Anyone else watching Keir Starmer being savaged by Beth Rigby`/

[Netaporter]

Blimey, She’s not letting him off the hook at all. Cut above the rest of the interviewers IMO.

Where are they going to go? There has been research done on this which identifies two reasons why there wouldn’t be a mass exodus of the super rich, they don’t want to go to culturally barren tax havens, they want the schools, the restaurants (as you point out) the stuff to spend their money on, the vibrancy even. Equally, reputation wise, you look a bit morally bankrupt for fleeing over paying a bit more tax which if you are that rich is not going to be an issue.

The Conservatives will probably lose because they are completely out of touch with the professional middle classes that once would have voted for them but now see their income from being a solicitor or an Architect or GP even afford them no reward for working hard and qualifying for positions that in the past would allow you to buy a house for example, have savings, go on holiday. They can see their children being in an even worse position. The nation is fed up of frankly shit public services, no savings, no homes, no further education without being loaded, shit in the sea and rivers and now an expectation of National Service which is Conscription in war time from kids they have completely abandoned for 14 years. The only people surely to benefit from a Conservative government are the super rich. We don’t want to be like Mumbai, we want equality of opportunity, a little more distribution of the money so that the wealth generated doesn’t just go into the pockets of the super rich!

@DistinguishedSocialCommentator a bit like the Tories ' got in through the back door ' in 2010? Or was that a legitimate result under our electoral system? Labour won't need ' coalition partners'. Even the cabinet have stopped scaremongering about that and are now worried about ' supermajorities'. They have brought this on themselves. They will have the legacy of destroying the world's oldest and most successful political party, and it is a legacy they will richly deserve.

They're not explaining where our £500 would go, and nor should they, because they don't plan to raise personal taxes. They want to raise money by closing the nom dom loopholes and windfall taxing the energy companies.

The funny thing about the desperate “Starmer socialist” scare tactics is that it will probably bring him as many fence sitters (ie the might not vote at all/otherwise vote Green/SNP demographic) as it will lose. Better at this point the Tories just embrace their fate. And there is no disgrace in finishing in 3rd place - you get a medal for that at the Olympics. (though admittedly 4th could also come into play).

I want to see Sangita Myska interview the party leaders.

She'd probably ask if we could expect a Richmond by-election before the new year.

I remembered that & wondered if that's why BR didn't raise it with Sunak !!!

Ah yes that’s a very good point. Both her and the equally awful Kay Burley were suspended

I thought the lady who asked that was one of the strongest questions of the night. She looked sad that the last few PMs have pretty much decimated the party that she obviously personally supported. And he didn’t have a response for her because deep down he knew she was right

But the fact is he is past caring now and the cynic in me is starting to think he is deliberately doing bad as there was a chance he would hold on to his seat and now with all the D-Day fallout he will likely lose which will be a win for him as the California life moves even closer.

This is what is annoying me about the Labour campaign. They really should be taking on the Tories far more strongly.

I expect it’s because the majority of the public know it’s nonsense and few people are listening to anything the Tories say anymore - so no point in giving them the publicity of a debate.

I am quite convinced that Sunak is deliberately showing himself up.

He doesn't care if he loses his seat, and he cares even less if the Tories lose the election in a massive defeat.

He's got plans, and they don't include staying in the country and fighting for the Party he claims to love.

Ooof. One of the most unprofessional, amateur interviewers I've ever seen. Wouldn't let the subject get a word in edgeways. People are here to listen to Starmer and Sunak, not to someone who just loves the sound of their own voice. BR will be lucky to get a gig like this again after that performance.

OK, OK, OK, OK! Exactly this!

Nutshell. Starmer reminds me strongly of Douglas Hurd of whom Alan Clark said ' he may as well have a fucking corn 🌽 up his arse!' No slick media performer. But do the Tories really think his lack of pizazz is going to save them at this late stage in the game?
We've had a media tart , a fruitcake and a City spiv - maybe it's time for a dullard.

Fwiw I'm shit sick of interviewers talking across people. It annoys me when they do it to Tories. I love Paxman but he is to blame for much of this . And his acolyte Kirsty Wark aka Our Lady of the Dancing Eyebrows. It's getting old guys. When you become the story it is time to move on.

I must be on a politics thread, DSC is on about Starmer's back passage again

Personally, I think he did very well indeed last night - and I was (pleasantly) surprised to see it. Beth Rigby was irritating as hell in that she seemed to think she has the answers and we'd all tuned in to here them - rather than let both candidates speak. That said, if a QC can't withstand tough technical questioning, no one can. The idea he would be out of his depth is laughable.

The Corbyn answer wasn't his best but it's less damning (to me) than Sunak's past praise of BoJo. At least we all KNOW BoJo was a shit PM, we'll never really know for sure if JC would have been (though I wasn't that keen on him).

The robot question clearly through him off key and that's a shame because there was a good answer to be had there - which is to lean into his seriousness because it's a serious business and to point out that personalities do not always make the best PMs. It's his seriousness (his "robotics") that I want in politics; I've had quite enough political drama from this lot to last me a lifetime.

But his answer about his children came across right from the heart and his answers to all the other questions came across as knowledgeable.

On the other hand, Sunak started off badly, got worse and then maybe got a bit better when the audience started asking questions. The D Day therapy session was just weird. He seemed to be getting upset at Beth's questions and at one point I seriously wondered if he wasn't close to self pity tears. Then he got frustrated with her, I think and started to talk over her and be blunt to the point of rude.

For a couple of audience questions he was better, and I suspect they are the question he prepared for because his answers were much fuller and flowed better. However, his irritation at Junior Doctors was laid bare and did not seem to go down well with the audience.

It's his seriousness (his "robotics") that I want in politics;

That said, Major was so boring they called him The Grey Man - and it turns out he was banging Edwina Currie, so maybe there's no such thing as no drama

Maybe Starmer is less of a talker and more of a do-er. I have more faith in him than any of Tory PMs in last 14 years. Noone can answer every question perfectly. He has no magic stick to solve everything and have answer for everything. We need to give him a chance like we gave to likes of Boris and Sunak.

Ex-DPP Keir Starmer 'out of his depth' while half the country lost their minds over Boris Johnson, an occasional newspaper columnist with no discernable talent for anything except shagging and lying.

I think (from spending time abroad and from European friends) that Boris Johnson made us the laughing stock of Europe.

People need to remember that grandparents died alone in hospitals and children lost their education whilst the effing tories had parties, gave deals to their mates and sent Covid positive elderly people to care homes.

This shower need to never be forgiven.

I thought it was poor judgement to let Sunak watch Starmers stint before his - he should have agreed to wait somewhere he couldn't see it.

It allowed him to get a mood check on the audience, to see how Beth Rigby interviewed and to pick up on point Keir had made.

It was unfair.

What I think people on here struggle with is that socialist principles are quite popular and to get better public services out we know that we have to pay more in taxes. At the moment we have high taxes, high mortgage rates, high food prices and utterly decimated public services.

Yes. Both my Mother & my Partner died from Cancer in 2022.
In both cases, hospital visiting was still quite restricted due to Covid.
Boris and Sunak (& many others) partied. Beth Rigby was fined too.
Vile creatures.

I was remembering that suspension last night. No question about it, no reply of, "Well, so were you, weren't you, Beth?".

Quite.

And imo if he didn't stay and support we wouldn't now have a leader of the Labour Party who is showing he can be credible.

Exactly this. They were all fined. How can someone be allowed to host a Q&A when she dare not mention certain issues? She was suspended from her job for 3 months by Sky though. Sunak continued.

Manage what though, the country or surviving a lettuce?