« Press Update - 21/04/05 | Main | Ask a silly question, get a silly answer »
April 21, 2005
Paxman vs Blair
So, Blair vs Paxman. Paxman vs Blair. Ol' Jezza failed to ask about plans for electoral reform, secret or otherwise, but then that's not really his style...
A lot is being made of Blair’s refusal to speculate on the number of illegal immigrants there are in Britain. Most places claim Paxman asked the PM about it 20 times. The Express goes for 18. Not that it really matters one way or the other. Despite attempts to liken the grilling to Paxman vs Howard – "Did you threaten to overrule?" – this was not in the same class.
There was certainly no need for the Daily Mail to plaster NO IDEA! on it’s front page. Although, there is little, if any need for the Daily Mail to plaster anything anywhere. The equally contemptible Express claimed Blair was “squirming”, which is one way to look at it I suppose, albeit a patently wrong one.
The usually pertinent FT went uncharacteristically off course, describing the exchange as an "embarrassing mauling". The Herald’s headline: 'Paxman roasting leaves Blair unscathed' is surely closer to the mark.
I think that overall, Tony came out of it rather well. 'The Grin' was noticeable only by its absence and he answered fairly admirably to the tough-ish questioning, not allowing the trademark concerned hand-gestures and impassioned statements to go too far.
Perhaps the best indication of how the interview went is in the press coverage, where most are lumping it together with Mr Blair’s impromptu meeting with a second-generation hardened socialist in a Leeds shopping centre. Anything that's not important enough to be discussed on its own probably isn't that important.
When all is said and done, these things are best left to the satirists. Take it away Simon.
Posted by pauldavies on April 21, 2005
