The Newsnight thread

Which studio was Jeremy Vine in? Last week there was a report on the rehearsals, which saw him against a set that was made of shiny green plastic (for the CSO swingometer of course).

You still haven't answered the question...

Good Heavens. The Panorama reporter REALLY losing his temper here.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6650000/newsid_6651700/6651721.stm?bw=nb&mp=rm

Well I will answer the question. I was advised on what I could and couldn't do.....

Not to be picky here, but...

The issue in the Newsnight interview was not "did YOU threaten to overrule him" it was "did you THREATEN to overrule him".

I.e. the question was not about who was doing the threatening, but whether the threatening happened in the first place.

Howard would only say that he did not overrule Derek Lewis; the crucial part was whether he threatened to. The fact that he wouldn't answer the question mean that he almost certainly did.

As such, you really are misinterpreting the interview and ought to change the thread title.

So there.

Why are so many people on this forum with short usernames incapable of understanding sarcasm?

Order of the Brown Nose
Newsnight proudly presents The Order of the Brown Nose - an award for the most egregious sucking up to Gordon Brown during the - ahem - race for the Labour leadership and next prime minister. Send us your nominations using the form at the bottom of the page.

Don't you hate sycophancy in all its forms? I do. I was saying as much to Jeremy Paxman this morning as I was ironing his newspaper.

"Never mind that, you worm," he said, effortlessly putting me at my ease. "Have you got my kedgeree or must I go and ask Cook myself?"

"Please, Jeremy, don't upset yourself! Where would this show be if its garlanded front man lost his laser-like focus? I'll smoke that haddock myself if I have to!"

I'm sure Jeremy's many fans will understand when I say that I was transported by this scintillating exchange. So much so that I'm afraid I butter-fingered one of the presenter's elegant cufflinks, a souvenir of Norman Hunter from the 'Leeds United Legends' range, lovingly fashioned in mock mother-of-pearl and exclusively available from the club gift shop.

I watched the handsome accessory bounce once upon the dresser before losing itself for good in the ankle-deep pile.

Toadying

Later, after I had freely volunteered to run Jeremy a few trifling errands - just my own personal way of saying thank you for not being fired - I was walking back from Sketchley's under a light rain when I reflected on my extremely privileged position. I mean, how many people can honestly say that they've been able to share their loathing of flattery with the best newsreader the BBC has had since Kenneth Kendall?

Not for the first time, the Great Helmsman was marking out the way for the rest of us to follow, I realised.

Sure enough, as I laid out Jeremy's towelling robe for his post-show warm-down, the idea materialised. How else to cover the Labour Party's all-too-brief seven week campaign for a new leader but with a weather eye for toadying?

In the unlikely event of a politician attempting to ingratiate himself with the putative new boss, Gordon Brown, we would seize on it without fear or favour.

The jeu - some say, conceit - caught on around the office.

One or two of Tony Blair's colleagues had quite inadvertently given the impression of cow-eyed obsequiousness down the years. Would a leadership election bring out the worst in them? Not to mention among fools and flatterers elsewhere?

There should even be some kind of award for the most egregious offender, we decided. We would call it the Order of the Brown Nose, a name we came up with after reading it in Private Eye .

We hope that you might want to join in with this light-hearted hustings diversion, dear viewer. So please don't hesitate to draw our attention to any examples you come across of political fawning and forelock-tugging in Gordon Brown's direction in the exciting weeks that lie ahead.

If that is a genuine question, you really ought to post that in the Requests forum.