Government boycotts Question Time over Alastair Campbell appearance | Media | The Guardian .
The ConDems really are proving themselves a) inept in the media b) very illiberal:
The BBC has accused the government of political interference after it refused to provide a ministerial guest for Question Time unless Alastair Campbell was removed as a panellist.
BBC executives said they rejected the demand and tonight's show went out without a representative from the coalition government.
Gavin Allen, the show's executive editor, posted a blog on the BBC website saying No 10 had insisted that Tony Blair's former director of communications was replaced by a shadow cabinet member. "Very obviously we refused," Allen wrote, "and as a result no minister appeared, meaning that the government was not represented on the country's most-watched political programme in Queen's speech week — one of the most important moments in the parliamentary calendar."
Couldn't they handle him?
That's ridiculous.
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Rightly so – Campbell is is responsible for one of the most reprehensible periods of British politics where spin was substituted for fact.
Campbell should not be allowed on to such programs purporting to be an “independent” while he clearly dictates the publicity policy of the Labour Party – neither elected nor as an employee.
@JayPee
So you don’t believe in free speech then?
So why should the BBC or the Labour Party “dictate” who or what sort of person appears on their television show?
Unlike Campbell, most of the cabinet ministers have stood for election, and also unlike Campbell, most of them are getting to grips with their ministerial briefs. There is no reason why they should jump to attention just because they take a call from the BBC.
If neither the Labour party nor the Lib Dems were asked to provide a front bench spokesman so why should the Conservatives do so?
if Tories and liberals were prepared to sit on the show with Nick Griffin they can hardly object to Campbell surely?
@Alex
Pardon?
The BBC can’t say who is on?
Why not?
What is this control state you think we live in?
Am I the last liberal left?
Come on JayPee and Alex, you’re being ridiculous. I’ve very little time for Campbell and his modus operandi, but to refuse to appear on the same show as him is ridiculous. As Illiam says, if they had no problem with appearing on QT with Nick Griffin, who was exposed for the idiot he is, why should they be scared of Campbell?
The BBC was quite right to stand up to them.
“The BBC can’t say who is on?”
No, they can’t force people to appear. Nor did they try to. Had some tit for tat negotiation with the government. They couldnt agree, so the programme proceeded with Campbell but without a minister.
Probably not a bad thing to get a backbencher on instead, and something they should do more often to spice things up. The government minister and the opposition counterpart are usually fairly dull.
So a bit of a storm in a teacup and it must be quiet news day for the BBC to be giving it such prominence.
And it is not really a freedom of speech issue. Nobody has the right to appear on the BBC. Similarly, what is free about forcing the citizen to pay (on threat of prison) to give characters like Campbell (who get plenty of chance for a say) or indeed anyone else a forum to air their views?
not as iliberal as you old chap 😀
The coalition have really shot themselves in the foot here. The fact that they couldn’t provide even a junior minister to go on to the UK’s leading political debate programme suggests that they are running scared of Alastair Campbell, of all people. Absolutely laughable.
I agree on the matter of free speech, but it works both ways. Alastair Campbell would have been on a wrecking mission and would have been determined to stifle any comments that a coalition representative would have tried to make. I think that the best way to deal with Campbell and his reprehensible skills and approach is just to ignore him – I can’t think of anything that would wind him up more.
bit of a non-story really…handbags
@Howard
“The fact that they couldn’t provide even a junior minister to go on to the UK’s leading political debate programme suggests that they are running scared of Alastair Campbell, of all people. Absolutely laughable.”
Or it shows that they don’t accord him any respect and know that he is just trying to cash in with a new book.