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 don't think she looks at all well and she'll step down pretty quickly once the election is over.

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'.

Totally agree with this.

The Tories have created their own problem here.

Corbyn isn't a great leader but the Tories have slagged him off so much people's expectations of him were very low and he's come out of it really quite well.

Meanwhile their own leader was put on a great 'strong and stable' pedestal and has then hidden in the shadows and can't answer any questions without the use of soundbites or making personal attacks on JC.

Doesn't bode well for the person who will be responsible for the biggest ever negioations during Brexit does it?

I saw something on FB or somewhere saying when it comes to debates/interviews "better no Teresa May than a bad Teresa May"

She really has managed to wreck her party's standing in the polls though and I believe not being available to answer proper questions from the public (not scripted questions from the chosen few), locking journalists away in cupboards, spouting meaningless soundbites and yes, not doing live interviews/debates is a very large part of that.

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.

The theory of that is great alexis, unfortunately it's not that simple.

May is the Queen of u-turns. She's already backtracked on 1 manifesto policy and she's not even been elected yet.

The manifestos are barely worth the paper they are written on.

Yes Bearbehind I agree with you. At the start of this GE run up I wanted to hear what all the parties vision and manifesto was for the next 5 years. I wanted to make an informed decision
I know what Labours, the greens and unfortunately UKIP's policies are but I feel like the Tory one is not being discussed. All I heard from the Tories was strong and stable leadership and what a bad man Corbyn was. and unfortunately that doesn't fill me with confidence. What are you hiding if you wont discuss your future plans and instead slag off the opposition. It smacks too much of American style politics and I,m not interested. I want facts and the tories just haven't given them. Its just been soundbites and slogans and no real depth

Apparently May's not doing BBC radio interviews now either.

politicalscrapbook.net/2017/06/theresa-may-is-now-refusing-to-do-any-interviews-with-bbc-radio/

I think people listen to Mr Corbyn because he is saying all the things people want to he is going to fix everything No negatives in his manifesto just loads of goodies
If he does get in my worst nightmare since brexit - just waiting for the financial crash what fun that will be He is going to spend a lot of other people's money
Mrs May I agree has been far too quiet and I do think her diabetes is taking a toll on her but there is no way on earth I would back a labour government Where's Mrs Thatcher when you need her suspect she would finish off JC with one swipe on her handbag!

Yes, of course we should expect more from a PM and I cannot think of any PM who has not grabbed the opportunity.

I think she is simply not capable of being spontaneous and it is frankly baffling how she managed to climb the greasy pole without being confident enough to do so.

They are trying to position themselves as 'we are the only party you could possibly allow to negotiate Brexit'. This is why their manifesto isn't worth a button.

But TM has totally shot herself and her party in the foot by showing that she can't negotiate, she can't debate, she can't even answer a simple question. Plus she u-turns at the first sign of pressure.

Having said that, it was high time Corbyn got his act together to show her up.
(I vote for neither party - just to be clear...)

Well if I am TM then when I win the election I'll be introducing a tax on Labour supporters, emergency measures to restrict access to Mumsnet to people with an IQ above zero, and will improve the net immigration numbers by shipping you all off to a little island somewhere where dinosaurs still exist and are very hungry.
And no, I wasn't looking for a discussion - I didn't think Labour voters round these parts actually bothered with discussions anyway. I thought they preferred to stick with personal insults and reading from Corbyn's script, working on the shouting-over-anyone-with-a-different-viewpoint like their beloved leader and refusing to acknowledge proven facts. Who wants to waste time trying to have a rational discussion with that?

1. May isn't appearing because she isn't any good at it, and a cost/benefit analysis shows it's better if she doesn't.

2. Labour showing well in the polls at this stage is brilliant for the Tories, because it will ensure that any Tory who was thinking of not voting/protest voting comes out for them.

dinner, I'm not sure why you feel the need to be so rude- you clearly can't make your point without resorting to such tactics.

I'm not a labour supporter.

That rather ruins your argument doesn't it?

Now who looks a bit stupid?

I love how Labour's money tree is soooo beyond the pale but the Tories' Brexit money-farting unicorn is totally and absolutely the gods-honest truth.

I've already postal-voted btw, and it was for neither Lab nor Con.

And I am a Labour supporter, but not a Corbyn fan. My attitude to Corbyn is summed up rather by the old and sexist joke "Behind every successful man there's a surprised mother in law"

Bear you sound just like what everyone has been calling Theresa May out for; shit shaming other people. The thread is to debate why TM does not actively engage with debates not why dinner is wrong in your opinion. Play nicely xx

Thatcher was actually the victim of a terrorist attack, she didn't use it as an excuse to hide from us.

Exactly. It must be a desperate day when I'm comparing Thatcher favorably with some one else. I will wash my mouth out later. however, at least she defended her beliefs - at least she had some beliefs
TM (and I've genuinely tried to like her) seems to me like a mouthpiece who fancies herself as a strong leader and courts power but has no true convictions unlike Thatcher or for that matter Jezza. Like him or dislike him at least Jezza's not afraid to stand by his beliefs whether that makes him unpopular or not. TM seems to blow with the wind - one minute strong and stable the next minute, changing her mind because her policies are likely to lose her votes.
The weirdest thing was saying she wasn't going to contribute to the live debates because she was busy negotiating Brexit and that's what Corbyn should be doing too. It was almost like saying the GE was a an unwelcome distraction.
Erm ... she called the GE, no one else - if she's too busy negotiating Brexit and hasn't got time to appear on televised debates, which, let's face it, are now an expectation of a party leader in the lead up to a General Election, why call the GE in the first place?
Personally, I think it was a matter of damage limitation; her advisers knew she'd be annihilated on that stage and so kept her away.

It's Bear's thread, it can be about anything she chooses.

Aren't you charming Dinnerisserved.

There has been speculation in this house as to whether she actually wants to win. If this election results in a hung parliament and then progressive alliance/coalition of chaos (depending on your viewpoint), then whatever happens re. Brexit is not the Tories' fault.

They can then spend the next 5 years preparing for the next GE and get shitloads of sniping and blaming opportunities to boot.

As it stands, if she wins now, it's all on her. And Brexit, whatever anyone says and wherever you stand, is not going to be easy. The shit will really hit the fan in the next two years. I have a bit of a suspicion TM is running for cover already.

What do you mean Alexis

Today 12:00 ilovesooty

I don't think she looks at all well and she'll step down pretty quickly once the election is over.

Really? How do you come to those conclusions?

I think she's an old school politician and has old school abilities. Our obsession with having politicians constantly on the media is a modern thing.

Being good at the in person stuff is important but not the only indicator of whether someone will be a good premier (look at Obama, for example). Similarly, being weak at this but strong in other areas can be a successful combination.

Theresa May has played this really strangely and we've also wondered if she wants to win. Who is giving her advice? I'm convinced tories will win still.

Because all that NLP style training is failing. I'm not sure if she's just a sacrificial lamb along Plinkys line or a liability now. Either way she's just a dreadful leader. I'm voting for the trot.