claire short and ken clarke almost rip tony parsons a new orifice on live tv

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so who else saw 'this week' a couple of hours ago ?

Parsons' film piece was indeed weak and wideboy-bolshy: it would be interesting to know the extent to which the content was determined by The Pundit vs the show's Producer or the item director - but it was quite invigorating to see politicians actually calling someone out on tis crap on TV instead of sitting there and tolerating abuse because they don't want to alienate any voters

he seemed initially *stunned* by the instant retort from claire short before it all started kicking off - i kept waiting for the old 'fuck you' music journo side of him to kick in, and it did, and it was quite a charged atmosphere - but by the end of it, when he actually had engaged in argument with clarke, he pretty much had the stuffing kicked out of him
(it was a shame in a way to see one win over the other - spoiled the schadenfruede of seeing 2 assholes kicking lumps out of each other)

: was it a triumph of complex political argument over simplistic tabloid crap, or indeed an illustration of the hermetic politicking or (necessary?) bumptious self-belief of politicians as moral/societal leaders - or should there be a pox on both their houses ?

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Friday, 11 November 2005 02:13 (twenty years ago)

Arse, I must've missed this by mere minutes, I saw the rest of the show! :(

― JimD (JimD), Friday, 11 November 2005 02:19 (twenty years ago)

What was parsons' film about?

― JimD (JimD), Friday, 11 November 2005 02:20 (twenty years ago)

it was basically of the
'how dare these fat-arsed windbags sit in parly-ament and put us great british public in danger by ignoring the requests of the police who are the ppl on the front line and thus best qualified to know what is necessary to protect us'
line

hey it has just occurred to me that it might be available for repeat viewing on this new 'teleport' thing that Telewest are rolling out

haha a likeley scenario - it's all gonna be soaps and suds

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Friday, 11 November 2005 02:25 (twenty years ago)

parson's actually used the phrase 'sitting on their fat fannies' - and short was like:
"what pathetic kind of language is THAT ? 'FAT FANNIES'? "

it was like seeing one of those middle-aged 'lads' reduced to being a naughty schoolboy

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Friday, 11 November 2005 02:29 (twenty years ago)

oops excuse apostrophe control - i r drunkish

and illiterate

― Snowy Mann (rdmanston), Friday, 11 November 2005 02:30 (twenty years ago)

I want to see this.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 11 November 2005 09:16 (twenty years ago)

Me too.

Isn't there a programme that repeats good stuff? Like The Video Box, kind of thing.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 11 November 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

PS:

Parcel arrived safely, tied with string.

Thank you, NickyNoo.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 11 November 2005 09:31 (twenty years ago)

I hope Homechoice has this on demand.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 11 November 2005 09:53 (twenty years ago)

seems unlikely, but a request to uknova could be in the offing...

― Britain's Obtusest Shepherd (Alan), Friday, 11 November 2005 10:07 (twenty years ago)

Tony Parsons in Right Wing Populist Idiot shockah!

― Oh No, It's Dadaismus (and His Endless Stupid Jokes) (Dada), Friday, 11 November 2005 10:22 (twenty years ago)

fucking hell, what a twat. i saw him on newsnight review last week (ROCK and ROLL) and basically i had to put the tv on mute, he was such a tit.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:02 (twenty years ago)

... yes, and why does he do that with his thumbs? Euuuurggggghh, it's repulsive.

― Oh No, It's Dadaismus (and His Endless Stupid Jokes) (Dada), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:07 (twenty years ago)

... I mean, why does he do that thing he does with his thumbs when he talks?

― Oh No, It's Dadaismus (and His Endless Stupid Jokes) (Dada), Friday, 11 November 2005 11:08 (twenty years ago)

My TV screen went blank during Tony's exchange with Kenneth Clarke and I though the programme was being taken off air for a moment, until I found I had lost all channels and it was an NTL f-up.

From what I saw it was a missed chance by Tony P. There was a good opportunity to prick the balloon of smug self-satisfaction enveloping Clare and Ken. But he fluffed it...

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

It wasn't that good, folks.

As (presenter) Andrew Neil said at one point it was just like kids screaming at eachother in a playground. I don't blame Short and Clarke for being so angry. I would have been too, Parsons' piece was stupid and ignorant. And I suspect he knew it; just trying to do his "voice of the people" act as per.

Normally with these films the 'Pundit' that Snowy refers to has carte blanche to say whatever he/she likes. The whole idea is to take a provocative stance. Parsons' film however was just rude, no substance.

But as I remember it, the response was just a lot of huffing, blowing and name-calling. It wasn't obvious to me that anybody 'won'. Also worth noting that Short and Clarke are not the regular politicos on This Week, they were subbing for Diane Abbott and Michael Portillo. Now those two might have taken Parsons apart.

― Jeff W (zebedee), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:21 (twenty years ago)

I enjoyed Clare Short's distaste for Parsons but didn't enjoy her pomposity

― Oh No, It's Dadaismus (and His Endless Stupid Jokes) (Dada), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:23 (twenty years ago)

Parsons would have to prick his own smug balloon to be able to penetrate anyone else's, presumably. Unless he does that technique using sellotape and a pin.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:24 (twenty years ago)

I always find it a shame that Parsons and Birchill never killed each other during a domestic incident.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)

I think there's something about that programme that makes people look really smug anyway..

Andrew Neil displays it in spades - his completely unnecesary solo introduction to the programme is like watching a painful and poor imitation of Clive James circa 1987.

Michael Portillo and Diane Abbott just seem to think that the audience will find it mind-boggling for all time that they're appearing together, so much so that there's no need to say anything of substance.

It was the self-congratulatory "this was a good day for parliamentary democracy' vibe to Ken and Clare that really turned me off them.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)

Don't get me started on Andrew Neil...

― Oh No, It's Dadaismus (and His Endless Stupid Jokes) (Dada), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:34 (twenty years ago)

Have Portillo and Abbot gone on holiday together?

I don't think they think about the audience much.

Andrew Neil makes a good fist of it.

I used to like Archer and Boateng, back in the block party era.

Portillo did a radio programme about Guernica the other night. He was good, I thought. I wish I could see his Great Railway Journey.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:37 (twenty years ago)

Are you trolling with every line of that post?

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:41 (twenty years ago)

No, they are all my opinion.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Friday, 11 November 2005 13:43 (twenty years ago)

OK, respect :)

I had to check, as they are diametrically opposed to mine.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Friday, 11 November 2005 14:09 (twenty years ago)

i like Neil.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 11 November 2005 14:18 (twenty years ago)

He's awful! Vile! Repellent!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 11 November 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

you CAN'T like neill!

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 11 November 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

i like it when he slags off Piers Morgan.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Friday, 11 November 2005 15:07 (twenty years ago)

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