Post by Victor Meldrew on Feb 13, 2009 22:06:56 GMT
Question Time last night would have been spectacularly average, had it not been for one of the best exchanges of all time between David Dimbleby, and Labour's Cabinet Office Minister Liam Byrne. If you missed it, watch it here about eight minutes in.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00hkl9j/Question_Time_12_02_2009/
Talking about Geert Wilders' ban from entering the UK, David quizzed Byrne on the cicumstances regarding the controversial decision to allow entry into the UK of Ibrahim Mousawi last year, when Byrne was working at the Home Office.
Dimbleby: Was Ibrahim Mousawi allowed in when you were at the Home Office?
Byrne:We have a rule about talking about individual cases, and that's important because there will be details in the cases you don't want to get out in the public.
Dimbleby: Why don't you want the details to come out in public?
Byrne: Well, because you can't provide a running commentary on people's immigration cases, but the key point is that last October the rules were strengthened to stop people who promote extremism coming in to this Country, and those rules were the right rules.
Dimbleby: That was when?
Byrne: That was last October.
Dimbleby: He was allowed in in November.
Byrne (going an extremely bright shade of scarlet): Er, um (nervous laughter) I'm not sure that was actually right. (said amid great laughter and applause from the audience).
Oh yes it was Liam.
That had to be one of the best moments ever on QT. Sorry Liam, but "done up like a kipper" is the phrase which comes to mind.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00hkl9j/Question_Time_12_02_2009/
Talking about Geert Wilders' ban from entering the UK, David quizzed Byrne on the cicumstances regarding the controversial decision to allow entry into the UK of Ibrahim Mousawi last year, when Byrne was working at the Home Office.
Dimbleby: Was Ibrahim Mousawi allowed in when you were at the Home Office?
Byrne:We have a rule about talking about individual cases, and that's important because there will be details in the cases you don't want to get out in the public.
Dimbleby: Why don't you want the details to come out in public?
Byrne: Well, because you can't provide a running commentary on people's immigration cases, but the key point is that last October the rules were strengthened to stop people who promote extremism coming in to this Country, and those rules were the right rules.
Dimbleby: That was when?
Byrne: That was last October.
Dimbleby: He was allowed in in November.
Byrne (going an extremely bright shade of scarlet): Er, um (nervous laughter) I'm not sure that was actually right. (said amid great laughter and applause from the audience).
Oh yes it was Liam.
That had to be one of the best moments ever on QT. Sorry Liam, but "done up like a kipper" is the phrase which comes to mind.
