Government won't talk to GMB and This Morning!!

[Disneylover4321]

I was watching GMB and This Morning today and they were talking about how the government press team wouldn't talk to either shows.
Surely this isn't acceptable??
The government can't just hide and not be interviewed?

He talks over them when they don’t properly answer the question. If they directly answered the question he asked them then he’d undoubtedly let them speak but instead, they try to stay on message and simply repeat platitudes and three-line slogans. A direct answer from a government minister is a very rare thing these days.

The government should absolutely be answerable to GMB viewers. Just because people here might not like GMB, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a huge audience who deserve some honest answers. In fact, I’d guess GMB viewers are going to be among the most affected demographic. They’re the ones who are going to have to go back to work and get on trains and put themselves at risk so others can continue to work from home.

@janicebattersby

Exactly. They should answer to all TV shows or media or at least provide a statement that answers there questions clearly.

Morning TV is awful these days, not that this excuses the government’s lack of engagement), both GM and BBC. I just listen to the radio, LBC or fivelive (and I will be switching that off once sports resume).

@JaniceBattersby

They should also be answerable to This Morning which they are currently refusing to talk to.

@Millicent10

As you said, that does not excuse their lack of engagement.

The first sign of Fascism is to restrict the press. Even if you don't like there programmes for not arselicking to the Tories. We need alternative views.

When the media cannot even report on a factual statement made by the government properly what hope is there. They took his statement yday and blew it out of proportion and reporting it inaccurately. Just like they did last time. Just like pre statement the media were speculating on what it would mean for people, driving people into a frenzy about lockdown rules.

If the government have said they will tell everyone on sunday what is the point in churning out article after article say it means x y z and when they do they then go on a drive of saying the government have done a u-turn when they haven't.

They banned the times from the press briefing after their story on the cock ups leading up to lockdown. Pathetic and straight out of the trump playbook

When they don't know*

I hate this government. I think they are arrogant, incompetent and slack. I think their failings are massively contributing to the number of people dying.

Nevertheless I don't think being shouted at by Piers Morgan is all that helpful for anyone, even Piers Morgan.

@langclegsinspace

I don't hate them!

I just think that they should be answerable to all major TV shows and media outlets.

TBF, Boris Johnson has been on This Morning quite a few times over the past few years, he was last on there at the start of March.

They are not answerable to the media they are answerable to the people and they sont need to do interviews with biased media to communicate to us. They are doing their own briefings everyday.

The problem is the same their has always been with Johnson.. he is a waffler. He is also lazy and doesn't read his briefings. He ALWAYS avoids questions because he constantly contradicts himself.

His 'teams' m.o is ALWAYS to help him avoid any form of questions and scrutiny. This has been successfully managed with a Rottweiler like Cummings running through strategy. They know if he is ever put up for serious interrogation say for example on the Today program on R4, he would be ripped to shreds.

This is why he only does Statements where there are no questions. The ONLY time this cannot be avoided if PM questions is parliament and he has successfully managed to avoid the majority of them until today. I am not suggesting his illness was an avoidance tactic but it was bloody useful.

Watch his performance today in Parliament. He was competent at the beginning because it was a 'statement' . The moment it got to Kier Starmer making sensible requests for clarification- he descended into waffle.

Then we have a couple of questions from Torys telling him how amazing he is and questions where he just has to repeat what he just said. ! Followed by opposition questions which are ignored.. e.g

Plaid Cymru; (paraphrased) We the devolved parliaments have decided to stick with the lockdown. Yet you are telling people they should go to work. Is what you are saying now , instructions from The Prime Minister of England rather than UK.

PM ; No.

When these matters are devolved so he has no jurisdiction over devolved parliaments in these matters.

Another one.

How do we return to work without childcare z ? Can we be forced to return. Or can we remain on furlough until kids are back. ?

PM ; Well well um ah .. well yes we expect employers to be reasonable.

WTF did that mean ??

It can't last forever . He can obfuscate and bluster for so long but I've can't get away with it for 5 years can he ?

hey’re doing press conferences every single bloody day. What more could they possibly say

Difference between a press conference and an interview is that politicians are held to account.

But there is balance between soft interviews and interviews where Piers doesn't listen.

You can probe and hold people to account without people being reluctant to take part.

There won’t go on GMB because they don’t want to face Piers he can be like a old Rottweiler with a bone when it come to a government minister!!

I read a lot of German press and the attitude is completely different. Yes they will ask tough questions, but it is in a thoughtful way designed to get an answer not in a rude, antagonistic way designed to create drama. Piers Morgan seems to think that he runs this country when all he does is appear on some silly morning TV programme that no-one who has anything to do would ever watch, I've never seen it but it's reported everywhere.

There is an awful lot of the tail wagging the dog going on in the UK at the moment and TV programmes thinking that they can demand that govt ministers have to appear on their programmes is an example of it.

I would be more concerned if they were on those shows to be honest.
They've got bigger fish to fry than be shouted at by Piers, Phil and the silly simpering Holly.

I believe that ministers will not appear on Newsnight or Channel 4. Plus they select which journalists can ask questions at the daily presser. ( and exclude C4). Even Trump can't do that due to the White House Press Corps.

The media have got their own agenda going on with the government which started well before Covid-19. They are spinning things left right and centre and doing their utmost to bring everyone along with them.

Johnson have his very first statement to the Commons on coronavirus today, and only his second appearance there since this all began. He has refused to appear before the Commons Liaison Committee in the 8.5 months since he was elected to government.
He is - rightly - terrified of scrutiny.

Piers is awful. He just rants on and on

Oh my god this is hilarious thanks for the laugh OP If I keep refreshing the page I will see the thread title and can't stop laughing.

Like any government has a duty to go on shite TV shows like these. They've got no obligation to and thank goodness for that.

They should also be answerable to This Morning which they are currently refusing to talk to.

Why should they be answerable to This Morning, it isn't even a news program, it is what's called a magazine show basically the daytime equivalent of the one show.

The media are rude and aggressive to politicians then twist and misreport anything they say. I would normally not condone this avoidance but think the media have been a total disgrace over this pandemic time. We really need to take a long hard look at the media and improve their standards, until then I would defend the right of anyone to not speak to them as long as the briefings continue

Shit day time telly for morons?

I wouldn't either.