Friday 14 May 2010

Quotes of the week

Alastair Campbell to Sky's Adam Boulton: "Adam, I know that you've been spending the last few years saying Gordon Brown is dead meat and he should be going anyway ..."

Adam Boulton to Alastair Campbell: "Don't keep telling me what I think. I'm fed up with you telling me what I think, I don't think that."

Guardian corrections column: "A Guardian transcript gave this as Alastair Campbell's parting line to the political editor of Sky News, Adam Boulton, during a television encounter this week: "Adam you are a pompous little arse." From further listening to this near-inaudible endpiece, it now appears that Mr Campbell's words were: "Adam you are as pompous as it gets".

Francis Beckett on upsetting London Broadcasting presenter Petrie Hosken when appearing as a pundit on her show: "I guess what it tells us is that, from distinguished folk like Adam Boulton to obscure ones like Ms Hosken, broadcasters, if they're a bit feeble-minded, turn into pompous and self-regarding folk who can't bear to have their views challenged. They're not used to it."

Charles Moore after being fined for refusing to buy a tv licence while Jonathan Ross was employed by the BBC:
"It was against my conscience, I told the magistrates, to be made to pay for the weird ideology which thinks that cruel jokes by Ross are justified because they "push the boundaries". This would be a good matter to test in the High Court."

Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times on the Guardian backing Nick Clegg: "So there they were, the Liberal Democrats, with Nick Clegg soaring ahead in the polls, ready to consign Labour to history, describing the contest as a “two-horse race” between themselves and the Tories. All going better than beyond their wildest dreams. And what happened? One morning, they woke up to find they had the support of The Guardian."

Sir Harold Evans on the local press: “I must stress that the relationship between a local newspaper and its community has to be robust. If the relationship is be based on mutual respect, the local newspaper may have to puncture local pride, risk offending advertisers as well as authority; mere boosterism is no substitute for honest, thorough reporting."

Henry Porter on new Government coalition's list of pledges on civil liberties: "As I read through the list, I have an exhilarated sense of restoration."

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