Question Time for Andy Coulson: are you really that scared of Alastair Campbell?

What on earth did Number 10 imagine would happen once they tried laying down conditions for the appearance of a coalition minister on last night's BBC Question Time programme ? Universally condemned, they've made themselves look interfering and, probably worse, scared of Alastair Campbell. The smack of inexperience, perhaps? Or a learned response after the last time Andy Coulson demanded politically sensitive concessions from a major broadcaster? Maybe they really thought they'd get their way. Remember the curious case of Trevor MacDonald's ITV "Meet the Camerons" film ? At least the BBC stood its ground .