The BBC tries its ususal trick of trying to assert something without any context…here that the government is in chaos and flailing around in need of a big reshuffle. When JRM suggesed otherwise and gave examples from history to illustrate that what is happening is just normal and that much is beyond any PM’s control the presenter, Stephen Sackur, wanted to shut him up telling him…
‘I’d prefer to focus on whether this government can continue’
Well yes, that’s been the BBC’s focus for a long time as it tries to portray May as weak and her ministers out of control, a government in chaos, a government that must fall. Any context would just get in the way of that narrative, a narrative intended by the BBC to put pressure on the government so that it dumps May and forces a general election….which the BBC hopes Corbyn will win.
Of course when JRM says something disagreeable to our BBC man suddenly it’s ‘Let me give you some perspective’….ah…now you want context and nuance and history!
The presenter then told us that ‘Boris surely has to go’. Nice that the BBC can pick and choose ministers. He then just confirmed what we know about the BBC, it only pays attention to what the EU thinks and reports that as gospel…..here JRM is asked if ‘You ever think how the British government is viewed in Europe?’…who cares? Whatever May says is derided and scorned as madness, naivety or fantasy by the BBC…and in fact that’s just what we got here…..‘A World Trade Organisation Brexit is just fantasy’...again good of the BBC to decide things for us…did we really need a referendum?
Sackur must have choked on his own bile as JRM finished with a killer blow when asked if he is out of touch with the country [lol…BBC in touch?]….
‘If you take the Sun and the Daily Mail as the great barometers of British public opinion I am probably pretty in touch.’
This video came up for discussion in one of the earlier Open Threads, and it just seems to me that Sakhur wasn’t conducting an interview as much as an interrogation.
He came across as threatening and condescending in equal measure. He didn’t like JR-M going back in history to the Mandelson days, but was quite happy to allow him to go back in time to Conservative times (Macmillan and the night of the long knives) but what we saw from JR-M was his great skill in neutralising conflict points that we have seen before with Dimbleby on BBCQT (“I was at Eton with your son” ) every time he turns up. This time before every example it was “I know you don’t like history but let me just explain”.
I think Sakhur’s a bit of a tosser, his programme is called Hard Talk so in his view he should dish it out a bit. Not much substance there though when interviewees provide robust common-sense perspectives. All round win for JR-M I thought.
“his programme is called Hard Talk ”
Good grief! who on earth does he think he is? I watched him twitching n squiggling in his chair while brilliant MP Mogg tore him apart! Love it! Yippee!
They say JRM isn’t fit to be PM because he has not run a ministry . Not have I. But even listening to JRM explaining to an interviewer ( if not interrupted in that awful humph way ) or an audience an issue which people might not fully understand is a revelation . The segment on QT where he speaks straight to the audience about options for tax / spend was one of those few moments where an issue was made clear by a politition . Doesn’t happen often because they are too busy trying to impress the whips to climb the greasy immoral pole .
Even being wealthy – not putting on the call me Dave crap – or wearing a silly hat to get down with the kids – and speaking Home Counties English – he will still be able to evicerate any labour politician . Please get him to stand one day .
Just ran Sackof’s ‘I’d prefer to focus…’ through Google Beeboid to English translate:
“Mummyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeee”
There’s no doubt that J R-M is good but, I have seen him very uncomfortable on TV : a BBC regional debate at the time of the last election saw him easily neutered by shouty speakers from all the other parties, a hostile questioner and a hostile (carefully selected unbiased) audience. It was painful to watch 🙁
He’s good one on one, if he’s allowed to speak.
Note to Conservative Party : if you agree to TV debates in the future, only debate with one other Party at any one time 🙂
If the Tories were serious about staying in office without needing Labour to self-destruct then the likes of Rees Mogg, Baker, Paterson and the Brexit bunch really need some help and finance.
Where are Lawson and Tebbit, who not get Bernard Ingham and Roger Scruton in to teach them things?
Otherwise it`ll be Maria Miller, Amber Rudd and Phil Hammond etc that`ll go to the polls and we“ll slaughter them. The Tories are meant to be practical and intellectually light. But they need some principles and tactics to ensure that Owen Jones and Russell Brand/Richard Bacon are not the future.
Guess who was on the Hardtalk prog last night ?
It was “Kathy Griffin – Comedian” and holder of Trump’s severed head
It seemed like 45mins of squealing mental illness
vid
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09dlv49/hardtalk-kathy-griffin-comedian
radio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csvpvj#play
JRM
‘The CBI is the most consistently wrong body in the country’.
Sackur
‘It’s the sum of it’s parts’
Priceless piece of gobbledygook !
A non sackuitur even.