The fall of Guido; the rise of Milliband

For those who missed it, a battle of wits ensued on Newsnight on Wednesday night where representatives from the three main mediums of political debate locked horns. In the red corner sat Jeremy Paxman, chairing a debate on the strengths of political bloggers. On his left was The Guardian’s associate editor, Michael White, while on the screen opposite, shrouded in darkness, sat the blogosphere’s representative, Guido Fawkes.

Guido, whose rise from anonymous agitator to mainstream dissident has been rapid, had made a video on blogging where he interviewed the likes of Adam Boulton and Nick Robinson. Both of whom bring their broadcast professionalism to the web – an exception to the blogospherical rule. Robinson’s retort to Guido’s film was simple: “Grow up.”

YouTube links for the interesting interview and entertaining discussion can be found over at Chicken Soup, who comments: “He makes some good points and asks worthy questions. It’s just a shame it was Guido asking them. It’s like Prince Harry lecturing someone about their drinking.”

The live discussion should act as a warning to any blogger looking to leave the comfort of the keyboard and sit in front of a television camera and trade blows with television and newspapers’ finest. Bill Jones believes Guido’s first mistake was being blacked out and appearing like an IRA terrorist. While Paul Walter thought Guido was made to look like a “clot”: “The moment any bloggers become pretentious and think they are serious ‘professionals’ is the moment they deserve being publicly humiliated by Michael White, as Guido was.”

Minutes after the show ended, Guido admitted regrets: “Well the live interview was definitely a mistake and against my better judgement, as was the in-the-shadows idea of the Newsnight editor, but nice to have Sir Michael White go to full-frontal-abuse.”

The debate continues at the BBC.

John Reid’s plans to split the Home Office have been slowly picked up by a few bloggers. Despite agreeing with the changes, Andrew McCann angrily states: “This episode once again shows the contempt Labour has for the concept of Executive accountability. This is not some third-rate office we're talking about. It should have been opened up to full scrutiny and a vote then taken.”

While Benedict Brogan offers some inside info: “However happy Mr Reid is today, the structures he announces are all eminently portable. And I'm told that the Chancellor, who has talked at length about his belief that national security is a matter for the Prime Minister alone, will happily pick them up and take them with him to Number 10 and the Cabinet Office when he takes over.”

Despite being initially coy about challenging Gordon Brown for the leadership contest, David Milliband has this week penned a couple of articles (for the Daily Telegraph and New Statesman) that are seen as adjusting this stance. What this space…

This also appears at www.newstatesman.com/blogs/best-of-the-politics-blogs.

Journalists and sportspeople: sleeping with the enemy

King Kong and Lord of the Rings fans at Cardiff Journalism School might have been disappointed to be greeted by the doyen of rugby journalism Peter Jackson this week. But my fellow trainee journalists and I were treated to 80 minutes of anecdotes and advice from a career spanning both rugby and football English World Cup victories, and Cardiff City’s heady days in Europe.

Among Jackson’s arsenal were stories of losing relationships with longstanding friends over articles he had published and questions he had asked them. Many of whom were prominent sports figures. Jackson said: “Probably when you are offending all the people all the time, that is when you are doing a good job.” For a man who has stayed at the top of British sports journalism for so many years and still has one of the biggest contact books in the business, this is very good advice.

This sentiment was echoed in Peter Preston’s article in yesterday’s Observer on the problems which arise when journalists are too cosy with sportspeople. There are probably about three or four journalists who have Alex Ferguson’s home phone number – but they will only occasionally get a story worth printing. Whereas Steve Tucker, the Western Mail’s Cardiff City correspondent, is regularly ostracised from the Ninian Park press conference room for asking the wrong questions – or more precisely, the questions City fans want answering.

British political blog round-up 8/03/2007

This week one of the most innovative sides of British politics (blogs) looked towards one of the most ailing – the House of Lords.

With the debates centring on what percentage of MPs voted for what percentage of Lords should be voted for, there was much understandable confusion.

Iain Dale saw the fact that the 95 Labour MPs who voted no to 80% but yes to 100% were either voting on principle or doing it to ”bugger up the whole process, as they knew it would then produce a lengthy Mexican stand-off with the House of Lords.”

While Chris Paul saw another opportunity to calls Dale’s analyses “twaddle”. He was certainly in the camp seeing those Labour MPs as voting on principle. He also produces some analysis of his own: “Only 28% of Tories backed the 100% option, which Iain says he favours, while 63% of Labour MPs did so. Time to cross the chamber?”

If British political blogs can be seen as an indicator of public opinion then it would appear a re-evaluation of the House of Lords could not come soon enough. Most Lib Dem and Labour aligned bloggers could hardly contain their joy at a democratic second chamber.

In thundering raptures Kerron Cross proclaimed: “Some of us in this country have waited years for this historic moment; MPs from across the parties have voted by a clear majority to make the Upper Chamber fully elected; and, whatever the unelected Lords say, it is time the Upper Chamber was made electable and accountable.”

While Gavin Ayling took a more considered view: “I am half delighted and half apprehensive about the MP's decision last night.

“Delighted because it is a step away from archane pre-democracy and apprehensive because of the mess this government has made of previous constitutional reform. Let us hope that this reform results in a substantially different second house.”

And in a more cautious response, Peter Black AM noted: “We also have to take account of the fact that the Lords in particular are experts in defending an entrenched position. Still, at least we are on the right path and moving forwards.”

And just when you though the blogosphere would break out in one harmonious cheer at the democracisation of the House of Lords, along comes Man on the street: “Personally, I think the hereditary system was the best. It may not have been perfect but at least it worked.”

For anyone who missed the photo of a young Michael Crick making a rude gesture on Newsnight last week, Jonathan Calder has kindly come up with the goods.

This also appears at www.newstatesman.com/blogs/best-of-the-politics-blogs.