BBC misunderstands Darling's commons answer?
rwendland Mon Feb 18, 2008 at 04:08:43 PM GMT 
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The BBC is claiming on Nick Robinson's blog, Today and The Daily Politics that back in November Alistair Darling agreed in the commons with Jim Cousins that the nationalisation of Northern Rock would bring terrible effects. Jim Cousins made a complex two part question, and I think the BBC has misunderstood Darling's two part answer. Listen to the question - what do you think?The BBC's allegation is that Alistair Darling agreed with "the policy of nationalisation would lead to a slow lingering death for the jobs of the Northern Rock workers, its assets and Britain’s reputation as a major financial services centre, with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor cast in the role of undertaker—and that only by finding a successor business to grow on those jobs, assets and reputations can we offer any real prospect of the taxpayers getting their money back?"
But here's the full quote from the commons from 19 Nov 2007, annotated Q1/A1 and Q2/A2 with my view on how the answers relate to the quote/question:
The BBC is alleging A1 is in answer to Q2, but I believe Darling intended that A1 as agreement with Q1 only. His A2 is in answer to Q2, not what the BBC suggests. Darling could have been clearer though.Jim Cousins: [Q1] The whole House will have noted that the Liberal Democrats have as much regard for the 5,500 employees of Northern Rock in the north-east—and the 6,500 nationally—as they had for the job of their former leader. [Interruption.] Two or three faces in public, 10 in private—that is the policy of the Liberal Democrats. [Q2] Does my right hon. Friend accept that the policy of nationalisation would lead to a slow lingering death for the jobs of the Northern Rock workers, its assets and Britain’s reputation as a major financial services centre, with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor cast in the role of undertaker—and that only by finding a successor business to grow on those jobs, assets and reputations can we offer any real prospect of the taxpayers getting their money back?
Speaker: Order. I remind Members that they must ask brief supplementary questions.
Darling: [A1] I agree with my hon. Friend. It is regrettable and surprising that the Liberal Democrats never seemed to support our earlier proposals to keep Northern Rock open. [A2] It would also, however, be a mistake to shut off all other options and simply go for one at this stage; that does not seem to me to make any sense at all.
The misleading of the audience so far cannot be undone, but I hope the BBC will stop repeating this allegation.
Also on The Daily Politics Andrew Neil claimed the last nationalisation was in the early 1970s. Wasn't Johnson Matthey Bankers nationalised in 1984 by the Tories when it ran into trouble?
