Jeremy Paxman outs himself as a one-nation Tory

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ory-heart.html

Jeremy Paxman: Newsnight is made by 13-year-olds (and I’m probably a one-nation Tory at heart)

- 64-year-old made the comments during talk at Chalke Valley History Festival
- He told the crowd: 'To be frank, I suppose I am a one-nation Tory, yes'
- Said his former colleagues were on a 'fool's errand' trying to change world
- Paxman left the BBC earlier this month after 25 years presenting Newsnight

The former presenter of Newsnight, said his right-leaning politics as a 'one-nation Tory' clashed with his idealistic young colleagues who were on a 'fool's errand' trying to change the world

Veteren broadcaster Jeremy Paxman has criticised Newsnight just weeks after retiring from the flagship show, claiming it is made by a bunch of '13-year-olds' who were on a 'fool's errand' trying to change the world.

The 64-year-old also admitted his politics as a 'one-nation Tory' clashed with the idealistic ideas of his former young colleagues.

Speaking at the Chalke Valley History Festival about his new book, he said: 'Look, Newsnight is made by 13-year-olds.

'It’s perfectly normal when you’re young that you want to change the world.

'The older you get, the more you realise what a fool’s errand much of that is and that the thing to do is to manage the best you can to the advantage of as many people as possible.'

According to the Telegraph, the University Challenge presenter made the comments after taking questions from the crowd after speaking about his book on the First World War, Great Britain's Great War.

One audience member asked whether London Mayor Boris Johnson’s description of Paxman during the last Newsnight show - which showed the pair riding tandem through London together - as the 'last one-nation Conservative in the BBC' was accurate.

Paxman avoided directly answering whether this was the case, saying: 'If I had to ... are there any members of the press here? I think I’ll plead the fifth on that one'.

But he later added: ‘To be frank, I suppose I am a one-nation Tory, yes.'

During the event, Paxman shed light on his political views, saying he was 'in favour of governments getting out of people’s lives, particularly foreign government'.

He said that Europe had been 'nothing but trouble for us' and joked that Belgium was a 'pointless little country'.

'The closer you can take decision-making to the people affected by those decisions, the better,' he said.

The comments are unusual for Paxman who had to remain neutral during his 25 years fronting the BBC's famed politics show.

The journalist, known for his abrasive questioning style, also admitted that he 'seriously considered' quitting the show after the Jimmy Savile and Lord McAlpine scandals.

He conceded that there were 'several individual bad decisions' and that 'loyalty commanded that I stayed'.

Newsnight has been revamped under former Guardian deputy editor Ian Katz, who was appointed the new editor in May 2013.

Over the past year, there have been accusations that the show - which infamously featured Kirsty Wark dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller last year - is being dumbed down.

Paxman, whose BBC biography says he got his break in broadcasting 'making the tea at Radio Brighton', has spent his working life with the corporation.

His career includes a stint covering the troubles in Northern Ireland and working as a presenter on radio, breakfast TV and the Six O'Clock News before finding the show he made his own.

The Leeds-born broadcaster, who studied at Cambridge University, is the author of a string of books including studies of Victorian Britain, politics and fishing.

Interesting and rather surprising really given his earlier days on the left side of politics (at least, that is what my impresson was when he was discussing what he used to think of the Monarchy as a youngster) and I agree with much of what he has said despite the fact that I wouldn't describe myself as a one-nation Tory, but I am certainly a Tory or High Tory in many respects.

It'd be interesting to find out what David Dimbleby thinks, once he retires of course.

Thoughts?

[Chippiewill]

I really wish you wouldn't post dailymail articles. They're so poorly written, creating drama where there is none.

[Sian]

kind of surprised by that. I wish he wasnt a tory dude