Tonight I broke a few TV habits to watch First Time Voters Question Time: I watched a TV programme live rather than on iPlayer or V+, I watched a political programme, and I watched something on BBC Three – all things I don’t really do very often these days.  I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the ‘real’ Question Time.  Maybe Dimbleby should move on and let O’Leary have a go?Not sure what Jamelia was doing on there though.  I do like Jamelia.  Her music is not my cup of tea but she seems a lot more grounded than most singers in her position.  I do wonder why they put here on the panel though – if anything she belonged in the audience.  Isn’t the panel supposed to be ‘experts’?  You don’t need somebody who by their own admission knows nothing about politics, isn’t interested in it and has never voted.  Yes it is a common state and needs to be represented, but that is why they had a couple of hundred people who had never voted in the audience.

Like I said, I do like Jamelia, but I couldn’t believe she thought Margaret Thatcher was on the side of the working class. Mind you, she was not even nine years old when Thatcher left office so maybe she can be excused that one, but she should stick to Buzzcocks in the future.

I did like David Lammy’s point about the Westminster village though.  I think he is right that parliament often seems to be speaking to itself rather to the general public.  With all the arcane and archaic rituals and protocols there it really is exclusive, in the sense that it excludes everybody else.  It really could do with being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.  Even getting it into the 20th Century would be a start: ditching things like robes, wigs, men in tights, and impenetrable forms of address would help.

My favourite comment had to be Rory Bremner’s one about the Tories and Lib Dems insisting that the leaders’ debates are not broadcast in 3D because their leaders are only two-dimensional.

What about Rory though?   He did touch on the difficulty of his job doing impressions when politicans have less personality, but there are other problems for him.  The increasing number of black, asian and female MPs really doesn’t help him and then there is the age thing…   the show featured three MPs he would have a real problem impersonating.

After the next election I think Bremner is going to have to rely a lot more on his cricket commentator impersonations.