Zac Goldsmith goes head-to-head with Jon Snow (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)
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Zac Goldsmith goes head-to-head with Channel 4 News' Jon Snow over claim he broke election spending rules
4:32pm Friday 16th July 2010 in News By Christine Fleming
Showdown: Zac Goldsmith will be interviewed live on Channel 4 News tonight
Zac Goldsmith will tonight take on Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow in response to a report that questioned his spending during the election.
The report, aired last night, accused Richmond Park's MP of failing to account for money spent on his election campaign and claimed that an investigation by the Channel 4 News team and Bureau of Investigative Journalism had unearthed discrepancies in Mr Goldsmith's campaign spending.
Mr Goldsmith denied any wrongdoing and stated on his blog that Channel 4 had refused his right to reply to accusations and had not responded to his offer to film a live interview where he was willing to address the issues.
He wrote that he was "hoping to be able to tackle Jon Snow" after "Channel 4 refused [him] a right to reply" yesterday and maintained that the report itself was nonsense on every level.
A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said: "We informed Zac Goldsmith of our investigation last week, and he had ample opportunity to respond publicly to the important questions we put to him.
"We are delighted that he will be appearing on the programme tonight to do so."
In the report Mr Goldsmith was accused of exceeding the £11,003 limit on candidate spending during the 23 days between the dissolution of Parliament and the May 6 election.
Questions were raised about the amount that was spent on items like leaflets, signs and campaign jackets after some items were credited to different campaigns and some items ordered were allegedly not used.
Westminster watchdog the Electoral Commission confirmed it had received a dossier raising questions about campaign spending by the multi-millionaire Conservative MP.
An assessment now has to be completed before a decision will be taken over whether it is a case requiring an inquiry.
Mr Goldsmith insisted that investigations would find nothing out of order and wrote on his blog that the "formula we used is precisely the formula used by every candidate and MP across the land".
A Channel 4 News statement said: "Channel 4 News stands fully behind its report which was rigorously researched. The investigation into campaign spending continues."
Mr Snow's live interview with the MP will be aired on Channel 4 News tonight at 7pm.
Comments(18)
jaic
says...
8:23pm Fri 16 Jul 10
Obviously John Snow has some hidden (personal or political?) agenda that is completely inappropriate given that John Snow has absolutely no public mandate to govern (mercifully we still need elections for that!) nor professional mandate to judge (decades of jurisprudence required!) . Only to ask and LISTEN WITHOUT INTERRUPTING !!! The experience made me switch off Channel 4 which has always been my favourite UK channel.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and we must all do our bit to defend free speech against the media moguls.
By the way well done YourLocalGuardian for making it such a great online journal.
John Sheppard Capurro
CEng MBCS
Elizabeth Taylor
says...
11:04pm Fri 16 Jul 10
What actually should be investigated is this new and mysterious Bureau for Investigative Journalism (never heard of it) -- pretentious and vaguely sinister sounding title.(like Robespierre's 'Committee of Public Safety' whose main remit was sending aristos to the guillotine). Is it a front organisation? Or the special creation of Antony Barnett (who is probably a current or ex-local Richmond resident hopping mad that the Tories had the temerity to win?) Whatever the answer, Barnett now made himself (almost) as famous as Zac. Great career move, Antony. Now tell us more about yourself and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which I'm sure you won't mind being investigated.
RiverLover
says...
7:54am Sat 17 Jul 10
ChrisSquire
says...
3:24pm Sat 17 Jul 10
He won awards for breaking the Hinduja passport affair which led to Peter Mandelson’s second resignation and masterminding the paper’s lobbygate expose that first brought the activities of New Labour lobbyists like Derek Draper to public attention. Among his many other scoops, Barnett was the first journalist to reveal Mark Thatcher’s role in the failed plot to overthrow the Equatorial Guinea government.
The Bureau is at: http://thebureauinve
stigates.com/ ; it was officially launched on 26th April 2010 and is the first of its kind in the UK; it aims to bolster original journalism by producing high-quality investigations for national and international press and broadcast media.
Phillip Taylor
says...
5:54pm Sat 17 Jul 10
I must say that I feel the Zac story is really not in the same league as some of their other investigations.
I cannot really see the same content in a few minor unfounded and offensive allegations about election costs concerning Zac with the activities of either Peter Mandleson or Derek Draper...or even matters in the Equitorial Guinea plot.
It's a pity that Mr Barnett has nailed his criticism colours to the Zac mast when there are plenty of issues he could spend his time on such as the stoning events in Iran or any form of democracy in Burma or Korea.
Surely you would agree, Chris Squire, that there needs to be some perspective here... or is the bureau just the provisional wing of the Real LibDems who hate coalition as the dates given could infer that is the actual reason for this Guardian inspired enterprise (as the Guardian now supports the LibDems)?
Phillip Taylor
MacGregor
says...
6:35pm Sat 17 Jul 10
Jon Snow behaved in such a boorish way to Zac Goldsmith it was almost like watching a re-run of the campaign hustings where Lib Dem Susan Kramer fought a vicious smear campaign against him.
Jon Snow’s politics – in his own words – are: I’m still a pinko-liberal.” This was quoted in a June 2010 “Daily Telegraph” article – here: http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/relationships
/7856427/Jon-Snow-ma
rried-in-Mustique.ht
ml
And the Soviet-sounding Bureau of Investigative Journalism is backed by a Labour donor.
Phillip Taylor
says...
7:25pm Sat 17 Jul 10
"HIGHLY POLITICAL ATTACK ON ZAC"
I would have thought the attack on Zac was 'highly political' as Ms Kramer has not even been mentioned- so no balance there, then (complete silence from her, like Gordon 'McCavity' Brown).
LIBERALS ALWAYS OVERSPEND (APPARENTLY)
Yet everyone know the Liberals have overspent here in Richmond borough for years with their massive leaflet drops. That's how they won so often in the 1980s and 1990s with, allegedly, next to nothing being stated as costs for 'publicity'..... according to some people!
Phillip Taylor
ChrisSquire
says...
8:15pm Sat 17 Jul 10
C4 News has stated: “We refute any suggestion that Zac Goldsmith was targeted simply because he is a high-profile figure. The questions we have raised relating to his expenses are entirely legitimate. The issues we found regarding Mr Goldsmith’s campaign expenses are materially different and of a different scale to those found in other returns we looked at. C4 News stands fully behind its report, which was rigorously researched. The investigation into campaign spending continues.”
His over-the-top reaction to what is in fact a routine piece of journalism suggests that he realises he is deep trouble and knew that his return would not stand up to scrutiny. The real test is not its compliance with the law (which is deliberately vage) but how it is viewed by a Kingston jury invited to judge its fairness.I think he would be in some difficulty, as he would inevitably make a complete **** of himself in the witness box as he did on C4.
MacGregor
says...
8:58pm Sat 17 Jul 10
nt.co.uk/news/uk/pol
itics/tory-campaign-
funding-twice-that-o
f-labours-751467.htm
l
Moreover, in July 2009, the Guardian reported: “Independent investigative journalism in Britain has just got a terrific boost. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has been given a £2m grant by the Potter charity foundation.” More here: http://www.guardian.
co.uk/media/greensla
de/2009/jul/17/inves
tigative-journalism-
cityuniversity
When Lib Dem activist Chris Squire refers to “a routine piece of journalism” which he then likens to being “in the witness box” – he has accidentally hit the nail on the proverbial head. Jon Snow is a journalist not a prosecuting barrister despite him trying to conduct Zac Goldsmith’s interview as if he was in a court of law!
ChrisSquire
says...
9:18pm Sat 17 Jul 10
Phillip Taylor
says...
9:55pm Sat 17 Jul 10
LIBDEM VOICE
Just look at this link written by Stephen Tall yesterday:
http://www.libdemvoi
ce.org/have-you-seen
-zac-goldsmiths-chan
nel-4-news-carcrash-
interview-yet-20326.
html
MRS KRAMER'S EXPENSES
Why is Mrs Kramer silent on this matter, Chris, if your own LibDem people are reating in such a way? Is she calling for the MP to resign, then?
Surely what you want to achieve with this nasty attack on Zac is to replace him with Mrs Kramer, your own candidate who lost. Referring to Kingston Crown Court does not help your cause in any way either as you are just threatening our newly elected MP because your candidate lost and you want to find some backdoor method of getting another seat in the Commons. It is pathetic!
LOCAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS
If what you are peddling is correct, Chris, I assume the Liberals want a re-run of the borough elections too as it seems to me your party is attacking not just Goldsmith but all the candidates who stood in both the Richmond and kingston parts of the Richmond Park constituency as the posters used refer to both Zac and the Tory candidates as Conservative Party candidates and it is quite clear that they do because of the wording.
Why don't the Liberals come clean and tell us what your real aim is by sponsoring this one sided story funded by Potter (thanks MacGregor) whilst remaining silent about Mrs Kramer's part in the election?
Phillip Taylor
MacGregor
says...
10:31pm Sat 17 Jul 10
Zac Goldsmith was certainly at the receiving end of a vicious smear campaign conducted by the local Lib Dems. Even Twickenham’s Lib Dem MP Vincent Cable waded in, and wrote a letter to Susan Kramer’s constituents urging them to vote for her – whilst attacking Zac. I met many people in Richmond Park who told me that letter from Cable determined them to vote for Zac.
Moreover, using Chris Squire’s evaluation, the electorate of Richmond borough are also “temperamentally unsuited to the rough and tumble of politics” because anybody who protested at the former Robber Barons of Richmond’s plan to concrete over part of Twickenham Riverside with luxury housing was branded “liars”. No wonder the Lib Dems lost Richmond Park constituency, and were booted off the council – including their leader Serge Lourie losing his seat.
Noddy14
says...
10:38pm Sat 17 Jul 10
Peter N
says...
12:30am Sun 18 Jul 10
alex twickenham
says...
6:26pm Sun 18 Jul 10
I listened to a repeat of the Jon Snow/Zac Goldsmith interview early this morning on Five live - I don't think that Zac did particularly well but wasn't surprised given the McCarthy like grilling he was exposed to. Having listened to and met him, he is a refreshing change, and. as yet, ill advised as to how to handle this sort of bullying interview. If anyone is in any doubt they should google McCarthy's intimidatory grilling of so-called "commies" and judge for themselves. Is that the way interviews should be conducted in our new liberal society? I have always had a high regard for Jon Snow, so I hope that his halo isn't slipping as fast as that of our MP, Vince Cable. Now that he's got a sniff of undeserved power, he has already shown his true colours as a hard left redistributive politician. Thank goodness there are checks and balances in this unlikely coalition to restrain his ideology - who remembers that he and most of his LibDem colleagues are ex SDP without a hint of Liberalism in their genes.
Alex
lucullus
says...
2:48pm Wed 21 Jul 10
Frankly, I'm sure MPs from all parties push these rules in one way or another - it would hardly be a surprise that some part of British politics needs a root and branch reform, would it?
ChrisSquire
says...
3:01pm Wed 21 Jul 10
His defence is at: http://www.zacgoldsm
ith.com/default.asp?
contentID=85
Phillip Taylor says...
7:55pm Fri 16 Jul 10
It was a slanging match and Snow would not let Zac get a word in. Snow also did not apologise for failing to allow Zac to make any points in the one sided report by Antony Barnett shown in yesterday's show.
Zac Goldsmith had his expenses checked. I support him 100% over the formula used for both the Parliamentary candidate and the local candidates expenses... otherwise every candidate should have to re-run the elections as everyone uses the same formula.
POSTERS & MACS
The posters were for all candidates in the electiosn, and the blue macs were the property of the Richmond Conservatives so Zac only needed to include the badge expenses which he did properly.
Throughout the interview, Jon Snow was a disgrace - he is setting out a left wing political agenda full of sour grapes because Labour lost power. Channel 4 should be reported to the communications watchdog for this blatant political bias personalised against only Zac Goldsmith MP.
Phillip Taylor