Viewers’ Views

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32303, 22 May 1970, Page 3

Viewers’ Views

Letter,s on television topics i are subject to"the rules apply-1 •ng to general correspondence. MR TRUDEAU I would like to apologise to Mr Trudeau for Brian Edwards wasting 40 minutes of his valuable time in “Gallery” Of course, I was vitally interested to learn the size of hi.-, T.V.D.’s (I know now what to send him for Christmas) but as this information: was offered as a substitute for a comment on Canada’s even more interesting (if it can be possible) foreign policy, I felt cheated. Unlike our Brian, I and many of my friends know very little about Canada's internal politics and we were eager to lap up what; snippets of information he would let Mr Trudeau! divulge. It is to be hoped Mr Trudeau does not have the' impression that we are a nation devoid of individual thought and criticism, that we I must rely on Mickey Mouse quotes to provoke comment' from our visitors. We trust' Mr Trudeau will not take the N.Z.B.C.’s insult to heart.— SUSAN BATTYE. Mr Trudeau was held; severely in check by the poverty of the questions asked him. That we learned anything at .all of his constructive political views and philosophy was in spite of Brian Edwards, not because of him. Questions on Mr Trudeau’s domestic and foreign policies were trite enough, but my disappointment when Mr Edwards curtailed discussion of attitudes on international affairs was followed by disgust and embarrassment when he wallowed in incredibly trivial and personal details of Mr Trudeau’s private life and public i image. We have few opportunities to hear a statesman with something really exciting and practical to say. It is maddening to find the interviewer in this case more interested in the man than his message. Even in the less inane earlier part of the interview Mr Edwards kept up a barrage of quotations and personal reflections which hinjdered extremely Mr Trudeau’s (expression of his views— I DISGUSTED. I I agree that in Mr ’Trudeau's interview Brian Edwards was not left ’speechless, as he was by the ilady from China, nor did he bully and browbeat his subeject and to that extent 1 ’agree with you that this was '“Brian Edwards at his best." !!But what sort of a best is that? Never have 1 heard such ’ drivelling questions put to a ' man of stature and intelli- ' gence. Mr Edwards had an excellent subject, and an excellent chance. He fluffed ■ it, badIy.—DISAPPOINTED. !’ In the “Column Comment” section of “Gallery” on Tuesday night, the newspapers of ’New Zealand were slated for ’ "getting on the bandwaggon” 'land giving far too much emphasis to Mr Trudeau's personal affairs and not enough to the importance of his visit. This was cool effrontery: the commentator i might, in fairness, have had a piece of Brian Edwards

too. He was just as guilty of serving froth for fact. If anything, the newspapers did it very much better. POT AND KETTLE.