Crackle of the universe

‘Is there anybody there?’ is the question that Anne McElvoy could have asked Diane Abbott in their now-infamous Today programme interview last Wednesday.

‘Is there anybody there?’ is the question that Anne McElvoy could have asked Diane Abbott in their now-infamous Today programme interview last Wednesday. If by chance you missed this classic radio moment, Ms Abbott had just been telling us how she intends (as a candidate for the leadership of the Labour party) to address the issues that ‘ordinary members’ of the party want to talk about — rather than to indulge in the highfalutin conversations of those who walk the corridors of power. With remarkable adroitness, Ms McElvoy then dropped the bombshell question. So what about your son James who’s in private education? What will the ordinary members of the party think about that? Ms Abbott’s reply spoke volumes. Or rather it didn’t. She said not a word.