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Original poster

Weirdest political interview ever?

36 replies

longfingernails · 30/06/2011 22:35

Red Ed says exactly the same sentence, in exactly the same words, in exactly the same manner, about 5 or 6 times.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13971770

It is downright creepy.

OP posts:
claig · 30/06/2011 22:48

Haven't read it yet. Is it like a Johann Hari interview?

Original poster
longfingernails · 30/06/2011 22:51

No, it's real

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meditrina · 30/06/2011 22:54

I find him generally unimpressive as a speaker (though to be fair, he's not alone in that). I assume he must have other qualities that fit him for his current office. I just can't work out what they are.

Original poster
longfingernails · 30/06/2011 22:59

Oh, he is totally bland (much the same as many other identikit politicians, Cameron included)... what I hadn't completely grasped till now was how much abnormally wooden he is.

That interview should make all Labour supporters cringe.

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claig · 30/06/2011 23:03

"put aside the rhetoric", said with a straight face - hilarious.

He has been coached and keeps repeating the pre-rehearsed, tutored phrase in the vain hope that he might then actually believe it. He's caught between a rock and a hard place and is trying to have his cake and eat it.

He's "all in it together" with the Coalition and Lord Hutton et al., so he has to say what he has been coached to say.

The less he believes it, the more and more he repeats it and with less convincing vehemence.

It's theatre, he is playing his part and hopes teh intermission will come soon. He is part of the chorus, together with the Coalition and Labour's Lord Hutton. It's not over until the Labour acting troupe start to sing out of tune.

claig · 30/06/2011 23:04

' I assume he must have other qualities that fit him for his current office. I just can't work out what they are.'

the ability to sell the "movement" down the river with a straight face?

claig · 30/06/2011 23:09

He's what is known as a "progressive", a two-faced Janus-like chameleon, able to change colours frome Red Ed to Blue Labour at the drop of a hat, and whenever he is coached to fool the people and abandon the unions.

claig · 30/06/2011 23:25

'That interview should make all Labour supporters cringe.'

and make all Coalition supporters thank the Lord that Miliband is "all in it together" with the Coalition. The Coalition will be in power for a long, long time. He's the best opposition leader that the Coalition could ever have.

CogitoErgoSometimes · 30/06/2011 23:31

One quarter of voters look at a photo of Ed Miliband and think it's David... That's gotta hurt...

claig · 30/06/2011 23:36

I thought you meant David Cameron. That wouldn't surprise me.

complimentary · 01/07/2011 16:58

Claig. I looked at the interview posted by LFN on Ed Miliband. It was indeed strange. Would he have been coached to repeat himself? I thought not only was his repitition odd, but also his bulging staring eyes, peculiar. He looks like some is grabbing him by the 'meat and two veg' or more politely the testiculus, and his eyes are popping out!Grin
I have thought for some time that Ed Miliband may be mildy autistic, as repeating oneself can be a sign of that. www.articlebase.com 'symptoms of mild autism' I am probably completely wrong. Does anyone else have any takes on odd Ed?

niceguy2 · 02/07/2011 11:40

Basically Red Ed is snookered on this issue so the only thing he can do is repeat the same lines his handlers have deemed vague enough not to upset too many people but at the same time sound like he's actually said something.

If he comes out too much against the strikes then he alienates his union masters whom at the end of the day own the Labour party.

If he comes out too much in favour of the strikes then he will alienate most of the population whom will have to pay extra taxes to fund these pensions whilst seeing their own meagre pensions continually be eroded.

He's also a bit snookered since Lord Hutton is one of his old cabinet chums and it's his recommendations which the government are trying to push through.

Georgimama · 02/07/2011 20:05

I was going to post this - is this interview really real? Has it honestly not been edited?

Original poster
longfingernails · 02/07/2011 20:27

It has now gone viral in America too, even left-wing American blogs are openly mocking Red Ed:

motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/07/ed-miliband-demonstrates-how-stay-message

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/01/ed-miliband-british-labour-party-politician-robot-like-interview-_n_888598.html

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catinthehat2 · 02/07/2011 20:29

real, I think it freaked out the interviewer a bit as well
he was just cracking out the soundbite so that whatever question was chosen for telly , he would always produce the answer with the same 3 or 4 sections
I think the idea behind putting thisup in YOutube is to have him lose even more credibility

Carminagetsprimal · 02/07/2011 20:34

He's history - he wouldn't support the teachers strike even though the unions backed him for leader - without the unions he'd have got nowhere.

The rat.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 02/07/2011 20:40

Can we please nail a myth. Ed Miliband is not a supporter of the unions. If you look at his actions, he is actually quite anti union, but only realized this after he got the union vote case to make him leader.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the interview. Truly truly awful.

what saddens me is that there is not an effective opposition in this country, although it could be argued that the media (and possible the judiciary) are wearing the hat of HM Opposition.

But it isn't the Labor party....

Carminagetsprimal · 02/07/2011 20:46

How can the Labour leader not support the unions? - that's where they're going wrong.

The labour party was born out of the unions fgs.

InnocentRedhead · 02/07/2011 20:51

There is no words.

InnocentRedhead · 02/07/2011 20:52

(pressed it too soon)

There is no words... Except 'put aside the rhetoric' :o Oh dear

Original poster
longfingernails · 02/07/2011 20:58

He is deeply in thrall to the unions.

He has to say strikes are wrong - he would be completely politically dead if he said otherwise - but we all know he would love to be out there on the picket lines if he could. Even his closest minions, Peter Hain and Sadiq Khan, couldn't bring themselves to repeat his words.

OP posts:
Original poster
longfingernails · 02/07/2011 21:00

InnocentRedhead Why - what could possibly make you think that the strikes are wrong when negotiations are still ongoing, that the government has acted in a reckless and provocative manner, and that both sides should put aside the rhetoric and get round the negotiating table?

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Carminagetsprimal · 02/07/2011 21:11

The unions own him LFN -

He said he wanted labour to get back to their roots - he should have backed the teachers. Labour needs a brave strong leader - they haven't got one.

Original poster
longfingernails · 02/07/2011 21:29

Well, what are you going to do about it? Vote Green? Somehow, I don't think so.

Frankly, the Tories need to seize this opportunity. They need to stick to their stated position entirely, both for economic reasons, but also for political ones.

The new pension scheme proposed by Lord Hutton is still far too generous to the unions - they should have moved to an entirely defined contribution scheme in my view - but it is at least a step in the right direction.

But to see Red Ed squirming like that, trying to sit on the fence, as Gove and the government continue their sterling work effectively dismantling the unions, is wonderful to behold.

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ilovemydogandMrObama · 02/07/2011 21:32

At local level, at least where I am, we are supporting the teachers and ignoring Ed Miliband