The famous Paxman-Michael Howard interview - Newsnight archives (1997)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2015
- In which Jeremy Paxman grills former Home Secretary Michael Howard - asking him the same question 12 times. "Did you threaten to overrule him?" First broadcast on 13 May 1997. This is part of our Newsnight Archives series - each Thursday we’re uploading gems from the past. Let us know what you’d like to see in the comments below or on Twitter using #newsnightarchives * SUBSCRIBE to get our latest videos bbc.in/1iouM30 *
I think its safe to say he threatened to overrule him
Hey now, he said he’s never afraid to take responsibility for tough decisions. Except for answering a simple fucking question.
WHAT????? THAT'S INSANE! Point out exactly where he said that or else you are insane!!!!
You may think that, I of course couldn't possibly comment.
He took advice
He did not overrule Derek Lewis. He took advice and expressed his opinion, as he was entitled to do, and did not instruct him.
I reckon he did threaten to overrule him.
Yes, I do too.
I have a feeling you may be right.
No, did he threaten to over ruuuule him?
*No, he was entitled to express an opinion, he was not entitled to instruct Derek Lewis what to do and he did not instruct.*
I think maybe he said he would see if he had the authority to overrule him, then after consulting someone, discovered that he did not have that authority. Its splitting hairs examining the exact words of a conversation that was obviously heated.
"I gave him the benefit of my opinion in a strong language " is the British way of saying I have threatened someone.
Absolutely! Just like when they say "we had robust discussions" = a full-on shouting match
Howard is a machine. Being asked the same question 12 times and still managing to avoid answering it. That’s impressive 😂
A lean mean lying machine lol
@ Josh Price you are a fool and a communist
If you look, he doesn't break eye contact and his tone is very confident. A very smooth politician in that regard.
He still seems thoroughly honest compared to Boris and his cronies
The Rocky Marciano of political double talk
I miss Paxman on Newsnight.
He's the only interviewer I can recall, who was brave enough to keep insisting on an answer from a politician - to the extent that it became funny to watch.
Which is why decades later, I still remember this interview!
You must be too young to remember the late, great Robin Day. You should check out his interview with John Nott - the then Secretary of State for Defence during the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands and subsequent Falklands War, it was priceless!
It's a legendary interview. No one forgets this.
I like the bit where he asked if he threatened to overrule him.
This is such a great interview - Michael Howard clearly threatened to overrule him, but he is also right that the fact he did isn’t hugely relevant to the overall point being made.
Paxman at his best, Howard also at his best.
Yep, two heavyweights in a contest that ended in a draw.
Politics at its worst.
A highly intelligent politician and a decent interviewer. Already, it's as though we are looking at something from a long vanished era.
No such thing as a decent politician, they're all liars and evil.
100% agree. If it was a politician from today's government being interviewed, they'd just lie to get out of it. Howard ducked and dived so he could avoid telling a lie. There used to be some honour amongst thieves!
That's part of what makes this interview so legendary - but it's also that Paxman is so persistent in trying to get the answer he wants, it leaves viewers thinking that they both knew the truth, both of them knew that each other knew the truth and Paxman is trying to get Howard to admit the truth or at least tell an outright lie that he could be beaten with.
In many ways, it's a great shame that this was chalked up as a Howard loss (he didn't lie, he didn't dodge, bluster or answer a question of his own invention), as it's a masterclass of political answering - but because it was perceived as a loss, every other politician watched and learned "Don't engage, don't take a fighting stance, don't try to talk your way out - dodge, bluster, blur the facts, muddy the waters, disrespect the interviewer and their art until they're too exasperated to chase you for a straight answer or the director calls time."
@@smokerjim That's dodging you have described. Snake politician.
@@2malachi I'd prefer to have politicians like Corbyn or Sanders in America, but if we have to suffer from Tories (suffer being the operative word), I'd rather have the likes of Major or Howard than out and out spivs like Johnson, Truss or Sunak
This is literally what Michael Howard is now remembered for in his entire career
And the fact that Boris refused to tell him who he had been doin ..
When your wife asks for your passcode.
When you ask your wife for sex on a day that isn't your birthday.
Did she threaten to overrule you?
@@springydingy1
She took advice.
@@fds7476 But you haven’t answered whether she threatened to overrule you, did she threaten to overrule you?
🤣🤣🤣
Whenever an MP says 'Let me be clear' means let me tell you my version of what I want you to believe.
The other version is when they start the sentence with, "Look,..."
Right on. It make me wonder if there's some secret school where would-be politicos go for training
in how to answer (or evade anaswering) difficult questions.
@@songsmith31a They definitely have what is called 'media training'.
Yes, it's also a means of prolonging a non answer to waste air time, and gives themselves a few more seconds to think of something else if necessary.
That is EXACTLY what a great interviewer is supposed to do when the interviewee dodges a question! well done !!!!
Paxman was playing for time. He's since said he had the controller in his ear telling him to stretch it out.
@@tucky1878 Controller? What?
@@ianoliver3879 The BBC TV producer. Paxman was NOT being a clever interviewer, just doing what he was told to do.
Well done my ass. He didnt get an answer from him.
I’m not sure he dodged anything to be honest. Giving an unfavourable answer isn’t dodging the question
If i am ever sad I just watch this interview.
Hello! I love this interview but I wanted to ask, one year later, if your okay and you feel a bit happier now? 😄
I reach for some flavored gin, but whatever works for you.
Paxman “Did you threaten to over-rule him?”
Howard “YES I F&CKING WELL DID!!”
He's like an Oblivion NPC. I keep waiting for him to say "By Azura!" but he never quite gets there.
I used to threaten to overrule him, until I took an arrow to the knee.
"I saw a mudcrab today"
IS THIS TRUE!?
He was asked again years later, and answered "No, Jeremy, I didn't. But feel free to ask me another 11 times."
Would you like a coffee, Mr Howard? "Well I would rather say that I would prefer a bean enhanced Brazilian sourced beverage".
@@davidmansell5986 I took advice, on what beverages were available.
@@MarkusAldawn do JV Cuckoo
If he has just said that in the interview, then Jeremy wouldn't have needed to ask another 11 times.
@@mahfuzurchowdhury2765 Indeed, Jeremy declined the offer.
i have no idea what this is even about, but the refrain 'did you threaten to overall him' will be lodged in my brain forever
Paxman is so good he could've been a policeman interviewing criminals. Nothing escapes him.
I must have seen this in excess of 500 times over the years and never loses its funniness 😂😂
Around once every 2 weeks.
Have you ever lied in a public statement, 'CERTAINLY NOT', that was a lie right there
But that's the problem with asking a liar that question. They'd lie.
@@davidjames579 how do you know the questioner has never lied ? Conflict there I think.
The way he replied was totally unnatural. You could have parked a bus in the gap between certainly and not.
@@francishunt562 You don't. But Michael Howard is the subject of the interview.
Where has this quality of political interview gone, this is exactly what we need now, if the BBC had not been strangled into silence by the threat of financial starvation we would still have it, the situation in which we find ourselves now is both deeply disturbing and very depressing, we have a right to hear and see our so called political masters held to account, without close and incisive interrogation of our elected politicians there is little hope of sustaining free and fair democracy, Paxman was a joy to listen too, no messing, answer the question
Paxman was as bad as the willy-waving Tories he pretended to grill
Never gets old.
Its The Same Ol Thing.
@@alfching2499 true, politicians are expert at avoiding answering questions. It pains me to say, but Howard is a master.
We should all have a personal Paxman- calling us out on our bullshit
Yeah too true
We should also be like Howard, and refuse to be bullied.
You can tell a "yes" from a politician if they dance around the subject and say everything but "yes" and "no". They dont want to look foolish, but at the same time dont want to be seen as lying.
Quite right. You can always tell when a Politician is lying, Their lips are moving!
They talk like this about everything though. The point is when they lie it doesnt stand out unlike in this circumstance where there is a GigaChad interviewing him.
You could ask him "do you like chocolate cake?" And even though the benign answer would be yes, they would be sayin shit like "I think the bakery is doing great things and I wish them success"
@Damien Montero Thats why hed be so vague in the first place. Regardless of whats true, he will never directly lie so that he doesnt have to keep track to what he admitted to. You have to remember public figures are intentionally questioned incessantly in order to coax sensational things out of them, lies included.
quite literally the embodiment of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object
I like the fact they’re both sort of laughing when they keep asking the same question
I wish Paxman was still interviewing politicians, would love to see him grill the bunch of clowns in the government nowadays.
They wouldn't turn up. They're too cowardly to subject themselves to an interviewer like Paxman.
I wish he's doing to Boris Johnson over his lies and mishandling on his own actions during our pandemic.
My teacher showed this to us like 4 years ago and now I found it again and reminded of how funny this is
Did you go to a Tory debating school?
@@bobsmith3291 eh no idk what that is or if you’re joking or smth but 😂
@@cosimocubing3820 did you watch it in a private Tory school?
@@bobsmith3291 no
Is the teacher who showed it to you still working there?
I wonder how many people have asked Michael Howard if he threatened to overrule him.
Hopefully everyone in the last 20 years.
He doesn't give a flying fu*k who asked him. Nice MP pension to keep him on the gravy train.
@@HowDidIGet3700Subs I see him a lot in Pimlico when I’m walking my dog. I need to remember to shout it out next time for a laugh.
@@mrlotusmic good idea. message me here next time & i'll pop there to do the same- around the corner in chelsea.
2:30 “Can you help us with this then?” Great opening to the question.
25 years later we are still waiting for an answer.
Paxman: sorry Mr Howard I’m going to be frieghtfully rude....did you over rule him?.... lol luv it...
"I did not overrule Mr Lewis." (Actually answers this question, which is not whether he threatened to overrule him.)
@@andymerrett I know, the comment above phrases the question as "did you over rule him?"; that question, the one in the comment, is answered by Mr Howard's response.
This was Paxman in his prime, he was formidable.
“Did you threaten to kick him in the face?”
“I did not kick him in the face.”
What he said indirectly was that he used strong language meaning he did threaten it, but ultimately did not over rule because he had no power to.
25 years ago today
To summarise; he threatened to overrule him.
The beginning of non answering as an art form
Michael Howard is obviously a very honest person, whom you can trust with your life. 😏
Small print: As long as your name is Micheal Howard.
Once a Tory parasite, always a Tory parasite. 🪱
Ann widdecombe said about Michael Howard "There is something of the night about him" One of the best put downs ever!
He's a vampire? Or did she mean Knight?
Creepy man.
There is something of the night about Widdecombe herself, and something of the shrew as well
@@FlyingDutchman19801 Lol
As Tory leader, there was certainly something of the sh1te about him. He was better than IDS though, as he is a person with a functioning brain, even though he's a Thatcherite Tory.
4:30 is the moment Paxman knows he’s hit the jackpot. 😂
Pure interview gold.
Bronze plate.
Rumor has it Michael Howard threatened to overrule him
What a gem. 😂 Brilliant from both sides !
It’s not brilliant by Howard - just another slimy politician who refuses to answer a simple yes or no question
27 years on and it's still television gold
Does anyone else notice that Howard slips from his affected RP accent to his native Swansea accent as he gets increasingly agitated?
😂 true accent pops out.
He was from Llanelli not Swansea
@@phillip2632 He was born in Swansea; Llanelli was where he went to grammar school.
@@phillip2632 He was born in Gorneinon, which is part of Swansea & not Llanelli.
TV gold!
My job involves teaching assertiveness and ways of responding to challenging behaviour, I use this clip as a teaching aid because it's a great example of the broken record technique
Do you use it as a good or bad response?
Good question.
@@Delightfully_Bitchy thanks
You have a point, I’ve always considered it a good one but a few weeks ago a colleague gave me a different perspective; he feels it’s a bad example,arguing Paxman goes to far,flips the drama triangle and makes Howard the victim. I disagree, but maybe that’s because I can’t bring myself to feel sorry for a politician under any circumstances
@@charlotte-mg9wj this forum is weird, you wrote that months ago, i wrote a comment 8 minutes ago, then you respond. Its like Tom's midnight Garden
I’m going to go out on a limb here and reckon that he threatened to overrule him.
How did you ever reach such an outlandish conclusion
Did Jeremy ask him did he overrule him? I missed that.
*threatened to overrule him!
I don't think even the KGB can break this guy down. Masterclass of quetioning and deflect.
I love this debate, in 20/20 hindsight. The reason Paxman went after Howard to the length he did was because his next guest hadn’t shown up yet.😅
One of the best interviews ever good old Paxman ! We need someone like him to hold Boris & his merry bunch of thieves and cronies accountable
Even though Paxman is good old buddies with Boris. The whole establishment from the media to the politician’s are all cut from the same cloth. Don’t be fooled.
this comment aged like fine wine
It used to be that politicians considered Paxman a challenge. After Farage, Trump, Galloway and Corbyn all they need to do is scream "elitist media bias!" and their praetorian guard of internet cretins will lynch any particularly difficult journalist- he may not be Paxman, but Jeremy Vine doesn't deserve professionally disenfranchised narcissists calling him a "thieving toe rag" under his announcement of his father's death.
Baxman, would have torn the happy millionaire idiotic Boris to treads. "Did you ever ly to the public? Prime Minister."
"May I say, I spoke to the French president only just last night, it must have after ten, and what a golly fellow he is....."
"Were not talking about the French, will you answer the question... Prime Minister? Did you ever ly to the public on any matter regarding Brexit?"
"May I say, I have spoken to the French president on the...."
"For the eleventh time Prime Minister will you answer the question...have you ever lied to the British people?"
"I must say to you, and may I say I have over many years, admired your program...."
"Thank you Prime Minister for coming.....you lying bastered."
The problem with conservatives these days is they refuse to do interviews regularly...it's a deliberate strategy by conservative party
Wow: real questions and answers that aren’t parroted back. 2023 is a long way away from this.
I'm here after watching Chris Morris's Jam Festival. Janet Breen, thank you.
An interviewer doing his job and a politician being a politician. I'm reminded of that equally memorable TV
occasion elsewhere when Robin Day called John Nott to account about his credibility as a "Here today, gone
tomorrow" politician (Falklands War) - with the latter walking out of the interview in protest.
Or when ex English school teacher, Diana Gould, called Margaret Thatcher out over the sinking of the General Belgrano on the BBC General Election Special, Nationwide: On the Spot in 1983 where members of the public got to ask some questions. She just wouldn’t let go; she was an absolute tigress! 🤣🤣
Ironic that Nott didn't last long after that interview
@@fatbelly27 My own thought at the time during that interview featuring the Falklands War was that when Nott departed, I wondered if Robin Day was resisting the temptation to observe that his
guest was doing something that was not available to the British troops stuck in their trenches
under fire of a far more dangerous sort.
Whisper it quietly but, i have a crazy feeling Michael Howard threatened to overule him
Now it’s 25 years later and nobody even gives a toss about this, they should have a rematch.
both having a little smile to each other, i'd never noticed that before
They were each admiring the other's stubbornness and persistence. Paxman was going to keep on asking and Howard was going to keep on not saying.
They’re both really enjoying themselves
The way he dodged the question was legendary. Every new politician should take notes.
He was ripped apart by Paxman, 12 times to be exact. How can you possibly say he dodged the question? Caught out lying through his back teeth by simple repetitive questioning.
Horrid man that he is, but George Galloway ran rings around Paxman when interviewed. That's who notes should be taken from.
If a politician doesn't say yes or no...then it is admittance to an answer that is bad for them. No one dodges a beneficial gift.
They don't need lessons in question avoidance, you either have that ability or not.
@@francishunt562 have you met The Tories...Nadine Dorries!!!🙄
@@stevesmith3682 yes but you dont have him down as saying he did
One dislike. Who wants bet is Howard?
Preferred the Rory Bremner version, 'Don't be frightened, I'm not going to hurt you. Not this time'
Howard's smirk makes me think he was quite enjoying the game
It’s TV gold, this.
Watching in 2022. Strange to see some remnants of journalists holding politicians to proper account
Murdoch hates it.
Also strange to see a politician caring about being accused of lying as opposed to reveling in it as they seem to do nowadays.
Paxman was extremely overrated : even University Challenge is too much for him now.
All he had to say was, “Mr Lewis may have viewed me as threatening to overrule him but the fact is that I didn’t”
Yes, but did he(Mr Howard) threaten to overrule him?
There was certainly an " intent" to threaten but this intent did not materialise to a direct threat
to overrule, so thus the intention to threaten to overrule, in the classical sense of "overrule" leaves the threat with no clear substance, certainly with no intention or indeed a threat to overrule...
I MISS PAXMAN.
I remember watching this live and being amazed. Two media professionals locking horns. 😂 That’s never seen today.
The last time anything like this happened was when the government kept referring to Theresa May's "Plan B", without specifying what it was (because it didn't exist), as the deadline to Article 50 ticked closer. James Cleverly was thrown to the wolves on Question Time. Fiona Bruce kept asking what the plan was, to the point that the audience were laughing. But it only happened because it was inevitable, due to unanimous hatred. I've not seen anyone at the BBC do anything on the sort since.
For a Queen’s Counsel it was surprising that he thought that his answer got better by repetition when he failed to answer what was very simple question. In my opinion he never really recovered from the fallout from this interview which showed him as being evasive with his answer when he would have gained more respect had he told us the full story. In the end the viewer simply drew the natural conclusion.
In short: He did threaten to overrule him
In short, Paxman was so upset in the way he treated Howard,he sent Howard a crate of Champagne by way of apology. True story, before anyone doubts it.
I can't see where the shame or issue is with admitting he 'threatened' to over rule him. This was the second time prisoners had escaped from Derek Lewis' jails the public were starting to think prisoners were escaping left right and centre. It's a GOOD thing he threatened to overrule - Lewis was incompetent at least Howard was looking out for the public.
Michael Portillo is my favourite politician, a very decent bloke who makes great programs on train journeys.
lol yeah Howard and Portillo's railway journeys.
He is a charismatic man and a good tv presenter on trains and a decent talking head when he was on the BBC show This Week. However, he was an ineffectual politician and a terrible shadow chancellor circa when the Tories were thrased in the 2001 General Elections. He was distrusted among his own party. That's why he left politics and went into Television.
But a frigging useless politician. Only there for the money.
@@tebraizshahzad3364 Basically he was too honest, which doesn’t say much for the rest of them.
He went to prison!!
I have no idea what's going on here, but it somehow would be quite comical if Mr Howard were still Home Secretary at this point, and the BBC had already labeled him 'Former Home Secretary'
If memory serves this was just after Labour had won the election and this man was running for leadership of the defeated Conservative Party. He was taken out by this interview. Ironically Paxman kept asking that question repeatedly because his producer asked him to pad it out because they were running ahead of time.
Mick Lynch Just broke the record
He called a Poltician a LIAR 15 timed in less than 2 Minutes
Imagine being born with a permanent smirk on your face. Regardless of the seriousness of the situation, you are doomed to sit there as if sniggering at someone blowing off, even if, inside you are dying.
RSF - resting smirk face
Paxman at his very best :)
Lol, a low bar. If you want to see an expert political interviewer, then look up Brian Walden and a programme called 'Weekend World'. You just might be surprised at the difference in quality.
"Did you threaten to overrule him?" I think everyone who follows politics in the UK knows in what interview that question was asked.
Can you give some context?
@ironside eve The video.
I'm from the UK and have no idea what you're talking about
@@lauralishes1 he means this same interview, because its so famous. But i admit i only first saw it just now
@@joedwyer3297 Yeah same. First time I've ever heard of or seen this interview. TH-cam recommended it for some reason.
I love when politician's tell the interviewer what the relevant question to ask is, or what should be being talked about. That's not how interviews work. As a politician you should be able to answer any question anyone throws at you, even if your answer is I don't know.
I don't know why politicians think I should vote for them, when displaying that behavior at my work would result in me firing them.
Fire him? Ooh, you're hard.
@@dampsquid2494 Well, I am The Terminator
Back when they needed to at least pretend to be basically honest. Johnson would have just cheerfully denied it.
yes, too bad conservatives aren't anymore
This had nothing to do with Boris, you can't seriously bring him into every political discussion that happened 25 years ago. It's like blaming Hitler for the Crimean war.
Paxman missed a trick though - on the penultimate attempt, Howard responded (at 5:30) "It's dealing with the relevant point". Paxman could have asked, "Why do you feel that the question of you threatening to over-rule him is not a relevant point?"
hindsight hero
The answer to the question is clearly "yes".
mr howard set in motion a very professional way of deflecting straight forward questions.
I watched this when broadcast. I can’t believe it was 27 years ago. It feels like yesterday.
A strange, somewhat slanted interview.
I think he appeared on Paxo's last Newsnight, when he gave a one word answer.
No interviews in daylight, no garlic.
There's something of the night about this Howard chap.
Wow , haven't heard that before, thank you for your originality.
What a classic!
The fact that Paxo's gone into the whisky business with Derek Lewis now is just too wonderful ...
I just looked this up its true! 🤣 They should do a Whisky line called 'Overruled' 😂
wonderfull.
'that is not the question; the question is really one i would prefer to answer"
This reminds me of Paxman’s interview with Ben Swain.
This man always responded as if he was angry, either at the question or being interviewed.
yu tub He’s an arrogant man. Nasty.
Politicians have better things to do than answer questions.
@@davidjames579 Clearly not, or he wouldn’t have taken the interview
@@mindlessreader1595 It was fine as an opportunity to talk about what he wanted to, but not to answer questions.
Didn't Paxman admit later that he was stalling for time due to a technical glitch?
Masterclass from Howard - elected leaders avoiding questions which are in the public interest!
Master baittor.
A mentor to all aspiring politicians.
Who does Michael Howard remind me of? Oh yeah, Sir Humphrey Appleby!
Sir Humphrey had one thing Michael Howard never had, and that was charm.
was it ann widdicombe said there is something of the night about michael howard if so she was right
He's chivalrous?
Irwin Starr, told me ,"It was a 0:19 top down approach.
'Have you ever lied in any public statement?' - Oh boy, what a redundant question lmao, you certainly wouldn't find out if he did - which he has, because HE'S A POLITICIAN!
He did threaten to overrule him, but because he wasn't entitled to that privilege, by threatening to overrule him, he overruled himself by threatening to overrule him and thus did not in actual fact overrule anyone.
If a politician doesn't answer a question directly, you know the answer.