The PM Glass Box.
The Glass Box is where the PM team meets in at 18.00 every weeknight to discuss the content of the programme.
We try to be honest with each other, but not hurtful, as we talk about what worked and what didn't...what met our expectations and what fell short.
This virtual glass box is where you're encouraged to take part in the same spirit. Tonight's PM editor Eloise Twisk will read your comments and may well add her own.
Listen to PM
© MMX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~00~RS~)
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
Would it be unreasonable to assume that Peter Mandelson is the inspiration behind the governments business as usual attitude, and also the well clean up Westminster, just leave it to us strategy, after all he was brought back into government to advise in these situations wasn't he?
Complain about this comment
Oh no, she's back!
Complain about this comment
Good grief. i swear that I just heard Gordon Brown say that he was working to clear up the electoral system in order to clean up the expenses scandal. Does he really not know that these are two different things?
Complain about this comment
"No tangible evidence of a plot". Interesting. Word from The Grauniad is they've got it all mapped out, with Brown going by next Tuesday.
Complain about this comment
Sorry - too many issues getting confused here at the moment - expenses / parliamentary system / the state of the labour party / GB's leadership / lack of credible choice in the voting system.
Believing that a general election will deal with all of these is unrealistic. Sadly it's all going to get even worse after tomorrow's local and European elections. I may be wrong, but I can't see how the fall of the labour party is going to help solve all these problems. Maybe that's the point - somebody / some people don't want the other issues to be addressed - and understand that a 'change' will sideline the public from the real issues that they are starting to recognise. It has all got far too dangerous for the status quo.
Complain about this comment
Post Script?
13th November 1990 - Geoffrey Howe delivers his cricket bat address in Parliament, which led to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher.
3rd June 2009 - There not being anyone in the Labour party with the stature and commitment of Geoffrey Howe, they left the job to the Guardian instead.
Complain about this comment
Talk of a General Election is too early.
We need a total publication of expenses
claims first and these should go back as
far as the records allow. How else can
we make a proper judgement on sitting
MP's who are candidates ?
Complain about this comment
Why is the BBC missing the real story? We have a world economic cisis.
Is Eddie Mair and his constant sneering and interuppting meant to be a "clever approach" or simply a smoke screen for a lack of abilty on the PM prog??
By the way when are the BBC going to publish the salaries and expenses of its presenters - I am sure that would be an interesting story
Complain about this comment
More from Becky the teacher please. What a wonderful speaker!
Complain about this comment
The elephant (in the room) has morphed into a dinosaur, just a little bit bigger than an elephant. I think this is appropriate as the fossilised plants from the age of dinosaurs is what is being burnt in the industrial age to get her where she is.
Elections tomorrow... What is the choice? All parties (even the Greens don't make the point explicitly) share the growth fetish and indulge in shameful denial.
So tomorrow, unseen by anyone using the lens of the mainstream media, the dinosaur will grow just a little bit more, consume some more of her fossil-fuel food and slowly slowly take up a bit more of the room that our modern civilization calls "home".
Complain about this comment
The public dont want an election before they know what their local MP has been up to. Apparently the official publication of MPs expenses due in July(?) doesnt include all the relevant details; addressing this represents another chapter in the saga and will take time. An early election would be a fiasco. Cant David Cameron see this?
Complain about this comment
There's the rub. I expect many MP's are longing for an election - then they can take their dodgy expense sheets and chuck them in the waste bin on their way to taking up the CEO/Non-Executive Directorship that they've niftily arranged in the meantime. With nobody ever knowing the truth!
Complain about this comment
With regards to your story about that guy who's travelling the world, drinking starbucks - surely the most interesting question is, 'Are you being funded by starbucks?' As it makes for great publicity, no? How is he paying for all this otherwise?
I'm currently part of a group of local residents and traders who are locked in battle with Starbucks in Brighton. Their St James Street branch who have repeatedly ignored the local council who have turned down their change of use request and denied them planning and signage permission.
Over the past year we've collected thousands of signatures against Starbucks as we live on a quirky little street, famous for its local businesses and one-off stores - we also have around 15 coffee houses and tea shops on the same street! We really don't need a starbucks...
We are finally getting a referendum next week - come and talk to us too!
Complain about this comment
D_M 2
David
Well, as can be seen, you cast "her" as an Angel and, you appear to have been right (how'd you know that..? Spooooky)
I bow before you...
As for Mr Brown; little hope:
"A leader is a dealer in hope."
(Napoleon Bonaparte)
Complain about this comment
Germany is drawing up plans that would create the European Systemic Risk Council (esrc) and the European System of Financial Supervisors (esfs).
Whatever these institutions are going to be doing, they are not going to be taking their instructions from London and Washington. London and Washington have, it would seem, been dicredited fatally in the eyes of German financial institutions.
With the best will in the world, I cannot see Mr. Brown and Mr. Obama sorting out their respective economies.
Unfortunately, I've yet to hear Mr. Cameron tell us how he is going to sort things out if and when he arrives in No 10.
Complain about this comment
What a shame that there is no Starbucks in Russia and Denmark according to Oliver James as Winter could have visited - especially Denmark to see why if James is correct that they have not caught the Affluenza virus when the USA and Little Britain and most countries that speak English have....
This being very relevant here because once Blair had ditched 'clause 4' from the old Labour Party we had virtually drifted into a 'One Party State'...So what the hell is the sense in voting for Capitalism under New Labour (although Brown has tried to mitagate some of the terrible economic crimes of the last Tory Government) and ruthless Capitalism under Cameron...agreeing with Polly Toynbee that if Cameron does come too power that we should all be very afraid....
Complain about this comment
D McNickle, Is she saying in her inimitable style only with a helium filled voice that fits her stature;
"I am-a marmite politician, you either love me or hate me".
"I am-here today and gone tomorrow-and back again now".
"I came into politics to do good for my constituents-and to be able to walk out of mi front door on a Sunday afternoon in full motor bike regalia with mi dork of a husband in tow to speak to the press." "you know as well as me Eric I'm no angel but, I can't help it if that what people think".
Complain about this comment
Can somebody please tell me who to vote fro tomorrow!?
Complain about this comment
Or even 'for'
Complain about this comment
I'm beginning to think that the BBC is biased in favour of the Tory Party. In all the news broadcasts about expenses fiddles, I don't recall hearing anything about David Cameron's claim for £600 for removing weeds from his chimney, nor of the £22,000 he managed to acquire through juggling homes. I agree that all claims should be investigated as far as they go back, through previous administrations. Who knows what will turn up and our present politicians might look like small fry compared to those who rode the gravy train in the past.
Complain about this comment
There seems to be a number of shanties and songs posted on various threads the past couple of days. I hope no-one minds if I post my own. However, the only shanty I know is one I heard at a premiership football game between Chelsea and Tottenham sang to the tune of 'strong deliverer...feed me now and ever more'
'Are you Bournemouth,
Are you Bournemouth,
Are you Bournemouth in-disguise
In disguise (base line)
Are you Bournemouth in-disguise'
Complain about this comment
fjd - Lib Dem (I must declare a bias).
Complain about this comment
Decentjohn - there are plenty of other progs if PM doesn't suit you.
Are you suggesting that BBC presenters are being dishonest about their salaries and expenses? (I don't really mean that - you obviously are. What I mean is, do you have any evidence?)
Complain about this comment
This is good politics?
One of the Cabinet Members with an awful lot of questions still to answer about flipping and about capital gains tax resigns.
And this is held by all the failed whistle blowers and all the expenses exploiters and all the failures of MPs in that place to be a criticism of Gordon.
Why?
I'll tell you why.
Because the Westminster village and the attendent hacks just do not get it.
We, the people, accuse this whole Parliament of cowardice, immorality and putting their own selfish interests above their duty.
30 per cent of us want a General Election now. It would be 51 per cent had the idea been given any encouagement whatsoever (or even a proper hearing) in the media.
As it is, no doubt, the 39 per cent who want a General Election NEXT year mainly want it then because they hope, that meanwhile the Labour Party will return to its roots and regain support.
Some hope! The Labour Party's policy to save every last bank and every last banker is costing jobs which could have been saved with state help. This present Party would cut and cut if given 'another chance' (As would every other Party)
As bad, the Labour Party is refusing a heaven given chance to return to an agenda of equality and collective ownership.
Those who want an election next year underestimate the degree of support, out there, in the real world, for
1. getting rid of this present lot as quickly as possible.
2. replacing each and every Labour candidate with someone who is a socialist, believes in equality and comes from the sort of background where 'equality' would have the effect of making people there better off.
They fail too to realise, perhaps from modesty, how talented are the echelon of Labour Party people in the schools, hospitals, local authorities, housing co-ops, trades unions etc, and how important it is for that echelon to ensure that every Constituency has a Labour Party candidate from their ranks, background and belief.
The time to replace the existing Labour hierarchy is now. All have been at fault. All should go. We don't need another St Johns clique or recruits from rarefied Celtic academes.
We need ordinary honest people with socialist principles.
They can win a General Election now for Labour on a platform of complete eqaulity. Equality is everyone's second favourite. It IS the winner under majority decsion making. We only need to implement it, with the right candidates getting huge first and (transfered) second preference support.
No ideology needed from them. Just the simple overwhelming case for everyone enjoying the same sized slice of the GDP cake.
Then the generosity toward the sick flows naturally. Then the generosity to the poor of the world flows without bitterness or back biting. Then the common willingness to save the planet can be realised.
The time is right. It is easy, comrades and socialists. The Labour Party is holding meetings abotu this very matter. Their doors are open to that vital echelon via associated and direct membership.
We ARE the little ships at Dunkirk, we ARE the volanteers who visit and shop with/for the elderley, run a youth football team, keep the local hospital open, we are the ordinary socialists and egalitarians without labels, whose time to make this green and pleasant land an equal and fair land is NOW. This is our chance for the Rainbow Revolution.
In the General Election that Gordon should surrender to, tonight.
Complain about this comment
8
Right on, DecentJohn!
Check the FTSE and the Dow. This crisis only has one solution. Egalitarian socialism.
You can save capitalism, set up the next speculative bubbles, make the next chosen few super rich (and the original ones all over agian) but who in heaven's name WANTS to?
Certainly not the majority of people here. They are fed up with roller coaster capitalism.
Check it with an iPM poll!
'We should find a better alternative to capitalism'.
Equality is not just an idea.
I'll vote for that.
Complain about this comment
Chris Ghoti,
There are now 381 Cases of swine flue in Britain. Thats something like,
0.00003 of the population. Pandemic just around the corner?
Complain about this comment
Charlie @14
"A leader is a dealer in hope."
I know you're quoting but.. Isn't leader in fact dealer in a nagram..?
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Hello Eloise.
Complain about this comment
"IF you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,"
Gordon's raison d'Âêtre?
Complain about this comment
OK, so that attempt at accents didn't work out...
Take 2 (no accents, as I don't want to turn this thread into an experimental "sandbox"!):
"IF you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you..."
Gordon's raison d'etre?
Complain about this comment
SIC - you keep not answering these two questions. Here they are again:
34. At 08:23am on 03 Jun 2009, Sid wrote:
SIC - I dare say you're too young to remember 1951, when Attlee polled more than a million more votes than Churchill, but got fewer seats.
That's the fairness of your beloved FPTP system.
Is that fair?
35. At 08:27am on 03 Jun 2009, Sid wrote:
SIC
I notice that you keep using the same example of a two-seat STV constituency. Do you know anyone who supports such a system? Or is it just so that you can tweak an 'unfair' result?
Complain about this comment
fJd 26, Oooooo, a mathematician!
Complain about this comment
I loved the bit about criticising GB for wasting his time worrying about Susan Boyle.
What colour is that kettle?
Complain about this comment
hello - 29 was that a rebuke? I do read the glass box very carefully but don't always feel the need to stick my oar in - sorry I probably should more often! We had a very strange day yesterday and nearly upped sticks to broadcast from College Green, Westminster, and then didn't. We also nearly did an interview with Lord Mandleson who changed his mind at the last minute, so we were left scrabbling around (again) and had Liam Byrne join us on the phone, which is never ideal. There will be a lot less politics on the programme today as it's polling day, and we operate under special guidelines -- it'll be quite a relief after yesterday. Eloise
Complain about this comment
I'm glad Barclays has got to grips with reality and scrapped its Final Salary pension scheme.
Its now time the Government followed suit and scrapped Final Salary pensions for all public sector workers.
It is utterly inequitable that those in the private sector, mostly on poorly-performing money-purchase pensions for their whole lives, should bail out public sector workers' Final Salary pensions for all time, through their taxes.
And don't give me that story about pay being better in the private sector. This is only true at Boardroom level, and the Govt is increasing taxes here. Most private sector workers have poorer pay, job security, holidays and sickness arrangements than those Government employees.
Complain about this comment
Just listening to last night's programme on iPlayer...
Should Frank Gardner really have described Osama Bin Laden as "diss"ing Barak Obama?!
(about 28 mins in)
sounded kind of implicitly racist... don't recall Cameron being described as having "dissed" GB recently...
Complain about this comment
MThompsonBiteVictim @ 37, nerts to "racism", it's a rather illiterate sort of remark, isn't it?
Complain about this comment
Chris (38) I have to say that it's an expression I use quite regularly.* Perhaps I need to watch my language? ;o)
*I use it because I like it - one of those examples of language mutating in a rather clever (imho) way.
Complain about this comment
Big Sister @ 39, yeah, as do I and for the same reason, but there's a difference between using it in the vernacular and using it in a professional context, I feel. Slang has its place, fer shure, but possibly not as part of a serious comment on a serious matter on a national radio broadcast? There ought to be a more appropriate way to put it.
Anyhow, I repeat my feeling that unless "dissing" someone is to be confined to members of a particular race or races, then it isn't racist to use the word. I might almost suggest that racism is in the eye of the beholder.
Complain about this comment
View these comments in RSS