'Warm, funny and blunt,' said the Guardian of Myra Hindley. The tabloids were more accurate

Spectator, The, Nov 23, 2002 by Glover, Stephen

The one fly in the ointment is the presenter Jim Naughtie. It's difficult to dislike Jim but, let's face it, he has New Labour written all over him. At the same meeting at which he revealed the reasons behind the sacking of Mr Forsyth, Mr Liddle told a rather funny joke about Naughtie. Asked whom he would save - John Humphrys or Jim Naughtie - if they were both up a tree and surrounded by wolves, he reportedly replied, `John without question, because Jim would be able to ingratiate himself with the wolves.' That is the problem.

An ICM poll in Tuesday's Guardian suggested that popular support for the firemen has risen from 47 per cent three weeks ago to 53 per cent now. No doubt there are several explanations. One is the manifest incompetence of the government. Another is that the striking firemen are managing their own PR pretty well. It is also true that they are getting a remarkably good press - so far. They may have few friends among the broadsheet newspapers, but the tone of the criticism is seldom abrasive. The mid-market and the red-tops are divided. The Daily Express is against the strike, while the Daily Mail is surprisingly indulgent of the firefighters, though not of the government, which it blames for the whole mess. The Daily Mirror is pro-strike, while the Sun is anti. On Tuesday, while looking around for allies, the Sun reprinted an article from the Financial Times by Philip Stephens which argued that fire stations should be sold off for `conversion to upmarket loft conversions for the upwardly mobile'. What a very FT take on things. I suppose that public sentiment may turn if, God forbid, a family should perish. As things stand, though, the newspapers sense that the public likes the firemen, and even critical papers are treading carefully.