Diane Abbot has been around a long time and her delivery has always set my teeth on edge. As a middle class white labour voter, perhaps I can never be sure that my opinion is not rooted in some deep-seated unconscious racism. I can endlessly 'check my privilege', but that doesn't change my gut-and-brain response to her interview manner.
That said, there is a mountain of white politicians whose delivery gets my goat something terrible: John McDonnell is also allergy-causing, as is Gove, Hunt. Emily Thornberry also delivers her lines like Lady Bracknell, which is obfuscatory and annoying, but not quite as patronising.
It is unfortunate that Abbot is endlessly on air, presumably due to the dearth of experienced shadow cabinet members. The worst aspect of her strange vocal delivery is how patronising she sounds. She explains, slowly and didactically, as if her audience is incredibly slow and stupid. That in itself is hugely irritating. Then there are those strange mushy sounds as she wades, labouriously and condescendingly, through a very boring point. Yes she has a slight speech impediment, but I don't think I'm being prejudiced about that either. I don't doubt she is very intelligent, I don't doubt her motivation in politics and she is obviously hugely resilient to have lasted this long and to have carried on despite shocking racism that is constantly aimed at her. I am also pretty sure that if I met her in a bar, her delivery wouldn't piss me off half as much. Neither do I care who she has slept with, speculation about which is pure misogyny at work. However none of that helps when you have to endure her terrible interviews.