Iain Dale, in a rather robust ‘rebuttal’ to my questions a while back, said that 18DS wasn’t in anyone’s pockets and that they would be fair and balanced. Now, I’m very skeptical for a 21 year old, but I also like to think that I am nothing but fair, and I said I would reserve judgement on the fledging station until a bit later. This was in October 2006. It’s now April 2007 - seven months since the launch of 18DoughtyStreet.com. So I thought I’d give it another look.
I don’t know whether or not it’s an attempt to please me in particular, but they do have my dad on Vox Politix on a couple of occations, like tonight (Dad clearly entering the big leagues as a “serious political blogger”). Hell, they’ve even had my brother on too. (Seemingly I take after my mother when it comes to blogging.) And they scored Peter Tachell on Leftfield, but that hasn’t been on in ages.
Let’s have a look at their TV times, shall we?
7pm: Up Front with Donal Blaney
Blaney is co-founder of the Young Briton’s Movement. The YBF, according to Wikipedia, “is a not-for-profit training, education and research think-tank, established in July 2003 to “help train tomorrow’s centre-right leaders and activists today”. He’s also a director of Doughty Media Limited (DML), the 18DS holding company.
7.30pm: One to One with Colin Robinson
Hosted by Shane Greer. Greer, an alumnus of the right wing Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia, is also the Executive Director of the YBF.
8pm: Class of 2005 - Nadine Dorries
Hosted by Iain Dale. Dale, former owner of Politicos, is a Tory A-List candidate. Nadine Dorries is MP for Mid Bedfordshire and has a strange habit of pushing through Private Members’ Bills calling for a reduction in the time limit for abortion from 24 to 21 weeks, and provide a ‘cooling-off’ period for women wishing to have an abortion.
8.30pm: Your Money
This show looks at “government waste, taxation and other financial issues.” I suppose Trident wouldn’t be high on the agenda.
8:30pm: Worldview
Nope, not a typo. That’s what it says. Evidently a good scheduler is hard to find.
9pm: One-to-one with Peter Tatchell
Hosted by Iain Dale.
10pm: Vox Politix
Hosted by Iain Dale. On the panel tonight is Dad, and according to Dad, “Sean Fear from PoliticalBetting.com, the mainstream Labour blogger Jon Worth, and former Paddy Ashdown spin doctor Jo Phillips”.
11pm: End of the Day Show
Hosted by Iain Dale (I presume). A review of the papers and the blogsophere. Shame they haven’t mentioned me yet.
11.59: Closedown
A “traditional” fare, with the British anthem and pictures of the new Jerusalem. Except that it’s not that traditional since the 1970’s, when Granada thought “Oh, sod this bollocks” and had short in-vis shutdowns and everyone else followed suit. And closedowns haven’t been around since 1992 when BBC and ITV went 24-hour.
So, what do we have?
We have two YBF types and a Tory A-lister as hosts. Not very balanced is it? Their first ‘attack’ ad was about having a go at Ken Livingstone. Apparently Ken Livingstone has dinners with RMT general secretary Bob Crow. Except the two hate each other ever since ‘Red’ Ken urged RMT members to cross picket lines during a dispute on the tube.
It’s still dominated by right wingers. It’s still run by right wingers - mostly by Iain Dale and Tim Montgomerie of ConservativeHome.com. They have a couple of lefties on but that’s it. It’s marketed as “Politics for adults” - as if socialism is for kids.
Nah. Still not convinced.
Hey Kit,
Why don’t you e-mail Iain and ask to go on. I think thats what your’brother’ did. He kept grumbling and I think Iain said come on.
So did you stay up and watch your ‘dad’
“(Seemingly I take after my mother when it comes to blogging.) ”
Ha, you mean you are not a serious political blog
It’s a long time since I’ve seen Jon Worth. The last time he was dressed as “Euroman” in a blue PVC suit with yellow stars (no offence Jon:-)) But I did think he had more taste than to go on Iain Dale’s Tory web telly.
I’m sure Iain would have you on, Kit… You’ll have to get a discerning stylist like Dave to tart you up first though: all I got were comments on my looks!
“You’ll have to get a discerning stylist like Dave to tart you up first though: all I got were comments on my looks!”
Aww Kit , you keep your own ‘individual’ style
er, socialism is emotive and childish. But I suppose that when one has a big family of socialists it isn’t easy to come to that conclusion.
Yes, socialism *is* for kids.