Paxman disgraces himself over Boris interview


by Sunny Hundal    
5:36 pm - October 6th 2009

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Newsnight Jeremy Paxman’s probing interview with London Mayor Boris Johnson was a farce.

Nothing about his policy u-turns. Nothing about the incompetence that surrounds the GLA administration. Nothing about serious policy.

Just one question about Lisbon and then back to that stupidity over Boris’s Bullingdon club days.

Tory Troll is also, quite rightly, annoyed by the whole farce:

First up we had Andrew Neil, who given ten minutes to question the Mayor, decided to ask age-old questions about the Bullingdon Club and play an 18 month old clip of the Mayoral elections.

Worse than that, the vast bulk of the questioning was on an area (EU treaty law) where Boris has zero knowledge, control or influence over. Truly awful.

Next up we had Jeremy Paxman, who having seemingly missed Neil’s interview, proceeded to ask almost exactly the same irrelevant questions all over again.
…
All on the same day that Boris announces a major u-turn and a £5bn cut in transport spending

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Shatterface

I knew from the title this article would be by Sunny.

Nothing more to say, really.

2. septicisle

I thought it was the funniest political interview in years. Can’t please everyone, apparently.

3. Richard

Made me laugh.

4. Sunny H

It was amusing in parts, but it’s depressing that even for the high-brow programmes, this sort of inane questioning is all we get.

5. cjcjc

Not Paxman’s finest hour certainly – though I enjoyed Boris turning the tables on him wrt his salary.
Boris should have challenged him on his tax arrangements too!

Mind you I am quite looking forward to “When Boris Met Dave” on C4 tomorrow night.

6. sally

Which just goes to show how stupid all those trolls claims of left wing bias at the BBC.

I mean, Nick Robinson is the political editor. Neil is the face of political shows , day and night on the BBC. And Paxman has become a Tory speak your weight machine.

7. Benjamin

It was amusing, but Paxman is past his sell by date. The interview was just like couple of chums drinking at the bar. He let Boris forage around like he always does.

8. Mark M

Great stuff from Boris, but give the opportunity to ridicule the questions by a terrible attempt at interviewing from Paxman. Note: interviews are meant to be about the interviewee.

I loved the bit about Cameron going into PR. “[long pause] Well you went into journalism. Why don’t you get yourself a proper job?”

9. Mr Tyke

Boris is brilliant!

10. Rosso Verde

Paxman is a poor journalist with a puffed up ego, asking stupid questions.
Another example of his grandstanding

11. Mr Tyke

Much of this is just because you can’t get your heads around the idea that Boris may actually not be the bumbling idiot you like to portray him as and may actually know his stuff! If Livingstone had been there instead of BoJo you wouldn’t be nearly so critical. Sorry, but the center-right is currently in the ascendancy at the expense of the center-left. The latter is a spent force in British politics for a while to come.

12. Jimmy Sands

Given that Johnson surrounded himself with such a dodgy coterie, the “bumbling idiot” theory is the most charitable. If it makes you feel better I don’t buy it either.

13. Andy

Interviewers shouldn’t join in with the Boris clown act. I agree with Jimmy Sands. He isn’t a bumbling idiot, it’s just an act that helps him avoid giving an straight forward answer to a question.

They should ask the question and if he doesn’t answer it move on. Don’t play along with him. Newsnight isn’t a comedy show.

Cameo appearances in Eastenders, Matey interviews with Paxo, Has Boris got some embarrasing photographs of someone very important at the BBC?


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