[reece(:]

Over a long political career I have appeared on BBC Question Time innumerable times, but I have never had such a horrible experience as I had in Derby last week.

I am not a “snowflake” on these matters. Most of my appearances have been with David Dimbleby as chair. Dimbleby could never be mistaken for a socialist. He ruled the programme with an iron hand and was capable of some very sharp interventions indeed. But he had a huge depth of knowledge about politics and tried to treat each panellist fairly.

I also spent 12 years appearing alongside Andrew Neil on BBC This Week. He is not everybody’s favourite presenter. but he was supremely well briefed. You know when you sit down next to him on a Thursday evening that he had read every poll finding, every blog and every newspaper article about the issues of the day.

By contrast Fiona Bruce, who has taken over from Dimbleby as presenter on Question Time, does not appear to be well briefed. She got the polling for Labour vs Tory wrong. She (or her researcher) appears to have got their figures from a Conservative Central Office handout. Above all, it seems she is not afraid to appear unfair as a presenter.

I was interrupted more than twice the number of times that Tory MP Rory Stewart was interrupted, even though he spoke more times than I and for a longer period overall. I was not allowed to respond to a blatantly abusive remark from the audience. I’m also told that she made unpleasant remarks about me to the audience, before the programme was actually recorded, although the BBC has denied that “any of the panel was treated unfairly either before or during the recording”.

A number of people who were there have reported that the audience was wound up against me before I even stepped on stage. It would be wrong to blame Fiona Bruce for all this. Question Time has had a new editor for some time, and seems more interested in entertainment than politics. In particular her holy grail appears to be clips of red-faced men abusing politicians, which then go viral on Twitter. With David Dimbleby gone, she is now off the leash and we are faced with the spectacle that you saw in Derby.

The BBC is gaslighting Diane Abbott – it’s shameful and dangerous
The question is where does the BBC go from here. First of all it needs to stop treating Jeremy Corbyn and his shadow ministers as if we are not legitimate political actors and try giving us the respect that they automatically give to Tory ministers and Labour MPs on the right of the spectrum. In the current abusive political climate, TV production teams need to reflect before they wind up live audiences against particular politicians. It may result in “good television” but it can easily turn ugly.


As for Question Time itself, there may be a market for a political version of the Jeremy Kyle Show, but that is not exactly what the production company Mentorn was commissioned to make.

In all my life I have never asked for special treatment, only fair treatment. But many viewers and people in the audience for last week’s Question Time thought that the way I was spoken about before the programme, the way that I was treated during the programme and the chairing of the programme were decidedly unfair.


And who could blame any young Bame women with an interest in politics and a left-of-centre ideology seeing the way that I was treated on Question Time and deciding that politics is not for her?

I have always been up for robust debate. But Question Time in Derby went beyond that and I hope that the BBC reflects and learns the lessons.

Diane Abbott is shadow home secretary and MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices...-a8736566.html

She was ganged up on tbf, and that audience were NOT balanced

[LeatherTrumpet]

She is a deluded fake cow. Vile

[Cherie]

Red faced men, what could she possibly mean

[Toy Soldier]

QT has been drivel for years, catering to the lowest common denominator. Like the rest of the BBC.

[Oliver_W]

I think Diane Abbott should be nowhere near any front bench, and she makes a complete fool of herself whenever she's on television - but I still think she was treated unfairly on QT. Last week Cleverly and Thornberry (also both awful) got the stick in equal measures, but there was no-one on the other side to Abbot who got it as much as she did.

[smudgie]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

She is a deluded fake cow. Vile

I have to agree.
All me me me.

[bitontheslide]

there is a simple solution for her if she feels she was mistreated ... don't appear on the show again. I'm sure there are plenty other labour representatives that would be happy to take her place

She is not on the labour front benches through competence, she is there because she ****ed the labour leader. How she can then say she has been unfairly treated is the height of hypocrisy

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

there is a simple solution for her if she feels she was mistreated ... don't appear on the show again.

"There's one solution if women don't wanna be raped ... Don't leave the house"

A front bencher, or any politican, should be able to be treated fairly

[Mystic Mock]

The Media are blatantly biased towards the Tories.

Labour representatives should just refuse to go on QT until the Media starts treating them more fairly in comparison to the Tories.

[Greg!]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Red faced men, what could she possibly mean

Men with red faces

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

there is a simple solution for her if she feels she was mistreated ... don't appear on the show again.

That's not a great path to go down, surely. It's like saying if someone feels like they're working in a hostile environment and being treated unfairly they shouldn't say anything "because if they don't like it, they can quit and work elsewhere". Pointing out a double standard is not the same thing as "not having a thick enough skin".

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

The Media are blatantly biased towards the Tories.

Labour representatives should just refuse to go on QT until the Media starts treating them more fairly in comparison to the Tories.

yes

damn you The Mirror, CNN, The Guardian and the BBC

[bitontheslide]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

That's not a great path to go down, surely. It's like saying if someone feels like they're working in a hostile environment and being treated unfairly they shouldn't say anything "because if they don't like it, they can quit and work elsewhere". Pointing out a double standard is not the same thing as "not having a thick enough skin".

the point of her appearing on the show is to provide the political perspective from the labour party. She is unfortunately uniquely incompetent and therefore doesn't do her job well or communicate well. That doesn't warrant any special treatment given to her when there are literally 100's of people who could do the job better

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

yes

damn you The Mirror, CNN, The Guardian and the BBC

CNN are American so they don't really count for UK Politics.

The BBC are only pro whoever is in charge of the UK at anytime.

Where as the Tories do have a lot of UK based Media being very biased towards them which are The Sun, The Express, The Times, Sky News, and of course The Daily Mail, and Ch5 News.

So overall it's 6-2 to the Tories, 7-2 if we include how the BBC currently are made to feel by the Government, 6-3 if it's Labour in charge of the country and therefore managing the BBC.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

CNN are American so they don't really count for UK Politics.

The BBC are only pro whoever is in charge of the UK at anytime.

Where as the Tories do have a lot of UK based Media being very biased towards them which are The Sun, The Express, The Times, Sky News, and of course The Daily Mail, and Ch5 News.

So overall it's 6-2 to the Tories, 7-2 if we include how the BBC currently are made to feel by the Government, 6-3 if it's Labour in charge of the country and therefore managing the BBC.

Well done Mock, you are spot on with that response.
You just omitted the Daily Telegraph too, often correctly described as the Daily Torygraph.

I thought Fiona did rather well but it's clear she isn't always on top of the issues.
Isabel Oakeshott was her usual vile self.

I'm not Diane Abbott's fan particularly but she raised some valid points here.

Also why should she refuse to go on the programme.
It reaches more than just its biased audience.
It goes to those in their homes.
So its important to keep on with the message by guesting on it.

Fortunately people in their homes too, whom will have seen unfair bias on the programme.
Which sadly has become the norm and is why people rarely tune in to political programmes.

[Tom4784]

It's vile how much both her and Theresa May have to deal with. I don't think either of them are a good fit for their positions but I think there's a difference between criticism and abuse and both face so much on a regular basis. Both are constantly abused for their gender and I constantly see landslides of outright racist memes and posts about Abbot that it's just beyond the pale how much we have slid back in these past few years.

[Livia]

Hang on... she's accusing Fiona Bruce of getting her facts wrong?

LMAOOOooooo……

"Mrs pot, please pick up Mr kettle on line 2 for you..."

[Twosugars]

I'm neither anti or pro Dianne but it does seem she gets more than her fair share of hate.
I wonder why..? Black, female and a prominent politician? No, surely it can't be that, can it Or can it?

[parmnion]

Cry me a river.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Twosugars

I'm neither anti or pro Dianne but it does seem she gets more than her fair share of hate.
I wonder why..? Black, female and a prominent politician? No, surely it can't be that, can it Or can it?

whats black got to do with it? TM gets just as much abuse if not more

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

CNN are American so they don't really count for UK Politics.

The BBC are only pro whoever is in charge of the UK at anytime.

Where as the Tories do have a lot of UK based Media being very biased towards them which are The Sun, The Express, The Times, Sky News, and of course The Daily Mail, and Ch5 News.

So overall it's 6-2 to the Tories, 7-2 if we include how the BBC currently are made to feel by the Government, 6-3 if it's Labour in charge of the country and therefore managing the BBC.

The BBC are about as left wing as can be

The Independent, the i, BBC radio (huge audience). Channel 4 News all left leaning.

And what about Google and how it presents search results here in the UK, how Facebook manage adverts and content here in the UK. Both are probably more influential now than the tabloids. All have a left wing track record. What about Film, TV and Music stars in the UK and USA who prey on a UK young audience to buy their wares? - how many of them them vote with a right wing bias but tweet and insta left wing politics as its what gets them likes and sales?


Your summary is about 30 years too late I am afraid and not accurate

[Scarlett.]

Originally Posted by Cherie

Red faced men, what could she possibly mean

Gammon

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Dia.

Gammon

yes red faces can only apply to white men

[Headie]

Originally Posted by Cherie

yes red faces can only apply to white men

You say this as if it’s not true lmao

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Hayden

You say this as if it’s not true lmao

yes because its only white men who abuse politicians on twitter lmao