The North by North Westminster Diary: Cameron Keeps His Friends Close, and His Financiers Closer

Tuesday 20^th October

There’s a State Visit in town, and after last week’s controversies over our relationship with Saudi Arabia, David Cameron could really use the visit being from a country with an excellent human rights record.

It’s not from one of those.

Still, just so long as it’s an economic partner who is contributing to the greater good of British industry, and not, for instance, one that is actually directly responsible for… oh, I don’t know... this week's collapse of our steel industry, say.

Oh dear. It appears the state in question is exactly that.

The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, is here, with all the usual fanfare of a State Visit, but with a more than usual number of awkward questions. Why do you arrest so many political opponents? Why do you allow sweat shops? Why are we putting up with your cheap steel that’s destroying one of our last industries standing? You know – the sort of light dinner party conversation you’d expect at Jeremy Corbyn’s house, and why all eyes are on him at tonight’s state banquet.

They are big and important questions though, and given them it is concerning the President Xi told Parliament today that Britain and China are becoming “a community of shared interests”. Be calmed though. It seems like our shared interests only include money, energy infrastructure, football and money again.

And we have spoken to China about human rights, with the now traditional game of inter-governmental charades, where David Cameron tries to get President Xi to guess “human rights”. Upon the President’s correct guess, he asks “What are human rights?”, to which the Prime Minister responds “They’re not important. It’s just important that we mentioned them.”

It took a while to get to that stage. The Prime Minister attempted the first word by pointing to himself repeatedly, and Mr Xi only got to “human” via guesses of “toff”, “lame duck” and “Miss Piggy’s fiancé”.

Follow North by North Westminster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NByNWestminster

Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/northbynorthwestminster?fref=nf

Follow us on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/north-by-north-westminster

The North by North Westminster Diary: Cameron Goes to Extremes

Monday 19^th October

David Cameron is having one of those awkward British moments. You know the sort. You really want to talk honestly about race or religion and you don’t want to upset anybody, but then in your efforts to Morris dance round the subject, you end up saying something that upsets a lot of people.

As it happens, he was talking about Islamic Extremism, and whilst he went so far as to say that “extremists in no way represent the true spirit of Islam”, his actual programme ended up pissing off a lot of the Muslims he was trying to engage.

The Muslim Council of Britain was particularly irate. It’s Secretary General, Dr Shuja Shafi, said moves actually suggested "all aspects of Muslim life must undergo a 'compliance' test to prove our loyalty to this country", and that he detected “McCarthyist undertones”.

No doubt, these moves that particularly single out one religion carry a great risk of alienation, but “McCarthyist” seems a little alarmist. Maybe it’s something about the difference between British and American political discourse, but you can’t really imagine a parliamentary committee routinely asking people “Are you now or have you ever been an attendee at a community centre in Bradford that we’re not quite sure about?”

Anyway, in an attempt to pour oil on the waters, the Prime Minister sent out Theresa May, who has a recent track record of unifying rhetoric and impeccably judged comments on multiculturalism.

The Home Secretary said that the Government was aiming at “all those who spread hate”, and included neo-Nazism in this. This appears to be quite a sound doctrine, and to that end, Ms May should perhaps take a look at a really vile, divisive and poisonous speech that was delivered by a crazed zealot in Manchester earlier this month. She shouldn’t have to look too far to find it. She probably still has a draft of it in her office.

Follow North by North Westminster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NByNWestminster

Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/northbynorthwestminster?fref=nf

Follow us on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/north-by-north-westminster

The North by North Westminster Diary: If you U-turn when you're not going anywhere, does it make any difference?

Monday 12^th October

The campaign to stay in the EU launches today as Britain Stronger in Europe, led by Lord Rose, the former boss of M&S. It is packed with leading lights from the worlds of business (Lord Rose), politics (err… Caroline Lucas) and former presenters of T4 (June Sarpong). In fairness, all of them are passionate and effective campaigners and, no doubt, their numbers will be added to.

However, they face accusations that they are using fear to ward off people from changing the status quo. These accusations are dismissed, before the campaign describes leaving the EU as a “leap in the dark”.

Clearly, Lord Rose has enjoyed many relaxing, fearless leaps into the dark. I tend to associate them with falls, bruises and getting into regrettable situations in nightclubs.

Tuesday 13^th October

It was only a matter of time.

The leadership of the Labour party was always on a collision course with the parliamentary party, and at last night’s meeting of the PLP, it all kicked off. John McDonnell told MPs that he has u-turned on the Fiscal Charter; George Osborne’s attempt to bind governments into running a budget surplus.

Labour MPs are disbelieving, not because they necessarily dislike this stance, but rather because they cannot believe they’ve got to this point in the first place. It looks inept and this flip-flopping has sparked accusations of incompetence. Ben Bradshaw MP described it as a “total fucking shambles”.

The weird thing is that many backbench MPs are considering defying the party whip, despite the fact that they describe the charter as “non-credible” and “not a good idea”. It seems that some will abstain just to register discontent with the leadership.

It appears that the Labour Whips’ job is now to take a near-daily no confidence motion on Jeremy Corbyn.

Wednesday 14^th October

Rifts in the Labour Party are as obvious as the Grand Canyon, but those in the Conservative Party are a little more like the San Andreas Fault: very dangerous but seemingly ignored.

Today, there’s news that the Cabinet is split over the scrapping of a controversial £5.9 million contract to train Saudi prison officers. Michael Gove was against it. Philip Hammond was for it. As was Theresa May, whose interest in the Saudi penal system is concerning, given her recent hardline views on other issues.

With a high-profile human rights case in process, it appears that the PM has decided that this deal doesn’t look good. However, two similar contracts with a system which regularly lops people’s hands off are A-OK apparently, and so the government is maintaining those.

Supporters of the deal say engagement with such regimes is a way of achieving change, whilst disengagement achieves nothing. Perhaps, but it does seem curious that the theory of engagement meets with such absolute resistance from Corbynites. After all, what will his Middle Eastern “friends” think of that position?

Thursday 15^th October

Unsurprisingly, George Osborne passed his Fiscal Charter last night. The Commons debate was largely for show, but John McDonnell still managed to use it to make his face even redder than it was earlier in the week.

He did so by acknowledging that his U-turn had been “embarrassing”. Unfortunately, a Tory wag made a funny just before McDonnell said the word “embarrassing”, causing Conservatives to explode into hysterics. So, whilst waiting for the noise to die down, the Shadow Chancellor ended up mindlessly repeating the word “embarrassing” four times, on top of his initial use of the word “embarrassing”.

Which was embarrassing.

Friday 16^th October

The Fiscal Charter Fallout continues. The 21 Labour abstainers have been inundated with abusive e-mails from Corbyn supporters, demanding resignations and calling them “Tory lite” and a “waste of a space”. All for abstaining on a vote that the Labour leadership didn’t have a coherent position on. So much for the kinder politics.

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph has an anonymous quote from a Shadow Minister who said “Jeremy Corbyn has got no control over his party... It is only a matter of time before there's a resignation.” So much for party loyalty.

Infighting, division and accusations of incompetence and betrayal are serious – symptomatic of ineffective opposition, which was brought into sharp focus by the appearance of Michelle Dorrell on Question Time. She broke down whilst describing her forthcoming hardship in the face of the tax credit cuts, and the betrayal she feels given that she voted Tory in May, when they promised that child tax credit would not be cut.

Mr McDonnell said this week that he had not changed policy, but parliamentary tactics. Funny, because the policy changed, but the parliamentary tactics remained ineffective. Had he always avoided Osborne’s crude political trap, by abstaining from a vote on the stunt and asking how it helps people who are about to be vastly worse off, then this diary would have been very different this week, and the narrative would have been so too. 

The New North by North Westminster Podcast is available here.

Follow North by North Westminster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NByNWestminster

Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/northbynorthwestminster?fref=nf

Follow us on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/north-by-north-westminster

The North by North Westminster Diary: Tony Cameron Begins "New Tory" Project

Monday 5^th October

The Conservative Conference is under way in Manchester, and today it is the opportunity of real, living ventriloquist doll George Osborne to make his case to the nation. Painting a picture of the steady construction of a new Britain, he frequently repeated “We are the builders”. And who can deny that the Tories are? I mean, look at all the spare houses they’ve built.

Controversies remain over the changes to tax credits though. Jeremy Hunt lurches to George’s defence by saying that the new policies will encourage Britons to work hard “like the Chinese”. It is claimed that he has been wilfully misquoted, but he definitely drew the comparison. Pity the little children of the Hunt household, for theirs is a childhood of early starts, late finishes and homemade Nike trainers.

Tuesday 6^th October

This morning, the Prime Minister is spending time insisting that his “great team” are focussed on the job of governing, and not on who’s going to succeed him at the end of the Parliament. Though, with key members of his “great team” working together to suggest that they would be a great successor, currently DC is to team management what Stuart Lancaster is to team management.

Today, Theresa May is trying to get some momentum behind her in the party by performing her new Concerto for Dog-Whistles. In her Conference speech, the Home Secretary delivers a staggering rejection of the worth of immigration which flies in the face of her department’s own figures, dodging the complexities of the issue which it is her job to master. Oh, and she crowbars in a disparaging remark about Europe as well. Just to get some hard right juices really flowing.

Wednesday 7^th October

And so we come to David Cameron’s conference speech. It begins as one might expect with triumphalism and attacks on Labour, particularly their “security-threatening, terrorist sympathising. Britain-hating,” oft-misquoted, cycling, gardening, seems quite nice on the whole, leader.

Labour say this attack is a sign that Cameron is “rattled”. Which seems odd because he then calmly proceeded to move the Conservative Party to Blairite ground. Not just a little bit. Almost utterly.

This is "New Tory". The speech contained numerous liberal passages, delivered with apparent conviction, on issues such as discrimination, equality and prisons. Cameron even made proud mention of ministers who are the children of immigrants. To which Theresa May applauded, apparently with no sense of irony

This was the most lefty speech the Tory Conference had heard for… well, possibly ever. They applauded it several times, though there was no mention of the tax credit cuts (how’s that working for your “party that helps the poor”), and there was no mention of the environment, but I understand that that’s because those huskies got a restraining order.

Centre-left commentators on Twitter were in a full-blown identity crisis, whilst Corbynistas expressed outrage and heavy scepticism, arguing that his sweet words were betrayed by his harsh reality.

Cameron won’t mind though. His speech was very well-received. Even by Tony Blair, who sent him a short text simply saying: “You have done well, my apprentice.”

Thursday 8th October

One thing we can be sure of in this strange new age is that Jeremy Corbyn hates Britain. The Prime Minister told me so.

But, perhaps I was misinformed. So, I turn to the right-wing press, and I am told that he thinks he’s better than the Queen. The traitor.

He’s skipping today’s Privy Council meeting, where he would have to meet HMQ in what is largely a formality, because he has “prior commitments”. The Britain-despising bastard.

He’s not like David Cameron. When he became leader, he took three months to go to a PC meeting. Whereas Corbyn still hasn’t knelt before the hereditary Head of State, and he has been in the job for… less than a month.

Oh.

It occurs to me that…

perhaps…

this story is bollocks.

Friday 9th October

The Leave the EU camp, which Nigel Farage declared to be unified two weeks ago, has achieved ever closer unity with the creation of yet another rivalling campaign seeking the designation of official campaign to leave.

This is “Vote Leave”, a cross-party campaign with the support of, amongst others, UKIP’s only MP Douglas Carswell, because his party is so unified. They have millionaire donors, and a flashy ad where an economic case is made, but the key image is the spectre of St Thomas’ Hospital evaporating into the sky if we stay in. Which seems like an extravagant policy even for Brussels.

Surely we’re able to agree that forced vaporisation of healthcare facilities must be stopped?

Well, we are, but I’m not sure that the disparate Leave camps can. They appear to hate the European Union so much that they have taken against all forms of unity in general.

A new podcast is to be released on Tuesday.

Follow North by North Westminster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NByNWestminster

Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/northbynorthwestminster?fref=nf

Follow us on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/north-by-north-westminster

The North by North Westminster Diary: Corbyn's Nuclear Family Begins Its Fission

Monday 28^th September

The Labour Party Conference is in full swing, with the New Politics operating in the last space to have been created by the old order. As Corbynistas throng about in fervent glee, the newly ousted moderates sit there being very convivial outwardly, but plotting behind closed doors.

The trouble for them is that Corbyn has a huge mandate within all aspects of the party, and if he can translate that to the wider electorate then their age is truly gone.

Corbyn’s problem is that if he stands up and sings The Red Flag, and proposes policies according to that spirit straight away, then that nebulous judge of all things – Middle England – will run to the Tories faster than Sepp Blatter supporters to anyone other than Sepp Blatter.

So, today it’s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s turn, where he tries to toe the line between new age radical and reasonable economic thinker. He does well by acknowledging the dilemma, but then destroys that by describing the New New (Old) Labour approach as “aggressive”. From a man who was recently accused of supporting insurrection on the streets, it was a choice of words almost designed to worry the unconverted.

Tuesday 29^th September

Finally, Jeremy Corbyn gets his first proper chance to make his pitch to the nation as he delivers his speech to the Labour Party Conference. So, he faced a choice between talking to the public or trotting out the same hustings pitch he’s used to incredible if parochial success for three months now.

Well, struggling to achieve unity in the party, he chose the latter, and attempted to win over doubters in the party by the tactic of Quantative Standing Ovations. The resulting speech wearied delegates knees and hands, but was often like listening to that seminal greatest hits album Now, That’s What I Call Len McCluskey’s Internal Monologue, but With the Rude Bits Censored for Live Broadcast.

The broad response was, therefore, a three-way split: those who were going to love it, loved it; those who were going to dislike it, disliked it; and those who were undecided, remain undecided.

Given that, it feels like there is very little to add. Apart from the fact that, though this was the first set-piece of the New Politics, it has now transpired that large sections of it were written four years ago for Ed Miliband, but the former leader rejected it.

That’s Corbyn for you. He’s the totem for all things spurned by Labour Leaders Past.

Wednesday 30th September

That should have been that for Corbyn. However, he just keeps the media circus on the road.

Yesterday he restated his opposition to the Trident nuclear deterrent in his speech, and was asked about it this morning on the Today Programme, where he revealed that, were he Prime Minister, he would never push the nuclear button.

This makes Labour’s policy debate on the issue pretty irrelevant. It’s basically become about whether they’d like to spend billions on buying an elephant for Prime Minister Corbyn to have in his room.

Labour frontbenchers have offered a range of reactions to this. At one extreme, the ever-verbally-cautious Andy Burnham went for disagreement, whilst at the other end, Shadow Defence Secretary Maria Eagle criticised her leader, describing his words as “not helpful”.

Meanwhile, David Cameron is breathing a sigh of relief that no-one’s had the nous to ask him “When would you press the button?”, whereupon we could all rehearse the scene from Yes, Prime Minister, where it is revealed bit by bit that no Prime Minister ever would.

Apart from Boris maybe. He seems like the sort who’d do it with gusto.

Thursday 1^st October

Let’s check in with the Americans, because the trees of the Republican Presidential Primary are yielding very strange fruit.

Runaway leader and satirists’ wet dream, Donald Trump, has been at it again, and by “it” I mean “casual, mindless racism”.

Let’s be clear: it isn’t racist to take a strong stance on immigration. However, it’s pretty racist to say that all Mexicans coming to America are “rapists”, and to renege on a pledge to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees because it might bring a 200,000 strong army from ISIS to America is pretty racist, totally sensationalist and, most evidently of all, utterly innumerate.

Ladies and gentlemen, the next President of the United States.

Friday 2^nd October

And so the week draws to a close with the Labour Leader drawing heat for his wish to abolish Britain’s nuclear defences, an industry in the North collapsing and resulting in numerous redundancies, and all manner of tension between Russia and America over military operations in an Arabic country.

So, basically, this weekend the entire globe is indulging in some kind of grotesque 80s nostalgia party. Welcome to the New Politics.

The new North by North Westminster Podcast is available here.

Follow North by North Westminster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NByNWestminster

Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/northbynorthwestminster?fref=nf

Follow us on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/north-by-north-westminster

The North by North Westminster Diary: Of Pigs and Men

Monday 21^st September

David Cameron awakes to discover his mobile phone is melting.

The Daily Mail is serialising a new unauthorised biography of the PM, written by his former donor, now nemesis, Lord Ashcroft. In horror, Dave reads of the allegation that, whilst at university, he "inserted a private part of his anatomy into a dead pig's mouth".

He goes into the kitchen for breakfast, praying that Samantha hasn't heard yet.

Before he can say anything, she abruptly hands him a sausage and bacon sandwich.

They eat in silence.

Political journalists basically have the day off.

Tuesday 22^nd September

“It’s just not fair!” screams Tim Farron.

“Here we are trying to relaunch the Lib Dems and no-one’s listening to us because everyone’s concerned with whether David Cameron put his curly in a pig!”

You can understand his pain. The Lib Dems are struggling to get any airtime at all. It seems to be the case that Lord Ashcroft is taking vengeance on all those who kept him out of government. After all, he could have released this at another time.

Though no time would have been good for David Cameron, who today is visited by François Hollande.

“Don’t worry David,” says the French President. “These things blow over. I know. Just ask my mistress.”

“I’m just dreading the next few weeks,” replies a browbeaten PM. “All the sly jokes and innuendoes. It’s already wearing me down.”

“Courage mon brave! Come, let us act like statesmen.”

They head towards the PM’s study and begin talking EU renegotiation.

“So, mon ami,” says the President, “shall we begin with the Common Agricultural Policy? I’m sure you have some passionate views on that.”

Wednesday 23^rd September

Finally, the Lib Dems get some limelight as Tim Farron gives his first speech as party leader.

But enough of that. David Cameron and Lord Ashcroft are having a ding-dong, if you’ll pardon the expression.

According to the BBC’s James Landale, on Monday night the PM spoke to a friendly audience at the Conservative Carlton Club. He revealed that that morning he had been at the doctors suffering from back pain, brought on by some “over-energetic wood-chopping”, presumably because he was trying to get in touch with his inner Putin.

The doctor said he needed to administer an injection, remarking “This will be just a little prick, just a stab in the back.”

“Which rather summed up my day,” said the Prime Minister.

Lord Ashcroft responded on Twitter.

Good to see PM retains his sense of humour. We must have the same doctor. I had the same in 2010 when the PM reneged http://t.co/yKeiZDEOE7

— Lord Ashcroft (@LordAshcroft) September 22, 2015

Ashcroft had said his book was not about “settling scores”. Which makes his little Twitter outburst not so much a Freudian Slip as a Freudian Klaxon.

Thursday 24^th September

Amidst all of this, Jeremy Corbyn has barely featured thisweek, but now he has done an interview with TheNew Statesman. So, can the man who doesn’t involve himself in personal attacks resist the temptation to remark on #piggate?

His response: “I am concerned about the alleged knowledge, or not, of the non-dom status of some of his friends in the House of Lords.”

Oh yes, because whilst everyone – everyone (including this diarist) – has been revelling in the most macabre pig’s head story since Lord of the Flies, we have been ignoring more substantive allegations that Cameron knew Lord Ashcroft was a Non Dom long before the story broke, as well as allegations that Cameron was at loggerheads with top brass over Libya strategy. Corbyn, meanwhile, has focussed on the real issues. Who does he think he is? A frontbench politician?

Then he spoils it by saying that a United Ireland is “an aspiration that I have always gone along with”, which should settle down his new leadership’s already fraught relationship with Unionists in Northern Ireland.

At least he said this during such a settled period. It’s not like the government there has all but collapsed and we are, to borrow a phrase from John McDonnell, “in danger of losing the peace process”. Clearly he’s been taking his Shadow Chancellor’s advice on temperate language.

Friday 25^th September

As if to rub salt into the wound of the Lib Dems, #piggate finally abates just in time for the Green and UKIP conferences to bask in the now available political coverage.

First, it's Nigel Farage, who is now all about the upcoming EU referendum, and is beginning the fight with stirring rhetoric.

"The campaign to leave is a united force. That's why we have two different campaigns currently competing to be the official campaign, and that's also why I'm backing one of them and my only MP is connected to the other one. Unity in action!"

Then it's Natalie Bennett, who is to public speaking what Iain Duncan Smith was to public speaking. She confidently declares that the "world is embracing Green Party politics".

You can see where she's coming from. At the last election, universal embracement of Green politics was demonstrated by just under 4% of the population.

So, less of an embrace, more of a nod to acknowledge it's in the room, but that's progress.

Meanwhile, David Cameron - who spent the day in a cocoon of solitude - emerges and asks: "Is it over yet?"

"No," replies an aide. "Farage called you Piggy in the Middle, and Liz Truss rang up to ask if she could go back to Beijing to open more pork markets. Though I think she was genuinely asking. Difficult to say with her."

"Thank you! That'll do!" says Dave before an awkward silence descends, broken by the impish aide giving into temptation…

"That’ll do pig. That'll do."

Events depicted may differ from actual events. In fact, this is a work of fiction, with some facts. But mostly, it's nonsense. 

The new North by North Westminster Podcast is available here.

A preview of it is here:

Follow North by North Westminster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NByNWestminster

Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/northbynorthwestminster?fref=nf

Follow us on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/north-by-north-westminster

The North by North Westminster Diary: The First Days of the Jezziah - Part Two

Part One available here.

Thursday 17^th September

You might have thought that with things getting really nasty on the Hungarian border, terrorism threats at the highest level since 9/11 and an earthquake in Chile that the sections of the media which are furiously digging for the silver bullet to defeat Corbyn might have given it a break for a day.

Well, no such luck because the revelation has emerged that Jeremy Corbyn once had a fling with none other than Diane Abbott. It was the late 1970s and the pair were wild, free young radicals. Not like now, when they are wild, free old radicals. Mr Corbyn was separated from his first wife, and his tryst with Ms Abbott was the final nail in the coffin of his marriage, as the amorous pair (dubbed the “dreadful duo”) went on a motorbike holiday in exotic East Germany. So, basically all you need to do is imagine The Motorcycle Diaries made by Granada TV.

Whilst this is all passingly interesting, it really is a fluff story. Unless you’re the right wing press, who are saying that this information has come to light after Corbyn failed to intervene in a spat after Monday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Party between Abbott and Jess Phillips MP; the implicit accusation being that Corbyn didn’t stop Abbott because she’s his girlfriend.

Ooooo! Jeremy and Diane, sitting in a tree, planning the overthrow of neoliberalist economics.

The Times has taken it one stage further by publishing a concise history of extra-marital bonking in the Labour party. The paper no doubt published this for your better information: if you’re unsure about the new Labour direction, just be aware that they’re all too over-sexed to know what they’re doing.

Turns out, Labour has been the working-class answer to Made in Chelsea. Everyone flits from one affair to another. Even Michael Foot, who stood up for the ability to love two women at the same time. Maybe this is what Cameron and co. meant when they said that Labour’s a threat to your family’s security. Even now, Jeremy’s planning on popping round to your house, making a delicious Quorn bolognaise, before dimming the lights and asking your wife if she wants to see his unprecedented mandate.

(Sorry. I couldn’t resist.)

Friday 18^th September

Focus has finally shifted from Jeremy Corbyn, but only by one person to the left.

Last night, Shadow Chancellor McDonnell appeared on Question Time, which was entertaining just for watching Alex Salmond looking visibly upset that he was no longer the most left-wing person on the panel.

McDonnell has attracted a lot of controversy this week. He has a reputation for being a bit of a bruiser, which on first impressions seems odd because he seems mild-mannered and speaks softly, which is the way with the Corbyn front bench.

However, he is on record as saying that if he could travel back in time he would assassinate Margaret Thatcher, which he later apologised for saying it was a joke, and he is on record as saying that IRA militants should be “honoured”.

It was the latter comment which came under the microscope last night, when McDonnell apologised for it and explained why he used it. He said that he was trying to give Republicans a way of laying down arms “with some form of dignity”, and though he regretted his choice of words, he was arguing for the peace process, but if it was worth it if those words saved one life, and because the peace process was saved.

The direct causal link between the demonstrably controversial words of a then Labour bankbencher (who was on the outside looking in) and the continuation of the peace process is about as clear as the final act of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Furthermore, this apologetic mood for a twelve year-old comment seems to have suddenly descended in the last week, for reasons that I am sure are coincidental.

Nevertheless, apologise he did, and whatever one makes of the man and his motivations, it was a compelling human moment on television. Unless you’re The Daily Mail, who described it as “half-hearted”.

For more examples of half-hearted apologies, may I suggest you Google “Daily Mail” and “apologises”.

Follow North by North Westminster on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NByNWestminster

Like our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/northbynorthwestminster?fref=nf

Follow us on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/north-by-north-westminster