Five Interviews

[Micilin]

Some clips showing politicians under pressure being, well, not very good .


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/watch-5-car-crash-political-3551832

 

[JBR]

I think it's so nice to hear others being put through the wringer, as well as Nigel Farage.

Contrary to some people's opinions, I think that Farage stood up to the grilling much better than some of these others.

Of course, it's much easier to criticise - with a prepared script - than it is to defend oneself without knowing what is coming.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I tried to watch them but got distracted by one of the links and watched elephants helping a baby in a fast-flowing river.

I think I'll vote for the elephants.

 

[securespark]

Yeah, but which one?

The Conservative elephant?

The Labour elephant?

The Liberal elephant?

 

[conny]

Yeah, but which one?

The Conservative elephant?

The Labour elephant?

The Liberal elephant?

Go for the big grey one.

He's the only one thats genuine.

 

[ellal]

Yeah, but which one?

The Conservative elephant?

The Labour elephant?

The Liberal elephant?

They're all the elephant in the room

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yeah, I have since thought:

I don't know which one to vote for because they all look the same.

They certainly all sound the same.

Some make more noise than others.

I hear the noises but it seems to have no bearing on what they do.

If I did pick one; it probably wouldn't have much effect.

It probably would then do exactly as it wanted, ignore and stomp all over me.

As long as they had enough food they likely wouldn't care about me at all

and just look after their own ensuring no harm came to the herd.


Have I spotted a flaw in my idea or is it nothing new?

 

[JBR]

That made me think.

In America, the two major parties, Republicans and Democrats, are referred to as Elephants and Donkeys (I'm not sure which is which).

I was just wondering that, if our political parties were to be represented by animals, which would you choose? In alphabetical order, so as not to imply precedence:

Conservatives - ?
Greenies - ?
Labour - ?
Liberals - ?
UKIP - ?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Conservatives - hyenas
Greenies - sloths
Labour - ants
Liberals - rabbits
UKIP - honey badgers

 

[Newboy]

Sorry can't see the difference between them - they all look like headless chickens to me

 

[longdogs]

If only interviewers like O'Brien would let people finish their sentence. Maybe then we would have a better idea of what's going on in politics. OK, I know politicians generally talk rhetoric and worm their way out of the question, but it seemed to me that Farage was trying to answer the questions but wasn't allowed to. This style of interviewing is pointless and ends up with bits of half finished answers. The Radio Four morning programme is particularly good at interrupting their guests.

 

[JBR]

If only interviewers like O'Brien would let people finish their sentence. Maybe then we would have a better idea of what's going on in politics. OK, I know politicians generally talk rhetoric and worm their way out of the question, but it seemed to me that Farage was trying to answer the questions but wasn't allowed to. This style of interviewing is pointless and ends up with bits of half finished answers. The Radio Four morning programme is particularly good at interrupting their guests.

You're right, but not only him. Many TV interveiwers do it and I find it rude and annoying.

 

[Micilin]

Do you really think that politicians should be allowed to avoid answering questions and go unchallenged?

All of the politicians in those clips could not handle robust interviewers whose job it is to put them under pressure so that their reactions are more honest.
Farage made a mess of his interview, same as the others.

If his comments on Romanians are the way he really feels , why backtrack on on them? Was he being truthful the first time or with the retraction?

His responses on his German speaking family were feeble, showing up the lack of consistency in his beliefs.

Howard was blatantly avoiding answering, and Cameron was incompetent as was Brown.

To suggest that politicians should be given an armchair ride in very interview is staggering to me. Pressure them, find out what they really think when they have to go off the script!

 

[JBR]

Do you really think that politicians should be allowed to avoid answering questions and go unchallenged?

Certainly not, but interviewers should at least have the decency to allow them to finish their sentence. They do that with non-politicians as well, of course.

Then, as in the famous Michael Howard interview, I see nothing wrong with pointedly repeating the same question over and over again. Not only does this not let them off the hook, but shows them up for what they are in front of millions of viewers.

 

[JBR]

Conservatives - hyenas
Greenies - sloths
Labour - ants
Liberals - rabbits
UKIP - honey badgers

I'd have said:

Greenies = rabbits, as they seem to eat rabbit food anyway,
Labour = lemmings, going by their determination to jump off a cliff (or perhaps to push the whole bloody country off a cliff),
Liberals = hamsters - small and insignificant,
Conservatives = magpies, as they like to go after gold shiny things,
UKIP = owls, because they are wise to what the people want!