On Newsnight tonight ...
Monday, October 25, 2010 Look out for an item on Newsnight tonight inspired by Nick Clegg's fondness for the occasional cigarette. The programme hopes to feature a high profile yet unrepentant smoker who is not embarrassed to talk about his (or her) habit. I was happy to suggest a few names ...
Simon Clark
The unrepentant smoker will be Nigel Farage. Sadly they have dropped the proposed studio discussion in favour of a (very) short report. Blink and you might miss it ...
Simon Clark
I've probably moaned about this before but Newsnight is the one news and current affairs programme that I have never appeared on.
I've been on Newsnight Scotland a couple of times but never the UK version. The closest I came was in June 2004 when I was invited to take part in a studio discussion that was to follow a filmed interview with David Hockney.
The producer asked me to appear opposite Sam Etherington of the British Medical Association and the opportunity was so good that I cancelled plans to catch a train to Liverpool for an early morning interview on BBC Radio Merseyside.
Around 8.00pm the producer rang to say that the studio discussion was off. He didn't give a reason so when I watched the programme and saw Etherington being interviewed on his own by an unusually tame Kirsty Wark I almost hit the roof.
In fact I was so annoyed that I rang Newsnight immediately after the programme and complained bitterly that a whimsical interview with a national treasure followed by an unchallenging interview with a senior member of the BMA did not constitute a balanced report.
My heated protests fell on deaf ears and I have never again been invited to appear on the BBC's flagship news programme.
Simon Clark
Former landlord Nick Hogan tells me that he is on Five Live (Tony Livesey) from midnight tonight.
Meanwhile Forest supporter Jenty Burrill was featured on BBC Radio Kent this morning (around 1:05:00 minutes in) ... Oh, and I shall be on BBC Radio Jersey at 08:05 tomorrow.
Reader Comments (13)
R4's PM (on now) is doing a piece between now and 6pm.
Did anyone see Martin Dockrell on C4 News last night. I'd always imagined him as a cargo trousered, moisturised, Guardian reader type you see carrying their babies in slings round supermarkets - sort of Marcus Brigstock. In fact he looked pretty seedy and knackered. I almost warmed to him.
Was it balanced Jon or was he able to spout his lies and prejudice without challenge?
.. and why should we smokers be "unrepentant"? We have nothing to "repent". We are doing something normal that's been done for centuries!
I can't find the show Jenty Burrill was featured on...which show was it...please give the relevant link.
Saw the item on Newsnight about Nick Clegg smoking...when the reporter asked several passers by in the street whether or not they cared about him smoking the overwhelming response was NO!
Incidentally the reporter couldn't work out why Clegg smoking had any political relevance which is why he was doing the item – well done him.
Nigel Farage managed to get in a knockout blow, by saying there were many angry people out there because of the smoking ban, and that many pubs had gone out of business because of it - well said Nige!
I saw the Newsnight slot. I was expecting the health brigade to be interviewed after it, but they weren't. That was a surprise.
It was only short and right at the end of the prgramme. It was certainly a step in the right direction, which is the main thing.
It showed that people didn't give 2 hoots whether others smoked or not, even though the feature included an element of ridicule.
I'm hoping that they're treading the water and listening to the ordinary people instead of the health freaks.
Newsnight (25 Oct)
Cleg smoking and comment by Nigel Farage
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mk25
39.25 in
Smoking room?
I ran the Newsnight report by David Grossman again on iPlayer...and I hadn't noticed this before...he let slip that 'It's not for nothing that the Common's has a smoking room" - no doubt about that statement is there?
Bill. It said HAD a smoking room. There was a report that on Labour MP smokes in her own room in Parliament.
There are many hypocrites in Parliament.
It should be possible to determine whether or not the H of C, or Hs of P, has a smoking room/s. I contacted them after the ban and the lady I corresponded with said that she was a smoker herself and had no option but to got outside (probably a shelter but not as we know it, Captain). I'd bet there is an unofficial smoking room somewhere. Perhaps it's better there is? I can't think without a cigarette in my hand, but I'm not running the country.
"A Pugin-style smoking shelter is being planned for the House of Commons to help protect the palace's puffers from the vagaries of the British winter.
The Commons' authorities are talking to English Heritage and Westminster city council about how to build a "simple and reasonably priced" shelter.
Although the smoking ban, introduced last July, does not apply to the Palace of Westminster, MPs and peers agreed among themselves to extend the law to the House of Commons and House of Lords.
Some smokers are said to light up (illegally) in the privacy of their own office.
But those who dutifully troop outside for a cigarette can currently use three, uncovered sites – on the Commons terrace, the small yard between two blocks of offices for MPs and their staff - Portcullis House and Norman Shaw South building - and part of the Speaker's garden.
But following a number of complaints from smokers forced to light up in the biting wind and rain, the Commons' administration committee has been charged with working with the heritage authorities to design a shelter that would be in keeping with the Palace's Pugin style."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2008/nov/25/smoking-houseofcommons
Taxpayer coughs up for a £21,706 Commons smoking shelter
"We started off thinking we could do something cheap and cheerful, but the process had to go through Westminster City Council and English Heritage, which made it more expensive than one would expect.
We have a duty to our employees and our staff and we thought it was appropriate to provide them with somewhere they can smoke.
All the smoking areas outside Parliament are very exposed and we felt it was a health and safety issue, especially in winter."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5901141/Taxpayer-coughs-up-for-a-21706-Commons-smoking-shelter.html
Minister behind the smoking ban is driven from her office - by all the smokers outside
"The architect of England's smoking ban has become a victim of her own legislation - driven out of her Commons office by smokers lighting up outside her window.
As Minister for Public Health, Caroline Flint was the champion of regulations that outlawed smoking in workplaces and forced tobacco addicts into the open air.
But what Miss Flint could not have predicted was that the parliamentary authorities would create a designated smoking area right outside her own ground-floor ministerial office."
"She has been the public face of Labour's smoking ban, arguing that the move would "encourage more people to give up smoking" and even "create a different culture".
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-506388/Minister-smoking-ban-driven-office--smokers-outside.html
Oh the poetic justice regarding Caroline Flint - I do so hope she chokes on it!