Thursday 10 November 2011

Question Time comp: Pagliacci edition


David Dimbleby is joined in Newcastle upon Tyne by Michael Moore,{Lib Dem and someone who normally makes a bold statement, only to have it completely overturned the following day. He tries hard though.} Rachel Reeves,{Labour Mp: Ex banker but long time labour supporter makes her stick to party line, even when she knows its rubbish. Hopefully more than just a mouth on a stick tonight.} Nadine Dorries, {Batswoman, as she is known in the tea room. Plenty to say. Entertaining if nothing else. Professor Colin Blakemore {erm..?? {wik-wiki..} genius doctor,neuroscientist and total hate figure for animal rights protesters. Badly upset Tony Blair when he complained he wasn'tt allowed on the honours list for not being PC enough. I think I'll like him, and Stephen Pollard,{editor of the Jewish chronicle?}

[What is going on Dimbleby? This looks like a set up.. Well, you have all been warned.]
BQ goes with the early Q's

- Poppymania - Stand up to Fifa
- Berlusconi - - Can't wait to read the memoirs. HG can you get an English language copy of Angelo Rawnsli's "The end of the bunga-bunga party"?
- May or May not be telling the truth on immigration
- Healthcare .. Opening up privatisation by the front door
- Alzheimer's its alright to divorce says priest. What does the Rabbi say?

Looks like 5 more shows to go, including this one. So..in Tracey Island voice-over mode -FIVE!

Leaderboard as of
11/11/11

Botogol - 32

Budgie - 31
BQ - 30

Nick Drew - 29
Timbo614 - 28
Sebastian Weetabix - 28
Appointmetotheboard - 27½
Measured - 27.5
Philipa - 26½

Dick the Prick -26
Hatfield Girl - 26
Mark Wadsworth - 26
Hopper - 25½
Miss S-J -24
Miss CD - 23½
Hovis - 23.5
GSD - 22.5
Malcolm Tucker - 22½
CU - 22
Jan - 16.5
Andrew - 14½
Sean -9.5

Woman on a raft - 8
Electro-Kevin - 4
Anon {1} -3½
Alex - 1½

28 comments:

GSD said...

Hi everyone. My guesses are:

1) Eurozone - with "technocrat" PMs/governments being talked about for both Greece & Italy, where does democracy stand & will they solve the problems?

2) Speed limits - given the awful M5 crash, is it a good idea to raise speed limits to 80mph on motorways?

3) Iran - is preemptive military action justified, necessary & legal? Further, would it work?

4) Latest immigration cock-up - is the Home Office still not fit for purpose, or is it all May's fault? Or both?

5) Whale slavery/circus elephants/animal research - Where should the line on what is acceptable be drawn?


F.A.B... [*frantically twists at wall lights, but nothing happens*]

hatfield girl said...

Has the Chancellor of the Exchequer handbagged the Tobin tax that Tobin himself renounced?

Will you be giving a bunga bunga party at Christmas? (Perhaps the panel could be questioned ladies first, then the chaps.)

What is to be done about the economically arid and tax-dependent regions of Europe (Italian South, English North-East, Polish east, etc.) as they drive up public indebtedness of EU member states?

Can right-on pc freaks not mind their manners over poppies or any other symbol of remembrance for all those who gave their lives for all their countries so long ago?

Should neuroscience be inflicted on humans rather than cats?


[Have the bungas ended Mr Q? Lots of dear little Smart cars turning up at palazzo Grazioli in Rome the last few midnights.]

Philipa said...

I concur with your guesses< BQ but I'll try to make mine a little dofferent:

1. Poppymania/FIFA/white/red

2. Hackgate/mafia/school run/Murdoch/Watson/mensch

3. Misogyny online/everywhere/abuse/manners

4. Immigration control: come in!

5. Healthcare/cancer rates/all that

and going on last weeks example..

6. 7 weeks to Xmas; is Landrover creating 1000 jobs the best present in a world were the coalition is persecuting the poor so much we can't afford a pop-up tent in St Pauls?

Philipa said...

Don't know if I can stand Dorries, a mouth on a stick and Stephen Pollard, who employs David Aaronovitch :-P

May just read BQs excellent tweets :-)

hovis said...

Ok here goes I dount I'll have time to react to any late coming events but looking at the panel:

Eurozone - bailout / Italy who's supposed to be doing what? are we on the hook?

Israel / Iran - what do we do if Israeli threats to bomb Iran

and/or

Israel: should we trust a country who's leader is a big fibber/liar (as per Sarkosy and Obama)

Immigration Control - it's all the tories fault and May should go.

With a double dip on the cards should we be spending more? No more cuts etc.

Optional Local Question: I money ruining football with the renaming of ST James' Park?

Demetrius said...

Pagliacci? Today I was going on about how it is all more "Carmina Burana".

Miss CD said...

- Remembrance Sunday - poppies for Saturday night football.

- Vicar and divorce for befuddled relatives.

- Italy's debts. Is it all over for the euro bar the crying?

- Motorway. Does the crash signal the end of the 80mph speed limit proposal?

- Miliband and the tent people. Has he joined the 1%?

Hopper said...

1. Royal intervention on poppies - does Prince W's letter show the upside of having royalty involved in politics? [Let's face it, FIFA is as political as they come].
2. Two Eurozone leaders fall in a week - does this mean the death of austerity won't work and time for plan B? [Wonder if anyone will get to mention bunga-bunga.]
3. Private firms running NHS hospitals, end of civilisation as we know it etc. Comparisons to American system inevitable. [Why no comparisons to Canadian or French?]
4. Animal cruelty (spinning cat, dog in sea) - what's wrong with people?
5. Local interest: is renaming St. James' Park selling out?

Here's hoping for Crazy Joe Divola in the audience.

WV: 'haram', as I'm munching on a bacon sarnie. Nice!

Jan said...

1) Has Berlusconi really gone?

2) Are experiments on animals morally justified?
(aside:I went for a job interview once and was shown round a lab with anaethetised dogs on operating tables undergoing surgery)

3) Are British roads/motorways safe?

4) Has the humble poppy been hijacked by the PC brigade?

5) Is it a good idea to let a private business step in to run a failing NHS hospital?

With all passions raised I doubt there will be time for all these but you never know...

Miss S-J said...

1. Euro crash
2. Murdoch phone hacking - day 10,094
3. Immigration. Bonus points if 'fit for purpose' is in the question?
4. Jacko's doctor trial

Sean said...

1, euro/italia, If Silvio had been a left winger and not a bunga bungoer, the world would now be saved. discuss.

2, Tess May,Passports, immigration ect. Tory, burn the witch, dont these tories understand they have to run everything directly, Why isn't she down at Heathrow on the weekends?

3, NHS, tory cuts, private hospital takeover, ect.ect, what next privatized doctors asking for payment before the kemo begins.

4, Iran, isreal nuclear war. will the world end on the 11-11-11 or the Mayan December 21, 2012. are the saudis the dark horses. Why did short arse slag off bebi, and let the world know, was it to deter a isreali strike?

5, Jim Saville, legend, but a gold coffin? was it right in these credit crunched times? Have we made death such a taboo we cannot celebrate life anymore?

Point of order.

Should there not be some sort of points handicap for the number of times you have entered and/or more points for the earlier entries?

Botogol said...

I'll go for another six-question bonanza (I am detecting a trend)

1 - if we are going to defend footballers' right to wear poppies, surely we must also grant militant islamists the right to burn them?

2 - given the patchy record of private firms running prisons, should they really be allowed to take charge of NHS hospitals?

3 - should Germany leave the Euro and go back to it's own currency?

4 - with the discovery announced today that many people in comas are actually completely conscious, shouldn't we abandon plans for presumed consent for organ donors?

5 - Have the Home Office lost control of, and lost the confidence of the immigration dept?

6 - would the panel sell the naming rights for question time, to the right sponsor? or is that sacred?

appointmetotheboard said...

1. Europe. Blimey, was it just a week ago with the on / off Greek referendum..? Something with an end of the world / democracy bent...

2. And the other great question in Europe that everyone seems to be exercised about - should footballers be allowed to wear poppies?

3. Speaking of forriners, what's going on with Theresa May and Brodie Clark?

4. Not sure about this one as it was a damp squib, but its a question we should all be asking, nevermind the QT audience - how on earth were the polis authorised to fire rubber bullets at students?

5. Privately run NHS hospitals. What could possibly go wrong?


And just for 'fun', one for Mad Nads - were the people of Mississippi right to throw out the 'personhood' measure?

Sebastian Weetabix said...

You never know what the Geordies are going to come up with. According to Al Murray they are a race of Orcs genetically engineered to keep the Scots out... anyhoo, here goes.

1. Greece/Euro - the new prime minister isn't even elected. Is democracy in Europe in danger?

2. NHS/envy of world question - thin end of privatisation wedge, etc.

3. Theresa May dropping the officials in it and briefing against them. Shouldn't Brodie Clark have got a fair trial first?

4. Elephants tortured. Should animals be banned from the circus?

5. Was it right to ban "Muslims against crusades"?

6. Should Iran be allowed to develop the bomb?

James Higham said...

Stephen Pollard always acceptable.

Budgie said...

1. Is James Murdoch part of the Mafia? Has James had a little examination and found to be Miss Leading? Was the NoW a mafia coven? BBC saintly and should takeover the Murdoch empire. Wicked Thatcherite media bosses should be given concrete boots.

2. Is Silvio Berlusconi part of the Mafia? Is he guilty of sleeping on the job with an under age euro? Will he come or will he go? Does he think he is Bond - Highinterest Bond? Is Berlusconi part of the 7%? Should the EU depose elected leaders? Does the EU political mafia think this will stall growth in the eurozone?

3. Was Muslims Against Crusades banned for being part of the terrorist mafia? Or is it part of the FIFA mafia? Poppies disliked all round. Free speech go to hell.

4. Will Saint O'Blarney allow Netanyahu to take out the Persian mafia?

5. Did we let in too many members of the Bulgarian mafia? Did Mrs May say "Blodie Clark should have concrete boots", or not? We should be told. Labour very concerned about the Thatcherite relaxation of immigration controls which they could never countenance.

Mark Wadsworth said...

I'll go with the flow and stick to the Remembrance Day theme:

1. Poppies, FIFA, when will the PC madness ever end, Our Brave Boys in the English team remembering Our Brave Boys in the trenches etc.

2. Berlusconi getting booted out to be replaced with a former EU commissioner, a bit like might happen in Greece, is the EU taking over the world, Our Brave Boys trying to get a better deal in Brussels, three million jobs etc.

3. May, Clarke, Immigration, Our Brave Boys in the Border Force, lions led by donkeys.

4. Creeping privatisation of NHS, Our Brave Girls in the frontline of healthcare, Lionesses led by Fat Cats.

5. Iran, nukes, didn't Our Brave Boys fight to rid the world of such maniacal dictators, should Our Brave Boys' lives be risked etc.

Malcolm Tucker said...

1. The Murdoch mafia. Should MP grandstanding be abolished?

2. Euro/Greece/Italy..Shall we book Spain in for next week now, or leave it until Monday?

3. Poppy wearing and poppy burning. Why should either be subject to laws? Its a freedom isn't it? {discussion rumbles off down the Holocaust road}

4. Kitten heels in trouble. But not enough trouble to be sacked. Should Home Office spinners be used for briefing against their government's employees? {And amazingly this comes from Labour,who with no apparent irony have managed to mention; Briefings against colleagues. Called for an end to massive debts and Tom Watson, the actual button man for Gordon Brown when he wanted to dispose of Tony Blair, complaining about mafia organisations. There must be special 'no laughing' classes at their PR company.

5.Communications with brain damaged patients through watching brain activity only {Well..it was just on R4.}

Nick Drew said...

sound of amplified tom-toms ...anything can happen in the next half hour ! ... oh no that's something else

1) Italy / Euro crisis, recession.2

and

is it right that eurocrats can dismiss democratically elected politicians ?

2) home office / border agency / T.May fit for purpose ?

3) compulsory poppy-wearing / illegal poppy-burning, what's that all about then ?

4) Iran: is the end of the world about to happen just while we all have our eyes on Bunga-BungaMan

5) NHS, slippery slope etc

measured said...

1. What is the point of banning a political party when they just go rename themselves? Seems the trend. Lest we forget, non muslims are not allowed to enter Mecca and no sign of posters, protests or criticism in Saudi Arabia, so why should we be criticised here?

2. Is it really right to make such a fuss with FIFA that we should wear poppies. Are there blue poppies yet?

3. ….. eurozone…secret talks…Sssh… si, cosi nostra… nien, community…. non, famille… we’re broke and broken.

4. Who believed James Murdoch? Not me.

5. The elephant in the room …. Well, in the tent….

CityUnslicker said...

- Italy - Mommia Mia in deed - will the UK have to pay

- EU report, UK fiscal budget still not owrking - evil cuts are wrong evil tories says Beeb

- Theresa May - Evil Tory has done something horrible to good public servant

- James Murdoch, still evil, still a tory

- Privatising a hospital - foaming at the mouth evilness by baby eating Tories. Will someone please think of the patients!!

Dick the Prick said...

Italy, natch. hmm

A chat about life focussing on unemployment

Borders

Protest still

Technocrats? Poppies. Other stuff...

Cheers Bill

Timbo614 said...

EEEK! nearly forgot! So busy with assessing the real state of the business I just bought there's no time to look at the stories for today:(

1) Is May blunder-bird 6? Border control stuff.

2) Students Riot - Did they? blunder-police? How much did that cost?

3) Europe Greece again Blunder-Euro 99! We're all shafted - no growth and looks like no International Rescue?

4) some local stuff - where are the jobs up north? Blunder-cuts we 8.

5) Councils are marks for fraudsters - blunder-fake 7,000,000 bills paid from web site info. Ha ha Openness & transparency take a hit. Idiots!

Bill Quango MP said...

First question - If a private company can run a hospital at the same or better standards for less, why shouldn’t it?

Missed the start. Missed Mad nads. Twitter has a mix of response- mostly anti any change. There's none so conservative as socialists.

Audience doesn't seem very keen on a private style hospital. I wonder if audience was offered free BUPA they would all decline?
I've said it before.."leave it alone,Dave..it ain't worf it!" {and they're are no votes in it.}

Q: In a society that prides itself on freedom of expression, should we ban the burning of poppies? - Yes..this tough question will split them down the middle.. {time for a tea}

Q: "Should we accept longer queues at our borders to protect our national security?
Should have been better. No-one really said anything of value. Rachel and Nads traded stats. The Jewish chronicle is the only mildly entertaining thing on tonight.

Q: Do you agree that regions like the North East are UK’s equivalent of Southern Europe? If so, when are you going to bail us out? Now he's done it. SP just told a toon audience that we need a private sector growth."Don't wait for the government to create jobs..you create them." He got a fair amount of applause before a teacher misrepresented what he said and one the toonies back round.
Sports Direct Arena sponsored by surestart.

Q: Was Tom_watson right to compare James Murdoch to the head of the Mafia? Tom Watson..who'd a thought it!
Millie Dowler got a mention. Miliband should just say that every week. It reminds us why we decided we'd had enough of Murdoch.

Scores coming up

Bill Quango MP said...

BQ - on form -4
GSD - 2 .went a bit wobbly there GSD.+ ½ for the FAB gag. [ An ex girlfriend got a photo of me and had it altered so i was wearing a thunderbirds uniform, with the hat and everything. Even better, when the phone rang, the eyes lit up. I loved it] 2½

Hatfield Girl - 2½ + ½ from last week, + double points for 'the arid North East bailout = 4

Philipa - gone over budget on the q's - still 4.{for the flattery}

Hovis -3 {and very surprised they didn't squeeze in the Mike Ashley stadium.

Demetrius - its a Rock and a hard place opera.

Miss CD - 2

Hopper -3 {+ a ½ as they did mention European health services, to the audiences astonishment. + ½ for Crazy Joe Divola!
{own up..who else got that one?}
- 4

Jan - bit off - 2½ -{dogs on tables eh? It wasn't a restaurant job was it?}

Miss S-J - you only went for 4qs ? - 3

Sean - 3 hits + ½ for the very tone of the May debate. - 3½
{point of order - not a bad idea. End of season we shall look at rule changes. Try to make them as incomprehensible as NFL rules. I'm thinking of a bigger point spread to stop this bunching. Two points for a correct answer?}

Botogol: Six q's - the fourth official is flagging..
4 good ones - but a -½ = 3½.

appointmetotheboard:4 good ones, and a brilliant flutter on rubber bullets that didn't come off. -4

Sebastian Weetabix- 4 + like the wording of the May one. - 4½

JH - Pollard was the best. Until the very end where praised James Murdoch??

Budgie - 4 golds + pure quality throughout - 5

Mark Wadsworth - 4 hits + ½ for the theme. Lionesses led by fat cat -4½

Malcolm Tucker - 4 Good. -4

ND - 4 for you, Troy Tempest.

Measured - hmm - 4½ {what is the elephant in the tent?}

Cu - you were on a roll. Forgot the poppies - 4½

Dick the Prick - not bad - 3

Timbo614 - 3. Good try with the council data, but no - 3

Winner is Budgie - FIVE!

measured said...

Thanks BQ. Lets overlook the elephant.

Mark Wadsworth said...

BQ, ta. The lads gave it 110% and we're hopeful of getting back into the top flight next season. And our manager's job is safe.

Nick Drew said...

dunno about rule-changes, but next season I'm entering under a name beginning with 'B'

& definitely not 'A'