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Original poster

To think Diane Abbott was off her face on the radio this morning?

588 replies

Ginlinessisnexttogodliness · 02/05/2017 09:53

www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nick-ferrari/diane-abbotts-agonising-interview-over-policy-cost/

Fragrant Diane, she really is the kiss of death.
My toes are still curling

OP posts:
motherinferior · 02/05/2017 20:34

You know something?

I would bloody love a black woman Home Secretary. I really would. I am so pleased that my kids go to a school with a black woman head. I am proud, from the bottom of my half-Indian heart, that my city elected an Asian mayor. I try so bloody hard to give DA the benefit of the doubt because she is a black woman and we need more of those in power.

And she was stupendously, embarrassingly bad. Bad like the worst PR gels who ring me up and try to get me to take their press releases. Bad like the worst interviewee I've ever talked to.

I would so have liked to think it's all racist prejudice against a tough outspoken black woman but in truth it was because of her toe-curlingly amateurish performance.

Livelovebehappy · 02/05/2017 20:59

It was absolutely embarrassing. And to boot, Corbyn said he didn't see any issues in the interview, and was 100% behind her! Like he isn't already in the crap, this isn't going to help is it?

Waterbeads · 02/05/2017 21:02

"Like he isn't already in the crap, this isn't going to help is it?"

They are comrades don'tcha know.

Oakmaiden · 02/05/2017 21:30

OK... Here is the thing. I didn't even realise until this thread that Dianne Abbot was black. I have not been an avid follower of politics for quite a while now, although I do listen to Radio 4 on my way to and from work, so pick up a bit - I am just so depressed by it all, and I have terrible trouble putting names to faces even with people I know. So I knew DA was a senior labour figure - that she had said controversial things in the past, but that is about it.

I heard her give an interview this morning which was perfectly pleasant. Not greatly informative, but as we all know, manifestos have not been finished yet. Then I heard the infamous interview on the way home. My take? She sounded like a woman whose mind had gone completely blank. Totally flustered and groping to bring to mind some recollection of something that had for that moment eluded her absolutely. Which can happen to anyone. But because it CAN happen to anyone, she should have at the very least had a piece of card with those figures written on. It is unbelievable that she didn't. The best I can imagine is that she had repeated her line so often that morning she was certain she knew her facts and so assumed she would be fine. And then blank memory strikes.

It did look very, very, embarrassingly bad though. At a time when politicians should all be putting on the show of their lives, the potential opposition all seem to want to show us their outtakes...

Jellykat · 02/05/2017 21:55

On a par with the prime minister mixing up the word tourism with terrorism i'd say!

Tapandgo · 02/05/2017 22:06

Diane Abbott is a total embarrassment - both her interviews today were chronic.
She has never been my favourite person - to me she is shallow and very unconvincing. (as a politician she is certainly not alone in this).
I say this as a Labour voter and former party member.
When Labour are in such trouble at the moment, it is unforgivable that she went on TV and radio unprepared - she could have had notes of the right figures to read from. She must have expected the questions she was asked.
As for Corbyn saying she wasn't embarrassing - fuel on the fire! She was - and he should have said so.

It's ridiculous to say people are criticising because she is black and female - we are criticising because she is a well paid senior politician who is not good at her job and who no doubt lost Labour lots of votes as a result.

Labour voters deserve better than this.

We need a strong Labour Party to stand up against the odious policies we are subject to now.......I'm livid at the shambles they have brought a once great principled party to.

Bejazzled · 02/05/2017 22:10

On a par with the prime minister mixing up the word tourism with terrorism i'd say!

A one word error versus a full on car crash interview lasting several minutes - hardly on a par 😅

PacificDogwod · 02/05/2017 22:16

Labour voters deserve better than this.

Yes, they do.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 02/05/2017 22:18

On a par with the prime minister mixing up the word tourism with terrorism i'd say!

No where near the same. A one line mistake compared with a 5 minute car crash interview on LBC, GMB and Daily Politics.

Orlantina · 02/05/2017 22:20

We need a strong Labour Party to stand up against the odious policies we are subject to now

This. It feels very much like a 1 party state at the moment and if you aren't a fan of May and her team, then you are unpatriotic and don't believe in Britain.

We are supposed to be a democracy. A decent opposition is essential. I really worry that May will get a landslide and will just fuck the NHS and education up even more and believe she has a mandate for it.

Batgirlspants · 02/05/2017 22:32

Of course there will be a Tory landslide. Labour periodically implode and then rebuild. The tories do too. After Michael foot and after major.

Still as unpopular as Foot was he was at least a decent politician where Corbyn is a ridiculous embaressment.

Abbott has always been out of her depth and a safe seat MP, and the only reason she's front bench is because Corbyn can't get the decent labour MPs to join his sinking ship. Same as Thornbury.
Both parties have an equally dreadful legacy in the NHS orlinta And until we all wake up and see we need to pay far more taxes to sustain the 1940s model of free health care for all no party will save the NHS.

ThisAintALoveSong · 03/05/2017 02:48

I felt massively let down by this interview. I'm a labour voter, always have been.

It sounded like a case of either her mind went completely blank, or she has acute number blindness where she can't see that the figures she gave just simply don't make sense. Not everybody understands numbers.

STILL she should have prepared what she wanted to say so it made sense in her own mind, and she should have the figures written down in front of her with crib notes to help her not get confused.

Hell, she could have even just gone out and out Tory in this one and said "you'll have to wait til the manifesto comes out" when asked how much will policing cost. Less embarrassing to say that than this shambles.

I think DA looks ill, she seems to look tired in practically every TV appearance. I'm sure her heart is in the right place but I wonder if there are health issues affecting her.

HMWelsch · 03/05/2017 05:09

I've just watched a few of her videos.

"Mao did more good than harm" was particularly spectacular.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 03/05/2017 06:14

And to think that in 6 weeks' time she might be a member of the Cabinet...

She wont. Labour have about as much chance of winning the election than I have of knowing this weeks lottery numbers.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 03/05/2017 06:17

It sounded like a case of either her mind went completely blank, or she has acute number blindness where she can't see that the figures she gave just simply don't make sense. Not everybody understands numbers.

Not really. She sounded unprepared. Bit like the most of the whole JC and Labour thing altogether. Most of them all. There's a few Labour MPs I have a lot of time for but I'm completely disappointed with them in recent years. They are not a credible opposition by any stretch.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 03/05/2017 06:20

Orlantina I think she will too. Practically everyone I've spoken to this week says they're voting Tory because they voted brexit. Even lifelong labour voters.

makeourfuture · 03/05/2017 06:22

On a par with the prime minister mixing up the word tourism with terrorism i'd say!

Well you can quickly check your figures and easily sort it out. May's mistake could get the wrong people jailed.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 03/05/2017 06:26

Not really. It was her sixth out of decen interviews. She should have known those figures inside out by then.

She's not the new girl who was thrown in at the deep end, she knows how these interviews go. Being asked "how are you going to pay for this and how much will it cost?" is not an uncommon question in politics. Its practically expected and if she hadn't got it memorable by interview no 6 then she was unprepared. Nothing else.

AwaywiththePixies27 · 03/05/2017 06:27

*seven sorry for the typos.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 03/05/2017 06:32

May's mistake could get the wrong people jailed.

No it really wouldn't.

Bringmesunshite · 03/05/2017 06:52

"Both parties have an equally dreadful legacy in the NHS orlinta And until we all wake up and see we need to pay far more taxes to sustain the 1940s model of free health care for all no party will save the NHS."
Totally this - my worst experience of the NHS - when it failed me and my family spectacularly- was under Labour 10 years ago. It is ridiculous to kid ourselves that only Labour can save the NHS and free health care. No I don't see the Tories as the saviour either but Labour does not mean NHS guardian to me.

HMWelsch · 03/05/2017 06:54

@AwaywiththePixies27

She didn't use figures in the other interviews.

RoseGoldProsecco · 03/05/2017 07:02

Make - how? How could that "get someone jailed"? Please explain!!!

Batgirlspants · 03/05/2017 07:06

Going back to the NHS it really boils my piss when any party claims to be its guardians.

The NHS model was for a population that expected up live to 70 not 90+. Treatments and procedures are miles better than they were after the war and people live in better conditions etc.

Of course we need a sensible cross party conversation to see how we go forward on this and stop pissing around bleating about efficiency and recruiting management consultants.

We need to decide what should be free at the point of service and Joe much it will cost. We all need yo
Pay more and take more responsibility but that will never happen so it will be dismantled within 20 years.

Guavaf1sh · 03/05/2017 07:15

Diane Abbot is not front bench material that is patently obvious, but JC doesn't have enough allies to have much of a choice sadly. What annoys me the most however isn't that she is so incompetent but that she lacks such insight - blaming everyone else and not even for a moment giving some sore of indication she understands what all the fuss is about