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She's no clue what's going on
I normally sleep like the proverbial log. It would take an earthquake approaching double figures on the Richter Scale to come between me and my seven hours.
The other morning, however, I awoke around 4am for some reason and couldn't get back to sleep. There was nothing for it but to grab a cup of coffee and listen to the radio.
Five Live clearly believes nobody is tuning in at this time of night, and has turned this into a self-fulfilling prophecy by broadcasting drivel of the most arcane and indulgent kind.
So I switched to TalkSport and happened upon one of the most extraordinary and career-inhibiting interviews I've ever heard conducted with a sitting MP.
The woman's name was Emily Thornberry, and she is the embodiment of the complacent, vaguely derisive and self-satisfied attitude which has led to the decay at the heart of New Labour.
It was clear from the start she favoured a sort of cuddle-up-close discussion, and punctuated it with throaty chuckles and a tone of voice which was almost flirtatious rather than professional.
It was an approach the interviewer – Mike Graham – shrewdly did nothing to discourage. He's been in the game long enough to know her guard would eventually slip – and so it did.
The subject of MPs' expenses was quickly dismissed. "Oh, I'm bored with that," was the extraordinary response.
But it was when the interview moved on to the treatment of the Gurkhas that things became interesting.
This was at a time when every news outlet in the country had been drenched for the previous two days with details of their shameful betrayal by the government.
"The gurkhas? I don't know about this. What's been happening then?" asked Ms Thornberry.
We can derive only two conclusions from this.
One – she was lying and believed feigning ignorance was the best way to avoid expressing an opinion on an unforgivable decision which was proving to be an embarrassment to her party.
Two – she really had no idea what was going on in the country she purports to serve.
But with any luck, it won't be for much longer.
David Starkey is a feisty, cock-bantam of a man. He struts and bristles and enjoys nothing more than knowing his opinions can irritate and offend.
On Question Time recently he denounced plans for St George's Day becoming an English national holiday, adding that: "If we go down this route we would become a feeble little country just like the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish."
Starkey enjoys being the hammer of the Scots, because he knows only too well that any outrage from them will always sound hollow.
After all, this is a country which chooses as its unofficial national anthem a dreary dirge which glorifies victory in a battle against the English which happened almost 700 years ago.
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Weather for Eastbourne
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
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