Worth it for the Dappy from N-Dubz line…

The answer, as Brian grudgingly accepted, is nothing…

Video via @liarpoliticians

UPDATE: A photoshop sadly, but the right idea…

UPDATE II: At least we weren’t the only ones:

Lord Patten huffed and puffed as he told Tory MP Philip Davies that he was deluded if he thought he was “going to do a diary for you in order to satisfy some populist pursuit of somebody you didn’t want to run an organisation which you don’t want to exist, you are kidding yourself,” He then tried humour to hide the fact that he is a part time Chairman and struggling to justify the £110,000 of licence fee payers cash:

“I think it’s a thoroughly impertinent question. I think you’re entitled to know how much time I’m spending, I think you’re entitled to put down freedom of information requests for how many days I spend in the office, or how many days I spend doing other things. Do you want to know my toilet habits? What else do you want to know?”

Apparently asking about how BBC money is spent is “impertinent”.

The baiting-Tory wasn’t going to take it lying down though, telling Patten, “I know it’s difficult for you to refrain from being patronising’ and asking him to try at least shed some light on his ”grand title, which I’m sure would have appealed to you”. Miaow.

During his grilling at the CMS select committee this morning Chris Patten name-checked this month’s MediaGuido exclusive revealing his part time role at the BBC. Asked by LibDem Adrian Sanders how many days a week he was now working at the Beeb, Patten explained:

“I think about eight. There was an FoI from the Guido Fawkes blog that showed I was in the office around three days a week for the first half of the year, and that more recently it has been four days a week”. 

The FOI actually showed that during the first six months of the year Patten turned up to Great Portland Street even less than that: on average between two and three days a week, working on BBC business on an unspecified number of other days:

His work load has understandably increased over the last few months, but not out of choice. It’s having a knock on effect on his other  jobs though, with Oxford students accusing Patten of abandoning his duties as their Chancellor.

Who says Paxo isn’t the shining light of optimism that spreads cheer across the nation…

Following Guido’s revelation earlier that Labour are diverting resources north to shore up their struggling Rotherham campaign, it now appears the wheels are really coming off. BBC Sheffield is reporting that their candidate has pulled out of tonight’s hustings.

Their correspondent James Vincent says Labour claim this has nothing to do with the council mess.

Of course not…

“Never underestimate the determination of a quiet man”.

Or rather never underestimate the power of the last word…

Am hearing that Tony Hall, chief exec Royal Opera House, has been appointed as new DG of BBC. Announcement soon—
Robert Peston (@Peston) November 22, 2012

It looks like Michael Gove will have to wait a little longer to see his dream of a conprehensive educated, female DG. It’s Tony Hall, or Baron Hall of Birkenhead to his friends.

Developing…

UPDATE: BBC have confirmed.

This afternoon Tory MP Alun Cairns will ask the House “that leave be given to bring in a Bill to require the British Broadcasting Corporation to publish all invoices for amounts in excess of £500 each quarter; to allow unrestricted access to the Corporation’s accounts by the National Audit Office; and for connected purposes”. The Beeb have been busy pre-emptively briefing ahead of the Ten Minute Rule Bill. Here is the briefing document in full:

That’s a no then…