Monday 4 May 2015

Also for the sake of completeness...



So what did BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith get up to in his final Norman's Wisdom on yesterday's Broadcasting House on Radio 4?

Well, he talked about how dull this election has been, with no stand-out moments whatsoever. He said that politicians had bored the pants off everyone with the sanitised staged events and terror of engaging with the general public. Only too late have they realised that the public want to be engaged with - and that they, the politicians, might actually enjoy rising to the challenge if they reciprocated. 

The event that marked the light bulb-switching-on moment was Thursday's Question Time leaders' debate on BBC One. For the first time, said Norman, the public really had a chance to have a go at the politicians and, he felt, the politicians rose to that challenge. 

I used to accuse Norman Smith of being a bit too obviously pro-Labour, christening him 'Anti-Tory Norm' during the run-up to the last election. I'd detail examples of what I felt to be him downplaying or ignoring Labour's problems whilst massively inflating even the most minor Tory problem. Though I've not done that for a few years, this series of Norman's Wisdom (which I've been following closely) hasn't exactly changed my mind about him (though I'd now have to re-christen him 'Anti-Tory and Anti-UKIP Norm', which is somewhat less snappy.) 

What brings this back to mind is that Norman played a clip from that Question Time debate. 

Given that Ed Miliband's mauling at the hands of the audience was widely considered to be the most striking and surprising aspect of that progamme (by friend and foe alike), you might have expected to have heard a clip of that....

....but no, this is 'Anti-Tory Norm' after all, so the clip he chose (the only clip) was of an audience member haranguing David Cameron, accusing him of being a liar, and saying he'd never vote for the Conservatives. (David Cameron's reply was abruptly cut off as soon as it began). 

Hmm.

2 comments:

  1. "He talked about how dull this election has been, with no stand-out moments whatsoever."

    Well, in addition go what Norm did choose as you share, mustering all the editorial integrity he can leave at the door, there are such as the #Edifice and that neatly segregated meeting, which Labour's PR agency has all but ignored.

    Propaganda and censorship are not pretty in a democracy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ludicrous #Edstone stunt should have got a mention. It's undoubtedly the funniest, weirdest thing so far in the election.

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