A screenshot doesn’t do justice to the frustrated, bemused faces Boris was pulling at the press conference when stood next to Ray Lewis, so I’ve cropped a closer-up video clip out of the BBC London footage and uploaded it to YouTube.
The short clip shows Ray denying all knowledge of the things he is being questioned about. Boris looks increasingly agitated and pulls a great face at the end of the clip; I’d like to imagine he’s thinking, “I’m the one who doesn’t know anything about what he’s being questioned about, not you! You haven’t even got any blond floppy hair to ruffle so people let you get away with it!”
Enjoy:
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From what I have seen on the box over the last hour or so Ray Lewis is saying “prove it”..
…and why not.
Let the alleges do the hard work.
“Let the alleges do the hard work.”
That’s true, up to a point, but – whatever we may think of a possible inquiry – information will be more accessible to them.
Chunters: he’s been going further than that – I’ve seen him denying large swathes of what’s been alleged outright, even some of the basic stuff that looks pretty clear cut from the leaked letters.
Of course, the “prove it” defence didn’t seem to satisfy Ken’s opponents in the Lee Jasper affair, so I hope they won’t be expecting it to work for them now!
That said, obviously it is a perfectly reasonable defence – don’t get me wrong, I haven’t *actually* sunk to their level in this debate, but there’s certainly going to be plenty of opportunity for some of those in the Lee Jasper lynchmob to show their hypocrisy now.
I think Boris’s defence is more striking than Ray’s. His attempts to portray this as a media witch-hunt are extremely ill-advised. These are serious allegations arising in part from the Church of England.
All that was needed was a denial from Lewis and the announcement of an inquiry. To try and portray this as some conspiracy is bizarre.
On his expression at the press conference there is a very revealing picture at the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/jul/03/london.boris
Good point, Tory Troll – it is truly nonsensical to suggest that the Church of England would set out to undermine Boris’s administration for some sort of political reason.
Andrew Gilligan undermining Ken using Lee Jasper was a credible narrative, but to suggest the left’s* answer to Gilligan is the Church of England is bizarre.
If Boris is setting the Church of England up as some sort of bitter enemy of his, does that make him a member of Foca? I’m sure I’ve heard people calling Boris something along those lines, anyway.
(* Oh, sorry Andrew, should that be “the right’s”?)
great expression! haha!