If you saw "Mr Rascal", as Jeremy Paxman hilariously referred to him, when he last week made an unexpected appearance on the BBC's highbrow news show you'll know what I'm talking about – if you didn't then you've missed a priceless TV moment.

Everyone's favourite cheeky chappie rapper did what Howard failed to do and completely wrongfooted the grand inquisitor. And he did it by doing the one thing which politicians never do: he gave straight answers to straight questions.

You could see the look of amazement and slightly flummoxed joy on Paxman's face as Dizzee casually batted back responses during a discussion about the election of Barack Obama as US President.

OK, they weren't the most elaborate answers, but they were so concise and to the point that it shamed the usual stream of ministers and mandarins who could spend hours talking without actually saying anything.

Mr Rascal = no messin, innit?

When asked by Paxman whether he thought Britain could ever elect a black Prime Minister Dizzee said: "Yeh, in time, why not man?"

An ingenious ploy. First give a disarmingly short and frank response then bat it straight back with another question – aspiring politicians take note.

Sensing Paxman was adrift, he grinned broadly then threw the big man a lifeline by elaborating, just a little: "There's a first time for everything, if you believe you can achieve, innit?"

Superb. If only Dizzee Rascal was also masterminding Michael Howard's election campaign in 2005. The Tory line "Are You Thinking What we're Thinking?" had a nation retort in unison: "Er, no" But "If You Believe, You Can Achieve, innit?" well, Labour would have never got a third term.

"Do you consider yourself British?" came the next question from Paxman, a question so unbelievably insulting and obvious it bordered on lazy racism.

But Dizzee was magnanimous: "Course I'm British man, you know me, I'm here man, its good. I don't think it matters what colour you are, it matters what colour your heart is man and your intentions.

"I think a black man, purple man, Martian man can run the country man, as long as he does right by the people."

Amazing, even in the face of such ignorant behaviour, particularly from someone supposedly educated enough to know better, Mr Rascal retained the high ground.

He went on: "Politicians are gonna say what they say and every now and then there's a genuine one, innit? People as a whole make a difference, I don't think one person or party can make a difference. Obama boosted the morale but change from everybody coming together makes the difference."

And what he was saying was spot on, except he expressed himself just like thousands of other black British kids would and he didn't have to adopt the clipped tones of Paxman's other guest, a black woman, Baroness Amos.

"I think (Obama] tapped into a collective psyche," she said, basically aping Dizzee, only in more eloquent language.

But she was no competition.


Quarter surprise

You may remember me last week casting some doubt on the future of the £800m Eastgate Quarter shopping development in Leeds.

Just seven days ago the developers said they were still committed to construction starting in the middle of next summer then, just like that, they turned round and confirmed they wouldn't be embarking on any major work until 2010.

It wasn't a huge shock, but it was still very, very disappointing.


Rubbish research

I could handle a reader writing in this week to accuse me of being racist (because I referred to someone from India) but what really irked me was their diatribe about me not researching my columns.

In particular they took issue with me claiming in an earlier edition of Notes from the City that a chrome bin for my kitchen would cost £70. "That would be very hard," they said – and it turns out they were right.

Because a quick check on the internet revealed you can spend anything up to £100+ for a conventional bin and close to £150 for a special recycling version with individual compartments.

To whoever wrote the letter: you must just have a particularly cheap bin – now put a lid on it.