Is it time for the BBC to launch a political Match of the Day?
The interviewing of politicians on TV has declined badly since Jeremy Paxman hung up his microphone on Newsnight. Paxman knew his stuff and would not be fobbed off.
I always imagined that he would try to unsettle his "guest" as soon as possible, maybe with a, "Welcome Minister. Please take a seat and take the weight off your wallet."
Well Paxo is no more so what is needed is yet another new political programme but with the incisiveness of football's VAR system to really get at the facts even if it takes a long time.
Surely it is time to get Gary Lineker earning that handsome BBC salary by fronting the new political programme ably assisted by that Scottish maestro of tactics Alan Hansen.
Lineker: "Well Alan, what do you make of the Government's recent defence of their policies?"
Hansen: "They are all over the place Gary. May should be taking control of the situation and marshalling her big four to defend her and to get them to start defending as a unit.
"She needs to let them know their positions and to stick to her guns. What they badly lack is a good old fashioned stopper like Norman Tebbit, to sit in front of the big four and cut out all these Labour attacks before they can do any damage.
"I've said it before Gary and I'll say it again you can't win anything with Ministers behaving like kids like Boris Johnson, he's dribbling all over the place to no effect and going no where. He attacks too soon and defends too late. His mind is not on the long term. He thinks he is being played out of position and only wants to play the central role where he can dictate what happens."
Lineker: "And what about their opponents Labour?"
Hansen: "All over the place Gary. Yes Thornberry is a great stopper but where is the attacking flair, the invention? Abbott is at 6s and 7s when it comes to delivering that killer pass and fluffs her lines.
"Corbyn leads, but leading to what? They are so predictable and easy to defend against, everything is always coming from their left side. Nothing ever starts from the middle and they do not even acknowledge the right side.
"At one time they had a balance in the middle with Alan Johnson and Andy Burnham bossing that middle area, but they are well out of the running now. With John McDonnell playing so far on the left side its no wonders a lot of potential Labour fans are staying away."
Peter Steggles
Longnor
