Internet TV channel 18doughtystreet starts well ...

I've spent most of this evening since 8pm watching the new internet TV channel 18 Doughty Street and whilst it certainly hasn't been perfect it has been generally pretty good. The sound at the very beginning was quite low, and difficult to hear on my laptop (although just about OK on my desktop with external speakers). However, after a few 'foghorn' events, they seemed to resolve the volume problem after about 40 or so minutes and since then it has been pretty stable. The picture, although small, is perfectly clear and with no sign of jerkiness.

The programmes themselves have been rather good; the first hour has probably been the weakest as although Tim Montgomerie writes the very popular ConservativeHome.com he is not a 'natural' on TV, but perhaps he'll become more confident over a few days broadcasting. The talk amongst a group of young English 'neo-conservatives' was probably the programme of the highest quality (although I didn't agree with all that was said) and I found the discussion very interesting. The interview with Australian PM, John Howard, by Tim Montgomeries was in fact very interesting, too, and Tim performed a lot better in that. I don't care for John Howard as a politician, the source of the antipathy I feel for Iain Dale, but it would be churlish of me not to record that Iain Dale has given a pretty polished performance throughout the evening. At present there is a general discussion going on loosely based around a review of tomorrow's newspapers and they are discussing the North Korea situation in that context at present. I won't spend a whole evening again watching this, but I'll undoubtedly dip in for a half hour or so most evenings it is on as I think this channel will become a valuable resource for right-of-centre political debate - so long as Stefan Shakespeare continues to bankroll the venture, I suppose. I hope he does.