Thursday 19 January 2012

Dimbleby in Shrewsbury





Cityunslicker leads the pack at the first corner. Can he continue?

David Dimbleby is joined in Shrewsbury by Baroness Warsi, Stephen Twigg, Caroline Lucas, Germaine Greer and Charles Moore.
Miss CD Says,Too soon to judge the captain.
How much unemployment can Cameron stand?
Should teacher's be allowing massages in schools.
Does selling the Big Issue count as a real job?
What now for Sarkozy?





Cityunslicker - 13

Miss S-J - 11
Dick the Prick - 11
Sebastian Weetabix - 10
Amy 10
Nick Drew 10
Measured -10

Botogol - 9
Timbo614 -9
Hopper - 8
Malcolm Tucker - 8
Jan - 8
Bill Quango MP - 8

appointmetotheboard - 7
Hovis - 7
Andrew - 6
GSD - 6
Budgie - 5
Measured - 4
Miss CD - 4
Philipa - 4
Dearieme - 1


29 comments:

Bill Quango MP said...

1. Should the captain have gone down with the ship? Why? The banker leaders were first into government bailout lifeboats?

2. Le Downgrade. Is it ever wrong to laugh at the French?

3. Youth unemployment rises again. Why can't the government do something a bit more substantial to help?

4. Miliband finally abandons the Brown 'no need for cuts' position some two years after it lacked any credibility. Who can left wingers vote for now all three parties have an identical policy on debt? Step forward uber lefty Caroline Lucas

5. Something about tent people. evicted for their beliefs by Goldman bonuses.

hovis said...

1. Unions vs Milliband

2. Should we be paying to the IMF for the Eurobailout ( is osbourbe fibbing when saying we wont.)

3. Should MEP's be parachuted in ? (Roger Helmer vs Warsi)

4. How much power does Nick Clegg have (LidDem Flip-Floppery over Boris Island)

Jan said...

1. Can Britain afford to hang on to the Falklands and who are the colonialists, the Brits or the Argies?

2. Will any of the panel be booking a cruise any time soon?

3. What should UK be doing to secure its energy needs for the future and where do the panel stand on wind/solar/nuclear/carbon capture and storage etc etc? (interested on Caroline Lucas stance and to hear Germaine Greer floundering)

4. Has the fuss about HS2 died down yet and what about the "Boris Island" solution to overcrowding at Heathrow? Who will pay?

5. Is anyone sick of the Olympics yet?

Botogol said...

1 - In this time of financial strain, isn't it madness to buy the queen a new yacht for the jubilee?

2 - Are people being fleeced by surcharges in the way big companies sell to us? [I think this line from Ed M today will strike a chord, for in energy, mobile phones, broadband, travel, the answer is surely 'yes'. Bonus word - confusopoly)

3 - Should women and children go first? (.. Germaine Greer?)

4 - It seems there is shed loads of shale gas under our feet - but is fracking for it safe?

5 - Is there anything the panel would welcome about a return to the 80s?

Hopper said...

1. Bankers' bonuses: why are we rewarding failure, can payments this size ever be justified? (might segue on to a Tesco CEO angle)
2. Unemployment is rising, what would the panel do to tackle it if they had a free hand? Should we all build windmills and shovel manure?
3. Housing: chronic shortage of social housing, what can be done? Reference to Grant Shapps and his move-granny-to-a-flat ideas.
4. After an unseemly rush to the lifeboats, is chivalry dead? (A bottle of vino to any panel member who can work in 'vada a bordo, cazzo' in context)
5. Rip off Britain (thank you Ed), give us a refund. Probably another bank bashing sesh.

I really, really wanted to get a Countdown question in there but couldn't justify it to myself.

CityUnslicker said...

hard this week:

1) Falklands - british colonialist scum aren't we?
2) Boris island - planes re not very green are they caroline?
3) Unions being anti-labour - u-turns - ed the red - dull party line answers all round.
4) should only girls have sex education as per nadine Dorries bill?
5) Schettino, clegg, Milliband - who is the best example of leadership? (or maybe is women and children first outdated and sexist?)

Amy said...

Hard work as it may be, is selling The Big Issue the type of job vacancy we envisaged needing immigrants to fill?

Island airport - do we need more planes? What about the birdies (striking aeroplanes, that is)?

Is Europe getting too big for its boots, refusing to let us deport terrorists, or is a clear stand against torture the mark of a civilised society?

Should Fred Goodwin's knighthood be stripped from him and given instead to Gregorio, the coastguard?

Capitano Schettino: is there any truth in unkind National stereotypes?

Should Germany drop out of the euro?

Nick Drew said...

Shrewsbury is hated-windfarm territory; when QT was last in mid-Wales, windfarms got a rough ride; and Caroline Lucas is on ...

but somehow I think not, so

1) are we at the start of a recession-fueled crime-wave?
2) Boris Island: (pace Ms Lucas) should we be encouraging more air travel?
3) public flogging for "Sir" Fred Goodwin & other scoundrels in receipt of Honours ? & segue to/from The Evils Of *ahem* Capitalism
4) hanging from the yard-arm for the Capitano ?
5) Royal Yacht for HMQ ?

Amy said...

I fear that my nifty lack- of- numbering- ruse will not work and that I will be penalised for making too many guesses so please would you delete one of the wrong ones.... um, I mean the last one about the Euro.....

Miss S-J said...

Sinking ships. Was the captain a hero for getting the ship so far to the shore or a villain for leaving it all?

Miliband had just one idea on his blank paper. And both Clegg and Cameron have nicked it. Crony capitalism.

Ed Balls. Does he really believe that there can be no cuts?

Argentina. Are they really going to stir things up? Or is it just a plot to get Dave re-elected?

Is it a good idea to export prisoners to France?

measured said...

1. Should we expand our airports? The fumes, the fumes….

2. A privacy law and death, or an arbitrary, time consuming, irrational tribunal procedure?

Damn that Press. Okay, who is pulling the levers on this? Not those celebrities I hope. {…aka Hislop style who persuaded me to buy a Private Eye* this week. God forbid, but he managed to make me feel guilty getting decent journalism de nada.}

3. Should the UK associate itself with torture, rendition and odd stones sporting antennae and yet we won't extradite? Lets go and investigate. Actually, BQ, seconds thoughts, lets not.

4. Go away Argentina. Poor Will away from Kate, but at least he’ll feel at home when there; even Waitrose products in Port Stanley’s supermarket. So British.

5. Public sector pay cuts vs. public sector job losses. It is rather fashionable to be unemployed these days, less fashionable to talk about Ed though.

++++ Top tip: Please stop captains from falling into a lifeboats by filling them up with women and children first. +++

*rather good

andrew said...

1 unemployment up but not in wales regional differences make the n s divide worseis there light anywhere

2 retail problems -peacocks going under- is this the last problem coming out or the start of another collapse in the high st

3 inflation - going down but is that a good thing

4 why should wikipedia go dark in the uk because of a us ptoblem is piracy really a problem

5 return to the 80s - sabre rattling in argentina - would we win this time

Dick the Prick said...

1) Unemployment - Greer can wibble on about sexism

2) Cuts, Labour's reverse ferret and the Union's umbrage

3) London airport, HS2, green stuff and wibble

4) Health reform and welfare defeat

5) Should islands be prevented from moving in front of cruise liners?

Hmmm.....not confident.

Sebastian Weetabix said...

Jeez - thursday comes around fast. Damn near forgot about it. Anyhoo, whit's the prize this time round? More obscure Japanese rotgut? Or a respectable single malt?

1. Boris Island - is it already sunk when the boss of BA says he won't move there?
2. Holiday cruises. Which would the panel choose: norovirus or drowning?
3. France has been downgraded due to their huge debts. How would an independent Scotland fare?
4. American extra-territoriality & trying to control the WWW. Why should some poor nerd be shipped over there for doing something which isn't a crime here?
5. Are green taxes are punishing the poor, especially the unemployed? (Cue mad "Dr" Caroline Lucas spouting total bollocks about windmills. I'm quite looking forward to the cat fight between her and Germaine Greer - for all her feminism she doesn't seem to like sharing a platform with other women.)

Budgie said...

1. HS2 - are railways better than air transport? Yes to HS2 and extensions to Europe, then no need for Boris Island.

2. Unemployment - now that the red Eds have given up Plan B (or not) all we are left with is Plan A and the evil Thatcherist Streeperism that throws working people on the scrap heap. Hurrah for green jobs all round instead.

3. Crime - rises are an inevitable reaction to Tory-led Coalition's unfair clampdown on working people. Knifepoint crime up by a tenth - typical Tories say Labour. No wonder decent people rioted in the summer last year.

4. Phone hacking - evil Tory supporting Murdochs forced to hand over huge sums to impoverished, deserving, hacked actors, politicians and footballers. News International apologises for the NoW, Grauniad and BBC exonerated.

5. Ship to shore - who said the captain was a ship? Was the captain too keen on his totty's rear and not enough on the ship's? Should men hold open the doors to the lifeboats for women?

Philipa said...

1. Welfare cuts; disabled etc.

2. Sexism in HoC; are questions from female MPs "hysterical"?

3. Phone hacking payouts/scandal. And will politicians be called?

4. Public sector pensions.

5. Eviction of protestors. Do we have to protest by appt? Is protesting now illegal?

GSD said...

Hi all. I have no idea tonight (not much change there then!).

1) Costa Concordia: Design floor that allows ppl to fall into life boats & get stuck? leading on to - how can the captain ever hope for a fair trial after all the coverage?

2) sopa/pipa protests - were they effective? Is it right that US laws affect the whole world?

3) Labor & unions spat over pay freeze - the final straw for Ed M?

4) Boris Island: Passenger growth figures suggest a huge increase by 2050. Should we plan to accommodate future flyers or limit them by not building any more airports/runways?

5) Porous boarders & deportation rules: wtf is going on there?

Malcolm Tucker said...

Has Murdoch managed to pay for an end to the phone hacking enquiry?

crime figures. They are good and bad. perfect for a QT panel

The shutting down of wikipedia. Total freedom of the net must continue say all, even though the politicians have fingers crossed under the desk.

Bankers bonuses. How come the government can't even control the bonuses that it pays out?


Ship sinks. No one responsible. Metaphor for something?

Timbo614 said...

Late again - I can't start forgetting in week 2! :(

1) [Music]He is the capital of my ship[/Music] - is he also a yellow bellied coward?

2) [music] Money for nothing and your Greeks for free[/music] Do the panel really believe in the market rally and Greek solutions?

3) [music] Je t'aime ahh, ohh Je t'aime[/music] not with out your AAA rating though! France frets on Bailout fund downgrade are we next?!

4) [music] I'm leaving on a jet plane don't know if it's Boris Island discs[/music] or Luton airport.. Do we need more airport space?

5) Can't think of a song about shale gas and Ms Lucas got stuck at "Sweet Caroline" and it's not really appropriate! Do we need more windmills or more fracking Drills?

Timbo614 said...

captain not capital!

appointmetotheboard said...

Unemployment. Or are we bored by that already? Maybe we should all get shares in the Job Centre, and then we'd have some proper caring capitalism...

Bonus season is on us again. Surely worth asking the shrieking baroness warsi whether its right that Goldman Sach's bonuses have fallen by a far smaller percentage than either profits or divis...

Labour adopting the coalition economic policy. Bodes ill for our democratic options at the next election. If they even still exist without union support. What would Keir Hardy make of it, eh...

If there is a xenophobic question, then it must be about those dirty rotten forriners at the IMF trying to steal tax payers money again...

Argh. Out of time again...


I can't bear to watch, but can someone count how many times baroness warsi mentions the mess the coalition inherited from labour...

Bill Quango MP said...

Q: Should taking away Sir Fred Goodwin’s knighthood be the first step towards ethical capitalism?

Thats two question's really. So there may be some extra points. Warsi seems confident that the chancellor sets the bonus for RBS. RBS seem to think not.
Quite good audience so far. Good points being raised.Coalition really dropped the ball when they didn't wade straight in to the bonuses of the banks they inherited. Would have reaped bankable dividends for the government for years to come.

Q: How can Labour call themselves the opposition, when they are not opposed to the Government’s economic policies?
If anyone continued with plan A for too long, too far and too deep, then it was Miliband. That argument lost traction after the election.
Caroline Lucas "Labour are the third Tory party"
"The Opposition is probably in bed with the prime minister," says Germaine Greer. Very odd thing to say. Lib Dem must have retreated further from reality than I thought.

Q: With the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War... could this be the right time to give ‘Las Malvinas’ back to Argentina?

Strange question. We should give them up because it is the anniversary of when we didn't?

On a related note the Argentinians know that we currently have no aircraft carrier capability and that without neighbouring countries it would be impossible to retake the islands. They have a window of opportunity of {supposedly} 4-5 years to make their move.
More likely 20 years though. The Argentinians can afford to wait and see if there is any oil there at oil.

Q: Would private sponsorship of the new royal yacht devalue the brand of the Monarchy?
Perfect QT anger generator question.
Its not going to happen. Unless Fun O'Air sponsor some sort of river cruiser for her.

Q: Does London need another airport? Greer bores on about eco concerns. Probably stolen Caroline's bit. Twigg goes on about the London mayor election that the people in Shrewsbury couldn't care less about.
Lucas says that if you add Heathrow,Gatwick and Stanstead together we already have a really big hub airport?
as long all connecting flights are 3 hours apart I guess that would work.

Better panel, and much better audience than last week..

Now.. how does this scoring work again?

James Higham said...

Step forward uber lefty Caroline Lucas

At least she's a proper woman, unlike the other one.

Bill Quango MP said...

3 for a win, 1 for a partial.

Miss CD - A first. None. 1 pt for mentioning schools as plenty of teachers in the audience babbled on about them regardless of the question. - 1 pt

BQ - 3pt

Hovis - a bit short but got some in - 3pts.

Jan - topics were general headline ones tonight. -3pts

Botogol. Too many possibles this week - 4pts

Hopper - rip of Britain wasn't asked . Fooled many. - 3pts

CU - incredible! Done it again - 7pts.

Amy - {earlier extra Q noted. Wisely withdrawn } - 6pts

Nick Drew - the sponsorship was the key word for the bonus . Still- 7pts

Miss S-J - Good 5 pts

Measured. {I have a subscription to PE.In case i need to threaten to cancel it} - 6pts

Andrew - Saved yourself with Q 5 -3pts.

Dick the Prick - not bad at all -6pts.

Sebastian Weetabix - 3 + 1+1+ for the Greer/Lucas/Warsi spats. - 5pts
{prize..hmm..we'll have to see about that.}

Budgie - Way off . 2pts for the unemployment , reverse ferret. - 2pts

Philipa - bad day at the office - 1pt

GSD - good enough 4pts.

Malcolm Tucker - ok - 3pts.

Timbo614 - just made it - 3pts -1pt for general greenery that came fromGreer and Lucas - 4pts

appointmetotheboard - good stuff for a late run - 6pts.

To clarify the scoring as its much harder to get the exact question that I'd imagined.
3pts if its correct or close.
1 pt if its in the general area.

Still hard to get a high score.

Unbelievably the winners are {takes bribe..puts into pocket}
Nick Drew - 7pts
Cityunslicker -7pts

who get to choose a name for the Royal yacht that we aren't having.

Bill Quango MP said...

Jh: Are you sure? She looks like a constituent who always comes to complain about the lack of art and design facilities in the village hall.

Sebastian Weetabix said...

Lucas? A proper woman? A typical dessicated Greeny munter. I expect she weaves bathmats out of her own pubes.

I was spending time in Germany this week. The trend among Greens there seems to be the avoidance of deodorant due to the chemicals in it. Not nice.

measured said...

You probably fell asleep updating the leaderboard.
::[pretends not to care]::

You could make a market in secondhand PEs, BQ. My The Week for your PE, that could be fair. Moral capitalism in action.

Bill Quango MP said...

And after a stonker like that too.
Its just not good enough being left off like that, Measured.

I'd write to your MP if I were you.

measured said...

::[cough]:: You are my MP, Bill.