Everybody is saying they won’t go on Press TV now and Hopi Sen has a cryptic reference to Guido’s appearance on the Iranian regime funded Press TV channel.

Guido had a bit of a laugh with Press TV:  was invited to spar on a debate show hosted by Nick Ferrari with a Labour baroness (can’t remember her name) and Anne McElvoy over regulating blogging. Guido managed to accuse the baroness of wanting it to be like in Iran where they throw bloggers in jail.  Did my best a few times to correctly pronounce the names of Iranian bloggers in Iranian jails (information courtesy of Index on Censorship)

Also tried to get the producers to make out the appearance fee cheque to the Conservative Friends of Israel – which they refused to do.  Here is something that should worry the mullahs putting up the money for the station – the young hip, producers hate you.  According to Guido’s intern/spy who was sitting in the production gallery they were genuinely laughing about the launch of a televised tirade against Iranian tyranny on their station.  Not sure if it got censored for broadcast.  Should say that the chat show host Nick Ferrari didn’t blink either, suspect he was amused as well.

Guido got the impression that the young producers who control the station had basically blagged the money off the regime using family connections to set up a station.  They weren’t that interested in pumping out propaganda – though no doubt they have to make efforts to keep the paymasters happy.  In any event the appearance fee ended up in Index on Censorship’s account…