Will anyone else miss Diane Abbott on This Week?

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I thought she was ideally suited for that show - you wouldn't expect her and Michael Portillo to get on, but they do! I don't think it is possible for them to sit any closer on that sofa without climbing on top of each other! And she was so gloriously dismissive about anything and everything, with those rolling eyes.

Hazel Blears was a terrible replacement, especially after her expenses. Caroline Flint was better but still not nearly good enough as a replacement for Diane!

And that Lib Dem woman Julia Goldsworthy couldn't even hang onto her seat - why is she invited on? If they are going for ex-Lib Dems they could at least go for someone with some personality, and get Lembit in there...

I'll miss her. I liked watching her and Michael bit and bat, they were like an old married couple, bickered but still very close!

Charles Kennedy would be good as a semi-permanent addition. After all, you don't need to be sober on there anyway, most weeks they are all obviously drunk off their faces on Blue Nun!

This Week is so much more fun - not to mention informative - than Question Time. I even like the Z-list nonentities they get on for the bizarre discussions on subjects various at the end.

Flinty was on and I missed it?! Bugger!!

UnquietDad It is still on iPlayer for a few days.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00snxdf/This_Week_03_06_2010/

But "Flinty" is boring compared to the Abbess.

Caroline Flint is definitely no Diane Abbott!

Gawd yes I miss her terribly. They were so obv drunk as skunks and you cld alost see the steam coming off their clammily-pressed thighs.

Flinty not so bad, though I note there is no thigh-pressing.

Could be bcs Diane cartoon-like (if honest would say pantomime figure) that it worked so well. Interestingly, Portillo not pantomime at all. He is urbane and incisive, whoever his Judy is.

Onebat - I agree. I'd stay up late just to watch them camoodgling on that sofa. Fireworks. Loved it.

I miss Dianne, Caroline is too much of a good girl head prefect.

Diane always also said exactly what she meant. You always get the feeling with Caroline that she is angling to get back into the shadow Cabinet, and in a very senior role, if/when Mili-D wins.

Katy - Caroline is one of those mp's that were elected really young and has never had the chance to live in the real world.

She's vee parliamentary ifyswim.

I am very impressed at the awfulness of the Z-list sleb though. I thought they would never ever manage to sink lower than N-Dubz, but they managed it.

He's bereft.

He'll come over to the other side when she's leader of the Labour Party.

Absolutely, but as someone who hates Labour with a passion then if she does become leader I might end up having to change my mind and that won't do at all!

On a totally shallow but extremely important note, what exactly is going on with Andrew Neil's hair?

Oona King actually works quite well.

i like oona but i so miss Diane
it was the chemistry between her and portillo that made the show, really...

I was a bit unnerved to see flashes of the "old" Portillo when he was talking with the American about how they were indifferent to IRA terrorism, and only changed their attitude towards terror on September 11.

I had become used to the cuddly, centrist and sensible Cameroon Portillo, not the "who dares wins" Portillo.

I was wondering if the "old" Portillo was also a little more present because Oona was a lot more "party line" than Diane?

I thought it was quite sparky this week. Which was different, and quite an interesting dynamic. But they did have lots of things to get stuck into.

She's baaaaaaaaaaack!

whoop whoop
diane rocks and her and michael are perfect together

Wow!

I don't think Diane is going to be sharing a bottle of Blue Nun with Andrew any time soon!!

That was a bit harsh, wasn't it? Totally fair questions, but my word!

Her answers were rubbish though. For the first time I can remember on This Week she refused to give straight answers.

What was wrong in saying that all mothers are fiercely protective of their kids, whatever the colour of their skin?

Why not just say either she is for unilateral disarmanent or that she wants a Trident replacement?

Has Andrew just torpedoed her leadership chances? Every candidate will be asking her exactly the same questions - especially Ed Balls, who will want to burnish his credentials with the largely white working class union vote.