Browse content similar to 02/11/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Tonight on This Week,
who is watching whom? | 0:00:11 | 0:00:13 | |
Question Time, babe. | 0:00:13 | 0:00:14 | |
David Dimbleby. | 0:00:14 | 0:00:15 | |
He's good looking, you know. | 0:00:15 | 0:00:16 | |
Is anyone watching us? | 0:00:16 | 0:00:18 | |
This programme's complete rubbish. | 0:00:18 | 0:00:19 | |
This Week? | 0:00:19 | 0:00:20 | |
I thought they ditched
that long time ago. | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
Edwina Currie casts her eyes over
the Westminster sex scandals. | 0:00:23 | 0:00:26 | |
It may be gripping viewing,
and some of it is serious, | 0:00:26 | 0:00:31 | |
but at the moment it's looking
like a low-budget movie that's | 0:00:31 | 0:00:34 | |
turning into a witchhunt. | 0:00:34 | 0:00:35 | |
What do you think of
Harriet and Michael? | 0:00:35 | 0:00:42 | |
I liked Harriet's memoirs. | 0:00:42 | 0:00:45 | |
Wha' gwan? | 0:00:45 | 0:00:50 | |
Pod cake Andy Parsons
reviews the political week. | 0:00:50 | 0:00:52 | |
We are kicking up a storm
at the This Week bakery, | 0:00:52 | 0:00:55 | |
where we'll be revealing the winners
and losers of the last seven days. | 0:00:55 | 0:00:59 | |
I wouldn't eat that. | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
That's ridiculous. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
You know how to get
egg white, don't you? | 0:01:05 | 0:01:08 | |
You break the egg white
and you pour it from one | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
to the other, one to the other. | 0:01:11 | 0:01:13 | |
Has the BBC pinched Bake Off? | 0:01:13 | 0:01:14 | |
I prefer the Channel 4
version anyway. | 0:01:14 | 0:01:16 | |
And funny girl Shazia Mirza thinks
people should be less offended | 0:01:16 | 0:01:18 | |
by what's on the box. | 0:01:18 | 0:01:21 | |
Try not to be offended
by everything you see on TV. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:28 | |
I'm parched. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
Put the kettle on. | 0:01:31 | 0:01:32 | |
OK. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:33 | |
It's on too late anyway. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:35 | |
Why do they put it on so late for? | 0:01:35 | 0:01:37 | |
Cha! | 0:01:37 | 0:01:38 | |
I'm going to my bed. | 0:01:38 | 0:01:46 | |
Have we been taken off air? | 0:01:46 | 0:01:49 | |
Evenin' all, welcome to This Week,
live from the heart of the Palace | 0:01:49 | 0:01:52 | |
of Pestminster, where we've been
forced to create our very | 0:01:52 | 0:01:55 | |
own Safe Space to shield us
from the unwanted attentions | 0:01:55 | 0:01:57 | |
of sundry politicians with wandering
hands and an unhealthy | 0:01:57 | 0:02:00 | |
obsession with knees. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:04 | |
Yes, this is an oasis of safety,
a veritable refuge for snowflakes | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
like us of a nervous disposition. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:10 | |
Not a statute in sight to upset us. | 0:02:10 | 0:02:12 | |
Never mind to tear down. | 0:02:12 | 0:02:14 | |
And, of course, no jokes. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:15 | |
Regular viewers may conclude that no
jokes is already one of this | 0:02:15 | 0:02:19 | |
show's most distinctive hallmarks. | 0:02:19 | 0:02:22 | |
But we want to make it clear that
jokes are an invidious weapon | 0:02:22 | 0:02:25 | |
of repression in the hands
of the powerful and | 0:02:25 | 0:02:27 | |
will not be tolerated. | 0:02:27 | 0:02:28 | |
Plus, we can't think of any. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:30 | |
Tonight's proceedings
will be conducted with | 0:02:30 | 0:02:32 | |
Presbyterian solemnity -
though the BBC has asked me | 0:02:32 | 0:02:34 | |
to point out other miserable
religions are available. | 0:02:34 | 0:02:39 | |
Speaking of misery, I'm joined
on the sofa tonight by two guests | 0:02:39 | 0:02:42 | |
that you could never mistake
for a ray of sunshine. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:46 | |
They don't do weddings,
birthdays or bar mitzvah's | 0:02:46 | 0:02:48 | |
but if you need folks to heighten
the gloom at a funeral, | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
they're the best. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:52 | |
I speak, of course of Harriet
#littlepinkbus Harman | 0:02:52 | 0:02:56 | |
and Michael #choochoo Portillo. | 0:02:56 | 0:03:04 | |
Welcomed to you both. Your moment of
the busy week? You might be | 0:03:04 | 0:03:10 | |
surprised, the centenary of the bell
for declaration, which was when the | 0:03:10 | 0:03:14 | |
Foreign Secretary first declared
that an's policy was to provide a | 0:03:14 | 0:03:19 | |
homeland for the Jewish people. The
commemorations have not been | 0:03:19 | 0:03:22 | |
attended this week by the Labour
Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, which | 0:03:22 | 0:03:26 | |
is remarkable in itself, but it made
me reflect the extent to which the | 0:03:26 | 0:03:31 | |
reputation of Israel around the
world, really, has changed during my | 0:03:31 | 0:03:35 | |
lifetime. In the 1967 war, most
people saw Israel as the underdog | 0:03:35 | 0:03:42 | |
and felt that they were very hard
done by. Now, many people take the | 0:03:42 | 0:03:47 | |
opposite point of view. Why is that?
I think it may be because of | 0:03:47 | 0:03:53 | |
proportional representation. How do
you work that out? In their system, | 0:03:53 | 0:03:59 | |
tiny parties are represented in
parliament and extremists, who | 0:03:59 | 0:04:04 | |
favour the development of the
settlements, who take the hardest | 0:04:04 | 0:04:08 | |
line on foreign policy, have two be
included in governments because of | 0:04:08 | 0:04:12 | |
the proportional representation
system, and so the foreign policy | 0:04:12 | 0:04:17 | |
and the settlements policy of
government is determined by these | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
fringe groups, these extremists, and
it's most unfortunate. From the bow | 0:04:21 | 0:04:27 | |
for declaration to proportional
representation. You wouldn't get | 0:04:27 | 0:04:29 | |
that on Newsnight, Harriet. One of
the best arguments against | 0:04:29 | 0:04:37 | |
proportional representation. I think
this week has been the moment. I | 0:04:37 | 0:04:41 | |
think the tide is really turning and
I think the moment is about women | 0:04:41 | 0:04:45 | |
not having to put up with being
preyed on by men at work, powerful | 0:04:45 | 0:04:51 | |
men forcing themselves on younger,
junior women, people having to put | 0:04:51 | 0:04:54 | |
up with homophobic and sexism at
work, and I think Michael Fallon | 0:04:54 | 0:05:03 | |
losing his job as Secretary of State
last night is all highly | 0:05:03 | 0:05:07 | |
significant. And I think that it's
really in the wake of the Harvey | 0:05:07 | 0:05:10 | |
Weinstein revelations. Suddenly a
whole load of complaints that women | 0:05:10 | 0:05:15 | |
had thought they just had to put up
with are now out there. And I think | 0:05:15 | 0:05:18 | |
it has some way to go, but people
hate what is happening but it is | 0:05:18 | 0:05:24 | |
actually alter the good and I think
it will be a positive change. We | 0:05:24 | 0:05:28 | |
will spend a bit of on that tonight. | 0:05:28 | 0:05:33 | |
There are echoes of the MPs'
expenses scandal in Westminster's | 0:05:33 | 0:05:36 | |
current meltdown over sexual
harassment and worse. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:37 | |
One minister has already resigned,
another is being investigated, | 0:05:37 | 0:05:40 | |
scores of other political names
are being bandied about, | 0:05:40 | 0:05:42 | |
sometimes with corroboration,
often with no evidence whatsoever. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:44 | |
It's become a good old
indiscriminate feeding frenzy, | 0:05:44 | 0:05:46 | |
in which inappropriate behaviour,
sexual harassment and rape | 0:05:46 | 0:05:48 | |
are being elided into one continuum,
doing the real victims of appalling | 0:05:48 | 0:05:51 | |
acts no favours. | 0:05:51 | 0:05:57 | |
But it is also a watershed moment. | 0:05:57 | 0:05:59 | |
What was acceptable,
or thought to be only of minor | 0:05:59 | 0:06:01 | |
concern, will be no more. | 0:06:01 | 0:06:04 | |
New standards will be expected
from those in positions of power | 0:06:04 | 0:06:08 | |
and new concern and procedures
for those mistreated | 0:06:08 | 0:06:10 | |
or abused by the powerful. | 0:06:10 | 0:06:14 | |
A belated move into the 21st
century or an overreaction? | 0:06:14 | 0:06:20 | |
Edwina Currie was an MP
for over a decade. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:22 | |
This is her Take of the Week. | 0:06:22 | 0:06:30 | |
Westminster has got the tongues
wagging, the website is buzzing and | 0:06:43 | 0:06:46 | |
Twitter in a Twitter. But in my
experience, it was never some kind | 0:06:46 | 0:06:51 | |
of modern Sodom and Gomorrah. Why?
Because by their nature politicians | 0:06:51 | 0:06:56 | |
can be the most boring of people,
both men and women. Their ardour is | 0:06:56 | 0:07:05 | |
more likely to be about taxes and
social welfare, and they are more | 0:07:05 | 0:07:09 | |
likely to get agitated about
universal credit and select | 0:07:09 | 0:07:12 | |
committee chairmanship than about
whether the secretary is wearing | 0:07:12 | 0:07:14 | |
stockings. There are workplace
relationships. Some of them are | 0:07:14 | 0:07:20 | |
famous. I'm thinking, of course, of
Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott. They | 0:07:20 | 0:07:36 | |
are passionate about their politics,
and they want to share the euphoria | 0:07:36 | 0:07:40 | |
of success, or the despair of
failure, with someone who | 0:07:40 | 0:07:43 | |
understands. It may be a colleague
who is pouring that glass of wine in | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
sympathy, and not the person waiting
at home. The lack of etiquette today | 0:07:48 | 0:07:58 | |
about how to make such an approach
is proving harmful. There is a | 0:07:58 | 0:08:03 | |
universe of difference between a
clumsy but unwanted pass and a | 0:08:03 | 0:08:06 | |
sexual assault, or harassment, or
worse. Many of the allegations | 0:08:06 | 0:08:14 | |
flying around in Westminster at the
moment are ancient. Some of them are | 0:08:14 | 0:08:18 | |
consensus you will. A few involve
alcohol. And Westminster has a truly | 0:08:18 | 0:08:24 | |
terrible history when it comes to
helping people who are our collects. | 0:08:24 | 0:08:33 | |
-- who are alcoholic. But by
labelling all sexual approach in the | 0:08:33 | 0:08:37 | |
workplace as unacceptable, we risk
two things. Firstly, ruining good | 0:08:37 | 0:08:42 | |
men. And secondly, marginalising
those who really do suffer serious | 0:08:42 | 0:08:46 | |
assaults, and they should be going
to the police. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:58 | |
Edwina Currie joins us. Welcome.
Harriet, is it turning into a | 0:09:01 | 0:09:05 | |
witchhunt? Not at all. It is long
over Jude that things that have been | 0:09:05 | 0:09:11 | |
swept under the carpet and women
have had to endure without any sense | 0:09:11 | 0:09:15 | |
that they would be able to complain
and be fairly heard, and that if | 0:09:15 | 0:09:21 | |
they did complain they would be
lambasted all over the newspapers, I | 0:09:21 | 0:09:26 | |
think at last there is some sense of
fairness in all of this. The thing | 0:09:26 | 0:09:31 | |
is that you go to work in order to
do a job and be treated as a | 0:09:31 | 0:09:36 | |
colleague and be treated
professionally, not to be preyed on | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
because you are younger, by some
older man who you feel you can't | 0:09:39 | 0:09:42 | |
complain about because they are in a
senior position. I could not | 0:09:42 | 0:09:46 | |
disagree more with you, Edwina,
about the idea that at stake is good | 0:09:46 | 0:09:52 | |
men being lost. I think that what we
are going to have is a better | 0:09:52 | 0:09:57 | |
working atmosphere. Let Edwina
comeback. I think we are getting a | 0:09:57 | 0:10:05 | |
very unpleasant working atmosphere
in which, in many workplaces it's | 0:10:05 | 0:10:10 | |
now almost impossible for one person
to make a comment to another person | 0:10:10 | 0:10:14 | |
that is common about their
appearance, or even some good work | 0:10:14 | 0:10:18 | |
they have done. Harriet, you were
Deputy Leader of your party, in a | 0:10:18 | 0:10:23 | |
position to do something about this,
if you seriously believe that | 0:10:23 | 0:10:27 | |
something needed doing. And yet some
of the complaints in the last week | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
or two have been about members of
your own party, and the feeling they | 0:10:30 | 0:10:35 | |
were not being properly dealt with.
I am all for dealing with proper | 0:10:35 | 0:10:39 | |
complaints in a proper way. What
bothers me is that there does not | 0:10:39 | 0:10:42 | |
seem to be any etiquette for how on
earth we might say to each other, | 0:10:42 | 0:10:45 | |
you are looking very nice today, or
calm down, dear. Suddenly, it's | 0:10:45 | 0:10:51 | |
being conflated into a sexual
attack. There is a huge difference, | 0:10:51 | 0:10:56 | |
and that attitude that says all men
are basically predators, I really, | 0:10:56 | 0:11:00 | |
really don't hold with that and I
really feel that it's very, very | 0:11:00 | 0:11:04 | |
destructive. I do think anybody is
saying all men are predators but | 0:11:04 | 0:11:10 | |
unless we sort out those who are
predatory in Westminster, then | 0:11:10 | 0:11:13 | |
everyone gets stained with that. So
do that. Dismiss them, deal with | 0:11:13 | 0:11:18 | |
them properly. Don't choose them as
parliamentary candidates, Harriet. | 0:11:18 | 0:11:24 | |
The way to deal with it is to have a
complaints system that has an | 0:11:24 | 0:11:28 | |
independent element, so that people
know they will be heard fairly, and | 0:11:28 | 0:11:32 | |
also anonymity. There has to be
anonymity for complainants. Wait a | 0:11:32 | 0:11:36 | |
minute. That can then be a charter
for people who want to damage | 0:11:36 | 0:11:43 | |
someone, or who are jealous, or who
have been rejected? One of the | 0:11:43 | 0:11:48 | |
problems in Parliament is that you
do have people who fall in love with | 0:11:48 | 0:11:52 | |
their MP, fall in love with somebody
who is powerful, and then they can | 0:11:52 | 0:11:56 | |
be an absolute pain. And then you
are worried. How on earth do you | 0:11:56 | 0:12:00 | |
reject them without them making a
whacking great complaint that can | 0:12:00 | 0:12:03 | |
destroy you and your career, when
you are innocent? There is one thing | 0:12:03 | 0:12:10 | |
which is about when men are in a
powerful position and it is hard as | 0:12:10 | 0:12:15 | |
a junior... Is it only men? Let me
finish. When men are in a junior -- | 0:12:15 | 0:12:21 | |
senior position and women are junior
and feel they cannot complain, but | 0:12:21 | 0:12:24 | |
the other thing is tribal loyalty,
don't make a fuss, don't complain | 0:12:24 | 0:12:28 | |
about your own party. That is what
Bex Bailey was told, the young | 0:12:28 | 0:12:34 | |
Labour woman. Who is it who
overrules, who says party loyalty is | 0:12:34 | 0:12:40 | |
more important? I am saying there
are many reasons for a feeling of | 0:12:40 | 0:12:47 | |
reluctance among younger women and
some men to report sexual predators | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
because they feel it might be being
disloyal to their party. Is it your | 0:12:50 | 0:13:00 | |
feeling that there are lots of
sexual predators in Westminster, | 0:13:00 | 0:13:04 | |
because it was never my feeling when
I was there? Well, I think there are | 0:13:04 | 0:13:10 | |
a lot of people who have had bad
experience and who have been preyed | 0:13:10 | 0:13:13 | |
on in an unwanted way and who feel
there is nothing they can do about | 0:13:13 | 0:13:17 | |
it. That is why will we need to do
is, on a cross-party basis, ensure | 0:13:17 | 0:13:22 | |
we have a proper complaints system
which is independent and gives | 0:13:22 | 0:13:25 | |
anonymity. Soap people can make
anonymous complaints? How would you | 0:13:25 | 0:13:33 | |
check the veracity? What I mean is
reporting restrictions, so you can't | 0:13:33 | 0:13:36 | |
be splashed all over the newspapers,
because people will not come forward | 0:13:36 | 0:13:40 | |
if that is going to be the only
thing anybody ever knows about them | 0:13:40 | 0:13:43 | |
in future. If you complain about a
minister, then you would be all over | 0:13:43 | 0:13:48 | |
the newspapers. So it would not be
anonymous. It would be confidential, | 0:13:48 | 0:13:52 | |
is what you are saying? It would not
be reported. Let me hear from | 0:13:52 | 0:13:59 | |
Michael. You have both had a good
run. Hold on, Harriet, let Michael | 0:13:59 | 0:14:04 | |
have a say. I know he is just a man,
but give him a few minutes. What is | 0:14:04 | 0:14:09 | |
your take on this? Well, I suspect
there is a problem and also the | 0:14:09 | 0:14:14 | |
great danger that in the hullabaloo
this will be taken too far, that | 0:14:14 | 0:14:19 | |
very different sorts of issues will
be conflated together. I heard | 0:14:19 | 0:14:23 | |
Edwina say that good men will be
lost. Michael Fallon, I think, is a | 0:14:23 | 0:14:28 | |
very good man and I think he was
doing a good job and I think he was | 0:14:28 | 0:14:31 | |
important to the government. I don't
own it what it is that's got him to | 0:14:31 | 0:14:37 | |
resign. Serial inappropriate
behaviour. Yes. Because I once held | 0:14:37 | 0:14:45 | |
his position, I would understand
that being alongside the Armed | 0:14:45 | 0:14:50 | |
Forces Day after day, who have
extraordinarily high standards in | 0:14:50 | 0:14:53 | |
almost everything, he would perhaps
apply to himself an extraordinarily | 0:14:53 | 0:14:58 | |
high standard and that might be
appropriate. But it may be the case | 0:14:58 | 0:15:01 | |
nonetheless a very good man has gone
down for a couple of mistakes, | 0:15:01 | 0:15:05 | |
rather than a basic depravity. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:14 | |
There are deep-seated cultural
issues in Westminster of power. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:18 | |
Primarily still male power, which is
used inappropriately. Parliament | 0:15:18 | 0:15:24 | |
doesn't have the procedures in
place. If you were a major company, | 0:15:24 | 0:15:27 | |
if I was a multinational bank, they
have huge HR departments, procedures | 0:15:27 | 0:15:35 | |
in place, Westminster has never done
that. Andrew, there is a danger of | 0:15:35 | 0:15:41 | |
assuming because there is an
imbalance of the sexes, there is an | 0:15:41 | 0:15:45 | |
imbalance of power. We have 208
women MPs now, when we first | 0:15:45 | 0:15:52 | |
started, there were 23. They are
still talking in the same way. One | 0:15:52 | 0:15:55 | |
of the problems, there isn't an
extension of employment law to | 0:15:55 | 0:16:00 | |
members of Parliament or to their
staff. They directly employ their | 0:16:00 | 0:16:03 | |
staff. The rules have changed so
they cannot employ their wives in | 0:16:03 | 0:16:07 | |
the way they used to, and that was a
very healthy thing to have in the | 0:16:07 | 0:16:11 | |
past. That might need to change. But
it needs to change for any aspect of | 0:16:11 | 0:16:19 | |
bullying comic needs to change for
all sorts of complaints to be | 0:16:19 | 0:16:23 | |
resolved. There needs to be a
procedure that is broadly | 0:16:23 | 0:16:27 | |
acceptable. I hate this idea,
because we have got a lot of blokes, | 0:16:27 | 0:16:31 | |
there must be a lot of sexual
predator going on. I don't buy into | 0:16:31 | 0:16:37 | |
it. If women behaved more like the
equals you would like them to be, | 0:16:37 | 0:16:43 | |
Harriet and treated the men like
equals, you might find that gap | 0:16:43 | 0:16:49 | |
doesn't exist? I feel you are
another planet, Edwina Currie the | 0:16:49 | 0:16:54 | |
nobody is saying they are all
predators, but there is clearly a | 0:16:54 | 0:16:57 | |
problem. Is there? Yes there is. I
am sure Michael Fallon was pushed | 0:16:57 | 0:17:06 | |
out by Theresa May, who actually, to
her credit, seems to want to have | 0:17:06 | 0:17:11 | |
decent standards. There is a chance
now for the parties to get together | 0:17:11 | 0:17:15 | |
to get over their tribal divisions
and say we want decent standards for | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
everybody. For example, if he put
his hand on Julia Hartley Brewer's | 0:17:19 | 0:17:30 | |
like, that isn't an example of using
your power against somebody who is | 0:17:30 | 0:17:34 | |
an inferior or dependent.
Journalists are very powerful people | 0:17:34 | 0:17:39 | |
as well. It may be inappropriate and
foolish, but it doesn't represent | 0:17:39 | 0:17:43 | |
what you are talking about, which is
the abuse of power, does it? I don't | 0:17:43 | 0:17:49 | |
think that necessarily, who knows,
Theresa May probably does and | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
Michael Fallon... My understanding
is, Michael Fallon could not give | 0:17:53 | 0:18:00 | |
the Prime Minister and assurance
that more things wouldn't come out. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:04 | |
I mentioned it because it is very
easy to fall into the idea that | 0:18:04 | 0:18:10 | |
every one of these problems is about
an abuse of power. As Edwina said | 0:18:10 | 0:18:15 | |
some may be consensual
relationships, some might be just | 0:18:15 | 0:18:19 | |
folly, but those two need not surly
be an abuse of power. It isn't Polly | 0:18:19 | 0:18:25 | |
if you are Secretary of State. It
wasn't, it is back in 2002 when you | 0:18:25 | 0:18:32 | |
lot were in power. You don't know
they aren't current. Now you are | 0:18:32 | 0:18:40 | |
possibly committing libel. You
cannot condemn people on the basis | 0:18:40 | 0:18:45 | |
of I suspect. It is not good enough,
Harriet. If you let me finish my | 0:18:45 | 0:18:51 | |
sentence... No, I will exercise my
power. What is this about women | 0:18:51 | 0:18:58 | |
being so weak and so useless. If
this gorgeous man puts his hand on | 0:18:58 | 0:19:03 | |
my knee, I might tell him to push.
But I'm not to fall about. It would | 0:19:03 | 0:19:11 | |
be my husband telling him to push.
Brief, final four, Harriet? We are | 0:19:11 | 0:19:19 | |
going to see change and it will be
the good. Sexual predation and | 0:19:19 | 0:19:24 | |
sexual harassment going on in the
world outside Westminster, we can | 0:19:24 | 0:19:29 | |
put our own house in order and
protect women outside as well. The | 0:19:29 | 0:19:34 | |
danger is he might be behind the
curve? Yes, this moment was the week | 0:19:34 | 0:19:39 | |
was the tipping point. The Prime
Minister to her credit... We are | 0:19:39 | 0:19:46 | |
running out of time. In fact we are
well over so I will have to thank | 0:19:46 | 0:19:50 | |
Edwina and move on. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:53 | |
Now, it's late, Michael Fallon late. | 0:19:53 | 0:19:55 | |
Or, as he's now known, Fallon Gone. | 0:19:55 | 0:19:57 | |
Speaking of bad wordplay,
writer and comedian Shazia Meeera | 0:19:57 | 0:19:59 | |
has a black belt in verbal sparring. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:03 | |
So she'll be shining our spotlight
on inappropriate jokes. | 0:20:03 | 0:20:05 | |
Obviously, if she tries
to tell any, we'll dim | 0:20:05 | 0:20:08 | |
the lights and cut the sound. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:10 | |
Nothing can intrude on this
safest of safe spaces. | 0:20:10 | 0:20:12 | |
Including your inane comments. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:13 | |
But if you feel you can't help
yourself, then whiffle | 0:20:13 | 0:20:18 | |
away on the Tweeter, Fleecebook,
SnapNumpty and my new favourite | 0:20:18 | 0:20:21 | |
social media site Yadda Yadda Yadda
@ I couldn't give a stuff.com. | 0:20:21 | 0:20:27 | |
It's not been a great week
for the public square. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:30 | |
Allegations of inappropriate
behaviour, sexual harassment and, | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
worst of all, rape have resonated
across continents and time zones, | 0:20:33 | 0:20:36 | |
from Hollywood to the House
of Commons, accompanied either | 0:20:36 | 0:20:41 | |
by belated mea culpas
or indignant denials. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:43 | |
Ministerial careers are in ruins,
TV series are being cancelled, | 0:20:43 | 0:20:48 | |
the air is thick with thespian
confessions and apologies. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:50 | |
Women, and some men,
who've bottled up terrible wrongs | 0:20:50 | 0:20:55 | |
for years are finally
finding their voice. | 0:20:55 | 0:20:59 | |
At least the Great British Bake Off
had a happy ending. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:02 | |
It was especially generous
of Pru Leith to lighten these dark | 0:21:02 | 0:21:05 | |
times by telling us the ending
before it had even finished. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:11 | |
Here's Andy Parsons with his amuse
bouche of the political week. | 0:21:11 | 0:21:20 | |
There was supposed to be
three of us in the final. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:47 | |
Molly the dog ate Andrew's
profiteroles and when I said | 0:21:47 | 0:21:49 | |
I couldn't get all the ingredients
because of Brexit, Michael | 0:21:49 | 0:21:52 | |
stormed off furiously. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:56 | |
The Westminster week has been
dominated by allegations of sexual | 0:21:56 | 0:21:58 | |
harassment and inappropriate
behaviour, by MPs | 0:21:58 | 0:22:00 | |
towards junior staff. | 0:22:00 | 0:22:04 | |
A stony-faced Prime Minister
listened to MPs debate | 0:22:04 | 0:22:07 | |
the problem, to a House,
where, for once, women | 0:22:07 | 0:22:09 | |
MPs outnumber the men. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:18 | |
As members of Parliament,
our constituents will be rightly | 0:22:18 | 0:22:20 | |
appalled at the thought that some
representatives in Parliament may | 0:22:20 | 0:22:22 | |
have acted in an entirely
inappropriate way towards others. | 0:22:22 | 0:22:25 | |
These reports risk bringing
all of our offices into disrepute. | 0:22:25 | 0:22:30 | |
She's right, there is
obviously a problem. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:32 | |
It's a good thing, actually that
it's been exposed and it | 0:22:32 | 0:22:35 | |
has to be dealt with. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:38 | |
No woman, or man, for that matter,
coming to work in this House should | 0:22:38 | 0:22:41 | |
be subjected to unwanted sexual
advances from those who are in | 0:22:41 | 0:22:44 | |
a position of power over them. | 0:22:44 | 0:22:48 | |
Away from Parliament,
but part of the same culture, | 0:22:48 | 0:22:51 | |
the most serious allegation was made
by Labour activist, Bex Bailey, | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
who said she'd been raped at a party
event and then discouraged | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
from reporting the attack. | 0:22:57 | 0:23:00 | |
I was seriously, sexually assaulted
at a Labour Party event by, | 0:23:00 | 0:23:08 | |
it wasn't an MP, but who was more
senior to me. | 0:23:08 | 0:23:13 | |
I told a senior member of staff. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:17 | |
It was suggested to me
that I not report it. | 0:23:17 | 0:23:19 | |
I was told that if I did,
it might damage me. | 0:23:19 | 0:23:22 | |
Meanwhile, a sex pest spreadsheet
of 40 Tory MPs is circulating. | 0:23:22 | 0:23:28 | |
High-profile names listed
include Rory Stewart, | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
Dominic Raab and the PM's de facto
deputy, Damian Green. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:36 | |
They all deny the claims. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
But last night, Defence Secretary,
Michael Fallon, who is not | 0:23:39 | 0:23:42 | |
included on the spreadsheet,
resigned over separate allegations | 0:23:42 | 0:23:46 | |
about past behaviour. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:49 | |
There are people saying
today, Michael Fallon | 0:23:49 | 0:23:52 | |
was a safe pair of hands. | 0:23:52 | 0:23:55 | |
That seems very much
the wrong choice of words. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:58 | |
In recent days, allegations have
been made about MPs' | 0:23:58 | 0:24:00 | |
conduct, including my own. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:02 | |
Many of these allegations have been
false, but I realise that | 0:24:02 | 0:24:05 | |
in the past, I may have fallen below
the high standards that we require | 0:24:05 | 0:24:10 | |
of the Armed Forces,
that I have the honour to represent. | 0:24:10 | 0:24:15 | |
I have reflected now on my position
in government and I am | 0:24:15 | 0:24:19 | |
therefore resigning. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:22 | |
While the Commons takes a long,
hard look at itself, | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
the Lords can be cut down to size. | 0:24:24 | 0:24:28 | |
Proposals for a new,
'one in, two out rule', | 0:24:28 | 0:24:32 | |
and limiting new peers to 15-year
terms would make the Lords | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
smaller than the Commons. | 0:24:35 | 0:24:38 | |
Well, eventually. | 0:24:38 | 0:24:42 | |
But there's over 800 Lords. | 0:24:42 | 0:24:44 | |
How about one in, 700 out? | 0:24:44 | 0:24:49 | |
We know that the House is too big. | 0:24:49 | 0:24:52 | |
A smaller, more effective House
would be able to strengthen public | 0:24:52 | 0:24:55 | |
confidence and build support
for our vital, constitutional law. | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
It is now up to us. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:04 | |
As well as fewer Lords,
the country is going to have | 0:25:04 | 0:25:07 | |
to cope with fewer bankers. | 0:25:07 | 0:25:08 | |
FAKE SCREAM. | 0:25:08 | 0:25:14 | |
The Bank of England warned
this week that a no | 0:25:14 | 0:25:17 | |
deal Brexit could mean that 75,000
banking jobs would go. | 0:25:17 | 0:25:19 | |
Scaremongering is a strong word,
but I do think there is a pattern | 0:25:19 | 0:25:22 | |
at the Bank of England
and they ought to reconsider | 0:25:22 | 0:25:25 | |
and look at the opportunities
of Brexit, talk up the City | 0:25:25 | 0:25:27 | |
of London, talk up our financial
services expertise and help Britain | 0:25:27 | 0:25:30 | |
succeed across the whole world. | 0:25:30 | 0:25:33 | |
Meanwhile, remainers have whipped up
a posse to go and see the EU. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:40 | |
REPORTER: What brings
you here today? | 0:25:40 | 0:25:49 | |
We're going to see Michel Barnier
and a few other people | 0:25:49 | 0:25:51 | |
in the European Commission. | 0:25:51 | 0:25:52 | |
REPORTER: Are you
here to stop Brexit? | 0:25:52 | 0:25:54 | |
If only it were that easy, no,
no we're here just to get | 0:25:54 | 0:25:57 | |
a better understanding. | 0:25:57 | 0:25:58 | |
Some people suggesting
when it comes to a no deal, | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
if you're buying a house,
try suggesting no deal | 0:26:01 | 0:26:03 | |
and see how you get on. | 0:26:03 | 0:26:04 | |
In that scenario, you've
still got your old house. | 0:26:04 | 0:26:06 | |
We've set fire to our old house,
to burn down in two years' time. | 0:26:06 | 0:26:10 | |
HE COUGHS AND SMOKE ALARM BEEPS. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:14 | |
Although, some Jeremy Corbyn
supporters can stomach a no deal | 0:26:14 | 0:26:18 | |
if it means another election. | 0:26:18 | 0:26:22 | |
We have an exciting, real chance
for change in this country, | 0:26:22 | 0:26:25 | |
to reverse years of neglect
and build a better tomorrow. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:30 | |
Move forward with us,
or move over and get out of our way. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:38 | |
Len McCluskey, a man
who was elected on a 12% turnout. | 0:26:38 | 0:26:42 | |
Imagine having a party and only
12% of the people you'd | 0:26:42 | 0:26:45 | |
invited showing up. | 0:26:45 | 0:26:47 | |
It's like organising
your own Last Supper | 0:26:47 | 0:26:49 | |
and only Judas coming along. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:53 | |
To furnish his cred with the youth
vote, Jeremy Corbyn is set to appear | 0:26:53 | 0:26:56 | |
on celebrity Gogglebox tomorrow. | 0:26:56 | 0:26:59 | |
That does look quite nice. | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
It does look pretty good. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:02 | |
It's great, is that
garlic yoghurt as well? | 0:27:02 | 0:27:04 | |
I think it probably is. | 0:27:04 | 0:27:05 | |
That does look good. | 0:27:05 | 0:27:07 | |
Actually, you know what? | 0:27:07 | 0:27:09 | |
She's better than we are at this. | 0:27:09 | 0:27:12 | |
Yeah, OK. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:13 | |
At PMQs, Jeremy Corbyn
focused on tax evasion. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:15 | |
Our school budgets are being cut... | 0:27:15 | 0:27:25 | |
More people waiting
longer for treatment | 0:27:25 | 0:27:29 | |
on the National Health Service. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:32 | |
Does the Prime Minister think
it is acceptable that when it | 0:27:32 | 0:27:35 | |
comes to paying taxes,
there's one rule for the super-rich | 0:27:35 | 0:27:38 | |
another for the rest of us? | 0:27:38 | 0:27:43 | |
The top 1% of earners in this
country are paying 28% | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
of of the tax burden. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:48 | |
That is the highest percentage ever
under any government. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:58 | |
Mrs May told a chastened House
of Commons that a cross-party | 0:27:59 | 0:28:02 | |
approach was needed to tackle sexual
harassment, but no mention was made | 0:28:02 | 0:28:05 | |
of the sex pest spreadsheet. | 0:28:05 | 0:28:06 | |
But I can reveal the MP who is
on the spreadsheet, who has been | 0:28:06 | 0:28:12 | |
in a video with three males
in an extreme sex act, is... | 0:28:12 | 0:28:18 | |
KLAXON SOUNDS. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:28 | |
What? | 0:28:28 | 0:28:30 | |
Was I not supposed to
reveal it until later? | 0:28:30 | 0:28:32 | |
Oh, I'm terribly sorry,
I'm in a different time zone. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:35 | |
Thanks to the Rosalind
Miller bakery in London, | 0:28:37 | 0:28:39 | |
who bear no responsibility
for Andy's culinary efforts. | 0:28:39 | 0:28:41 | |
Andy's show, Peak Bullshit,
is currently touring | 0:28:41 | 0:28:43 | |
around the country. | 0:28:43 | 0:28:46 | |
Maybe stick to comedy not cakes
from now on, eh, Andy. | 0:28:46 | 0:28:56 | |
Michael, how significant is this
rise in interest rates? Well, the | 0:28:56 | 0:29:04 | |
Bank of England seems to have been
itching to do this for a long time. | 0:29:04 | 0:29:08 | |
Mark Carney has been predicting an
increase in interest rates for | 0:29:08 | 0:29:12 | |
several years, it generally giving
forward guidance which he would have | 0:29:12 | 0:29:16 | |
done better not to have given, since
it was always wrong. I think their | 0:29:16 | 0:29:22 | |
enthusiasm to raise interest rates
is wrong. I think it is a bad | 0:29:22 | 0:29:24 | |
decision. Much of the inflation we
are experiencing is due to the | 0:29:24 | 0:29:29 | |
one-off effect of the pound going
down after the Brexit referendum. | 0:29:29 | 0:29:34 | |
It's going to hit some people. If
you have a £300,000 mortgage, I | 0:29:34 | 0:29:39 | |
think it is £39 a month extra money.
It will take extra money out of the | 0:29:39 | 0:29:44 | |
economy. I don't think the economy
is robust enough for that to happen. | 0:29:44 | 0:29:49 | |
However, because the Bank of England
has been wrong until now on interest | 0:29:49 | 0:29:53 | |
rates and Brexit, I suspect it's not
that significant because I don't | 0:29:53 | 0:29:56 | |
think we will see another increase
for some time. The danger must be | 0:29:56 | 0:30:01 | |
that inflation is running ahead of
wages, squeezing living standards. | 0:30:01 | 0:30:06 | |
So families will have to cope with a
rise in interest rates, and this | 0:30:06 | 0:30:09 | |
might just be the first. It could be
a further squeeze on living | 0:30:09 | 0:30:12 | |
standards. It will be but it's not
half as much as Michael said is the | 0:30:12 | 0:30:19 | |
impact on prices of the fall in the
pound. And inflation going ahead of | 0:30:19 | 0:30:25 | |
people's pay being stagnant. And
that is a huge problem, and they | 0:30:25 | 0:30:30 | |
have been predicting this as was
mentioned on the film, 75,000 jobs | 0:30:30 | 0:30:37 | |
to be lost in the financial services
sector potentially. Another Bank of | 0:30:37 | 0:30:45 | |
England prediction. To clarify, it
was a separate report, and a member | 0:30:45 | 0:30:50 | |
of the Bank of England was asked to
comment on it and he chose the | 0:30:50 | 0:30:54 | |
75,000 figure, saying, that is about
right. It is not Bank of England | 0:30:54 | 0:30:58 | |
research. It has been challenged by
the Conservatives, who are not | 0:30:58 | 0:31:04 | |
publishing the 58 sector impact
assessment they have actually drawn | 0:31:04 | 0:31:08 | |
up. It would be better if they
published them, rather than simply | 0:31:08 | 0:31:13 | |
saying the assessment that is out
there is wrong. I think they are | 0:31:13 | 0:31:18 | |
going to. I thought they said they
were. I think your party has pushed | 0:31:18 | 0:31:23 | |
them into it. There may be
redactions, but they will publish. | 0:31:23 | 0:31:26 | |
Give it to the Brexit select
committee, that is what has been | 0:31:26 | 0:31:31 | |
asked for. I don't want to... The
economy has slowed down this year, | 0:31:31 | 0:31:40 | |
certainly in the first half. Are we
through the worst, or is it going to | 0:31:40 | 0:31:45 | |
slow even more? I have no idea. The
economy may have slowed down but it | 0:31:45 | 0:31:50 | |
has done better than most people
predicted. I think it has been | 0:31:50 | 0:31:54 | |
pretty robust, given the number of
people, including the Bank of | 0:31:54 | 0:31:58 | |
England, Harriet Harman and everyone
else, who tries to do it down. Mrs | 0:31:58 | 0:32:02 | |
May calling an election that Jamaat
that added to the uncertainty, | 0:32:02 | 0:32:07 | |
didn't it? Of course it did, and
failing to win the election. So when | 0:32:07 | 0:32:13 | |
you factor that in, I think the
economy has done pretty well. So I | 0:32:13 | 0:32:17 | |
don't think we are on a downward
spiral. There is a robustness to the | 0:32:17 | 0:32:21 | |
economy that most people had not
spotted. The problem with that is | 0:32:21 | 0:32:26 | |
that living standards are not even
where they were in 2010. So the idea | 0:32:26 | 0:32:31 | |
that the economy is doing well, I
suppose it could have done worse, | 0:32:31 | 0:32:35 | |
but for most people they feel they
are working harder and they are not | 0:32:35 | 0:32:38 | |
getting better off. And there is the
big unknown of what is going to | 0:32:38 | 0:32:43 | |
happen. March 1919 is only two more
Christmases. 2019, yes. You | 0:32:43 | 0:32:55 | |
underline my point about the Bank of
England. How you think the right | 0:32:55 | 0:32:59 | |
response to the fact that wages are
not keeping price with -- keeping | 0:32:59 | 0:33:05 | |
pace with prices is to take money
away from people in their mortgages | 0:33:05 | 0:33:08 | |
each month, I don't know. What is
the biggest threat to growth and | 0:33:08 | 0:33:12 | |
investment? Three choices. Brexit,
Mrs May's weak and unstable | 0:33:12 | 0:33:19 | |
government, or the prospect of a
Corbyn government? I think the first | 0:33:19 | 0:33:27 | |
two, and uncertainty. You are only
allowed to choose one. I asked for | 0:33:27 | 0:33:34 | |
the biggest threat. My moment of the
week was the whole week, so I am | 0:33:34 | 0:33:41 | |
changing the parameters. If people
are making investment decisions, | 0:33:41 | 0:33:45 | |
they do not know the context in
which they will be doing it. So is | 0:33:45 | 0:33:51 | |
it Brexit? I think the fear that we
will get a worst deal out of Brexit | 0:33:51 | 0:33:55 | |
because of the conflict in the
government, so they are the same | 0:33:55 | 0:33:57 | |
problem. Michael? I would love to
answer the question but all three | 0:33:57 | 0:34:04 | |
are important factors. All three of
them are important factors and they | 0:34:04 | 0:34:09 | |
feed off each other. I am fairly
optimistic about Brexit. We don't | 0:34:09 | 0:34:13 | |
know how it will be. The government
is weak are now that Michael Fallon | 0:34:13 | 0:34:18 | |
has left it. And if the government
is weak, there is the prospect of a | 0:34:18 | 0:34:23 | |
Corbyn government, which terrifies
many people. If it terrifies | 0:34:23 | 0:34:27 | |
everybody we will not have a Corbyn
government. It terrifies the Tories | 0:34:27 | 0:34:32 | |
because it does not seem to be
terrifying the public in the way | 0:34:32 | 0:34:35 | |
they would like it too. It does not
frighten you? My worry about Jeremy | 0:34:35 | 0:34:41 | |
Corbyn was that the public would
turn away from him, the Tories would | 0:34:41 | 0:34:46 | |
be stronger, Labour would be weaker,
and we need the voters in order to | 0:34:46 | 0:34:50 | |
be in government. So nothing to do
with principal, just whether you | 0:34:50 | 0:34:53 | |
would be in power. I think it is
very important for Labour to be in | 0:34:53 | 0:34:59 | |
power. I do not have fundamental
policy disagreements with him, I | 0:34:59 | 0:35:02 | |
just thought he could not lead us
towards government, and June changed | 0:35:02 | 0:35:06 | |
that. Is he a Marxist? I have been a
Labour London MP with Jeremy Corbyn | 0:35:06 | 0:35:17 | |
for many years but I did not know
him very well because we were | 0:35:17 | 0:35:21 | |
engaged in rather different things.
You were in government and he was | 0:35:21 | 0:35:26 | |
kept on the backbenches. I don't
think he sought to get into | 0:35:26 | 0:35:28 | |
government. Actually, what has
happened now is that he has done a | 0:35:28 | 0:35:33 | |
good election campaign, and
appealing manifesto, and he is | 0:35:33 | 0:35:37 | |
really moving things forwards and
people are finding that more | 0:35:37 | 0:35:41 | |
appealing. Did you ever think he
would be favourite to win an | 0:35:41 | 0:35:46 | |
election? No, I didn't, but I
thought we were going in the wrong | 0:35:46 | 0:35:49 | |
direction with voters and we
actually gained seats. So I was | 0:35:49 | 0:35:53 | |
happy to find that I was proved
wrong and it is interesting to see | 0:35:53 | 0:35:56 | |
how Jeremy Corbyn is doing and prime
ministers questions now. He is doing | 0:35:56 | 0:36:00 | |
the craft. He is saying, if she
can't lead, she should leave. That | 0:36:00 | 0:36:07 | |
is the craft of it. So you are a fan
now? Yes, I think I am. We used to | 0:36:07 | 0:36:16 | |
hear from the Blairites that they
thought nationalisation was the | 0:36:16 | 0:36:18 | |
wrong thing to do, giving rights to
the trade unions was the wrong thing | 0:36:18 | 0:36:22 | |
to do, shoving at rates of taxation
was the wrong thing to do. Now it is | 0:36:22 | 0:36:27 | |
clear that it was not that these
things were wrong, it was just that | 0:36:27 | 0:36:30 | |
it made it less likely that they
would get back to power. Now that it | 0:36:30 | 0:36:34 | |
looks like they might get back to
power, all the things that were | 0:36:34 | 0:36:37 | |
wrong before are perfectly all
right. It is very revealing. We are | 0:36:37 | 0:36:43 | |
not shoving up taxes, we are going
back on the 50p rate, going back on | 0:36:43 | 0:36:47 | |
the rail franchises which aren't
working. I don't want to go through | 0:36:47 | 0:36:51 | |
the Labour manifesto again. I want
to ask a former Defence Secretary | 0:36:51 | 0:36:55 | |
what he makes of Gavin Williamson
being the new Defence Secretary. I | 0:36:55 | 0:37:00 | |
do not know Gavin Williamson but I
have some very, very good friends, | 0:37:00 | 0:37:05 | |
whose judgment I trust completely,
who do know him, whose opinion of | 0:37:05 | 0:37:09 | |
him is the highest. Really? In parts
of Westminster it has gone down by | 0:37:09 | 0:37:14 | |
-- like a lead balloon. But my
friends think he is one of the | 0:37:14 | 0:37:19 | |
brightest stars in the firmament.
Nonetheless, it is unusual for | 0:37:19 | 0:37:24 | |
someone to go from Chief Whip to
Secretary of State. But if he is as | 0:37:24 | 0:37:28 | |
good as my friends tell me, he will
take that in his stride. Of course, | 0:37:28 | 0:37:36 | |
within a party there are lots of
people who would like to have been | 0:37:36 | 0:37:39 | |
promoted themselves and they will
use their sharp tongues to talk him | 0:37:39 | 0:37:42 | |
down. There is nothing surprising
about that. We shall see. | 0:37:42 | 0:37:49 | |
It's a brave politician,
or any public figure, | 0:37:49 | 0:37:50 | |
who'd tell a joke these days. | 0:37:50 | 0:37:52 | |
Almost before the laughter has died
you'll be issuing grovelling | 0:37:52 | 0:37:54 | |
apologies for offending someone's
sensibility and condemned | 0:37:54 | 0:37:56 | |
to the gulag of social media
disapprobation until the online mob | 0:37:56 | 0:37:59 | |
has moved on to monster
some other poor sod. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:01 | |
The lines between what is acceptable
and what is not are being redrawn | 0:38:01 | 0:38:04 | |
and the new boundaries are not
always easy to discern, especially | 0:38:04 | 0:38:07 | |
for folks of a certain age. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:08 | |
These days the safest course
is probably an early | 0:38:08 | 0:38:10 | |
night with a cup of cocoa
and an improving book. | 0:38:10 | 0:38:12 | |
So is this the new normal? | 0:38:12 | 0:38:15 | |
Who knows? | 0:38:15 | 0:38:16 | |
That's why we're putting jokes
and taste in the spotlight. | 0:38:16 | 0:38:24 | |
This Week is such bad taste that
sometimes we are lost for words. | 0:38:35 | 0:38:38 | |
Meh. | 0:38:38 | 0:38:40 | |
Um... | 0:38:40 | 0:38:43 | |
Maybe keeping schtum is your best
bet when things get sensitive. | 0:38:43 | 0:38:45 | |
Following accusations
of bad taste, Michael Gove | 0:38:45 | 0:38:47 | |
apologised for this exchange
with Neil Kinnock on Saturday. | 0:38:47 | 0:38:54 | |
Sometimes I think that coming
into the studio with you, | 0:38:54 | 0:38:56 | |
John, is a bit like going
into Harvey Weinstein's bedroom. | 0:38:56 | 0:38:59 | |
John goes way past groping. | 0:38:59 | 0:39:02 | |
Way past grouping. | 0:39:02 | 0:39:03 | |
You just pray that you emerge
with your dignity intact. | 0:39:03 | 0:39:10 | |
Do you need to say anything
at all to be accused of bad taste? | 0:39:10 | 0:39:14 | |
David Walliams' Halloween costume
solicited accusations | 0:39:14 | 0:39:15 | |
of racism on Tuesday night. | 0:39:15 | 0:39:25 | |
It isn't only jokes
that can be bad taste. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:27 | |
How about readings of history? | 0:39:27 | 0:39:30 | |
White House chief of staff
General John Kelly said this | 0:39:30 | 0:39:33 | |
about the American civil
war on Monday. | 0:39:33 | 0:39:35 | |
The lack of an ability to compromise
led to the civil war. | 0:39:35 | 0:39:42 | |
Which has led to accusations that
Kelly is an apologist for slavery. | 0:39:42 | 0:39:45 | |
Happy and safe Hallowe'en. | 0:39:45 | 0:39:49 | |
Thanks, guys. | 0:39:49 | 0:39:52 | |
What about apologies? | 0:39:52 | 0:39:57 | |
Kevin Spacey came out as gay
in the same breath as appearing | 0:39:57 | 0:40:05 | |
to apologise for allegedly making
a sexual advance on actor | 0:40:05 | 0:40:07 | |
Anthony Rapp when he was a child,
provoking a backlash. | 0:40:07 | 0:40:09 | |
The gay community is saying, "Sorry,
it's not because you're gay, | 0:40:09 | 0:40:12 | |
"it's something you did
that was improper. | 0:40:12 | 0:40:14 | |
"And please don't connect the two". | 0:40:14 | 0:40:19 | |
Comedian Shazia Mirza
thinks some people go out | 0:40:19 | 0:40:24 | |
of their way to be offended. | 0:40:24 | 0:40:25 | |
So are we all too thin-skinned,
or are we really living | 0:40:25 | 0:40:30 | |
in an age of bad taste? | 0:40:30 | 0:40:36 | |
And Shazia is with us now. | 0:40:36 | 0:40:42 | |
Are we in a culture where we are
looking to be offended so that we | 0:40:42 | 0:40:47 | |
can be offended? Some people are
offended and they do not know why, | 0:40:47 | 0:40:52 | |
some are offended on other people's
behalf, some are offended because | 0:40:52 | 0:40:56 | |
others are not offended enough, and
some are offended because they just | 0:40:56 | 0:40:58 | |
want someone to write to. You ask
someone why they are offended and | 0:40:58 | 0:41:02 | |
they can't tell you why. If you
don't know why you are offended, | 0:41:02 | 0:41:07 | |
you're not offended. Sometimes
people are offended because things | 0:41:07 | 0:41:12 | |
are offensive sometimes. Sometimes
people are offended and others join | 0:41:12 | 0:41:15 | |
in and go, I am offended as well. It
is contagious because once one | 0:41:15 | 0:41:21 | |
person says it, others join in and
go, yes, that's right, I'm offended, | 0:41:21 | 0:41:24 | |
but I don't know what about. Why has
it come to this? It hasn't. Some | 0:41:24 | 0:41:33 | |
people are offended on other
people's behalf because they feel | 0:41:33 | 0:41:36 | |
they should be. We are fine. Don't
be offended for us. I'm fine. Should | 0:41:36 | 0:41:42 | |
Michael Gove have apologised for his
Harvey Weinstein joke? I'm a | 0:41:42 | 0:41:47 | |
comedian. When I heard that, I
laughed, I thought it was funny. But | 0:41:47 | 0:41:51 | |
context is everything, and he was in
the studio at 8:10am on Radio 4, | 0:41:51 | 0:41:59 | |
60th anniversary celebrations. It
was not a comedy club. So context is | 0:41:59 | 0:42:03 | |
everything. If I said that on stage
at a comedy club, people would have | 0:42:03 | 0:42:07 | |
laughed. It was a live audience and
they did not seem offended. John | 0:42:07 | 0:42:13 | |
Humphrys laughed, Neil Kinnock
laughed, he got a round of applause. | 0:42:13 | 0:42:20 | |
Should he have apologised? I think
if you are somebody who cares about | 0:42:20 | 0:42:27 | |
what Harvey Weinstein has been
doing, preying on people and getting | 0:42:27 | 0:42:30 | |
away with it for years, it's not
that funny, really. It's not the | 0:42:30 | 0:42:36 | |
sort of joke I would make myself. So
Charlie Chaplin should not have made | 0:42:36 | 0:42:41 | |
jokes about Hitler? I have long been
accused of being a humourless | 0:42:41 | 0:42:48 | |
feminist. I will give you two
examples I protested about, because | 0:42:48 | 0:42:52 | |
they were offensive and hurtful. We
need to be quick. This was a | 0:42:52 | 0:43:00 | |
hospital right magazine back in the
day and people like Andrew say these | 0:43:00 | 0:43:03 | |
things are perfectly all right. Two
jokes. One was, how do you get 100 | 0:43:03 | 0:43:08 | |
dues into a mini? One in the driving
seat, 99 in the ashtray. That is not | 0:43:08 | 0:43:14 | |
funny. We will stop with that one
example and we will not bother with | 0:43:14 | 0:43:19 | |
a one-minute's silence that you
would dare to think what I will | 0:43:19 | 0:43:22 | |
think about that, because you have
no knowledge at all. David Walliams | 0:43:22 | 0:43:27 | |
Wenger Kim Jong-il and costume...
But the thing is, Andrew. Be quiet. | 0:43:27 | 0:43:40 | |
It was Halloween and I have people
-- seen people dressed as far worse. | 0:43:40 | 0:43:45 | |
It was fancy dress and it was
Halloween, it was in context. Do you | 0:43:45 | 0:43:50 | |
think more now about your jokes
because of the danger of a reaction | 0:43:50 | 0:43:55 | |
that you might not have got five or
ten years ago? As a comedian, if you | 0:43:55 | 0:43:59 | |
are not offending someone, you are
not doing well. You are just not | 0:43:59 | 0:44:04 | |
doing the job, because someone is
bound to be offended by anything you | 0:44:04 | 0:44:07 | |
say. Anything. Firstly, there is a
danger that people being offended as | 0:44:07 | 0:44:12 | |
a way of clamping down on free
speech. Secondly, the Kevin Spacey | 0:44:12 | 0:44:17 | |
case, I am ready worried that great
art that would be created in future | 0:44:17 | 0:44:21 | |
is not going to be created because
this man is going to be ostracised. | 0:44:21 | 0:44:26 | |
And I have long thought about the
connection between the artist and | 0:44:26 | 0:44:30 | |
the art, the art is separate from
the artist. What are you up to? I am | 0:44:30 | 0:44:37 | |
on tour, going round the country
offending people. Good luck with | 0:44:37 | 0:44:40 | |
that. | 0:44:40 | 0:44:42 | |
So that's it for another week. | 0:44:42 | 0:44:43 | |
Scripts were by Molly
the Dog, location catering | 0:44:43 | 0:44:45 | |
by the Greasy Spoon,
wardrobe by Army Surplus, | 0:44:45 | 0:44:47 | |
and the show was shot
on location in Lou Lou's. | 0:44:47 | 0:44:50 | |
But we're not hanging around
for the after-party. | 0:44:50 | 0:44:52 | |
We're heading for
the This Week bunker. | 0:44:52 | 0:44:53 | |
Yes, we've invested in a luxury
bunker to keep us safe | 0:44:53 | 0:44:56 | |
come the Armageddon. | 0:44:56 | 0:44:57 | |
It comes complete with a heated
dog basket for Molly, | 0:44:57 | 0:44:59 | |
a yoga mat for Harriet and a toy
train set for Michael. | 0:44:59 | 0:45:02 | |
Plus, of course, Blue Nun on tap. | 0:45:02 | 0:45:04 | |
The End of Days? | 0:45:04 | 0:45:05 | |
We can hardly wait! | 0:45:05 | 0:45:06 | |
Nighty-night, don't let Sandi
and Sandra from Gogglebox bite. | 0:45:06 | 0:45:16 | |
David Dimbleby, I can't even
pronounce it. David Dimbleby. I | 0:45:17 | 0:45:22 | |
can't say his name. Dig a B? When
I'm on TV, I have to eat first, | 0:45:22 | 0:45:35 | |
babe. I can't concentrate. What's
going on? What's his name? I don't | 0:45:35 | 0:45:42 | |
know. Google him. Who is the
presenter of this Week? Andrew Neil | 0:45:42 | 0:45:50 | |
is the presenter of this week. Yes,
him. Here's my mate. Diana. Not | 0:45:50 | 0:46:02 | |
Diana, Diane. The one where they sit
down, very, very close. | 0:46:02 | 0:46:12 |