To wonder if anyone can explain why Theresa May is refusing to do any live interviews when she called this election?

[Bearbehind]

As far as I can see TM called this GE because she arrogantly assumed she'd walk it.

Unfortunately for her JC has upped his game and every time someone poses a question to her she rattles off some soundbite starting with 'let me be clear...' and completely ignores he question.

Can anyone defend the fact that she wouldn't participate in the live tv debate and now won't do any radio interviews either?

Shouldn't we be able to expect more from a PM?

I'm very clear that those answers are acceptable to me ;)

TM is another shy Tory

No its not a personality contest but when someone refuses to answer any questions and just trots out meaningless statements then how can I make a decision to vote for that party or not.
People are saying TM did a massive U Turn on dementia tax. But if you listen to her she actually hasn't, she;'s just said it will be open to discussion about a maximum cap. Not what the cap would actually be. So it could still be a million quid. Who knows.
Its like the brexit bus "350 million a week could go to the NHS" never meant 350 million would be given to the NHS it meant it could.... but it wont. It could also go to Trident or corporate tax cuts. When they use woolly statements about what may or may not happen then I cant trust them sorry

That sounds perfectly reasonable Amicissimma.

The trouble was that the Conservatives ran this campaign as a presidential campaign. It is them who presented it as a personality contest against Corbyn.

campaignwww.thesun.co.uk/news/3546062/theresa-mays-name-plastered-across-tory-election-battle-bus-while-labour-dont-use-jeremy-corbyns-name-once/

You can look at the manifestos and you can see there are no figures - no numbers except for page numbers in the Cons one. You can see that a party leader has made a back down already from a manifesto policy. You can listen to what May says - and basically - No deal is better than a bad deal - really isn't cutting it for a lot of people.

We expect more than a campaign of slagging off the opposition. We haven't been given more and yes, it IS losing them votes.

But really, do you choose the party to vote for because the leader at the time puts on a good show on a particular type of TV debate?

It's not just about a tv debate though.

It's the fact that TM's whole campaign was built on being 'strong and stable' and slagging Corbyn off at every opportunity (and I'm no fan of his either).

How is hiding away for the public and refusing to take part in any live discussions of any sort unless they are completely scripted the actions of a 'string and stable' leader?

www.thesun.co.uk/news/3546062/theresa-mays-name-plastered-across-tory-election-battle-bus-while-labour-dont-use-jeremy-corbyns-name-once/

The Sun!

You can see many MPs, including May and Corbyn debating in parliament if you watch PM's Questions

Debating!!

Her standard approach is to not answer the question and then attack the questioner. Notice her answers - she knows who's been called and has an attack scripted.

Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)

Q3. Because of the Prime Minister’s changes to education funding, every school in the country will face real- terms cuts. Manchester will be hit harder than anywhere outside London—[Interruption.] It’s true. Chorlton High School and Parrs Wood High School in my constituency will each lose the equivalent of more than 30 teachers. I ask the Prime Minister the same question a headteacher asked me: what would she cut to balance the books and what subjects would she choose to sack teachers from? [909676]

The Prime Minister

As the hon. Gentleman knows, record levels of funding are going into our schools. Everybody across this House has recognised for many years that the current funding formula is not fair across the country, and it is necessary for us to look for a fairer funding formula. We have consulted on that and will obviously be responding to that consultation. As the hon. Gentleman faces up to the election, I note that last year he failed to back—he opposed—the leader of his party. If the hon. Gentleman was not willing to support him as leader of his party then, why should his voters support him as leader of the country?

Graham Jones (Hyndburn) (Lab)

Q13. Every school in Hyndburn is facing a massive budget cut. Why is a child in Hyndburn worth less than a child in Tory heartlands in the south? [909686]

The Prime Minister

Currently, significant sums of money are going to children in certain schools, sometimes double the amount going to a child in another school. We need to find a fairer system. We have consulted on that system and we will be responding to that consultation.

I note what the hon. Gentleman has said about the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of his party. He said:

“He’s not fit to rule. The public see this is a man who doesn’t take responsibility seriously and that he can’t take the party forward other than in a divisive way.”

If he cannot take the party forward, how can he hope to take the country forward?

Watch how she reacts to Yvette Cooper

She's actually turned out to do a lot of appearances (factories, businesses etc.) in Labour spots. But don't the facts get in the way of your talking bollocks.
No politician in their right mind will ever admit to being worried. Not even the wonderful god-like Jeremy Corbyn. I seem to recall that at the very start when things were looking dire for him he refused to contemplate the suggestion that he'd be out of a job after the election...
Equally she can't promise to specifically sort out Plymouth - where would it end? She'd be having to promise everything to everyone regardless of reasonableness - and then voters would confuse her with Corbyn!
Try and be a bit realistic. I know you're confused by Corbyn saying he can give everyone a high-paid, low-taxed job together with their own personal health service, an individual teacher for each of their children, and world peace, a cure for cancer and all suffering, and eternal life, and where Diane Abbott will personally stand at the borders and tell all terrorists to play nicely, but some of us do remain in the real world where money doesn't grow on trees & crystal balls don't exist.

But really, do you choose the party to vote for because the leader at the time puts on a good show on a particular type of TV debate?
Only if you vote Labour...

I'm not yet sensing a 'Don't you think she looks tired?' groundswell, more a few hints, but I'm definitely finding myself thinking that she appears odd and unintelligent, lacking in listening and communication skills, and boringly robotic.

It's the unintelligent air that concerns me. She seems to worry herself that she won't understand the questions - and its clear that often she doesn't - hence the twin strategy of (a) avoidance, and (b) robotic, rehearsed and often irrelevant t replies.

I find it an insult, and I can't see the UK not being damaged by her.

No politician in their right mind will ever admit to being worried. Not even the wonderful god-like Jeremy Corbyn. I seem to recall that at the very start when things were looking dire for him he refused to contemplate the suggestion that he'd be out of a job after the election...
Equally she can't promise to specifically sort out Plymouth - where would it end? She'd be having to promise everything to everyone regardless of reasonableness - and then voters would confuse her with Corbyn!
Try and be a bit realistic. I know you're confused by Corbyn saying he can give everyone a high-paid, low-taxed job together with their own personal health service, an individual teacher for each of their children, and world peace, a cure for cancer and all suffering, and eternal life, and where Diane Abbott will personally stand at the borders and tell all terrorists to play nicely, but some of us do remain in the real world where money doesn't grow on trees & crystal balls don't exist.

See this is classic. You can't actually think of many good things to say about May so you just slag off the opposition. I don't know why you assume everyone who thinks May's campaign is appalling thinks that Corbyn is god-like. Lots of us aren't Corbyn fans at all.

Do you really not accept on any level that May is coming across really badly?

Actually, we were talking about that this morning- dp is a first aider who works with people in very stressful situations, and he has special instructions about what to look for in diabetics u dear stress.....

She certainly looks very different to the way she did at the beginning of the campaign.

But really, do you choose the party to vote for because the leader at the time puts on a good show on a particular type of TV debate?
Only if you vote Labour...

I don't get why you'd say that. It's just nonsensical.

I certainly have a lot of issues with Corbyn, and I think May is a liability.

meddie I agree with the principle of what you're saying but the situation is more of a problem than you claim- the statements aren't 'woolly' they are outright lies which are renaged upon.

The bus didnt say 'could' it said 'lets'- that's unequivocally saying that money with go to the NHS instead.

Likewise Jeremy Hunt absolutely categorically ruled out having a cap on dementia tax. It's not the level which is the subject of the u-turn it's the fact there will be a cap at all.

The fact there are no costings in the Tory manifesto or details about Brexit plans being published prior to the GE seems to me nothing more than a cynical attempt to hoodwink people into voting for them then revealing the details when it's too late.

Why do people find that acceptable?

Dinner that is a non-answer, and completely patronising. She has made no attempt to do anything other than preach to the converted in controlled environments. And that has nothing to do with security, it's because she can't answer unscripted questions, or defend her record using anything other than soundbites.

I keep getting stupid FB posts purportedly from her saying that only she can be trusted to negotiate Brexit. Given that she couldn't hold her own in debate with Paxman and Corbyn, why on earth would I think she stands a chance in hell of negotiating with Merkel and Macron?
I was going to say pretty much this.

fanfrickintastic funny enough I had exactly the same conversation with my dad last night regarding health issues. I think there might be a kernel of truth somewhere. I don't think she'll stay as PM if she wins, I think it's already a done deal. She's just keeping her head down for 6 days.

"I know you're confused by Corbyn saying he can give everyone a high-paid, low-taxed job together with their own personal health service, an individual teacher for each of their children, and world peace, a cure for cancer and all suffering, and eternal life, and where Diane Abbott will personally stand at the borders and tell all terrorists to play nicely, but some of us do remain in the real world where money doesn't grow on trees & crystal balls don't exist."

Why on earth do you think it's necessary to be so silly and rude? Do you want a discussion or don't you?

Your comment about me talking bollocks is somewhat ironic given it was immediately followed by your nonsense about my thoughts on Corbyn dinner.

I'm a life long Tory who is truly horrified at the way things are going now.

I don't think Corbyn is the right person to be PM but he hasn't built his campaign on slagging off the opposition and claiming to be the only one strong enough to take the country forward, only to cower away from any kind of public interaction.

I'm not super-keen on Corbyn - and I'm still not sure who I'll vote for.

However, the demonisation of Corbyn, has been a really, really poor electoral strategy and I think its backfiring.

The Tories/Media slag him off, but then the public gets to listen to him and we think, 'oh he's not that bad really'.

So then we ask: 'well, Tories, actually, what are your ideas/plans etc?' And they're like 'Um, grammar schools, hard Brexit, um....Oh well, guys! at least we're not Jeremy Corbyn!!'

Its such negative campaigning. If I were a die-hard Tory I would be embarrassed. (And I have heard several on the Radio saying that they were.)

I'm back to wondering if dinner is actually TM.......

Her repeated insistence in not actually answering the question but turning everything into an opportunity to slag off JC is uncannily similar to that of the PM

The fact there are no costings in the Tory manifesto or details about Brexit plans being published prior to the GE seems to me nothing more than a cynical attempt to hoodwink people into voting for them then revealing the details when it's too late.

It really is scandalous and I'm really pleased people are waking up to it.

All politicians are ultimately doing it for themselves, it's their job of course they want to progress their career. But I think it's easy for people to slag off the opposing party without noticing the manifesto. The best thing to do is to read several manifestos and decide which one you agree with most, and encourage others to do the same, instead of shit shaming Theresa may or Jeremy Corbyn because you probably have only seen what the media portrays of them, and of course that's biased. Read labour and conservative manifestos corner to corner it's not fun but only then can one have a justified opinion in which they can express about the party they do not agree with.

politicalscrapbook.net/2017/06/tory-mp-will-face-criminal-charges-over-election-expenses-scandal/
Is this why TM has cancelled her appearances?