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Yes....v convienient those earpieces...

Blunkett again! Oh dear!

Gotta love mars bars!

This is a wonderful insight into a broadcast like this!

Surely not Blunkett again? Is there a position that he hasn't already messed up? Maybe Environment Secretary. After Beckett's comments on Question Time (tentatively pro-Brown) somebody else is needed there. Beckett is a potential Deputy Prime Minister, after all.

Re: milk Reid , I think that would have been equivalent of obtaining blood from stone!

Nick,

John Reid is a thug and you did so well to highlight the Nick Brown comment.

Well done for not being intimidated!

James F

"Much talk here about whether Geoff Hoon and David Blunkett's earpieces really stopped working when they were asked awkward questions!"
...or Nick Brown for that matter! (The second time he was asked about the letter!). Perhaps there is a government mole sabotaging the equipment.

Yes. As Dimbleby asked David Blunkett if he could hear him and DB answered "No, I can't hear you at all", I think we can surmise that DB could hear perfectly. That was not a case of the deaf leading the blind.

...and Nick Brown's earpiece?? Well if you will outsource OBs to Crapita....

Wonderful - shows I'm not the only news junkie up at this time... Fascinating insight Nick. How the outward presentation is so professional! And - if I recall Blunkett's earpiece broke on a tricky question for the General Election last year... but that's just me...

It would be nice to have some new poll questions. I have been watching all night and have had the ICM poll stuff about the NHS, Environment, etc. at least 3 times!

John Reid is such a toady! Wow! I bet he hopes Tony is watching !

Mars Bars all round, I think Tony King has fallen into a coma

Sorry nick - I can't read your post - I don't like the look of it - can you post it again - sorry - what? - sorry my internet connection is breaking up - sorry?

Was this one sent on their pagers before the night started? "If you get any tough questions then just pretend you can't hear them"

typical nick! always so cyncical. Why didn't you mention that Nick Brown had technical difficulties as well? Maybe because he's not a government minister. Overall though keep up the sparring with John Reid its great fun.

Nick I need to point out that the conservatives have seats in the North. Leeds has 24 Tory Cllrs and the Leader of the Council is a Tory. Please put this fact right

What a shocking coincidence that as soon as a Labour politician is asked a question a bit too difficult his ear piece fails. Mr Blunkett who couldn't hear Mr Dimbleby still managed to reply, "No, I can't hear you." What about tracking the number of faulty ear pieces in a poll throughout the night, in relation to difficult questions.

I must confess to wondering the exact same thing when watching the equipment 'fail' during the difficult questions. My partner said after Blunkett's mysteriously failing "I wonder whose will stop working next?" That says it all really.

I really enjoyed the way MP's seemed to squirm at your questions. I used to think Mr Marr although a good political editor was in my opinion a bit of a Tony's man. You on the otherhand, again my opinion, are so neutral you attack anybody. Great keep it up

Failing ears work just as well as failing earpieces. I remember, a long time ago - 1978? - Richard Nixon's visit to the Oxford Union. He came to talk about his rapprochement with China, which he seemed to think was a foreign policy success (but see Jung Chan's biography of Mao). But all the interest was in Watergate. His talk was broadcast live. The protesters ringing the Union had portable TVs and set up a howl at every word he spoke. It was an eerie (and rather wonderful) situation and Nixon must have felt beleaguered, especially when the first question from the floor was something like "do you consider yourself to have the moral probity of a second hand car salesman?" Nixon knew what the question was and meant as well as anyone. But he paused, smiled and said "I'm sorry I am afraid I couldn't hear that". Then he walked the length of the chamber to where his questioner was sitting, and politely asked him to repeat his question. It sounded pretty infantile when it was mumbled it out again, with Nixon standing courteously over him with his hand to his ear. That's when I understood why Tricky Dicky had been rightfully President of the US!

Wasn't there a famous incident where the camera went back to David Dimbleby, and he had a mouthful of Mars Bar? Can anyone remember which election that was?

Better try fruit juice or fruit, Nick.

Conference pears were aptly named.

I dislike John Reid fairly intensely, but he deserves respect so far.

I do hope he doesn't join the riff raff of Major, Blunket, Vaz & co on the media rentabludger'squote circuit.