Alistair Campbell scores over “In The Loop” row
Posted by Richard D North under 'Power To The People!' on 6 April 2009
When the BBC’s Culture Show asked Alistair Campbell to chat with its film man Mark Kermode about the new Iannucci offering In The Loop we were bound to have fun. The best of it was that Blair’s spin merchant scored a nice clean win over the right-on luvvie about the merits of politicians.
Since it’s been rather little remarked, I want to draw your attention to a passage in the encounter in which Mr Kermode cheerily remarks that one of the reasons why he liked the film was that (I am recalling his words as best I can), “Anything which exposes the crass venality of politicians is OK with me”. That’s to say, I think, that Mr Kermode will always forgive the failings of an offering which at least makes a meal of politicians.
It was lovely to watch Alistair Campbell rip into his interlocutor. I last heard that sort of irritation when Andrew Marr, usually right-on to a degree, ripped into someone who made a similar remark in the run up to an election (I think it was).
Campbell remarked, more or less, that politicians have their faults but are not usually very silly – and they are not corrupt either. They are mostly pretty public-spirited. What’s more, Campbell went on, it’s the constant drip feed of cynicism from the likes of Kermode which makes young people deaspair oif politicis before they’ve half thought about it.
It was vintage Campbell. And I am almost sure Mark Kermode blushed, though he conceded no ground.
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