Mrs Beckett said the problem with the proposed TV debates was that they were “geared to an American-style election” and would focus attention on the individuals rather than the political parties.
Tory chairman Michael Ancram dismissed Mr Blair’s decision not participate in the joint BBC and ITV plan for two debates involving the three main party leaders because he was in a “blue funk”.
He said: “Two weeks ago Tony Blair was telling us he was in favour of these debates in principle.
“I think he was at that time, because we had put forward alternative proposals we might turn down the BBC and ITV's offer.”
He said the prime minister had been “caught in a corner”.
“We have said yes, (Liberal Democrat leader Charles) Kennedy has said yes, BBC and ITV said yes and he eventually had to admit he was frightened and say no.”
Earlier, Mr Hague said Mr Blair’s stance showed the prime minister was “a real chicken” who did not dare face the debate “because he knows that without his spin doctors he’d lose”.
- Blair’s ‘blue funk’ over TV debate, BBC.co.uk, January 18, 2001.
2. The unemployment report for August released Friday shows that the job market remains in a deep funk – but also contains some better economic news than expected, suggesting that a double-dip recession may not be inevitable.
The unemployment rate climbed slightly to 9.6 percent and 54,000 total jobs were lost last month for the second consecutive month, much due to the loss of government jobs. But there was some good news amid that dreary data. Private payrolls increased by 67,000 jobs – that’s about 20,000 to 30,000 better than expected, depending on whose forecasts you read - and revisions to the June and July reports were also better than expected.
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