Question Time
Feb. 17th, 2006 01:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
slemslempikeI was on Question Time yesterday! In the audience, as they have not yet recognised my genius and invited me on to the panel. It was very interesting. When we got to the Guild Hall in Preston they were separating us into two lines. We thought it was men and women for being patted down, but then it turned out that it was people carrying bags in one line. Which was almost all women - gender performativity in action. They were not terribly thorough. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jekesta was carrying her sonic screwdriver, but they let that through. The fools! She could have done untold damage if she weren't so restrained.
The panel were Tim Razzall (Lib Dem trade and industry, and the best name ever - Lord Razzall!), Kat Fletcher (NUS President), Teresa May (Shadow Leader of the Commons), Peter Hain (Minister for Northern Ireland... and Wales) and John Sergeant (yay! He's John Sergeant!). They were all really good, I thought, except for Peter Hain, but then I always do feel rather sorry for the single Labour person they have there, as they do get all the scorn and everything. But then he was being particularly fatuous.
We were sitting right at the back, towards the left. You could just seenerdcakes at the very start, and jekesta popped up on screen quite a bit. Apparently I was visible once (in a blue pi t shirt and glasses) not clapping something. I'm rather a lazy clapper. I didn't see me on TV. We didn't have to ask a question, although I put my hand up because no-one was mentioning the voluntary meaning mandatory with passport renewal thing. But then Teresa May (whose shoes were mentioned in the press release thing they gave us - Peter Hain worked against apartheid in South Africa, and Teresa May has flamboyant shoes.) talked about it, so I could put my hand down again. David Dimbleby is adorable. He grins at the audience while the panel are answering questions, and he was teasing people before they started recording. We got to clap a lot of things that people said - the fine opportunity for the disapproving noises was the man who said he was a "proud member of the BNP", and we were largely too stunned to make our chuh noises. Then we clapped vociferously for the panel to drown out his complaint. Ahaha. Other strange parts:
Peter Hain explaining that we needed to have a biometric ID card so that we can park at Disney. (Query: can't we just go to EuroDisney?)
Man in the audience saying that the smoking ban hadn't been thought through properly because now fewer people would die of smoking, and we'd have to spend more on care for older people.
Woman in the audience explaining that if you read everything on the internet you'll know the TRUTH about ID cards. (I do see what she means. But she was so touchingly trusting about the information you find online.)
The warm-up before the show, where people said what they hated. One man said he hated train announcers who spoke in a regional accent. Can't they just use a middling accent?
OH! And I navigated us SUCCESSFULLY to the Guildhall. Not accidentally, but really and truly we followed my directions and it was where I thought it would be. I AM A GENIUS.
The AUT ballot result came out, and it's in favour of strike action (as well as less-than-strike action), which is excellent, as that was what I voted for. Had I remembered to send in my ballot, that is. I filled it in, and then left it at work on Monday by mistake, and then when I was in again on Wednesday I was about to run to a post box, when I noticed that the envelope was a second class business envelope, and the deadline was on Thursay. I am rather rubbish at voting. I've never voted in a general election. I have voted in two European elections though. Surely that counts for something?
Today I am going to finish polishing up my proposal, which is now at least a decent length, even if it's complete tripe, and watch series four of Soldier Soldier. Hurrah!
jekesta was carrying her sonic screwdriver, but they let that through. The fools! She could have done untold damage if she weren't so restrained. The panel were Tim Razzall (Lib Dem trade and industry, and the best name ever - Lord Razzall!), Kat Fletcher (NUS President), Teresa May (Shadow Leader of the Commons), Peter Hain (Minister for Northern Ireland... and Wales) and John Sergeant (yay! He's John Sergeant!). They were all really good, I thought, except for Peter Hain, but then I always do feel rather sorry for the single Labour person they have there, as they do get all the scorn and everything. But then he was being particularly fatuous.
We were sitting right at the back, towards the left. You could just see
nerdcakes at the very start, and jekesta popped up on screen quite a bit. Apparently I was visible once (in a blue pi t shirt and glasses) not clapping something. I'm rather a lazy clapper. I didn't see me on TV. We didn't have to ask a question, although I put my hand up because no-one was mentioning the voluntary meaning mandatory with passport renewal thing. But then Teresa May (whose shoes were mentioned in the press release thing they gave us - Peter Hain worked against apartheid in South Africa, and Teresa May has flamboyant shoes.) talked about it, so I could put my hand down again. David Dimbleby is adorable. He grins at the audience while the panel are answering questions, and he was teasing people before they started recording. We got to clap a lot of things that people said - the fine opportunity for the disapproving noises was the man who said he was a "proud member of the BNP", and we were largely too stunned to make our chuh noises. Then we clapped vociferously for the panel to drown out his complaint. Ahaha. Other strange parts:Peter Hain explaining that we needed to have a biometric ID card so that we can park at Disney. (Query: can't we just go to EuroDisney?)
Man in the audience saying that the smoking ban hadn't been thought through properly because now fewer people would die of smoking, and we'd have to spend more on care for older people.
Woman in the audience explaining that if you read everything on the internet you'll know the TRUTH about ID cards. (I do see what she means. But she was so touchingly trusting about the information you find online.)
The warm-up before the show, where people said what they hated. One man said he hated train announcers who spoke in a regional accent. Can't they just use a middling accent?
OH! And I navigated us SUCCESSFULLY to the Guildhall. Not accidentally, but really and truly we followed my directions and it was where I thought it would be. I AM A GENIUS.
The AUT ballot result came out, and it's in favour of strike action (as well as less-than-strike action), which is excellent, as that was what I voted for. Had I remembered to send in my ballot, that is. I filled it in, and then left it at work on Monday by mistake, and then when I was in again on Wednesday I was about to run to a post box, when I noticed that the envelope was a second class business envelope, and the deadline was on Thursay. I am rather rubbish at voting. I've never voted in a general election. I have voted in two European elections though. Surely that counts for something?
Today I am going to finish polishing up my proposal, which is now at least a decent length, even if it's complete tripe, and watch series four of Soldier Soldier. Hurrah!
