Question Time fails to impress Rochdale

Question Time broadcasting from the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall

About 200 people packed into the Great Hall at Rochdale’s Town Hall last night (19 September) for the recording of the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, ‘Question Time’, hosted by David Dimbleby.

On the panel were Harriet Harman MP, Deputy Labour Leader, Kenneth Clarke PC, QC, MP, former Home Secretary, Health Secretary and Chancellor who is currently Minister without Portfolio, Baroness, Shirley Williams former member of the ‘Gang of Four’ and leading Liberal Democrat. Also on the panel were Laurie Penny, feminist and New Statesman columnist and TV cook and broadcaster Antony Worrall Thompson.

Members of the selected audience included former councillors Jean Ashworth, Greg Couzens, Liz Thirsk and your reporter; one of whose questions was selected but not given the opportunity to be put to the panel as the programme ran out of time.

Subjects aired included questions on the wearing of niqabs by NHS clinicians, the bedroom tax, the future shape of the coalition and the recently announced initiative by Nick Clegg of free school meals for primary school children.

The quality of the debate was generally disappointing and no local issues were aired. Greg Couzens said he found the quality of the debate to be generally "very weak" and was disappointed that no questions on the economy were raised as he would have liked to have discussed the state of the high streets and the issue of business rates. He told Rochdale Online: “The star of the show was undoubtedly the Town Hall itself.”

Jean Ashworth said she too found the programme "disappointing" with no matters of local concern being raised and said that she would not attend another similar event.

Firgrove resident Alison Unwin said: “Watched a bit and found it tedious and pointless... as usual.”

Harriet Harman’s contributions were generally unconvincing and hampered by her party’s lack of clear polices; a point picked up on by Dimbleby.

Shirley Williams, despite her age and advancing frailty, still proved that she was very clear in her thinking and ability to handle complex issues.

Kenneth Clarke was very much the old warhorse and his relaxed style is familiar to all, as are the Hush Puppies he was wearing.

Laurie Penney, the New Statesman columnist, was very much the angry young woman but took on the rest of the panel with confidence. Though she bizarrely said any proposal to ban muslim women wearing veils would be "racist" (one would hope a prominent national journalist would understand the difference between race and religion).

The ‘wooden spoon’ goes to Anthony Worrall Thompson, whose presence on the panel was baffling as he had little of substance to contribute and seemed more interested in being the curmudgeonly right-winger; playing in character.

On exiting the Town Hall, a vocal group of about 20-30 right wing demonstrators were present and being kept in check by the police, including a section of the Tactical Aid Unit and an ambulance was standing by.