So, Its a Northern Ireland special. What are the pressing issues over there?
David Dimbleby is joined in Londonderry by
Owen Paterson, NI minister and business Tory.
Diane Abbott, Shadow unimportant post,
Nigel Dodds, DUP,
Martina Anderson ,Sinn Féin
Nicola Horlick , investor and financial pundit.
15th Sept
UPDATE
September leader board.
Botogol - 7½
Timbo614 - 6
Budgie - 6
CU - 5½
Measured - 5½
Miss CD - 5
GSD - 5
BQ - 5
Nick Drew - 4½
Timbo614 - 6
Budgie - 6
CU - 5½
Measured - 5½
Miss CD - 5
GSD - 5
BQ - 5
Nick Drew - 4½
Woman on a raft - 4½
Hopper - 4
Appointmetotheboard - 4
Mark Wadsworth - 4
Sebastian Weetabix - 3½
Hovis - 3½
Hatfield Girl - 3½
Andrew - 3
Malcolm Tucker - 3
Jan - 2½
Dick the Prick -2½
Philipa - 2½
Miss S-J -2
Alex - 1½
&
Electro-Kevin - ½
Hopper - 4
Appointmetotheboard - 4
Mark Wadsworth - 4
Sebastian Weetabix - 3½
Hovis - 3½
Hatfield Girl - 3½
Andrew - 3
Malcolm Tucker - 3
Jan - 2½
Dick the Prick -2½
Philipa - 2½
Miss S-J -2
Alex - 1½
&
Electro-Kevin - ½
1. Public strikes. Winter of discontent. How much damage will this do to the new 'make NI a centre for private companies' plan.
ReplyDelete2. Dave in Libya.Too soon? Is this his USS Abraham Lincoln moment.
{George Bush declared the war in Iraq over. Friday, 2 May, 2003. Incidentally, his dad had an aircraft carrier named after him. A Nimitz class nuclear powered carrier that cost $6.3 billion.we must compare costs when ours are built.}
3. The Euro.it has to be. Even question time can't ignore it forever. If Eire fell out of the euro,devalued their currency, how cheap would it be for NI peoples to buy up Eire?
4. Is it right to go to a catholic funeral if you're on the Orange tariff?
5. Riot feedback. Rubber bullets and water cannon. Helicopters and watchtowers. Is there a lesson to be learned from this part of the UK?
1. Greek bailouts - did Ireland do the right thing in shouldering the bank debt and trying to repay? Was Iceland smarter? Will be interesting to hear what Horlick thinks.
ReplyDelete2. Is it right for Sinn Fein to be running for the Irish presidency? Is it even a good idea for them?
3. (Going for a wildcard) Does the UBS $2bn alleged rogue banker show that all the bank reforms were just peeing in the wind?
4. UU attending PC Kerr's funeral - what the hell is wrong with the Orangement that this seems controversial?
Copied from previous post:
ReplyDelete1. Europe/Greece/debt/the euro
2. Libya
3. unemployment (23 yr high for women!)
4. Banks/split (Northern Rock wasn't an investment bank) but growth has slowed so banks need to lend to speed growth?
5. Am going to replce Riots/broken britain with trapped miners/was Maggie right? Just for the crack.
Having been in the USA all week I have virtually no idea what is going on back home, but I shall have a bash anyway.
ReplyDelete1. Is Sinn Fein's putting up a candidate for the Irish presidency a sign that they finally accept partition?
2. Recession - should Osborne be spanked for not having a plan B?
3. Why don't Labour/Tories set up in Northern Ireland?
4. Bankers - bastards! What to do with them?
5. Is the Euro finished?
Things starting with B
ReplyDelete1 Banks
Chinese walls do not work too brilliantly, shouldn't they be properly separated - particularly UBS given the news today - even if it is not British or retail.
2 Bail-outs
How many more will Greece need? - obligatory by golly aren't we glad to not be in the Euro so we can devalue at whim
3 Boredom (Pensions)
Is it right to go on strike over pensions when unemployment is rising and more than half of private sector employees don't have one at all
4 Burials
Is it me or has there been a small outbreak of commonsense at times when one might expect the opposite?
(Tariq Jahan and now Ulster Unionists)
- could make you proud to be British.
5 Bonus question - Bacalao
Should we be worried that foreign fish are colonising English fishing grounds - less cod more hake
I'm not brimming with ideas today, so my list is not very original:
ReplyDelete1. Orange Order (Lodge?), Catholic funerals.
2. Why didn't we have the banking ring fence a lot earlier, that way house prices wouldn't be falling so badly in Northern Ireland?
3. Euro, is the panel glad that Northern Ireland didn't adopt it?
4. Something about N Irish university tuition fees
5. Will the savage Tory cuts particularly affect Northern Ireland, seeing as how it is so dependent on public sector jobs?
OK some serious answers (see T/Cs sec-A.sub-e.para-ii) Not that I'm brimming with ideas either.
ReplyDelete1) Euro Crisis & Eire Bank crisis how will this affect the UK more specifically N.I. and Trade with the south?
2) Presidency is Jerry Adams joking?
3) Catholic Funerals and UU leaders, Sanity or incitement?
4) Upcoming strikes - Madness or militancy?
Hi BQ, I hope I manage to squeeze these in before the lift doors shut.
ReplyDelete1. Trust me. I am a politician. Why?
2. Trust me. I am a Republican. Pack up your troubles in your olf kit bag, Northern Ireland.
3. Trust me. I am Obama and I know you should pull together on the euro...er..a hiccup or two approaching.
4. Trust me. I am David Cameron and I know how to use my time wisely. Libya toady, Israel soon but back in time for tea.
5. Trust me. I am Ed and is it right to strike? As my companion today said, no one is listening, Ed, but you will get a nice pension.
1 Holy Cow eighty percent of our economy is public sector, we iz dun for. Answer, STRIKE.
ReplyDelete2 Let's all laugh at Ireland sinking in the Euro, oops, BAILOUT DAY.
3 something dull about northen irish parish politics
4 Our little space is the scene of the worst overvaluations in the UK - let's all blame the BANKERS IN LONDON AND TORY BASTARDS.
That anon is me CU - stoopid blackberry.
ReplyDeleteDammit! just lost all my hard-done typing by forgetting to tick the "name/url" button! so, a very quick precis:
ReplyDelete1) will there be any public support for strikes as claimed by TUC?
2) Euro - will today's plan (as opposed to all the others) work?
3) Can't remember! but I'll go with: Cameron spending too much time jetting around the world?
4) Orange order - still relevant today?
I'm sure my #3 was brilliant too!
Bringing up the rear.
ReplyDelete1. Public sector strikes.
2. free schools. How will that work?
3. Dale farm. Should the UN begin sanctions and prepare a resolution to use their powers of invasion against the despotic Basildon council?
4. Euro. Stephanie Flanders just said 'every-thing's fine.'Is she right?
5.Should MPs who don't take their seats still get a massive slice of cash?
Are we almost ready..lot of jostling still at the starting gate. I see Miss S-J + GSD are late entries
ReplyDelete....stewards say..approved...
And they're off.
Just got back from the office. Bastards. Ironically working on a BBC project, though not QT unfortunately. No rogue trading to see here.
ReplyDeleteNo time to consider NI angle, so my panicky punts are:
1. Unemployment
2. Strikes
3. UBS fraud / morality / IDS / riots
4. Europe
5. Banking reform
Q1. Was Ed Miliband right to say strikes a mistake. A mostly anticipated question as NI is 99.7% public sector {citation needed .. figures may be made up}
ReplyDeleteMan just said "wrong to strike while negotiations are going on". Is Ed Miliband in the room?
"We're in it together" Blimey..Dave is here now.
Martina is up for strikes. But also isn't. On the fence.
Dianne Abbott says unions have a just cause.which they do, and don't.
{this fence sitting is easier than it looks.} Dimby tries to nail her down but she won't answer.
Audience seems quite pro strike. Not much of a surprise. On BBC news lots of images of riots in Greece and Italy. We never see these images. Assume that a student demo makes us unique in Europe.
Nicola says NO to unaffordable pensions.
Very weasely answers from Owen Patterson. Never be evasive Owen. Answer the question, take the hit, then explain your reasoning.
Nigel Dodds makes a good point about union bosses lining up to go on strike.
I think they really do feel its time for 70's style action.
Q2. is the Euro finished! At last..ND says Euro federalists are determined to keep it going. Well..that is true...doesn't mean the Euro is dead though.
Nicola says it will be like Lehmans x 1000 if it goes bust. She thinks Greece must be let go back to the Drachma. Yep! A managed exit. Slowly..with timeliness..but with confidence.
Its an international problem...well duh! Tonight's show is like a Dr Who episode.
"We've got to get financial institutions and leaders to agree or the whole cosmic secret will explode."
".."Too late..the Euro monster's here!"
Abbott says "Thank Gordon Brown for keeping us out of the euro." Never before has spite,jealousy,malice,resentment, discontent,inferiority complex,hatred and malice served us so well.
Q3. Celibacy should not be enforced on Roman catholic priests.
A Father Ted question. I love my BRICS! This was the oddball question. I might allow a 1/2 point for all those who said 'something Irish that we don't know or care about'
q4.
Q4.. Its been pretty uninspired so far. Eyes drooping.. Must.. stay ..awake..tweet.. something..inane..to ..relieve..tedium...
ReplyDeletePanel have been answering very..very..slowly.
Q5.Does Libya have a better future than Iraq. Nicely put.
And that's strikes, Euro, libya rounded up so a high scoring session for me. Missed what Abbott said...I heard it .. just missed what she said, if anything. Even Dimby is getting fed up with her. {she doesn't answer at all. This MUST be a Labour non answer instruction. If it goes well, they agreed. if it goes wrong, they warned it would.}
Panel agree..its not all over yet.
Odd to see Ex-terrorists talking about human rights. Answer..yes it was good..but it might be bad.
We knew that in advance though.
Argument descends into the usual irrelevance of Guantanamo, oil, Syria, Zimbabwe, arms sales and so on.
Good panel next week. Don't give up yet.
well reading the BBC NI website (guilty!) didn't help me!
ReplyDeleteI do like the oddball question, it makes QT what it is -- but celibate priests ? Is that really an issue for the 21st Cent? Perhaps in NI it is.
Off to bed, I have a suspicion I won't be top of the leader board anymore tomorrow :-(
QT audience recovered after a bad start. Some sensible comments after the opening moron fest on the economy. CU
ReplyDelete5 q's tonight. Look at these scores.
ReplyDeleteDick the prick: Bit rambling DP..but I think that's 2½
Woman on a Raft:2½ for you too.No Dale farm. Must be saving that for the Liberal special next week.
Budgie: And 2½ for you too. Yoof unemployment would have been a goodie.+½ for 4q's = 3
Jan: nope..sorry. ½ for entering though. Have more guesses in future. Timbo like to cram in 10 or so.
Alex: Dodds was OK. - 1 + ½ for four questions or less rule. -1½
Hatfield Girl: Liked them all. But only 2 + ½ for quality - 2½
Botogol: - 3 hits. A top score.
Miss CD: Good effort -2
Malcolm Tucker: 2 good ones.
Philipa: It wasn't my porn. It was whip-a-lot's, the 'intern'.
Good guesses -2½.
Nick Drew -Finally! A Euro crash Q is asked. 2½
Hovis - Good try - 1½ + ½ for unemployment, which the audience brought up.-2
BQ - 3
Hopper 1+ ½for 4 q's. Horlicks didn't say much. = 1½
Sebastian Weetabix- yeah its tricky these specials. Makes you realise we really are 4 separate countries. - 1½
andrew - spotted the best - 2
Mark Wadsworth. - 2 too .
Timbo614 1½ for Euro/Ireland trade - 1 for strikes ½ for 4qs
= 3
Measured: - 3 + ½ for style = 3½
CU - 3 + the extra ½ = 3½
GSD 2+ tow halfs = 3{bummer when good stuff is lost.}
Miss S-J : hello1 - 2 for you.
appointmetotheboard : working late again? - 2
Seems Libya was the one that most missed. Easy in hindsight.
Winner{s} : Measured and CU.
You get to choose which countries can remain in the senior Euro zone. The rest go to kindergarten euro.
My first ever win!
ReplyDeleteI feel it my duty to point out that I only scored 1/2 yet you've elevated my score.
ReplyDeleteI promise I will try to do better next week....
Thanks. I'll give myself a pat on the back for my Q5, the rest were a bit off-piste.
ReplyDeleteHey, CU and I won!
ReplyDeleteDepending on what CU says, just leave in Germany I say. Just Germany. All alone. Like the playground. All because they didn't share their lovehearts and Fudge Bar. Lets play it safe. It leaves the rest of us able to make friendly alliances elsewhere.
Thanks BQ.
Jan. - ½ for entering at all + ½ for submitting fewer than 4 questions. {ok, so its an error..but lets just leave it as it is.}
ReplyDeleteMW..For an audience that was probably 90% public sector funded they were quite subdued really.
CU-1st of many
Measured ..Ahh..see..there's a problem with that. When the Germans are excluded form joining in with the rest of Europe they can get a tad 'unruly?'
Rofl. Okay, let Austria join them.
ReplyDelete