New Statesman General Election Weblog

2 Responses to “Welcome!”

1. Oscar Says:
   May 5th, 2005 at 5:48 pm

   Are you drinking what we’re drinking? Plenty of strong coffee - fairly traded, or better still, Zapatista roast - will be keeping Red Pepper’s blog up to date through the night too. We’ll be focussing on the progress (or otherwise?) of left and environmental parties, as well as anti-war independents.

2. Kevin Donnellon Says:
   May 5th, 2005 at 9:44 pm

   My blog for ‘Leaders Live!’ [Capital Radio - networked on commercial radio] last weekend.

   Could this be published as my article? My phone number; 0151 286 8091

   “Well what a complete and utter coward Tony Blair is - I detest him more than ever now!

   I’ll come to him later, but the weekend wasn’t a complete waste of time - Capital Radio put us up in a fab 4 star hotel, the Trafalgar - right in Trafalgar Square next to the Canadian embassy. We did the touristy thing visiting Her Madges Buck cottage, Houses of Parliament etc etc [as my PA had never been to London before!] - then Saturday evening went to Leicester Square to see the film Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy [I’m still undecided -might have to see it again].

   Early Sunday morning went to Capital Radio and there were police and security flunkies everywhere. After the usual frisking and searches we went to the green room and started chatting to the other 19 guests - we were collectively referred to by the staff at Capital as the ‘experts’. We were all given large tags with ‘UK Leaders Live!’ logo on them next to our names [I kept mine as a souvenir].

   The other ‘experts’ were an eclectic and interesting bunch including; the President of the Students Union, the leader of the NUT, the campaign director of “Stop The War!” coalition, the delightfully articulate Director of ‘Liberty’ Shami Chakrabarti, the head of UK’s branch of ‘Amnesty International’, the mother of murdered young man Stephen Lawrence, Doreen. A retired copper who ran a campaigning group urging tougher sentencing, the lovely Nell McAndrews [dunno what she does but I’m sure she does it well!] who was there to talk about being burgled twice and she now wants to leave London. I managed to have a long chat with all of them. The final person to arrive was Claire Raynor. I’ve always admired her for her outspoken views and her stance on religion. I was shocked though at how old she looked and she didn’t seem very well at all. She shuffled in slowly on two walking sticks and panting for breath - three people immediately jumped up and offered their seats. But once seated and composed she soon started chatting and laughed approvingly at the sicker she noticed on the back of my chair which read “The world would be heaven without religion”. Claire is Vice President of the Humanist Association [of which I’m a member - as well as Liberty, Stop the War! and Amnesty International; do you think I’m a joiner?]. But Claire was there to slag off the state of the NHS and criticising its privatisation by stealth under this ‘Labour’ Government, drawing on her knowledge and experience as a former ward Sister.

   Anyway, after about half an hour the producer walked in and told us the bad news. We’d only be meeting one of the leaders - Chas Kennedy would though be speaking to us on the phone from Scotland. However, HRH Prince Tony didn’t want to be quizzed by any of us but would take pre-selected phone calls from the ‘general public’. Consequently, after Kennedy’s slot we would have 2 minutes to leave the studio before phoney Tony swanned in! The producer mumbles something about Tony not being briefed of the procedure [even though it was planned week ago and it was networked across the whole country!] ……….. Claire shouted that he was a “damned coward!” which resulted in the embarrassed producer saying “oh Claire you’re awful!” - “no she’s right!” I retorted. Obviously his cronies and advisers wouldn’t want a repetition of his disastrous appearance on BBC’s ‘Question Time’ when the audience booed the sweaty lying psychotic mass murderer when he walked in the studio. We ‘experts’ of course wouldn’t have done that as we’re all far too civilised.

   We were all finally seated in the studio in front of the 2 presenters - Margherita Taylor [who??] and Krishnan Guru-Murthy from Channel Four News. Guru-Murthy said he would single us out on particular issues but we should feel free to raise our hands if we wanted to speak. Mickey Howard was the first. Wearing an open necked pink shirt he looked very haggard and had the demeanour of someone who knows he was a loser. He smiled politely and said hello to us all and I was almost beginning to feel sorry for him. Margherita solemnly announced that Howard’s favourite record was “Everything I do” by Bryan Adams [we all tried to stifle our laughter/vomit] as a few seconds of it was played with Howard looking highly embarrassed [oh the indignities politicians put themselves through!].

   Krishnan’s first question to him was very blunt and highly ageist; “Aren’t you too old to be running the country Mr Howard?” - at which point Howard looked about 100 years old. He stumbled and waffled his way through the question as adequately as well-briefed and well-seasoned politicians do - the half hour just flew by. Doreen Lawrence attacked him brilliantly on his appalling show as Home Secretary and Claire Raynor managed to get in a few seconds - she wanted to say a lot more but Krishnan forcefully shut her up. The rest of the time was taken up by articulate and well rehearsed phone callers. I raised my hand twice to speak - Krishnan clearly saw me as I was right in front of him in the front row, but I [and most of the other fellow panellists] were ignored. Then Howard left looking a bit deflated than when he came in and it was Charles Kennedy’s turn - talking on the phone. He spoke to Shami Chakrabarti and the Student Union’s President. I raised my hand twice more and frantically tried to get the attention of Krishnan - but to no avail. We were all beginning to think it was a waste of time…….. I’d been awake most of the night composing questions! I whispered to the “Stop The War!” guy sitting next to me “what could they do if we refuse to leave when it’s Blair’s turn?” - he grinned and said “ok, I will if you do”. I am convinced he thought I was joking, but I was deadly serious - despite all the security flunkies there were twenty of us there and the programme would have at least been delayed so Blair would’ve had no choice - face us or be off the show!

   But when Kennedy said his goodbyes [his favourite record by the way was “Heroes” by David Bowie] we were all ushered out. Everyone got up and made towards the door. I didn’t move. I was the last one behind Claire and a member of Capital Radio was holding open the door smiling sweetly. “Oh sod it!” I yelled and went down in the lift too. The room next to the green room was blocked by about eight serious looking blokes in suits and holding radios - obviously Blair was hiding behind them until we were all safely out of harms way. “He’s a bloody coward!” I yelled over their heads. Everyone was fuming in the Green room that we couldn’t even question the bloke that’s already won the election. The bloke from “Stop The War!” was saying to no-one in particular “I’m gonna make sure everyone hears about this - I’m gonna put something in our paper” ….. I just looked at him contemptuously.

   “You’re all welcome to listen to the rest of the show in here” said the flustered radio woman ………. but most of us left and couldn’t be bothered.

   Anyway I was going to my friend Dominic’s house in Dullwich for dinner. [Dominic is the son of the famous George Carmen QC and fellow contestant on “Vote For Me!”.

   I got on one of the long ‘bendy’ busses which had an accessible electric ramp - the busses in London are far more accessible since my last visit a couple of years ago; Ken Livingstone’s got something right. The bus was crammed with passengers of all colours, ages, shapes and sizes, chattering in different accents and languages and my spirits soared - it was great to be amongst REAL people again.”

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