Monday's Start the Week featured Peter Hennessy referring to discussions in February held at the Cabinet Office about the “tacit understandings” around a potential hung parliament. He is nominally referring to an Election night broadcast:
Hennessy: … I had to bat for the British Constitution on the BBC Election programme, and if I hadn’t had this bit of paper to wave it would be extremely difficult to the hold the line. Because people were ... politicians [were] exhausted, seeing their possibility of office being snatched away, were saying what they wanted the constitution to be rather than what it is, and without that bit of paper, I would have been stuffed Andy.
Marr: [gulps] Well I, … we wouldn’t want that Peter. (pause, laughter) […] Certainly not on air.
Now what could the
‘private’ joke be about? Happily
this event, or rather exchange, will be available on the BBC site until 1 January 2099; the comments above occurred at about the 40 minute point.
