Apropos of my recent blog on tokenism and gender balance in the composition of BBC Question Time panels, I’ve now pulled together a complete list of the people who have made at least one appearance on a Question Time panel since January 2009 and am looking for a little crowdsourced assistance with the next stage of my analysis.
Yor mission, should ou choose to accept it, is to help out with tagging the political links and associations of some panelists.
What I’m actually looking for is information and opinions on some of the other, less obviously political names on the list, either in terms of a verified link to British political party – I thnk we all know now that Carol Vorderman is rabid Tory, even if that wasn’t entirely obvious until she appeared on the show, or a reliable assessment of where they sit on the standard left-right political axis.
To keep it simple, stick to left, right and centre as answers where possible, although I’ll also take with neutral or independent if you feel that someone is genuinely operating outside the usual categories.
Final instructions if you do feel like ptiching in:
- any responses in comments and not via Twitter please, as its just easier to keep track of things that way
- no tracking people down via Twitter to ask them about their political views if you don’t already know where they stand, it;s not nice to hassle people for trivial reasons, and
- for the avoidance of any doubt, the Brian Cox who appears on the list is the actor, not the scientist.
So now, without further ado, on with the list, which is given in rank order by number of appearances:
| Rank | Panelist | Appearances |
| 1 | Vince Cable | 10 |
| 2 | Nigel Farage | 9 |
| 3 | Caroline Flint | 8 |
| 3 | Kelvin MacKenzie | 8 |
| 3 | Theresa May | 8 |
| 6 | Caroline Lucas | 7 |
| 6 | Chris Huhne | 7 |
| 6 | Kenneth Clarke | 7 |
| 6 | Peter Hain | 7 |
| 10 | Andy Burnham | 6 |
| 10 | Diane Abbott | 6 |
| 10 | Liam Fox | 6 |
| 10 | Nicola Sturgeon | 6 |
| 10 | Sarah Teather | 6 |
| 10 | Sayeeda Warsi | 6 |
| 10 | Shami Chakrabarti | 6 |
| 17 | Alan Johnson | 5 |
| 17 | David Starkey | 5 |
| 17 | Douglas Murray | 5 |
| 17 | Elfyn Llwyd | 5 |
| 17 | Jo Swinson | 5 |
| 17 | Melanie Phillips | 5 |
| 17 | Menzies Campbell | 5 |
| 17 | Paddy Ashdown | 5 |
| 17 | Shirley Williams | 5 |
| 26 | Alex Salmond | 4 |
| 26 | Andrew Lansley | 4 |
| 26 | Ben Bradshaw | 4 |
| 26 | Charles Falconer | 4 |
| 26 | Charles Kennedy | 4 |
| 26 | David Laws | 4 |
| 26 | Douglas Alexander | 4 |
| 26 | Ed Balls | 4 |
| 26 | Iain Duncan Smith | 4 |
| 26 | Janet Street-Porter | 4 |
| 26 | Margaret Beckett | 4 |
| 26 | Mehdi Hasan | 4 |
| 26 | Michael Heseltine | 4 |
| 26 | Michael Moore | 4 |
| 26 | Peter Hitchens | 4 |
| 26 | Philip Hammond | 4 |
| 26 | Ruth Lea | 4 |
| 26 | Simon Hughes | 4 |
| 44 | Caroline Spelman | 3 |
| 44 | Charles Clarke | 3 |
| 44 | Chris Bryant | 3 |
| 44 | Chris Grayling | 3 |
| 44 | Christopher Meyer | 3 |
| 44 | Damian Green | 3 |
| 44 | David Davis | 3 |
| 44 | David Miliband | 3 |
| 44 | Ed Davey | 3 |
| 44 | Fraser Nelson | 3 |
| 44 | George Galloway | 3 |
| 44 | Grant Shapps | 3 |
| 44 | Harriet Harman | 3 |
| 44 | Ian Hislop | 3 |
| 44 | Jack Straw | 3 |
| 44 | Janet Daley | 3 |
| 44 | Jeremy Browne | 3 |
| 44 | Jeremy Hunt | 3 |
| 44 | John Denham | 3 |
| 44 | John Redwood | 3 |
| 44 | Julia Goldsworthy | 3 |
| 44 | Justine Greening | 3 |
| 44 | Ken Livingstone | 3 |
| 44 | Leanne Wood | 3 |
| 44 | Liam Byrne | 3 |
| 44 | Max Hastings | 3 |
| 44 | Michael Gove | 3 |
| 44 | Nadine Dorries | 3 |
| 44 | Norman Baker | 3 |
| 44 | Piers Morgan | 3 |
| 44 | Polly Toynbee | 3 |
| 44 | Salma Yaqoob | 3 |
| 44 | Susan Kramer | 3 |
| 44 | William Hague | 3 |
| 44 | Yvette Cooper | 3 |
| 79 | Alastair Campbell | 2 |
| 79 | Andrew Mitchell | 2 |
| 79 | Bonnie Greer | 2 |
| 79 | Boris Johnson | 2 |
| 79 | Brian Cox | 2 |
| 79 | Camila Batmanghelidjh | 2 |
| 79 | Charles Moore | 2 |
| 79 | Cheryl Gillan | 2 |
| 79 | Chuka Umunna | 2 |
| 79 | Clare Short | 2 |
| 79 | Clive Anderson | 2 |
| 79 | Daniel Hannan | 2 |
| 79 | Danny Alexander | 2 |
| 79 | David Mitchell | 2 |
| 79 | David Willetts | 2 |
| 79 | Ed Miliband | 2 |
| 79 | Fern Britton | 2 |
| 79 | Francis Maude | 2 |
| 79 | Germaine Greer | 2 |
| 79 | Gloria De Piero | 2 |
| 79 | Hilary Benn | 2 |
| 79 | Jane Moore | 2 |
| 79 | Jenny Tonge | 2 |
| 79 | John Sergeant | 2 |
| 79 | Jon Gaunt | 2 |
| 79 | Katie Hopkins | 2 |
| 79 | Kirsty Williams | 2 |
| 79 | Margaret Curran | 2 |
| 79 | Max Mosley | 2 |
| 79 | Michael Forsyth | 2 |
| 79 | Monty Don | 2 |
| 79 | Nick Ferrari | 2 |
| 79 | Rachel Reeves | 2 |
| 79 | Richard Dannatt | 2 |
| 79 | Rory Stewart | 2 |
| 79 | Sadiq Khan | 2 |
| 79 | Shaun Woodward | 2 |
| 79 | Simon Jenkins | 2 |
| 79 | Simon Schama | 2 |
| 79 | Stephen Pollard | 2 |
| 79 | Tessa Jowell | 2 |
| 79 | Toby Young | 2 |
| 79 | Will Self | 2 |
| 79 | Yasmin Alibhai-Brown | 2 |
| 123 | Aaron Porter | 1 |
| 123 | Adrian Adonis | 1 |
| 123 | Alistair Carmichael | 1 |
| 123 | Amanda Platell | 1 |
| 123 | Andrew Roberts | 1 |
| 123 | Anna Soubry | 1 |
| 123 | Annabel Goldie | 1 |
| 123 | Archbishop John Sentamu | 1 |
| 123 | Benedict Brogan | 1 |
| 123 | Benjamin Zephaniah | 1 |
| 123 | Bianca Jagger | 1 |
| 123 | Bill Rammell | 1 |
| 123 | Billy Bragg | 1 |
| 123 | Bob Crow | 1 |
| 123 | Brent Hoberman | 1 |
| 123 | Brian Paddick | 1 |
| 123 | Bruce Anderson | 1 |
| 123 | Carol Vorderman | 1 |
| 123 | Carwyn Jones | 1 |
| 123 | Charlotte Harris | 1 |
| 123 | Christina Schmidt | 1 |
| 123 | Christine Blower | 1 |
| 123 | Claire Perry | 1 |
| 123 | Clarke Carlisle | 1 |
| 123 | Clive James | 1 |
| 123 | Colin Blakemore | 1 |
| 123 | Constance Briscoe | 1 |
| 123 | Cristina Odone | 1 |
| 123 | Dambisa Moyo | 1 |
| 123 | Dame Ann Leslie | 1 |
| 123 | David Blunkett | 1 |
| 123 | David Frum | 1 |
| 123 | David Lammy | 1 |
| 123 | David Steel | 1 |
| 123 | David Trimble | 1 |
| 123 | Deborah Meaden | 1 |
| 123 | Derek Simpson | 1 |
| 123 | Digby Jones | 1 |
| 123 | Dr Phil Hammond | 1 |
| 123 | Ed Byrne | 1 |
| 123 | Edwina Currie | 1 |
| 123 | Elin Jones | 1 |
| 123 | Elizabeth Truss | 1 |
| 123 | Eric Pickles | 1 |
| 123 | Esther Rantzen | 1 |
| 123 | Fiona Phillips | 1 |
| 123 | Frank Skinner | 1 |
| 123 | George Osborne | 1 |
| 123 | George Pascoe-Watson | 1 |
| 123 | Gerry Kelly | 1 |
| 123 | Hardeep Singh Kohli | 1 |
| 123 | Helena Kennedy | 1 |
| 123 | Hugh Grant | 1 |
| 123 | Hugh Hendry | 1 |
| 123 | Iain Gray | 1 |
| 123 | Jacob Rees-Mogg | 1 |
| 123 | Jacqui Smith | 1 |
| 123 | James Caan | 1 |
| 123 | James O’Brien | 1 |
| 123 | Jan Royall | 1 |
| 123 | Jarvis Cocker | 1 |
| 123 | Jeanette Winterson | 1 |
| 123 | Jeffrey Donaldson | 1 |
| 123 | Jim Allister | 1 |
| 123 | Jim Knight | 1 |
| 123 | Jimmy Wales | 1 |
| 123 | Joan Bakewell | 1 |
| 123 | John Prescott | 1 |
| 123 | Julia Hartley-Brewer | 1 |
| 123 | Julian Fellowes | 1 |
| 123 | Justin King | 1 |
| 123 | Justine Roberts | 1 |
| 123 | Kate Mosse | 1 |
| 123 | Kirsty Allsopp | 1 |
| 123 | Liam Halligan | 1 |
| 123 | Lionel Barber | 1 |
| 123 | Liz Kendall | 1 |
| 123 | Louise Bagshawe | 1 |
| 123 | Lynne Featherstone | 1 |
| 123 | Margaret Ritchie | 1 |
| 123 | Maria Misra | 1 |
| 123 | Mark Littlewood | 1 |
| 123 | Mark Malloch Brown | 1 |
| 123 | Mark Serwotka | 1 |
| 123 | Mark Steel | 1 |
| 123 | Marta Andreasen | 1 |
| 123 | Martin Bell | 1 |
| 123 | Martin Sorrell | 1 |
| 123 | Martina Anderson | 1 |
| 123 | Mary Beard | 1 |
| 123 | Mary Bousted | 1 |
| 123 | Matthew Parris | 1 |
| 123 | Michael Howard | 1 |
| 123 | Michael Winner | 1 |
| 123 | Mike Russell | 1 |
| 123 | Nerys Evans | 1 |
| 123 | Niall Ferguson | 1 |
| 123 | Nick Griffin | 1 |
| 123 | Nicola Horlick | 1 |
| 123 | Nigel Dodds | 1 |
| 123 | Nigel Lawson | 1 |
| 123 | Noreena Hertz | 1 |
| 123 | Norman Lamb | 1 |
| 123 | Owen Paterson | 1 |
| 123 | Patrick Harvie | 1 |
| 123 | Pauline Neville-Jones | 1 |
| 123 | Peter Oborne | 1 |
| 123 | Phil Willis | 1 |
| 123 | Pierre-Yves Gerbeau | 1 |
| 123 | Priti Patel | 1 |
| 123 | Rageh Omaar | 1 |
| 123 | Richard Lambert | 1 |
| 123 | Richard Littlejohn | 1 |
| 123 | Richard Madeley | 1 |
| 123 | Richard Perle | 1 |
| 123 | Robert Winston | 1 |
| 123 | Roy Hattersley | 1 |
| 123 | Sally Bercow | 1 |
| 123 | Sammy Wilson | 1 |
| 123 | Sarah Sands | 1 |
| 123 | Shappi Khorsandi | 1 |
| 123 | Sherard Cowper-Coles | 1 |
| 123 | Simon Callow | 1 |
| 123 | Simon Heffer | 1 |
| 123 | Simon Wolfson | 1 |
| 123 | Stephen Dorrell | 1 |
| 123 | Stephen Twigg | 1 |
| 123 | Steve Easterbrook | 1 |
| 123 | Stuart Rose | 1 |
| 123 | Suzanne Burlton | 1 |
| 123 | Tariq Ali | 1 |
| 123 | Tim Farron | 1 |
| 123 | Tom Conti | 1 |
| 123 | Tom Hunter | 1 |
| 123 | TristramHunt | 1 |
| 123 | Vera Baird | 1 |
| 123 | Victoria Barnsley | 1 |
| 123 | Victoria Coren | 1 |
| 123 | Will Hutton | 1 |
| 123 | Will Young | 1 |
| 123 | Willie Walsh | 1 |
Last week the Telegraph revealed ‘new figures’ from the government that put the cost of abortions £30m ‘higher than previously thought’.
Lord Alton, the crossbench peer who obtained the new figures, said: “I have written to Lord Howe setting out a number of concerns about how Parliament came to be so very badly misled about the costs to the NHS associated with abortion.
I think the most pressing concern Lord Howe needs to address is why Lord Alton’s can’t understand his own bloody correspondence.
continue reading… »
If you mooch around the science sections of popular news websites this weekend then chances are you’ll encounter something called ‘The Google Effect’.
From what I can tell, the BBC’s report started out the headline “Internet is ‘changing our memory’” but have since backed off a little and are now running the story as ‘Internet’s memory effects quantified in computer study’.
The Guardian – with perhaps more than half an eye on climbing Google’s own search rankings with its take on the story – has gone for the headline; ‘Poor memory? Blame Google.
continue reading… »
Yesterday, Conservative MP Nadine Dorries posted a press release on her blog, claiming that the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) backed the amendment that she and Frank Field MP have put forward.
The amendment calls for ‘independent’ abortion counselling for women who want an abortion, with the aim of excluding respected organisations such as BPAS and others, and is tacked to the contentious Health and Social Care Bill.
She wrote:
continue reading… »
There is some considerable – and I might also say deliberately contrived – confusion as to the question of whether tory MP Nadine Dorries’ abstinence bill amounts to the promotion of abstinence-only sex education.
Dorries and her supporters claim that she isn’t pushing abstinence-only sex education and, of course, use this claim to deflect criticism based on the well-documented evidence of the abject failure of abstinence-only programmes in the United States.
To understand why, we need first to be clear about what is actually included in the National Curriculum under sex education as a mandatory element – and everything we need to know is to be found in the Science curriculum.
continue reading… »
The American Foundation for AIDS Research published a new issue briefing in 2007, which fully deserves to be widely circulated.
It assesses the effectiveness of abstinence-only sex education programmes for HIV prevention amongst young people.
The briefing pulls together the evidence from a wide range of published studies covering the outcomes of abstinence-only programmes in both the US and internationally and arrives at an unsurprising but damning conclusion:
continue reading… »
Today, the ‘Tax Payers’ Alliance’ are touting a new opinion poll which, so they claim, ‘reveals that the public support billions in spending cuts to foreign aid, high speed rail, trade union funding and a Green Investment bank’.
The poll, itself, is pretty much standard TPA fare – a stream of questions asking whether the public would support cutting expenditure on thing that appear to be pretty expensive but about which the majority of the public know and understand far too little to make anything that remote resembles an informed choice.
continue reading… »
Kevin Arscott of the ‘Angry Mob‘ blog is a reasonably well-known figure in the British blogosphere, one of several bloggers who specialise in tracking and exposing some of the worst excesses of tabloid and mid-market newspapers.
This morning, a bit of a kerfuffle has broken out on Twitter after Kevin received a nastygram from the Daily Mail’s lawyers threatening him with a libel action if he didn’t remove a two-year old post from his blog.
Kevin took down his post, but it can still be read via Google’s cache.
continue reading… »
This evening’s news that a professional sportsman who may or may not be the person known as ‘CTB’ has filed legal proceedings against Twitter and ‘persons unknown’ appears to have prompted a degree of bemusement.
And nowhere more so than over at Heresy Corner, where the Heresiarch has rather uncharacteristically succeeded in massively over-analysing the situation…
continue reading… »
Are some rapes more serious than others? So far as the law is concerned, the answer is “Yes”.
What the law recognises is that the specific circumstances in which a rape take place may give rise to a number of aggravating factors and/or mitigating factors that must necessarily be taken into account when handing down a sentence following a successful conviction.
Use of extreme violence – i.e. beating the victim to a pulp in addition to raping them – multiple/repeat victimization and/or the existence of prior convictions for rape are treated as aggravating factors and result in a much longer sentence.
continue reading… »
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