Luton gets ready for its close up
Newsnight is planning to do an outside broadcast from Luton tomorrow night, home of Margaret Moran, one of the Labour MPs shamed by the expenses scandal.
So imagine my surprise when a man called Chris Hall from Luton Council rang my producer to say: "I just want to make sure you're not portraying Luton in a bad light."
It seems astonishing in an age of tight spending in local government - mind you, there's always tight spending in local government - that councils have enough money to employ people to go out of their way to ring TV producers to get them not to say anything horrible about their towns.
Luton? A bad light? Wouldn't dream of it.
I'll be there tomorrow.
I'm Michael Crick, and I'm Newsnight's political editor. My guiding rule is that in any story there's usually something the politicians would prefer the world not to know. My job is to find that out. Follow me on
Comment number 1.
At 8th Apr 2010, Jericoa wrote:Michael,
The age of tight spending in local govertnment has not started yet, the poor guy is probably just trying to 'up his game' and increse his profile within the council by calling Newsnight producers in the hope that when the 'tight spending' does arrive... as it must, he wont be one of the army of bureucrats for the chop. You8 can be sure an e-mail of his discussion with NN producers will have already been circulated amongst all those that matter at Luton council.
He / she probably does not like the prospect of re-training to do something useful like cleaning the streets or repairing infrastructure or in fact.. anything that we we actually pay our council tax for .. those nice eastern europeans do all that dont they?
What a bonkers nation this has become.
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Comment number 2.
At 8th Apr 2010, Mark O Neill wrote:If I were you, I would have really wound the guy up by saying "yes we are planning a special Newsnight feature on Luton's prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers and gangsters, and examining how the problem has got worse under a Labour government. Would you care to comment?".
Listen out for the gasp and the body hitting the floor at the other end.
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Comment number 3.
At 8th Apr 2010, 1CaptainPeacock wrote:Michael
Ed Davey & Wayne Rooney. Separated at birth?
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Comment number 4.
At 9th Apr 2010, barry bosher wrote:Dear Michael Crick
I understand you are planning the program tonight, do I understand you are seeking comments on luton,
I have lived in Luton Since 2000 when I moved from East London.
I have found that Luton has got worse in the last 10 years, the town centre has got very bad with drinking problems,fighting,homeless, too many takeaway outlets, many empty buildings, crime, car racing in council carparks and too many shops selling cheap beer and cider.
all this has got worse since labour in power, luton council are happy to get money for small area projects but not address the main problems.
all the problems in luton south and north have been sorted out by local people and charities that have had there funding cut and there fund raising go down
the other problem that i have with the election, we have many people that are rising up on the racism card and i am very afraid that people like the bnp will take over both north and south luton, many people will not vote or vote for the main parties and people such as Esther Rantzen who does not know luton at will use it as a photo shoot, Ex bbc 3cr Steven Rhodes does know luton but he has no facebook or web page to keep the people aware what he is doing
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