Jeremy Vine hints that the BBC may have set-up Gordon Brown's bigot gate row
Did the BBC set-up Gordon Brown during the famous bigot gate row?
BBC presenter, Jeremy Vine last night told the IPA Effectiveness Awards dinner that he did not 'understand' how a famous radio interview he did with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown during the election campaign came to be televised.
During the interview, for his BBC Radio Two show, Vine asked Brown if he had referred to a North West woman who had spoken to him on the election trail as bigoted.
Brown was in the BBC Manchester studio, and Vine was in London. But Vine told the IPA audience that the television pictures of Brown collapsing into his hands became one of the 'defining' moments of the election.
As well as the BBC, the pictures were broadcast by every network, and within hours were even being beamed around the world. One US commentator said, 'you could see Brown's political career leave his body.'
But how the pictures were captured in the first place is a mystery, according to Vine, who said he had no idea Brown was being filmed as he did the interview.
"I could not understand how it happened," he said suggesting that Brown's staff had been given guarantees that he would not be filmed. But somehow, 'a camera was plugged into the wall which seemed' connected to all the major news channels.
Vine said he asked an official about the incident, inquiring how long it had been BBC to allow such filming in its radio studios. 'About eight days' was the answer.
The row erupted after Gordon Brown left a Sky radio microphone on which had initially been recording his exchanges with voters. However, after getting into his car, forgetting the microphone was still on, he described one voter as a 'bigoted' woman after she had challenged him on immigration policy.
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Comments
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She was a bigot. Maybe if he'd have come out and said that rather than grovelling and backtracking, he might have garnered a little more respect. But such is the media.
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Brown was so lost when it came to PR - unlike his predecessor - that he probably didn't know what way to go. He could have portrayed a strong leadership figure, but was clearly ill advised at times, which made him look weak and easy prey for the mass media.
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To call the woman bigoted is outrageous. She merely had the temerity to ask Gordon Brown about the number of immigrants arriving in the UK. As is her right.
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We non-bigots don't care, she got what she deserved.
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Mr X... sometimes the truth hurts... the woman was and probably still is a bigot... in fact, she probably feels now, with the help of the media, that she was right in what she said. Having the temerity to ask Gordon Brown on immigration is indeed her right, but her views were wrong as she clearly is a bigot. Are you Mr X?
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"Her views were wrong." Is that because they run counter to yours? How staggeringly arrogant. I dare say her views are shared by the vast majority of the UK population. But hell, I dare say James Bond would simply say they're all 'wrong' as well.
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Her views are wrong and are brought about by ignorance... sorry if you perceive this as arrogance, but I too have my opinion as does the lady you are so vehemently defending.
Feel free to say that her 'bigoted views' are shared by the vast majority of the UK population, but you too would be very 'wrong' and very ill informed.
Maybe, just maybe, you share the opinions of this lady and you are part of this so called 'imaginary majority' you speak of...
As they say... ignorance is most definitely bliss.
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Put the 'immigration issue' out to a referendum and I'd bet £1000 which way the British population would vote. And it wouldn't be the same way as James Bond...
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Mr X what 'immigration issue' are you referring to here?
My understanding of the point of discussion was that you stated that the 'majority' of the UK population shares the views of this lady... is this not the case?
So... we would have to put her 'immigration issues' out to a referendum... firstly, I don't think that anyone is idiotic enough to do that and secondly I think that if they did, you would loose your £1000... but then Mr X, you are not as idiotic as to share her bigoted 'immigration' opinion... are you?
I think you are and to be honest you are hiding behind her and your imaginary majority of the 'British population'.
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Mr X reminds me of those people that insist that urinating in swimming pools is fine because "we all do it" and we should all just admit it.
We don't all bloody do it, you filthy bugger.
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I'm back to get my daily dose of Guardian-reader baiting. Great fun.
Most people don't piss in pools. But most think the country is being swamped by immigrants, illegal or otherwise.
At the last election this was the doorstep issue most people wanted to talk about - by a long way.
Unfortunately in this country immigration is a topic that is not open to free debate. If you say that you want to see a reduction in the number of people coming into the UK each day, be they legal or illegal, you are branded a racist (or if you prefer Mr Brown's expression - a bigot).
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