Ealing North
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Steve Pound MP Ealing North |
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University Challenge October 2005 - Gazette Article Whilst browsing for some lurid crime fiction in the politics section of the excellent Pitshanger Bookshop I was horrified to be told by the owners, Walter and Bee Wyeth, that another customer had complained to them that my column in the Ealing “Gazette” was insufficiently serious and should concentrate more on deep political analysis and weighty matters of moment. While I will always seek the vain ardour of the crowd where ever possible I have to resist the temptation to recalibrate my ramblings. I often write on deadly serious subjects but try, occasionally, to give an insight into the fairly odd life of one of Her Majesty’s Members of Parliament and hope that you will let me know if this is unacceptable. Which brings us to 7am on Sunday morning when a hired car pulled up in Hanwell to whisk me up to the Granada studios in Manchester to take part in Celebrity (!) University Challenge. Many are the things that you agree to months in advance and bitterly regret when the date comes round. The request had been superficially attractive. A team of four MPs would take on a team of four television journalists and the winner would play either a team of authors or actors. Some money would go to charity and a good day out was promised. The drive to Manchester was enlivened by a detailed discussion about golf – a passion of the driver’s. Now I don’t know one end of a golfing stick from the other and the only time I ever hit two good balls on the verdant greens of Brent Valley Golf Course was when I stepped on a rake. Time passed slowly on the road to the North West. All sixteen of us arrived at Granada and I was initially amazed to see a group of people in QPR home strip sitting round the table in the hospitality room. I was less surprised to see that they were emptying the drinks cabinet. Forcing my way through to the bar while a few drops remained I discovered that they were actually Greenock Morton FC supporters there with Iain Banks who was on the authors’ team. Martin Jarvis and Robert Powell of the actors’ team had made the same mistake which shows the impact of QPR on the national consciousness – even if they have got a near identical strip to the mighty Greenock Morton. I cannot reveal the results of the rounds but a clue may be given in that it was early doors for team politics. As West Ham were playing Man. City a few miles away I took my defeat in good heart – as did the Hammers a few hours later. The programme is to be shown over Christmas and I anticipate some friendly ribbing (not too painful, I hope) as the depths of our collective ignorance are revealed to a watching nation. I don’t feel too guilty about taking a rare Sunday off and hope that both of my readers will allow me the occasional foray into matters less serious. I look to the Olympian Editorial Board of the “Gazette” to tell me if I am straying too far from the heavy politics that I should be serving up every few weeks. Meanwhile, my sounding board of the Pitshanger Bookshop is on alert for consumer feedback – but I suspect that it may well be less than positive. |
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| Disclaimer | Copyright | Designed by Bassam Mahfouz. Promoted by Julian Bell, The Labour Party, Ruskin Hall, 16 Church Road, W3 8PP on behalf of Steve Pound MP |
