BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 33
TA B L E TA L K
1) Boris Johnson
Time to suspend your particular views
of Bojo and what his skillset might (or
might not) be, because he can be an
interviewer’s dream.
from three quid he was appalled, and
immediately asked me “Dear God –
who sets these prices?”
“Mr. Mayor,” I replied, “that would be
you.”
I’ve done phone-ins with him since he
was just a candidate to be Mayor of
London, long before he became Prime
Minister, and nothing has changed
over the years. His grasp of detail is
still akin to that of a three-month old
with a dummy, but somehow, with his
unique bumbling bombast, he carries
it off.
2) Nigel Farage
For example, after he was elected as
Mayor of London, I challenged him
about rising fares on public transport.
The question was simple.
Listeners love him because he is
unlike almost every other politician
on the planet. Ask him a question, and
The Guardian’s skilled sketch writer
John Crace once declared “never let
it be said that a half-hour phone-in
with Nigel Farage on Nick Ferrari’s
morning show is anything but
educational.” John was, as usual, spot
on.
What happened next dominated
the the headlines, and had reporters
dispatched to parks and lakes up and
down the land. Why? Because his
response was to say that it wasn’t such
a bizarre claim.
“If I said to you that swans were
being eaten in Royal Parks in this
country, that carp were being taken
out of ponds and eaten in this country
by people who come from different
cultures…what would you say?” asked
Mr. Farage.
Cue reporters from many broadcast
and print organisations fanning out
to launch investigations in parks and
around lakes. The debate still rages on
social media to this day, with claims of
swans being eaten in Lancashire and
carp being cooked in East London,
but what is the truth? Who knows. But
next time you see Nigel, ask him for
my tenner.
3) Sir Keir Starmer
From a man who, if the polls are right,
could be our next Prime Minister to
a man who actually is... currently, at
least. While in opposition, Sir Keir
faced many accusations of “going
woke” amid decisions such as taking
the knee in his of昀椀ce and supporting
many liberal causes and campaigns.
And after he’d said that “99.9 per
cent of women can’t have a penis,” I
decided to challenge him. Here’s what
happened next.
Nick Ferrari interviewing Boris Johnson, LBC
“Mr. Mayor. Suppose you’ve left your
Oyster card in a suit that’s gone to the
dry cleaners. You have to get from
your home near Regent’s Park to your
of昀椀ce at City Hall. How much will the
fare be?”
After much hesitation and
harrumphing, the man ultimately in
control of Transport for London had to
concede: “All right Nick, sitting there
like some big Buddha of wisdom, I
don’t know. What is it?”
When I told him he’d get little change
you will get an answer. I know, it’s a
unique concept! But that can also get
him into trouble.
After US President Donald Trump
stunned the world with his assertion
that migrants were “eating the dogs,
the people that came in, they’re eating
the cats” in Spring昀椀eld, Ohio, I had a
£10 bet with Mr. Farage that the claim
would turn out to be utterly bogus.
After a suitable time (twelve months) I
decided to call in the bet and ask Nigel
for my tenner.
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BOISDALELIFE.COM
ISSUE 24
“So if it’s 99.9 per cent, that means
one in one thousand women can have
a penis. Seriously, Sir Keir?”
“Look, I want to tackle this head on.
For the vast, vast majority of women,
they obviously cannot have a penis,
but …”
I was incredulous. “But one in a
thousand can?”
“Look…I’m not…I don’t think we can
discuss this…er...”
