That's like saying Tony Blair can't be leader of the Labour Party Look at Benn Look at Attlee. I dislike class prejudice in reverse as much as I dislike it when it's expressed in the conventional way."But to make him sound pompous is unfair. He is also self-deprecating; particularly on his unfulfilled ambition "I would have loved to be able to write fiction We all have our self-delusions. Bamber Gascoigne thought he was a writer who had to do a bit of television. I think to some extent Melvyn [Bragg] thinks he's a writer rather than a media person."I never did find out exactly what Paxman's politics are, although he did say at one stage: "I think people should vote, don't you?" as if he wasn't entirely convinced.It is in any case unlikely that he, so attuned to the ways of politicians, sees any party as offering the big answer.
Who does he really admire? After we talked about religion, he mentioned the "priests and nuns working in townships in South Africa They're so inspiring. And they're doing something so much more worthwhile than the completely superficial and temporal concerns we have in our trade."Copyright `New Statesman'. Testimonials: they're important to any business. Here are some testimonials for Arise and Shine Herbs Ltd's "Clean-me-out" programme.
"A large cyst, very painful, had been growing in one of my breasts for seven years, it dissolved by the end of my first seven days.. painful, swollen areas of my colon got unblocked Four inches vanished from my waistline... lots of goopy, strange (chemical odour) green stuff came out at 1.30am. My menstrual periods are now perfectly in time with the New Moon... I'll keep cleansing until I'm totally renewed." The boys were fascinated by Arise and Shine. They stood there, staring at the stall and reading the literature for half an hour, jaws hanging loose, going "my God" while I tugged at their sleeves and whined about wanting to go and get my aura photographed Boys and bowels. They just can't get enough, can they? I blame Geoffrey Chaucer, myself. The stall was certainly an arresting sight. Sitting in a white-painted corridor at the Festival of Holistic Living, among the palmists and Indian head masseuses, its displays grabbed everyone who came within 30ft and stopped them in their tracks It was the photos that did it The photos were fantastic.