The Any Questions audience explained?

My ire over the appallingly biased Any Questions audience on Friday may have an explanation, Biased-BBC explain that 'the distribution of audience tickets is down to the hosts' and that the chair of governors at the host school is
Ms Fiona Millar, she being the Labour attack-spinner Alastair Campbells's 'partner'. I think all is becoming clear... Not helping my anger levels though!

"Any Questions?" Yes, where did you find that audience tonight and do you think they were an ideally balanced audience for an election campaign prog?

Take a listen to tonight's baying, booing and hissing mob and see what you think...

Who's to blame?

Any Questions - Radio 4 tonight and repeated on Saturday at 13:10 - listen to Denis MacShane waffle and not like being cornered by Jonathan Dimbleby, Janet Street Porter and Jo Swinson and definitely not apologising or calling for Gordon Brown to apologise over the regulation of the Banks.

You can also hear Denis MacShane have to defend Jacqui Smith's housing arrangements and waffle. He does not actually defend the £24,000 a year for a room in Peckham and nobody challenges him.

And then they turned to Geert Wilders:
Janet Street Porter - banning lead to far more media coverage than just letting him in, as is always the case. Banning is bad, free speech is good; "let him speak" - polite applause
Denis MacShane - "There is right not to be offended" - He does point out that nobody tried to ban Jean Marie Le Pen who is an anti-Semite. Denis MacShane stands with Voltaire - slightly less polite applause
Jo Swinson - Agrees with Denis MacShane and thinks that free speech ends when it incites violence. She describes the film as "vile", was the film vile or the words and actions contained with in it. Apparently you can make such a film from any text and the film's claims are rubbish - polite applause
David Davis - Does bring up the 10,000 Muslims on the street comment, public debate is the answer - loudest applause.

Audience hand vote - unanimous (bar one) view it was the wrong decision taken by Jacqui Smith.


Listen to the show here or repeated on Radio 4 on Saturday at 13:10, maybe call in to Any Answers after the Saturday repeat.

Any Questions tomorrow may be worth a listen

Radio 4's Any Questions on Friday may be worth a listen. As well as Pauline Neville-Jones for the Conservatives, Fraser Nelson will also be on the panel. I wonder if Jonathan Dimbleby will feel obliged to support Labour's Phil Wollas who may feel outnumbered. Hopefully Fraser Nelson will be allowed to put forward the views he has been expressing recently in The Spectator. Challenging Phil Woolas over Gordon Brown's odd National Debt claims would be a good place to start, although I am sure Phil Woolas will have learnt his script well enough.

Any Questions Friday 24 October 2008

Well worth a listen to the start of the programme as Lord Adonis tries to defend the indefensible about Gordon Brown's responsibility for the economic situation and Lord Fowler and Lord Digby Jones and Jonathan Dimbleby seem incredulous. Listen online or on the Saturday repeat and prepare to be staggered...

Any Questions

I am in a slight state of shock at the composition of tonight's Any Questions panel, it is not stuffed full of left leaning panellists:

Professor ROBERT WINSTON, Labour peer - Should be interesting on abortion debate

LORD (NORMAN) TEBBIT: Conservative peer - Not exactly a "Cameroonie"; maybe the BBC have invited him on to embarrass David Cameron but I think he should be too astute for that

AMANDA PLATELL: columnist and broadcaster - Her politics are varied, a Labour supporter who became the press secretary for William Hague before writing a less than complimentary election diary.

JOHN HARRIS: Guardian columnist and writer - Also a self-confessed active member of "Compass" since 2005 and in June a believer that Labour culd be saved.

So no Lib Dems on tonight's panel.

I have no doubts that Amanda Platell's links with the Conservative party will be mentioned by Jonathan Dimbleby. I am somewhat less certain that he will mention John Harris's political allegiances, after all aren't all right thinking journalists Labour supporters?


UPDATE:
Lord Robert Winston - Labour
Lord Norman Tebbit - Conservative
Amanda Platell - Links to William Hague
John Harris - Disillusioned Labour
Fairer than I feared.

Another delusional minister

Michael Wills on Radio 4's Any Questions tonight showed severe signs of being delusional. This government are all rapidly losing touch with reality.

Tim Yeo talks bollocks

Sorry, but his speech on the benefits of EU membership during Any Questions tonight was complete bollocks.