I’m midway through the Andrew Marr show – did the papers and am going back on in a bit to nod appreciatively at Sting – and the main topic is Miliband as EU Foreign Secretary. That Banana boy is being spoken of is not a compliment. The person they want in that job will be a cipher who will obey the orders of the ministers and visit cities that only Robin Cook* would have heard of. But it wil keep him out of the running to challenge Ed Balls for the Labour party leadership.
Sting is banging on about how “we need the winter” and it is somehow under threat from global warming. The pity is that this nonsense can stop a guy buying his album. But it does sound quite good – we heard him rehearsing.
Anyway, I wonder if I will be next to Harman? Watching politicians nodding nervously to pop music is one of the delights of the Marr show. I do hope Harman will oblige us. We all (Liam Donaldson, Ian Blair) go for breakfast afterwards. If any CoffeeHousers have suggestions for conversation topics, I’m all ears…
* I mention the late Robin Cook as his party trick as Foreign Secretary was knowing the names of the smallest nation states in the world. He would add that he hoped Scotland would never be added to such a trivia list.
UPDATE: So, breakfast over. After filming, Sting came up to Joan Bakewell all bashful. He used to watch her BBC2 show in the seventies and seemed starstruck. He went massively up in my estimations in so doing: she is a legend and it’s quite right that a music star should pay homage to her. I tried and failed to get the signature of Kathryn Tickell who I didn’t recognise at first. She’s one of Britain’s best fiddlers (most flee to Canada where they are properly appreciated. I have banned myself from blogging about traditional music as I can argue with room emptying conviction about its importance). I am hoping to persuade Andrew Marr to do a diary for The Spectaor before the year ends – for all his broadcasting he is one of the best wordsmiths in the business. And Harman? I have to admit that she behaved impeccably throughout the Sting music. Smiled, but didn’t nod or tap.
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