Vox cani

I had forgotten that Question Time was on in Oxford tonight, and so didn't put it on until reminded by a text from Durham. Tickets went in four hours, apparently, so it would have been an inconvenience to go, but since Heseltine was on, that might have been worth it. Posts somewhere, in the archive here I believe, tell me that QT has gone crap these past few years, from an earlier peak. I remember enjoying it many years ago, in Ashdown's time I believe, but haven't watched in many years, due to a combination of tabloid panellists, watching less TV, and probably watching less BBC news, so I was without evidence for this debate. Still, I figured that in Oxford it might be cool, considering that the good panel that would probably come, and that there are some decent questioners in the Union, whatever proportion they are, and that general university people might come too.
Thus my expectations were mixed when I put it on; but it turned out to be rather good. They had Heseltine and Clement Freud, along with a Labourite I didn't know, Peter Tatchell (whom I had subsequently to defend from the charge that he was "a raving communist"), and some Daily Mail person. That this constitutes an odd numbers leads me to suspect that there was another, but never mind. So, it was rather good, and Tatchell even had a funny idea, that Prince Harry could abdicate (or is it just renounce when you're not heir apparent?) to avoid press attention. Heseltine was not on barnstorming form, but was good, although he claimed to have been relatively alone in supporting Prescott's punch, which I had thought was universally popular, albeit in a condescending way in some quarters.
What spoiled it was that they followed it with Andrew Neill's rather embarassing "This Week", notably going out on a Thursday due, presumably to stronger competition in the Friday schedule, this not being the US. While Diane Abbott and Michael Portillo have stopped flirting quite so much as when I first saw this show, other things are far worse. The introduction featured those annoying "Three poofs and a piano" people, who I believe were on Graham Norton at some point, and whom I find utterly crap. As to why they merited inclusion on a politics programme, beyond the issue of any programme... I'm sure that the BBC used to patronise in a much nicer way. As if to hit the point home, Tim Collins (not that one), was then accompanied by poor Drum N Bass, before, during, and after, he told us that the Iraq troop redeployment was a serious departure.
As to that, I think everyone would agree that saying no to this request would have been a bold and popular political step, although I'm not sure that the idea doesn't find most of its appeal in making George Bush look even sillier. So, I don't know whether I support Blair or not on this one.
Conclusion: QT looks better than I have been warned it is, especially compared to just how shit some of the rest gets.