to think Eddie Mair went too far

[BagWoman]

with Boris on The AM show?

Normally I love Mair- but I found his grilling and assassination of Boris most unnecessary.

Boris is right- who cares about what happened with a piece he wrote years ago etc etc.

A totally wasted interview IMO.

[lolaflores]

I have not questioned his intellectual abilities, more his apparent satisfaction at been seen as a clown. The zip wire was a cynical stunt the better to enhance the buffoon image. Please show me the people who believe he is an intellectual giant? Not many are there, apart from yourself.

And the official complaint lodged against him by female members of the London Assembly? Nothing to add to the Mimi? And my contribution was much much more than name calling. But do feel free to ignore things that you don't like, just brush over them I find that really makes for a useful discussion

[Mimi55]

limitedperiodonly: Therefore I think it's perfectly okay to treat a populist politician with some populist journalism to try to get the attention of the idiots who love him.

A) I haven't dismissed anything - in fact, I stated it was a shame that Mr Mair didn't concentrate on the issues you mentioned instead of muckraking.

B) Call me old-fashioned but I don't tend to engage with people who fling insults like 'idiot' around because it shows me they have no manners, no humour and probably very little substance.

[Mimi55]

lolflores: I would be happy to engage with you on the issue you raised of 'the official complaint lodged against him by female members of the London Assembly' once said 'complaint' is upheld - has it been? Please provide links. Until then it's merely a complaint, unproven and as such one person's word against another. An irrelevance and a diversion.

[lolaflores]

As an rdent fan of Mr. Johnson, I understand your eagerness to dismiss any smears on his flawless reputation. It is just nasty people picking on him, even though Mr Johnson is not keen on details so there is not much point on engaging him in anything like a substantial discussion on the failings or successes of his mayorship. He has an eye on a bigger prize and that is what should worry us all. The man is not fit to be Prime Minister. His lack of statesmanship, leadership or anything approaching a useful period of service as an MP leave as an entirely unsuitable candidate for the job. Which is what Mr. Mair was drawing people's attention to. Not diversion, rather taking an inventory of his lack of credentials

[lolaflores]

Does the action of lodging the complaint point to an unsettling ability of Mr Johnson to behave in a disrespectful manner to women? Did they lodge the complaint because he is charming and lovely treating female members with the respect due to their position. Proven or unproven, it points to poor behaviour.

[limitedperiodonly]

mimi You are dodging the issues but it was well-mannered of you to praise me for raising them.

Unfortunately, the only thing you've mentioned are the bikes, so I'll talk about them.

Like you, I don't use them either but if you accept the concept of subsidised public transport, and I do, then it makes sense to put the money where it's best spent and that would be easing bus and tube fares because they are used by the majority of commuters.

But if you think the users of public transport should pay for it, then the whole of London should not be asked to pay for the bikes because we don't use them.

Currently Londoners are paying a massive subsidy for the benefit of Barclays and Boris Johnson. As a Londoner, doesn't that concern you?

That's why I think people who can't grasp Johnson's mismanagement of London for his own ends are idiots. It's harsh, but fair.

[limitedperiodonly]

I think Sir Simon Milton was a loss to London

I question why such a skilled and experienced London politician felt he'd go further riding on Johnson's coat tails than standing for Mayor himself. I guess he felt people would vote for a posh Fred Scuttle and not him. Cynical but realistic.

Luckily for Johnson he has survived losing someone who knew what he was doing.

[noblegiraffe]

The Daily Mail had an article on how to spot a sociopath today.


1. SUPERFICIAL charm. Smooth, engaging and charming, a sociopath will never become tongue-tied or embarrassed.

2. OVER-INFLATED sense of self-worth. Sociopaths believe they are superior human beings.

3. PRONE to boredom. They feel the need to be stimulated constantly.

4. PATHOLOGICAL liars. Sociopaths will be deceptive and dishonest.

5. MANIPULATIVE. They will say and do anything to deceive and cheat others.

6. LACK of remorse. No sense of the suffering of their victims.

7. LIMITED range of feelings. Don?t expect them to express anything other than happiness or sadness.

8. CALLOUS. Cold, contemptuous, inconsiderate and tactless are apt words to describe them.

9. THEY live a parasitic lifestyle. Sociopaths are often financially dependent on others.

10. THEY can?t control their behaviour. When challenged, sociopaths will appear irritable, annoyed and impatient.

[montmartre]

I have to assume the tone of the interview had something to do with the fact that BoJo has declared he'd like to be PM one day... someone (either current incumbent, or future hopeful) doesn't want to have to contest it with him.

[CandlestickOlder]

YABU.

I'm sick of supposedly serious interviewers just 'aving a laugh with Boris and asking him about frigging zip wires and his stupid hair.

The man is an elected politician who should be held to account. Good on Mair for asking him some questions about his credibility and not bloody Boris bikes

And anyone who votes for Boris because 'he's so funny LOL', is a massive twat.

Get him out of City Hall and on to Have I Got News For You.

[CandlestickOlder]

And the interview was there to promote the programme on earlier this evening. The end

[aldiwhore]

YANBU but for one thing, it IS relavent what happened 10 years ago if you may perhaps one day be considered as the leader of the party.

Unfortunately, the interview made it look like 'poor funny Boris' was being picked on and he came out of it rather well in the sympathy stakes.

I LIKE Boris as a funny baffoon, but that's all. I think he gets away with a lot by playing on that, because he's not that stupid.

He probably isn't very nice.

Mair got it wrong though, he misjudged it completely.

[hackmum]

Of the three issues that Mair raised, I find the conversation with Darius Guppy the most chilling. If a friend asked you for someone's address so they can send around the heavies to beat him up, I think - I hope - the normal response would be to say No very firmly and then go to the police. I don't think it would be to say "Yes, OK, but don't beat him up too hard" (the gist of what Boris said). Surely I'm not alone in this? It's not that morally complex, is it?

[BecauseImWorthIt]

You wouldn't think so, would you, hackmum?

[FloatyBeatie]

I notice that BeeJay didn't lose the chance to sneak the cultural high-ground from Mair by correcting his pronunciation of Darius. We mustn't let flimsy notions of integrity get in the way of prioritising a good Classical education in our leaders.

[FreudiansSlipper]

why does anyone need to put on such an act if they are not trying to hide something or their true selves. Every interview he brings out his jolly clown act often it works other times he looks a twat which make some warm to him more. This interview did not play into that and hopefully more will follow. Those that think he should be the next pm (which sadly I think he has a good chance of being) watch the clip with Jeremy paxman on the last election night

[PetiteRaleuse]

do you have a link to that FS ?

[FreudiansSlipper]

I can not c&o it

if you tap in boris paxman remark interview will come up

[PetiteRaleuse]

Thanks :)

[RawShark]

Feel like I have entered alternative universe here. Apart from the use of "nasty piece of work" I found Eddie MAir to ask reasonable questions, allow time for response and back off rather than insisting on an answer (once Boris proved his lack of integrity by trying to deflect the subject).

POltiical interviewers are supposed to challenge, not suck up.

And now Boris has proved he cannot handle mildly difficult situations (he couldn't even coherently explain that he was just saying he would provide that info to Darius to keep him calm and had no intention of providing it) via zipwire / soundbyte we can all relax because he won't be prime minister!

[RawShark]

Floatie Beatie - Yes I thought the correctionof pronunciation rather a sad attempt at regaining control