Appeared on Carlton TV’s ‘The Week’. Always apprehensive before live TV. I was invited as the ‘sweet voice of reason’ and Chair of the Assembly Transport Committee – head to head with the Chair of the Association of British Motorists.

Needless to say we did not see eye to eye. He was clearly annoyed by bus lanes, speed limits, traffic wardens, congestion charging and so on. Lucky then that he lived in Kings Langsley and doesn’t have to suffer the reality of everyday life for Londoners.

He wasn’t all bad – just from another world where his and his co-motorists freedoms seemed paramount – regardless of road safety and congestion. He tried to argue that speed didn’t kill. We batted statistics at each other for a while – but the truth is- common sense tells you that if you drive fast you are likely to have less time to get out of difficulties if they arise – and if you crash – that it will be more serious than if you were going slowly. I think that’s where his argument fell down!

Anyway – it was good fun. Lasted about 5 minutes – which is a real insult to genuine debate. There were lots of good subjects that real need a bash around, but that format is really just entertainment masquerading as news and politics on a Sunday.

The make-up is fab though!