Earlier today on ConservativeHome Julian Lewis MP made a case for renewing Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent. In the video below - part of 18DoughtyStreet.com's In Two Minds series - Samuel Coates, supporter of renewal, debates with Samuel Coates, opponent of renewal. The film was recorded before he had the benefit of Julian's arguments!
Could the world seriously cope with two Sam Coates'?!
Posted by: Chris Palmer | March 13, 2007 at 15:58
There is, of course, already two Sam Coates's, Chris. There's our very own and there's The Times' Sam Coates. I'm having lunch with both of them together at the end of the month!
Posted by: Editor | March 13, 2007 at 16:09
There is two Sam Coates's?! And we wonder why the country can't build a decent motor car.
Posted by: Graeme Archer | March 13, 2007 at 16:15
Sorry Graeme!
Posted by: Editor | March 13, 2007 at 16:18
Graeme, my brother's the engineer of the family!
I'm going to try to use Samuel more than Sam in future, it is getting quite annoying being confused with The Times' Sam Coates virtually every day!
Posted by: Deputy Editor | March 13, 2007 at 16:53
It's good to know you've got a handle on what's important here, Graeme :D
and FWIW we build several very decent motorcars in this country, the Avensis and Corolla (or whatever it is now) just up the road from me for a start..............
Posted by: comstock | March 13, 2007 at 17:08
Very good debate highlighting the issues in a novel yer thought provoking way. Far better than anything Ive seen about TRIDENT on the BBC....maybe they should broadcast it.
Posted by: northernbloke | March 13, 2007 at 17:29
That’s a great way to present a debate! I agree with ‘northernbloke’ it is better than what the BBC has produced on Trident. But the question is: do we subliminally take the suited Sam Coates more seriously?
Posted by: Sociologist | March 13, 2007 at 18:03
Suited, and shorter-haired!
Glad you liked it, although TV stuff is very much not my forte.
Posted by: Deputy Editor | March 13, 2007 at 19:02
How did you decide who had the last word?
Posted by: Mark Fulford | March 13, 2007 at 19:25
Very interesting way of having a debate. I watched it half asleep to start with and it took me a couple of minutes to realise what was going on.
'and FWIW we build several very decent motorcars in this country, the Avensis and Corolla (or whatever it is now) just up the road from me for a start...........'
Thanks to Edwina, Comstock. Something mr Brown failed to mention the other week.
Posted by: Andrew Woodman | March 13, 2007 at 19:49
I thought the two Sams were the same person for about six months. I wonder what will happen when the two of you meet? There is surely scope for some sort of Doctor Who type antimatter explosion rending a gash in the space/time continuum, leading to us all being sucked into a parallel universe presided over by Omega (the things you remember from the 70s) and ab-sorbed, relentlessly, by the rampaging beasts who live there. You do this to us in order to have lunch?!
Posted by: Graeme Archer | March 14, 2007 at 04:54
Of course we built some very good cars here, it's just that we don't necessarily own the factories, Nissan's unit in Washington is the maost productive in Europe and the new Note is a great medium sized car.
Trident of course has the Labour Party all at sea again!
Posted by: Curly | March 14, 2007 at 10:17
Well, Sam's a nice bit of totty so the more the merrier! In the 'debate'- i think i counted 128 'er's', and 152,453 'erm's'. Is this a record?
Posted by: simon | March 14, 2007 at 11:16