Paxo on form again

[bindeweede]

Paxman interviews hapless minister Chloe Smith on Newsnight 26.06.2012

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EDIT. The interview with Chloe Smith starts 6 mins 20 secs into the clip.

[Croydon13013]

Paxman interviews hapless minister Chloe Smith on Newsnight 26.06.2012

Tory nutjob MP Nadine Dorrie and Labour Peer Fatty Prescott have both called Osborne a coward for hiding behind Smith. The popular view seems to be that she is a cretin and soon for the chop.

But surely Osborne is just as thick and useless himself? He wouldn't have managed any better. Which is why Cameron keeps him locked away. Better for the ConDems to have some cow that we've never heard of before humiliated by Paxo than have the Chancellor given the kind of rogering he hasn't received since he was Cameron's fag at Eton.

[bindeweede]

Well, according to an article published on The Guardian's site tonight,........

Smith, who was appointed as exchequer secretary because David Cameron wrongly believed she was a trained accountant, toured the studios to explain George Osborne's announcement that he would defer a 3p rise in fuel duty until January. The chancellor was entertaining Tory MPs to dinner at No 11 while Smith defended his announcement on television.

The rest of the article makes interesting reading too. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012 ... CMP=twt_gu

[panama]

But there was personal sympathy for Smith. "The way Paxman treated Chloe was bit like a giant cat playing with, and then ensnaring, a tiny mouse. It was painful."

No sympathy at all. Not only is she, like her political masters, incompetent but she is also culpable. And lazy. She should have done her homework, read her briefs and prepared herself properly on the subject so she deserves all she gets. Remember WE are paying her wages and, in this context, Paxman is OUR representative holding the government to account.

[smudge]

I do feel some smidgen of sympathy for her.
Osborne makes a bloody dogs breakfast and sends her out to explain and defend it.

[DrS]

No sympathy. Would anyone with half a brain go up against Paxman without prep? Or agree to go on in the first place? Weighing up the pros and cons should have told her that her political career would be over if she appeared - with prep or without, probably! - so why not just let Osborne do his worst at a refusal to appear as his human shield.

Stupid woman.

[smudge]

I'm pretty sure that when the call came in from Newsnight saying "please come on and explain this change of heart" and Mr Osborne said he was "busy" a request for volunteers was not given. She was just sent.

Rather like going 'over the top' during WW1 I doubt she had much choice in the matter.
I do wonder if she tried the ole' pencils up nose "wibble wibble" trick...but alas, failed and was sent into the lions den anyway.

Short of resigning what was she supposed to do?

It was Osborne's mess and the point is, I would have thought, that he ducked taking the flack himself.
Lovely chap that he is....

[Zep]

Expendable...