Sparks

While I'm waiting (anxiously, and with sweated brow) for Samira to reveal whether it's Roger Waters or David Coverdale or some other hard rock singer who's been complaining to the BBC about Arron Banks being 'platformed' on the Andrew Marr show, I'll just blurt out another thought (as you do on a Friday night, especially with some red wine at hand)...

I half-watched last night's Question Time today.

I rarely ever watch it these days, but the prospect of Diane Abbott and Dr. Jordan Peterson appearing on the same programme was too much for me not to at least half-scan it. 

Interestingly, this didn't turn out to be the pile-in-upon-the-extremist spectacular I expected (pace Nick Griffin). Far-left Diane was largely left alone.

As for Dr. Jordan Peterson, well, he got lots of applause - at least until the free speech question approached the Nazi-saluting pug video. He stood alone over that one, with a small fair bit of piling-in from his fellow panellists.

(I think he failed to explain his position properly on the specifics here but was sound on the general issue).

Here, for the record, was David Dimbleby's intro:

With me tonight: Kwasi Kwarteng, part of the Treasury team under Philip Hammond, a Brexiteer, he won't like me saying this, seen by some as a future leader of the Tory party; Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secretary and MP for more than 30 years, one of Jeremy Corbyn's closest advisers; Mairead McGuinness, the first Vice President of the European Parliament since 2017, she has been in that job, MEP for the Irish Fine Gael party since 2004; David Aaronovitch, writer, broadcaster, columnist for the Times newspaper, and the Canadian psychologist whose self-help book has sold 2 million copies and whose speaking tour excites controversy wherever he goes, Jordan Peterson.

Quite an introduction for the Canadian professor there!

Anyhow David, Jordan Peterson didn't "excite controversy" last night.

Will the team behind Question Time be disappointed by that? Were there too few sparks flying for them?