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Jeremy Paxman: Newsnight’s run by kids

It’s fair to say that Jeremy Paxman did not see eye-to-eye with Ian Katz, the modish former Guardian hack who edits Newsnight these days. Paxman told the crowds at the Chalke Valley History Festival, ‘Look, Newsnight is made by 13-year-olds.’ He could not have been more withering about ‘Katz’s Cubs’ — the new generation of green (and cheap) faces bought in by Katz.

Paxo continued, in wise-old-owl mode:

‘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 fools’ 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.’

The veteran star also confessed: ‘I suppose I am a one-nation Tory, yes.’ A comment that manages to shoehorn-in Labour’s favourite slogan and please the soft right. The mark of a consummate politician. Arise, Lord Paxman. Anyone?

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