In the interests of DNA-based blogging impartiality, we will be posting transcripts of all the introductions to The Andrew Marr Show between now and Brenda from Bristol's election day on June 8th. Then, after it's all over (and Brenda can go back to normal life again), we will compare and contrast them and draw any conclusions that are worth drawing: Who will get helpful introductions? Who will get unhelpful introductions? Or will everyone come out as happy or unhappy as all the rest?
And so it begins....
Here's today's main introduction:
Good morning. Jeremy Corbyn was the rank outsider when he stood as Labour leader. He smashed all expectations, he survived a coup and he was massively re-endorsed by his own party shortly afterwards. Roundly mocked by the media establishment, it's worth remembering that no proper socialist has ever been as close to Number 10 as Mr Corbyn is this morning. So for the moment, forget the polls, let's have no foregone conclusions. Today, Jeremy Corbyn tells us what kind of Prime Minister he would be. Another party leader, Paul Nutall, joins me to explain why he'll go into this election promising to ban the burka. And I'll be talking to Leanne Wood, Plaid Cymru's leader as well. And I've been chewing the fat with one of the surviving legends of the great age of British rock - Sir Ray Davies of The Kinks. And reviewing the papers today as a nail-biting election kicks off across the channel, Benedicte Paviot of France 24. And two old hands - Kevin Maguire of the Daily Mirror and Sarah Sands the outgoing editor of the Evening Standard. All of that and more coming up in a while. First, the news with Tina Daheley.
We'll also be transcribing the introductions to each political interview. First, Paul Nuttall:
Now then, UKIP have been making news this morning, as we have just been hearing. So what is really going on? And does this party actually have a real purpose any longer? Paul Nuttall, its leader, joins me now.
Then Leanne Wood:
Plaid Cymru, the Party of Wales, has had a vision of that country's future as a semi-independent country inside the EU - the option, of course, which is no longer available. So, what is their real constitutional vision now? The party leader, Leanne Wood, joins me from Cardiff.
And finally Jeremy Corbyn:
Now most of us have seen Jeremy Corbyn in short bursts in news bulletins or at Prime Minister's Questions. But now he is fighting to become Britain's next Prime Minister, there is a vast range of policy issues we need to hear more from him about - on foreign policy, the economy and of course, Brexit. He's here now. Good morning.
Who came off best there? Who came off worst? Does it display BBC impartiality at its best? (I'm keeping my powder dry on those till the election. I'll let you judge in the meantime).
