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Wednesday, 14 November, 2007

  • Newsnight
  • 14 Nov 07, 05:04 PM

Tonight's programme is presented by .

SOUTHERN WATER
OFWAT has fined Southern Water 拢20.3 million - their biggest ever fine - for misreporting of information and providing a poor service to customers. The Serious Fraud Office dropped its fraud investigation earlier this year because of lack of evidence. So what has happened to those responsible? The new CEO Les Dawson has admitted it was dreadful conduct and that they had betrayed the trust of its customers. We'll be asking if anyone has been held to account for this scandal.

If you are a Southern Water customer and have been affected by this please contact us, we'd like to hear from you

LORD WEST
Are you confused by Lord West's comments on the terror laws this morning? We are. First he was running on a good wind one way on Radio 4 this morning saying he had yet to see the evidence that detention beyond 28 days was necessary, only to be tacking back in the opposite direction an hour later. Lord West describes himself as a "simple sailor" and not a politician. So is Gordon Brown's strategy of inviting non-politicians into the fold making it more difficult for the government to get its message across? David Grossman will be investigating.

ECONOMY
The governor of the Bank of England gave his assessment of the strength of the economy today - amid continuing uncertainty in the financial sector. Stephanie Flanders assesses what the latest inflation figures signal for the economic outlook.

FOOTBALL
We have a fascinating interview with the President of UEFA, Michel Platini, who makes an extraordinary attack on the billionaire American owners of leading English football clubs. He says they're only interested in money and predicts they'll even try to change the rules to allow TV advert breaks.

IRA LEVIN
Ira Levin, the author of the best selling horror and suspense novels Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives - both made into popular films - has died at the age of 78. He also wrote The Boys From Brazil, published in 1976, featuring the infamous Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele, seeking to clone a new Third Reich. Steve Smith will be looking back over the life of the writer.

Comments  Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 07:08 PM on 14 Nov 2007,
  • steve wrote:

Sir, It should be an interesting Newsnight. We have Lord West saying one thing at ten past eight then turning it on it's head at ten past nine outside number ten....did Gordon get at him? Of course he did. This nuLabour lot do not allow any freedom of thought as everyone has to follow the prepared script only they forgot to tell the esteemed Lord and to flannel about him being a simple sailor just treats us as fools. I hope Platini says something that will give the game of football back to the genuine supporter and not the yuppie fly-by-night whizz kids who infest the game of late. He has a point but he is bound to fail because the people in power will never relinquish their stranglehold as there is too much money involved. Sad, but it is beyond millions of grassroot supporters.

  • 2.
  • At 07:21 PM on 14 Nov 2007,
  • steve wrote:

Sir, It should be an interesting Newsnight. We have Lord West saying one thing at ten past eight then turning it on it's head at ten past nine outside number ten....did Gordon get at him? Of course he did. This nuLabour lot do not allow any freedom of thought as everyone has to follow the prepared script only they forgot to tell the esteemed Lord and to flannel about him being a simple sailor just treats us as fools. I hope Platini says something that will give the game of football back to the genuine supporter and not the yuppie fly-by-night whizz kids who infest the game of late. He has a point but he is bound to fail because the people in power will never relinquish their stranglehold as there is too much money involved. Sad, but it is beyond millions of grassroot supporters.

  • 3.
  • At 07:46 PM on 14 Nov 2007,
  • neil robertson wrote:

The last specialist Islamic Institute
the Labour Government helped set up with money from the Gulf was the Al
Makhtoum Institute in Dundee, whose first Rector Labour MSP Lord Watson was replaced by Gordon Brown's old flatmate Lord Murray Elder of Kirkcaldy after Lord Watson was sent to jail for arson. He tried to burn down the Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh - during the Politician of The Year Awards ......... Instead of
more gimmicky initiatives and extra money for the useless British Council
(also name-checked in Brown's speech)
we should be listening to the experts
like Dame Pauline Neville-Jones and Lord West before he was nobbled. The abolition of habeas corpus and plans to introduced 'internment without trial' will be seriously counter-productive. Dangerous posturing!

  • 4.
  • At 10:30 PM on 14 Nov 2007,
  • neil robertson wrote:

Wasn't Harriet (ex-Council of Civil Liberties) Harman's face a picture
as she grimaced next to Brown when
he was being grilled by Cameron on
the private/public thoughts of The
Simple Sailor!How many days is it since she was detained without trial inside this embarrassing Government?

  • 5.
  • At 11:42 PM on 14 Nov 2007,
  • Seon wrote:

The Lord West affair is a another example of why this ex-Labour voter holds the Labour government and all its works in utter contempt - the same contempt in which it apparently holds the rest of us.

I heard Lord West on Today this morning and thought he sounded reasonable and giving his honest opinion. I can't describe the disbelief and disappointment I felt on hearing his 'clarification' later on in the morning.

What was the point? No-one believes him. Here, seemingly, is man with a distinguished career and an expert in the field in which he is supposed to be giving advice to the government, reversing his opinion on Brown's say-so. Why? His view was obviously worthless to Brown so why should any of his future views fare any better? No-one will believe anything he says now anyway.

What makes a man like this accept public humiliation when he could have walked away with his reputation intact?

  • 6.
  • At 11:47 PM on 14 Nov 2007,
  • Paul Lane wrote:

Jeremy, I just had to add a comment regarding the first part of your show. The interview with Vaz and sidekick was truely brilliant, the West 180 is staggering and indicative of this dire aministration's antics. The duo's attempt to validate and substantiate the West turnover was straight out of a Rory Bremner show, how did you manage to keep a straight face. God it was good!

Thank you for a wonderful show.

p.s. Thanks also for making the case of the unjust 拢1500 per head North of the border advantage to the Scottish MP - would you please also consider a Friday night Newsnight slot?

With guests like you've had this evening it would a a superb follow up to the 大象传媒1 21:00 slot!

  • 7.
  • At 12:02 AM on 15 Nov 2007,
  • martin maden wrote:

Jeremy Isaac's behaviour is increasingly bizarre and offensive.
(a)SNP Swinney treated with contempt with no attempt to examine funding issues. Newsnight researchers need to contact Audit Commission and identify English and Welsh local authorities with central government grants resulting in higher public expenditure per head than the Scottish (Barnett formula) average. It's called equalisation!
(b) Was the sexism worse than the English pride in innumeracy in Paxman's exchange with S.Flanders?
The graph was useful and underlined/confirmed the wide range of uncertainty in M.King's observations about future economic trends.

  • 8.
  • At 12:10 AM on 15 Nov 2007,
  • martin maden wrote:

Jeremy Isaac's behaviour is increasingly bizarre and offensive.
(a)SNP Swinney treated with contempt with no attempt to examine funding issues. Newsnight researchers need to contact Audit Commission and identify English and Welsh local authorities with central government grants resulting in higher public expenditure per head than the Scottish (Barnett formula) average. It's called equalisation!
(b) Was the sexism worse than the English pride in innumeracy in Paxman's exchange with S.Flanders?
The graph was useful and underlined/confirmed the wide range of uncertainty in M.King's observations about future economic trends.

  • 9.
  • At 12:26 AM on 15 Nov 2007,
  • Seon wrote:

The Lord West affair is a another example of why this ex-Labour voter holds the Labour government and all its works in utter contempt - the same contempt in which it apparently holds the rest of us.

I heard Lord West on Today this morning and thought he sounded reasonable and giving his honest opinion. It was with utter disbelief and disappointment that I heard his 'clarification' later on in the morning.

What was the point? No-one believed him. Here, seemingly, is man with a distinguished career and an expert in the field in which he is supposed to be giving advice to the government, reversing his opinion on Brown's say-so. Why? His view was obviously worthless to Brown so why should any of his future views fare any better? No-one will believe anything he says now anyway.

What makes a man like this accept public humiliation when he could have walked away with his reputation intact?

  • 10.
  • At 02:22 AM on 15 Nov 2007,
  • wrote:

Superb Jeremy tonight (36/10) - excellent interview with Patrick Mercer & Keith Vaz, and also with Les Dawson. However, the creme de la creme was on the bank's growth forecast with Stephanie. The graph was vague to say the least,(even the past was vague!!!!) and half the studio was giggling. What a shame we didn't have one on inflation too. Ha ha ha ha ha!!!! And to top it all, we even had a suggested book for the Newsnight Review team too. PRICELESS! :-)

  • 11.
  • At 12:12 PM on 15 Nov 2007,
  • wrote:

I must be the only person who thinks Lord West has been ridiculed and twisted around on the most minor of verbal infelicities.

I heard the original 'gaffe', and heard it in a way totally consistent with that of the committee's view as expressed by Vaz - that "we have to be convinced of the case for an extension before we report" - a prudent and sensible position.

Judges and magistrates are strongly advised to refrain from saying anything which might indicate that they have arrived at a conclusion before proceedings are fully finished. Any such premature expressions can be fatal to a 'fair' outcome. This is as it should be.

Sadly, on this occasion I have to agree with those who accuse the meedja, including my hero Paxo, of acting like a pack of rabid canines.

Salaam/Shalom/Shanthi/Dorood/Peace
Namaste -ed

  • 12.
  • At 01:30 PM on 15 Nov 2007,
  • Adrienne wrote:

Seon 12:26 AM on 15 Nov 2007:

"The Lord West affair is a another example of why this ex-Labour voter holds the Labour government and all its works in utter contempt - the same contempt in which it apparently holds the rest of us."

Just more New Labour/SI theatrics?

The media's just a stage upon which to parade their puppets, almost all of whom will be experts in PR. New Labour doesn't listen to independent advisors any more than any other party does, it just selects people who are already 'on message' and likely to have a little theatric flare.

Could it be any other way in our ever more US style party political system? They have an agenda, and if anyone veers from it, they will lose their backers.

Nationalists are the real threat to the UK. Such types not only make shrunken heads and lampshades out of minorities if left to their own devices they'll even try to regulate the free market and deprive us of many more of our cherished liberties.

We all need more protection from such terrorists...


  • 13.
  • At 04:11 PM on 15 Nov 2007,
  • Brian Kelly wrote:

Patrick Mercer Tory MP & Keith Vaz Labour MP tried to show an alliance of equals for the common good! KV will at the off (as chaiman) follow the GB line of 28 days + whatever his master says.. PM looked decidedly uncomfortable alongside & despite Vaz's comments will make his own mind up on the facts not spin. Surely this honourable man should not be let loose in Gordons BIG tent.. ergo resisting being cajooled, showered with praise & promised much more from the Labourites.
David Cameron should welcome him back now.

  • 14.
  • At 10:50 PM on 15 Nov 2007,
  • Adrienne wrote:

More New Labour/SI theatrics?

The media's just a stage upon which to parade their 'spokespersons', almost all of whom will be experts in PR.

New Labour doesn't listen to independent advisors any more than any other party does, it just selects people already 'on message' and who are likely to have a little theatric flare.

Could it be any other way in our ever more US style party political system? They have an agenda, and if anyone veers from it, they will lose their backers.

Nationalists are the real threat to the UK. Such types not only make shrunken heads and lampshades out of minorities if left to their own devices, but they'll even try to regulate the free market and deprive us of even more cherished liberties.

We all need more protection from such terrorists...


  • 15.
  • At 11:45 PM on 18 Nov 2007,
  • Paul Lane wrote:

Jeremy, I just had to add a comment regarding the first part of your show. The interview with Mercer and Vaz was truely brilliant, the West 180 is staggering and indicative of this dire administration's antics. The duo's attempt to validate and substantiate the West turnover was straight out of a Rory Bremner show, how did you manage to keep a straight face. Gad it was good!

Thank you for a wonderful show.

p.s. Thanks also for making the case of the unjust 拢1500 per head North of the border advantage to the Scottish MP - would you please also consider a Friday night Newsnight slot?

With guests like you've had this evening it would a a superb follow up to the 大象传媒1 21:00 slot!

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