Wednesday, 20 November 2024

A new voice

 




It was rewarding yesterday having tuned in to LBC to hear the measured tones and arguments of James Heappey instead of the hectoring tone of James O’Brien, a person who has over the years become a serious ‘self publicist’ and biting scourge to anyone who doesn’t follow his reasoning. O’ Brian’s intellectual and robust debating skills which attracted me in the early days as a passionate anti Brexit commentator who’s razor sharp interrogatory methods were a delight when he came up against those who favoured our leaving the EU. He put into words what I thought and condemned Nigal Farage ceaselessly. Unfortunately given his platform on the radio show he began to bully callers needlessly on a range of subjects and whilst I supported many of his views I felt he needlessly used his skills of oratory and debate to undermine the caller who maybe wrongly had formed an opposite view which needed to be heard.



O’Brian also developed the annoying habit of being a self publicist particularly since he began to write books. A self publicist is, in my view a particularly unattractive person especially so given his daily slot on LBC where he felt free to endlessly promote himself

James Heappey is a totally different character. He had been givenO’Brians slot for a day and whilst being a Tory he was a Tory with a human face as he reasoned with the callers in a way O’Brian would never do. Heappey an ex-army officer before becoming an MP was a product of Sandhurst which in its present incarnation seems to instil a thoughtful reasoned attitude, far from the caricature of a colonial blimp, he was one of a number ex army people who served as a Tory and reasoned their argument with facts.  I enjoyed his show and hope he gets another chance to illustrate that the Tories are not all bad “and who would ever have thought I would say that”.

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