Phil Harding

Journalist. broadcaster, active citizen. Media commentator. Conference chair & interviewer. Close interest in the media and politics. Close interest in QPR.

[Phil Harding @philharding]

@PolitlcsUK @kateferguson4 Of course they are ‘thinking’ about it. Along with a lot of other things. Negligent not to. But that is a million miles from it being a serious option

[Phil Harding @philharding]

@MichaelLCrick I agree. Who at Ch 4 thought this prog was a good idea in the first place? Why did no one say hang on a minute?

[Phil Harding @philharding]

@rogermosey The vibes i’m getting are that the BBC will be asked to muddle through on the current funding model with no extra money. Too much Treasury opposition to anything else. WS might get moved to FCDO

[Stewart Wood @StewartWood]

Harold Wilson repeatedly refused LBJ’s request for UK troops to be sent to Vietnam, one of the most important foreign policy decisions made by any postwar UK Prime Minister. The relationship between the two became strained. I wonder how many people now think Wilson got it wrong.

[David Yelland @davidyelland]

'Fleet Street' is running hatchet jobs on me, so it seems. Fair dos. Every error I made at The Sun is piled in - I took responsibility years ago for my errors - but what about the decency I bought to the paper? Also: if they are going to call me an alcoholic, please also give me the credit for 20 years of continuous recovery both from my addiction and from the toxicity I escaped. Today is day 7,419. Thank God I got out. 💕🙏

[ALASTAIR CAMPBELL @campbellclaret]

Robbie Gibb should never have been appointed in the first place and he should not stay a day longer

[Phil Harding @philharding]

Glad to see the VLV adding its voice to this debate. Important to stand up for a strong and independent BBC. Too many enemies out there. In the last few weeks it has looked like a concerted campaign. The Telegraph and the Times have been running several anti-BBC stories every day

[The Voice of the Listener and Viewer (VLV) @vlvuk]

Jane Martinson is bang on, it's "a political campaign against the BBC that could act as a textbook example of how to confuse and undermine the kind of journalism that is, at the very least, aiming for impartiality in a sea of spin and distortion".

[Phil Harding @philharding]

@davidyelland The Telegraph and Boris Johnson don’t believe a publicly funded BBC should exist that’s what’s going on. They will pick up any stick they can find to beat the Beeb.

[Private Eye Magazine @PrivateEyeNews]

Minority representation on TV causes outrage

From the new Private Eye, in shops now.

[James Kanagasooriam @JamesKanag]

Time for MRPs to be reported with more caution 3/4 yrs out from an election. Result closer to constituency polling - but still 10% off for Plaid.

We’ve gone back to consuming polls as gospel only a year on from Labour lead being grossly overstated & seat forecasts 50 seats out

[Phil Harding @philharding]

A richly deserved award for an outstanding journalist.

[Shirin Wheeler @shirinwheelerEU]

Wonderful that the #CharlesWheelerAward goes to @BBCSteveR .
And so happy to award it to him last night with my sister Marina. Steve’s an outstanding, brave, modest journalist - calm and deeply committed to telling the story. If Charles were here he’d approve!
@JournoCharity 🙏

[Ian McCullough @IanMac08]

Truly great night at the George in Chiswick - magnificent hosting from @Stokesie some brilliant, previously unheard tales from @kevingallen10 @marcbircham Lee Cook and the mighty Martin Rowlands- even met a marvellous QPR obsessed Hollywood-type in @robsprackling - you R’ss

[Phil Harding @philharding]

RT @lewis_goodall: So much of the commentary on Palestine today without much sense of the deep history. No this is unlikely to make much or…

[Ben Page @Benpagelondon]

Sir Robert Worcester, legendary pollster and founder of MORI (now Ipsos UK) has died at 91. He taught so many people so much about the value and importance of opinion polls in modern democracies - everyone in our industry and politics owes him a debt of gratitude.

[Phil Harding @philharding]

Please pass this on to everyone you know. Gordon Brown is right it’s time to tax the bookies.

[Gordon Brown @GordonBrown]

Time to tax the highly profitable gambling industry to pay for action on child poverty.

Gambling will not build a Britain for the future but children free of poverty will.

https://t.co/Foqzx47yza

[Phil Harding @philharding]

Could it be that we in the media by incessantly reporting on crime give the public the impression that there is far more street crime than there is?

[Fraser Nelson @FraserNelson]

Do you feel safe walking the street after dark where you live?

Every two years the European Social Survey has been asking this question across the continent. Latest results:-

[Caroline Lucas @CarolineLucas]

Why are we commemorating Hiroshima’s 80th anniversary with new nuclear weapons? And why is the Govt backing a glossy PR campaign to persuade us we need nukes whilst also trying to block inquiry into the impacts of nuclear war?
Me for @IndyVoices @CNDuk
https://t.co/RXAkBpjkVV

[Phil Harding @philharding]

@Ockerbird @PWLHitFactory @officialcharts @SAW_MUSIC @DaveFord1 @SoniaevansSonia @sinittaofficial @JDonOfficial @kylieminogue @OAODonnaSummer @VivaBananarama @SabrinaSalerno Unfortunately I am not the music Phil Harding. I am the journalist one.

[Phil Harding @philharding]

@lewis_goodall Agree. The editorial priorities of the website are sometimes awful. Terrible advert for the BBC. Needs sorting

[ALASTAIR CAMPBELL @campbellclaret]

Around 400 Palestinians, including dozens of children, have been killed while trying to get humanitarian assistance. I don’t recall these incidents (including this weekend) leading many papers or news bulletins. Are we really saying a few chants from a couple of musicians is more newsworthy or important? We have lost our bearings …