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| Making a point: After an apparently warm welcome, David Cameron is
grilled U.S chat show king David Letterman on British history, which left him squirming in his seat |
- PM walked on stage on David Letterman's Late Show to Rule Britannia
- But when asked who composed it, he wrongly replied Edward Elgar
- Despite Eton education, he also didn't know translation of Magna Carta
- However, did mention Texas and Nebraska, which impressed Letterman
- Cameron admitted he was 'not very popular' because of dire economy
| by Jason Groves
Courtesy: Daily Mail, London
( September 27, 2012. London, Sri Lanka Guardian) His preparation for
his weekly grilling at Prime Minister’s Questions is exemplary.
But nothing could prepare David Cameron for his appearance on David
Letterman’s Late Show last night.
The Prime Minister – in New York for a United Nations meeting – was
tripped up by a general knowledge quiz on the US chat show.
It had all started so well. The house band played Rule Britannia as he
walked on stage and dry ice was pumped into the studio to replicate a London
fog.
But the apparently warm welcome quickly turned into a trap as Mr
Letterman, famed for his acerbic wit, tested Mr Cameron with questions on
British history.
Asked who composed Rule Britannia, Mr Cameron replied: ‘You are
testing me there. Elgar, I will go for.’
In fact, as Mr Letterman later gleefully revealed, the music was written
by Thomas Arne to a poem by James Thomson.
The Prime Minister did better on the Magna Carta, correctly answering
that it was signed in 1215 at Runnymede.
But, despite his Eton education, he was stumped when asked for a literal
translation of the Latin – Great Charter.
‘It would be good if you knew this,’ Mr Letterman said.
‘Yes, it would,’ the Prime Minister replied. ‘You’ve found me out. I’ve
ended my career on your show tonight!’
The gentle mickey-taking continued with a series of questions about the
British empire and the difference between Wales and England.
He correctly identified the population of Britain and the countries that
make up the UK.
Mr Cameron was also asked whether he was popular in the UK, replying:
‘Not very popular, no. We have got this budget deficit – we have to make
difficult decisions and that makes you unpopular.’
And he was quizzed about Larry, the Downing Street cat, who he admitted
was a ‘terrible mouser’.
But despite the ribbing, Mr Cameron will have been pleased to have got
over at least part of his message about the success of the Olympics and the
attractiveness of the British economy.
He also underlined the fact that Britain is not in the troubled
eurozone.
He said the economic outlook would ‘probably be worse’ if we were in the
euro, adding: ‘In Europe if you are going to have a single currency you are
going to end up with some form of single government – I don’t want that for
Britain.’
In appearing on the show, Mr Cameron was following in the footsteps of
Tony Blair, Boris Johnson and Barack Obama.
The PM was given top billing at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York,
sharing the bill with British folk rock band Mumford and Sons.
Aides insisted Mr Cameron had done only light preparation for the
interview.
Broad answers were prepared on issues like the Olympics, his relationship
with the Queen and his views on the US presidential race.
Sources said the PM had been braced for the fact that Letterman would
crack jokes at his expense, but felt it was worth it if the interview would
give him the chance to broadcast a positive message about the UK economy.
A Government source said: ‘Britain has had an extraordinary year. We
have got something good to shout about. So getting out there talking up Britain
is important. We should never forget that we are the biggest investor in America,
America is the biggest investor in us.
‘There is a saying in business that when you want to do better, you go
back to your biggest customers and try and squeeze out a bit more.’
