Rewriting history BBC style - Gordon Brown on the Andrew Marr show

The BBC report that:

"Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that there has been "absolutely no deterioration'" in his eyesight.

He discussed his "handicap", which resulted from a childhood rugby accident, with Andrew Marr in Brighton prior to the Labour Party conference. "

Is that all that Andrew Marr asked about in that segment of the interview? Watch the interview here and you will see what Andrew Marr actually asked. He brought up the eyesight question and then said

"Let me ask you about something else...A lot of people in this country use prescription painkillers and pills to help them get through, are you one of those people?"

Gordon Brown decides to talk about his eyesight but not a mention of painkillers or anti-depressants. Andrew Marr says "What about my other question?" And Gordon Brown replies "I answered you're other question" Really, did you, when?


Do watch the whole interview and you will see a very determined Gordon Brown try and bluster his way through the interview. Note the fake smiles (when he remembers), the sweaty forehead, the fake sincerity, the dodgy statistics, the usual evasive answers and the confusion in the eyes that Andrew Marr is daring to ask difficult questions. The sweat really starts to pour when the interview moves onto Gadaffi, Libya and al-Megrahi. Now watch Gordon Brown's face when Andrew Marr starts to ask the questions about his health, juddering jaw, puzzlement and disbelief for a start but also a sort of fear that the question asked might be too specific to wriggle out of. Of course this was Andrew Marr and the questions were vague enough and not pushed hard enough to give Gordon Brown enough wriggle room.