Boris goes Splat!

Cystal Palace played Chelsea in the League Cup 15 years ago on  a night when it pissed down with rain and the Selhurst pitch was a bog. ascwasctheir style palace hoofed a ball upfield. It should have bounced harmlessly into the Chelsea keepers arms. But it didn't, it went splat into thevmud and stayed there for the on rushing Palace player to score. Boris Johnson being interviewed by Eddie Mair reminded me of that splat.  Mair seems to be offering an approach to the political interview that has been out of fashion for so long it is hard to recall if it ever existed before. Since Paxo battered Michael Howard with his Mr One Question assault the bark has been as important as the bite. The interviewers manual demanded that when confronted with a political big beast one should harry the prey from the off. Hence Humphries surly snapping, Paxo's impatient scorn and Marr's acidic disdain.
But that seems to be shifting and a softer but no less effective style is emerging with Eddie Mair.  Boris Johnson is the kind of bruiser well able to go toe toe with those that favour the frontal assault. But Mair took him apart yesterday with a more tangential low key plan of attack. He tickled the trout. Rather than exaggerated indignation he went with subtle questions that aggregated gently but deliberatly. Of the current crop of politicians Johnson is amongst the most successful in the media, but he does rely on being Boris to bounce through any sticky stuff. Yesterday morning it was all splat no bounce.