Louise Mensch and John Lydon on Any Questions

[David Johnson]

Interesting mix of participants on Any Questions.

On the Iplayer later.

[Sam Slater]

Lydon annoyed me with his constant mutterings and interruptions. Talking out of his arse re drugs, Brady and, strangely, mistaking Gordon Brown for an 'English PM', not a British PM.

I'm often annoyed at many things Mensch stands for, obviously, but was on the ball about most things tonight.

[Phil Phee]

At risk of digressing from cerebral debate, I wouldn't want to swap bodily fluids with John Lydon. Louise, however, ...

[Essex Lad]

Not Any Questions.... do keep up.

[Arginald Valleywater]

Mensh couldl do a 3some with Nadine Dorries and Caroline Flint....that would be interesting....

[David Johnson]

Yeah, Lydon was a bit irritating with his interruptions but I found it very welcome to have someone on the panel who was a world away from their usual robotic, party line answering politician. I also found it very refreshing for a panel member to describe themselves thus - "I'm not a twat from Tring".

With regard to Louise Mensch, I have always thought of her as a publicity mad airhead and this performance didn't change that. I remember on Have I got news for you, she seriously argued that the Occupy people on the steps of St. Pauls were being very hypocritical for using the local coffee chain shop for a piss and a coffee and muffin. Now I use a cashpoint, Louise, but that doesnt make me a fervent supporter of global capitalism and the exploitation of the poor by the rich.

And then last night on the subject of whether there should be a parliamentary inquiry into banking, she defended parliamentary committees by saying "I was a member of the parliamentary committee that deposed the Murdochs". Err, really? There were two things that were key in hammering the Murdoch empire:

1. THe heinous nature of the crimes committed.

2. The tremendous work done by Nick Davies and the rest of the investigative journalism team on the Guardian that published most of the stories on these crimes and kept going on this for years when the rest of the newspaper industry and political parties showed little interest. Until Ed Miliband got into this and dragged Cameron kicking and screaming into setting up the Leveson inquiry.

What did not "depose" the Murdochs ,Louise was a bunch of MPs asking poorly defined, inadequately followed up questions which the Murdochs batted away in their sleep.

Like I said, airhead!

[steve56]

Surprised hed go on QT really

[David Johnson]

Oooooo, cruel, biting, hurtful satire. My weekend is now officially ruined!

!wink!

[Sam Slater]

I don't think Mensch is any more publicity hungry than most politicians. I've seen the likes of Alan Johnson and Anne Widdecombe on tv much more frequently. I only think she gets judged that way due to her looks. And, of course, the fact that she's a little more photogenic will mean she'll get many more offers of TV appearances.

Of course, the Starbucks/Capitalism remark on HIGNFY was embarrassingly dim. To her credit she admitted as much in a Guardian interview 6 months or so later.

Lydon made some good points but kept wondering off onto side-issues that had no bearing on the original point he was making. And his stance on drugs would be taken more seriously by me if he wasn't a millionaire who could check himself into the best care in the country if he needed it. Some 17 year old kid on a council estate will never have anything so cushy to fall back on, whether legalised or not.

[Jonone]

Mensch has a thousand yard stare.