fuck that. The way to destroy the BNP is through emotional narratives and populism.” – Sunny Hundal
Further reaction available from Nothing British and ConservativeHome [will update this later this with more as it comes in]. The Times also has something from earlier today mooting Warsi as a possibility while arguing that William Hague would have been the better choice.
Scrapbook can’t promise not to shout at the TV.
Sep/09
17:19 2
Debate rages over ‘no platform’ policy for Nick Griffin on Question Time
One of the website’s best exchanges is taking place at LabourList over the potential inclusion of the BNP’s Nick Griffin on the Question Time panel.
Leading the charge to stick our fingers in our ears and go ‘la la la la la not listening’:
- Ellie Levenson (author, Tottenham CLP) - The BNP: No platform, no exceptions
- Tom Miller (PPC for Woking) - Oposing no platform misses the point
In the sensible corner:
- James Alexander (PPC for York Outer) – No platform is dead
- Olly Deed (Surrey Labour Students)- A response to no platformers
In these serious times, however, you have to laugh:
It’s not the 1980s anymore.
A blanket ‘no platform’ is dead as an effective strategy.
Hat tip (second this week): The W*nk Rag
Palin-O-Meter
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