On Jon Sopel [the Full Sopes treatment]

I

A few days ago, one Tony Spencer tweeted a link to a BBC News website piece, Three ways this Afghanistan crisis really hurts Biden The US president promised more competence and empathy - his reputation and America's have taken a hit. 

Tony wrote,

Hope @BBCJonSopel is not reading this. Biden's number one fan will be so disappointed.

Jon Sopel, adding a 'rolling eyes' emoji, replied,

Tony - I wrote it.

“Burn!” cried Jon's delighted Twitter fans.

Tony then replied,

Wow. I'm impressed and should have read the credits!! Fair play to you Jon on this article, which is well balanced. Changed your tune a bit, though.

To which Jon - channeling his famous “impartial, free and fair” response to President Trump's 'Another beauty!' crack - replied,

Nope. Have not changed a bit. Hold people in power to account - fairly and firmly whatever their political stripes.

II 

Jon Sopel's belief in his own impartiality is undoubtedly sincere. He evidently thinks he's getting it right.

He's proclaimed it many times, from his appearances on Feedback and Newswatch, to his newspaper/gazette interviews. 

He's even favourably contrasted his own 'fair' reporting of Donald Trump to that of 'unfair' partisan, liberal US outlets, despite himself reporting on the previous US president in pretty much the same hostile, sneering spirit as they do - albeit with added British dryness.

There's none so blind, perhaps...

Or to quote the ripe-for-cancelling Rabbie Burns on behalf of Jon: O wad some Power the giftie gie us, to see oursels as ithers see us!

I, personally, don't think that Jon Sopel has been even remotely impartial as the BBC's North America editor - whatever he thinks. He objected to Donald Trump and fixated on Donald Trump's tweets [despite criticising others for fixating on them], and sneered and sneered and sneered about Mr Trump, whilst evidently getting a real kick out of playing to the gallery, reinforced by the enthusiastic responses he got from the usual, unrepresentative suspects on Twitter. 

III

Yes, many more people than just Tony - including me - found themselves taken aback by the sheer unexpectedness of Jon Sopel's strong criticisms of President Biden over the incompetent-at-best Afghan pullout. 

From Twitter to the BBC's News at Ten he's actually been pretty brutal.

Here's a small sample of his reporting, broadcast over the month on BBC One's main news bulletins:

• Those optics are terrible. This looks like being the most consequential decision that Joe Biden is going to take. It could also be the most calamitous.
• Over many years and at a cost of tens of billions of dollars, the US trained and equipped Afghan forces to be ready to take back control of their country. But they collapsed like a house of cards - one of many miscalculations made by the Biden administration over these dizzying few weeks.
• This may have been Donald Trump's policy, but it is Joe Biden's implementation, and I think he will play quite a price for the shambles that has unfolded over the past few days. 
• America is the world's pre-eminent superpower, but after the past few days, it doesn't look very super and it actually doesn't look that powerful.

So is this a sign of impartiality? He spent four years 'holding Donald Trump to account' and then some, after all,

Or does it show the opposite? 

Because this could very well be Jon marching in lockstep with like-minded US journalists, let down by and angrily disagreeing with 'their' President.

Many of them - just like the BBC's John Simpson - seem to be deeply wedded to the liberal interventionalist model, and aghast at the pullout.

[They also like war reporting.]

And, indeed, it does strike me as being highly suggestive that huge swathes of the US liberal media - even some of the most partisan outlets - have just-as-suddenly turned on Joe Biden over Afghanistan too, at exactly the same time, over exactly the same issues, and just as fiercely, and that they are all making much the same criticisms of the incumbent President as Jon Sopel's been making. 

Liberal interventionist birds of a feather flock together, even on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean?

IV

And it also strikes me that Jon Sopel, like his BBC colleagues, has been just as guilty as those partisan, liberal US outlets of not holding President Biden to account...up till the point when the Afghan debacle began unfolding.

The other day on GB News Simon McCoy [ex-BBC] commented, just as the crisis began:

If you watch some channels you would be forgiven for thinking everything's fine because President Trump's gone. And yet America, Joe Biden, with the decision to remove troops from Afghanistan, there are issues, there's sleaze bubbling under around President Biden.

I think he had the BBC in mind, doubtless among others. 

The Real Simon was, I think, rather understating it though. From the border crisis and growing economic woes to VP Kamala Harris's unpopularity and the divisiveness of Democrat identity politics radicalism, there's so much to say about the present US government.

Indeed, the 'Nothing to see here' attitude to the Biden administration's many failings even saw the BBC park their Americast podcast - the one with Sopes, Maitlis, and Zurch. 

No Trump to sneer at, no fun perhaps.

And then came Afghanistan.  

Americast was brought back this week, and Jon Sopel rose from his post-Trump slumbers, describing Joe's handling of the Afghanistan fiasco as ''totally incompetent''. 

V

Despite all this, I'm sensing - especially from his latest BBC One reports - that Jon's now starting to restrain himself, slipping back into more circumlocutory turns of phrase in describing the latest Biden misspeaks than he was last week. 

I think that might be because of that very Americast. 

He started expanding on his earlier criticisms of Mr Biden's ''totally incompetent'' handling of the Afghan crisis [as he put it], but found himself alongside a far-more-charitable-to-Biden Emily Maitlis and - their special guest - a kind-to-Biden ambassador. 

BBC and US media liberal groupthinks colliding and scattering, maybe.

VI

It's a tricky thing, thinking you're impartial when you're not. 

VII

CODA

And to end, a little light relief, plus an opportunity to post a map...

The good old 'crossing the DMZ from Tajikistan' defence for getting your facts wrong is one we've surely all used, especially in pub quizzes. 

I once got a Lady Gaga question wrong in a pub quiz, saying that Her Ladyship really was the sister of Queen's Radio Gaga, but excused myself by saying ''Sorry, but Jon Sopel crossed the DMZ from Tajikistan once'', and was awarded the point. 

Rightly so. Maybe Joe Biden should try it?

Indeed, as geography fans will know, Russia now has a minimum of two countries between it and Afghanistan [almost always three countries], depending on your land journey - unless you take the narrow but long land route via China. 

Clicking the link in the tweet Jon replied to, you find that Jon has [without admitting so on Twitter] edited the piece. 

Instead of ''three countries that neighbour Afghanistan - Russian, Iran and China'', the piece now says ''Why, three countries near Afghanistan - Russia, Iran and China''. 

Hm, Russia's still not that near. Kazakhstan, especially, is huge. Gawd know what they eat in Kazakhstan to make their country so big. Yaks? Lost yetis? Or former Kazakh regime advisor Tony Blair's legendary all-you-can-eat Brown burger specials?

Between cup and lip

The BBC News Channel broadcast live President Trump's address to the nation. At its conclusion Simon McCoy (one of my favourite BBC presenters), obviously thinking on his feet, let slip a bit of BBC groupthink. talking of how "The decision by the United States to pull out of that deal [i.e. the Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA] many say precipitated this current crisis in the Middle East". I think we can safely assume that "many say" here means "many at the BBC say". Very BBC.

Creative Diversity and the back-of-beyond

"The liberal echo chamber in which these people exist, which has been revealed by countless reports as well as in the baleful comments from departing staffers such as John Humphrys, Michael Buerk, John Sergeant, Robin Aitken and so on, is at last being challenged! "

Says Rod Liddle humorously (in the sarcastic rather than comical sense) because he was talking about the need for more diversity in the BBC and in particular the appointment of June Sarpong to the bespoke role “Director of Creative Diversity”. 

Well, I know what diversity means, and I know what creative means, but I’m not at all sure what they mean stuck together. (Perhaps ‘creative’ in that they’ve created a whole extraneous, tailor-made directorship solely for a person of colour) (Starting to sound a bit racist to me) but the upside is at least that disqualifies Rachel Johnson. 

The joke is that there’s already a disproportionate number of front-of-house BAMEs at the Beeb, considering current societal demographics. But, as Douglas Murray says, a certain amount of correction, or over-correction, has to be implemented to counteract the sins of the past, in this case the  actual racism of previous decades, and we have to suck it up for now in the knowledge that it will eventually  settle, adjust, recalibrate, and find its natural level. 

But what if it’s too late? I think the tipping point is due next Tuesday. They’ve stolen my adulthood! How dare they! Hand me the superglue Alice, I need to glue myself to something.

****

Oh, God! The BBC was in Penzance yesterday being patronising and misrepresenting the place in the way that only the BBC can. Having continually trailed Penzance as a coastal town with a ‘lower than average wage’….  if that is indeed the case, one might expect Simon McCoy and his team to make some effort to find out why. Then tell us. I admit I didn’t watch it all afternoon, but if they did, I missed it.

I know plenty of professional people in the area who charge average or above rates for their services. Do national companies like M & S pay less than the going rate down here? I don’t know, but if they do, I’d actually like to know why.  I do know one thing though. The seasonal influx of fruit, flower and veg pickers attracted by wages that look like a bonanza back home in Bulgaria or Portugal has changed the industry beyond recognition. I don’t think the Portuguese bother any more, but an array of Soviet-sounding languages resound in Lidl’s as they shout’n’ shop around harvest time.

There used to be a local army of skilled, daffy pickers (A specialised job, picking, uniformly bunching at speed with any exposed areas of your inside arm being burned by sap) but these days locals find welfare the best option. It’s not worth ‘signing off’ and ‘signing onagain’; far too much trouble and strife. Anyway, farmers and growers would go bust if they had to pay the living wage. I suppose that’s what comes of ease of movement plus inequality of economies. Once those conditions ‘correct’ who knows what will happen?

I digress. You could find a hard-up family on any council estate anywhere in the UK, and I don’t think the hard-up family the BBC chose to feature was representative of anything particularly ‘Penzancey’. There is probably an average number of normals down in Benzano (as someone once graffitied the signpost.)

Here is something nice for a change, and vaguely related to the above. I listened to radio four this morning - firstly I liked hearing Caroline Wyatt (instead of Kate Adie) introducing a benign (non-toxic) FOOC, and next, even better, I enjoyed Tales from the Stave.  Violinist Clemency Burton-Hill 

“explores one of the library's most valuable manuscripts, the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 by Max Bruch. With her is the internationally acclaimed Violinist Joshua Bell and the music scholar Michael Beckerman of New York University, along with the Morgan's head of Music Manuscripts Fran Barulich.”

And something Penzancey. Several years ago, visiting the back-of-beyond for one of the International Musicians Seminar courses (based at Prussia Cove) world-class violinist Joshua Bell dragged himself out of his sick-bed, and with a temperature and a sore throat, performed an early evening recital in a threadbare church in a grotty part of a downtrodden town (Camborne) so as not to disappoint people. The venue happened to be just around the corner from where I worked at the time so I just strolled along to listen to one of the most renowned violinists in the world.   I’m not even sure if I paid an entrance fee. Maybe I got in free as a Friend of IMS. 

Pity Simon McCoy didn’t spend a bit longer in the place.) Am I never happy?) I suppose he was glad to get out of the wind, but I can’t see much point in these flying visits. What’s the point?

The usual Eurovision post

I find that the best way to watch the Eurovision Song Contest, if you feel the need to watch it, is with the sound firmly off. 

BBC News Channel megastar Simon McCoy was on Twitter last night and, I think, must have kept the sound on.

His tweets about it made me smile and laugh. So I'll share some of the best of them with you here, dear readers:

• For this who remember Eurovision tweets a few years ago...if I can find a good bottle of red I shall be live tweeting during this year’s ceremony.
• Just over three hours to go...and a first glass of wine.
• Praying for a power cut.
• Czech entry...that drummer needs to get out more. Do they have a clothing budget?
• Bloody Hell...first bottle of red has gone...
• Russia now. Novocheck this out.
• Graham says he has  a great voice.  Bad night then.
• 48 minutes in... and  A TUNE!!!
• This song is catchy. Like mumps. 
• Do they not have autotune? 
• How did he ever think he was a singer? Na na na na.
• Get a room. With no microphones. 
• Creepy, says Graham. Unfair to creeps, say I.
• I cheered with the crowd just then. We all thought the song was over.
• Have switched to...ouzo.
• Dear Madonna, Mistake, Simon.
• The Norwegian judge said he was just enjoying the show. How do I trust his voting? 
• What’s on ITV? 
• Last. Place. Proud.
• Eurexit.
• Dutch. Courage. That’s what kept me going.
• To all Eurovision followers. Let’s all get a life. See you next year. 

"I think we pitch it about right"

The Real Simon McCoy

A minor point, but it amused me and regular readers will hopefully appreciate it too. 

And if they don't, well, I think we've broadly landed in the right place. 

The BBC News Channel's much-appreciated Simon McCoy was on Samira Ahmed's Newswatch this week and was asked, "Are you in danger of letting your on-screen persona take over the news?", to which he replied, "I think we pitch it about right".

Alas, he wasn't being deadpan there, so that's another one for the collection. 

A man after my own heart

You may have to turn the sound up on this one - and, yes, I know it's silly - but Simon McCoy makes me laugh (in a good way). The BBC is busy bringing us another dollop of Brexit doom-and-gloom, and then Simon says this:

@BBCSimonMcCoy classic.....'So they have no baa...ck up plan?' #Brexit 😆😆 pic.twitter.com/dFjca735G1

— Mark (@savplaysbass) November 29, 2018

Even Simon McCoy...

Fans of ITV's The Chase will know that chaser Paul Sinha is often described as "Sarcasm In a Suit" by Bradley Walsh, but maybe it's time that the BBC followed suit and christened its very own Simon McCoy "Sarcasm In a Suit" too. 

As you may know, Simon is the BBC News Channel's main anchor in the afternoon.

And here his is, this very afternoon, being deadpan about Donald Trump:

When you read Trump's tweets aloud it brings home how ridiculous they really are. Fair play to @BBCSimonMcCoy for ploughing through. pic.twitter.com/9ZfRlUH5iH

— Bungle (@bunglenator) November 13, 2018

But he still might do well I think to heed the following friendly words of caution, however much he knows the nation loves him:

Simon McCoy breaking the Spice Girls news

I do like Simon McCoy:

That @BBCSimonMcCoy's done it again - stay till the end to hear his priceless reaction to the #SpiceGirls reunion... pic.twitter.com/t2cEk9k8zH

— Jason Keen (@Jason_Keen) November 5, 2018

"It’s famous for its 123-metre spire..."

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spire

John Constable. Salisbury Cathedral Viewed by Innocent Russian Tourists from the Meadows 

God bless @BBCSimonMcCoy. Just spray-spat tea. pic.twitter.com/TfwoQWdEi5

— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) September 13, 2018

Light Relief

This should have been the 'funny video' for the latest Open Thread, if it had come on time. 

It's the BBC's Simon McCoy showing all the necessary enthusiasm for a report about surfing dogs:

.@BBCSimonMcCoy providing all the enthusiasm this story about surfing dogs deserves. pic.twitter.com/FsG8TOj5iF

— Chris Gray (@ChrisGSGray) August 7, 2017

Now that's how to frame a report like that!

Snapshot

Lots of people will be systematically monitoring the BBC's coverage of the EU referendum. 

I bit off rather more that I could chew on Wednesday when I thought it might be a good idea to monitor the BBC News Channel for a few hours each night (between certain set times) for a week, but the process proved far too time-consuming. So I abandoned ship.

Still, I thought I'd share with you my notes on all the interviews on the subject between 4 and 8 pm on Wednesday evening, as they strike me as being quite revealing. You'll find transcriptions of all the questions put by the BBC and summaries of the answers given.

The interviewees here are overwhelmingly pro-EU.

17.09-17.14 Interviewee: JOHN BRUTON, former Taoiseach and EU ambassador to the UN

BBC Interviewer: SIMON MCCOY

"These concessions that David Cameron says he's won. Are they good for Ireland and the wider EU?"

Mr Bruton says some of the proposals would slow down the EU law-making process and that might work against Britain's interests. People in the EU are also puzzled because the UK is doing so well as things stands.

"Do you believe the UK would still be a global player if it was outside the EU?"

Mr Bruton says the UK will always be the UK but the EU is the UK's biggest market. If it leaves the UK if will still have to abide by EU rules but won't have any say in those rules. It currently does have such a say. "Leave the EU and the UK loses that say".

"You wrote a paper I think on what would happen if the UK left the EU, just how complicated a process it would be. What, for example, would Ireland have to do initially to make that work?"

Mr Bruton says it will be immensely complicated. The one precedent, Greenland, took 6 years to work out a new arrangement. If the UK left it would try and do that in just 2 years. What model would it take, Switzerland or Norway? Both have to follow EU rules without having any say in them. Or would it be like Canada where it wouldn't have any guarantee that the City would be able to sell its services into the rest of Europe. There are so many uncertainties that would arise if the UK decides to leave that investment decisions would be held back. Britain should think again, take a lead and consider that what happens on the continent effects Britain.

"Very quickly. You know the argument against: the belief that the EU is undemocratic, that it's powers should be curbed. I mean, is there any sense in that argument for you?"

Mr Bruton says that just isn't true. The EU is fully democratic. The Commission can only propose. The EU is a democratic arrangement for governing global issues which individual countries cannot tackle on their own in this complicated world.

17.20-17.24 Interviewee: FRANCES O'GRADY, TUC 

BBC Interviewer: SIMON MCCOY

"Let's return now to the Prime Minister's last minute efforts to gather support for his EU reforms ahead of a crunch summit in Brussels tomorrow.  The General Secretary of the TUC has made the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to tell him that strengthening EU protection for workers and creating more decent jobs are essential to convincing working people in the UK to remain in the EU....And was he sympathetic to that?"

Ms O'Grady says she thinks he was. He's the son of a steel worker.

"Did he express any concern to you about the way the referendum might go here?"

Ms O'Grady says everyone's watching it very closely and her jobs is to point out that there has to be something in it for workers. Most people are worried about bread and butter issues and how Europe can deliver better jobs and stronger rights for working people. A Brexit would put many core rights under threat. Our holiday rights, our maternity leave, equal pay, etc, all come from Europe.

"So, I mean, we're going to be hearing from the CBI later. You would agree with them that how it works for business is absolutely crucial?"

Ms O'Grady says there's a very real threat to investment and trade and good jobs from Brexit. More is needed though on wages, zero hours, security etc.

17.35-17.38 Interviewee: PAUL DRECHSLER, CBI

BBC Interviewer: SIMON MCCOY

"We can talk to the boss of the CBI who joins me now, as you can see, and that is Paul Drechsler. And I'm just wondering Mr Drechsler what is you view about the concessions the Prime Minister seems to have got? Are they enough do you think to persuade business - which may not need total persuasion - but to agree with business (sic) at this stage?"

Mr Drechsler says 21 business federations across Europe came together today to encourage the PM to focus on competitiveness. All countries have a stake in a better Europe.

"You know the criticism is that the CBI represents big business, that business is actually as divided as the rest of the UK at the moment?"

Mr Drechsler says the CBI has a very diverse base across the UK (195,000 member firms, 100 FTSE 100 companies).

"If we're talking about trade, if you look at Switzerland - not a member of the EU but a member of EFTA. Is that a compromise that would work for business in the UK?"

Mr Drechsler says we have benefited significantly over the years we've been in the EU. All households have benefited. Other models have alternative consequences. Switzerland and Norway have to follow all the EU regulations. If we came out it might take 10-15 years to negotiate the trade deals just to get back into business again with the EU.

"David Cameron told you and others in business to make your voices heard. Is there a danger that that sounds like you're dictating to the British public?"

Mr Drechsler says this is a very important decision for the next generation of this country and beyond. Business's contribution is to help people understand the consequences for the economy, investment and jobs.

17.38-17.41 Interviewee: TOMAS PROUZA, Czech State Secretary for European Affairs 

BBC Interviewer: SIMON MCCOY

"Well, joining me now via webcam from Prague is the Czech Republic's Secretary for European Affairs, that's Tomas Prouza. Do you think that David Cameron has got the concessions he wanted and that everyone in Europe is not necessarily happy about it but accepts it's the price they will have to pay?"

Mr Prouza says he hopes so. He wants the UK to stay in. There's a lot of hard work still to be done. We can live with the agreement though it doesn't make us happy. The EU is stronger with the UK in it.

"I know one of the issues you are concerned about is the proposal that immigrants should only be allowed to claim welfare benefits after they've been in the UK for four years. You in fact sent a tweet to David Cameron's account, didn't you, showing Czech fighters from the Second World War. Now that's pretty intemperate. It was obviously something you were very concerned about?"

Mr Prouza says that tweet's a year old and things have changed when there was talk about direct ds

"So would you be happy for any change to the benefits system to be retroactive? To affect those from the Czech Republic who are already here?"

Mr Prouza says that's one of the conditions we are calling for. It would be unfair to change the rules for those already here.

"You're heading for this summit, two day summit in Brussels, Behind closed doors, when you're all together, do you regard this as a distraction you could do without? There are big issues that Europe  has to tackle. Or is this now No.1 on the agenda because we're now getting to that crunch moment?"

Mr Prouza says that it is No 1. It can be tackled once and for all and David Cameron can then start campaigning for it. All the other issues will stay around for many months. so this is the priority

19:10-19:14 Interviewee: IMKE HENKEL, Zeit.online 

BBC Interviewer: NICHOLAS OWEN

"Now, the German perspective on this is always very important. What is the latest view there of what Mr Cameron is trying to do?"

Ms Henkel says Angela Merkel is very supportive and believes it's vital for the EU that Britain stays in the EU. Mr Tusk and Mr Juncker also want Britain to stay within the EU. For Mrs Merkel this is about the EU as an international force and if Britain leaves the the EU would be significantly weakened.

"But Chancellor Merkel is very strong isn't she on the idea that it is still in the end about greater integration, whether Britain goes or Britain stays?"

Ms Henkel says it's still about greater integration for the Eurozone but the relationship between non-Eurozone and Eurozone countries that Mr Cameron wants renegotiated is being resisted more by France than Germany. For the survival of the euro and the Eurozone further integration is probably necessary but that doesn't have to include Britain.

"What are the big issues that are seen in terms of the future of Europe as far as Chancellor Merkel is concerned? I mean, you mentioned the euro but, of course, there are masses of other issues, big ones - immigration, relations with Russia for example?"

Ms Henkel says yes, Russia is very crucial. Mr Putin would be overjoyed if Britain left the EU. Britain could potentially contribute a lot in terms of defence and foreign policy. If Britain left the EU that wouldn't be there and that would play into the hands of Putin. But the refugee crisis is also crucial, along with Syria and Greece. Some wonder why we're talking about minor issues because Britain isn't quite satisfied how it's treated.

19.14-19.16 Interviewee: JAMES FORSYTH, Spectator 

BBC Interviewer: NICHOLAS OWEN

"Well, there we heard Britain almost a bit of a side issue perhaps when you look at some of these other big things. Nevertheless, for this country a major one. Can we just talk for a moment about what happens, what would happen if the Prime Minister has to walk away saying "I didn't get what I want" in 48 hours time or so. What I'm really asking you James is 'Is there a plan B?'"

Mr Forsyth says the government could push it back by two weeks and still get a deal in time for a June referendum, before the next migrant crisis in the summer. It will be a major embarrassment for David Cameron if he can't get a deal at this summit.

"We turn to another matter. We saw at the end of Ben Wright's report, some time earlier, Boris Johnson cycling around in Downing Street, refusing to answer questions. What do you think his position is? Is he clearly moving one way or the other?"

Mr Forsyth says it's been assumed that Boris will probably back 'in', but his words today have cast some doubt on that. He's flirted with 'out' for so long that if he doesn't support it now he could provoke a lot of anger on the Right.

"But his leadership ambitions are still there to be considered?"

Mr Forsyth says the general view is that an 'Out' candidate will win a leadership race.

19.35-19.39 Interviewee: KRZYSZTOF SZCZERSKI, Polish Secretary of State 

BBC Interviewer: STEPHEN SACKUR ('Hardtalk' extract)

Mr Szczerski says we should not harm the free movement of people. That's basic to the EU. Any concessions to Britain should be specific to Britain.

"So you want it written into any agreement that this cannot be a model for other member states to impose new limitations on benefits?"

Mr Szczerski agrees. It should also be tailored for newcomers.

"Ah well, that's a crucial point. Are you saying that all of these limitations on benefits, including in-work benefits and re-arrangement of child benefit - none of this can apply to Polish citizens or other EU citizens who are already in the UK?"

Mr Szczerski says yes, because they're already contributing to the system by their work, helping Britain to grow.

"So that means more than a million Poles, for example, who are believed to be in this country today, none of this will apply to them, as far as you're concerned?"

Mr Szczerski says yes, it's a principle. Retroactive measures would be against the principle of EU legislation.

"A final detailed point on this and then we'll get to the bigger picture, but as a point of detail: The British government appears to believe that some EU workers come to Britain because they're attracted by the level of benefits, including child benefit for all those who have children. So the message from the British government is that child benefit will no longer be given as it is to British citizens but will be tailored to the cost of living in the home country of EU migrant workers. Is that acceptable to Poland?"

Mr Szczerski says in general, yes, but there are many questions about organising this system. We'd prefer all Poles to come back and work in Poland but we are obliged to stand by the rights of those who choice to stay in Britain - and in every country.

"You made that point very powerfully. I'm just, specifically on child benefit, are you saying that you will ultimately accept that downsizing of child benefit payments for Polish workers in the UK? You'll accept it?"

Mr Szczerski says it depends on the formula.

"You see, you used the phrase earlier - which is important to any negotiation - you said, 'There are red lines that we will not cross.' As things stand right now, just hours before the talks in Brussels, are there red lines that frankly you will not cross which means there could be no deal?"

Mr Szczerski says yes, there could be no deal.

"So as far as you're concerned David Cameron has to make some concessions which he has not made so far?"

Mr Szczerski says the deal is not done yet, that's the message.

19.39

19.39-19.41 Clips from earlier interviews: PAUL DRECHSLER (CBI) & FRANCES O'GRADY (TUC)

Abhorrent!!!

Talking about unprofessional behaviour from BBC presenters...

For any of you haven't seen the BBC News Channel's usually mild-mannered Simon McCoy go wildly OTT yesterday with UKIP's Douglas Carswell, well, here it is (the main outburst/rant begins around 8:05):

Simon McCoy (interrupting): And there should be a limit on that number or not? 

Douglas Carswell: Parliament should decide on that number. There will be some people like Yvette Cooper...she's opened the bidding at 10,000...un.... 

Simon McCoy (interrupting): Did you really say that? 

Douglas Carswell: Sorry? 

Simon McCoy: Did you really use the phrase "open the bidding"? I mean, I...This is the problem with this. The language surrounding this is so emotive and careless words upset people. People on Twitter... 

Douglas Carswell (interrupting): I'm not sure in a parliamentary democracy where the House of Commons will decide the figure annually, which is what I'm advocating, you should take umbrage with me talking about somebody "opening the bidding". I'm very comfortable with the use of that language and I think you taking umbrage perhaps reflect more on you than it does on the crisis... 

Simon McCoy (interrupting): Well I would rather hope so, because I think the idea of bidding for the number of people fleeing the country for their lives I find abhorrent! I'm surprised you don't!