Don’t know about ‘reds under the bed’ in the Sunday papers, but getting the whole ‘criticism of Israel and/or Zionism is anti Semitic’ trope out there a few months ago looks like a shrewd play. Almost as though they were desperate for Labour to have an ‘ism’ that could be trotted out to neutralise accusations of racism/xenophobia on the part of Brexiteers.

And yes, I do know that criticism of Israel and Zionism (the latter to a lesser extent) were defined as not being Anti-Semitism, but the notion got out there.

When people can barely be arsed to get past a three word slogan it plays to the narrative of ‘they are all as bad as each uvver, but Boris will deliver Brexit and take back sovrunty’.

Clever stuff.

It has to be said, Andrew Neil is an utter cretin though, fully expect the same obnoxious nonsense against swinson and johnson.

Seo77 up there….
Andrew Neil is a cretin?
F me man, lay off the kool-aid.
He prepares thoroughly, is factually rigorous and pushes every interviewee/subject for honest answers.
What was obnoxious about his questioning of either Corbyn or Sturgeon? Was it only his questioning go Corbyn?
Give us some demonstrable, measurable facts to support your one line assertion.
Politicos have, for years, used bluster and blather in an attempt to defuse hostile questioning; Neil does not put up with that bollocks.
Party leaders know that when they sign up to agreeing to engage with Neil.
How would you prefer him to interview/interrogate?

Looking like Johnson might not even show up for a Neil interview. Probably worried he’ll give him too much of a soft ride… [or not]

FFS how naive is JC and his advisers? He must have known in advance he’d get some questions around anti-semitism and the best he can do is just try the usual denunciation that even a complete moron can see isn’t working.

Sure people that bother to look beyond the newspaper headlines will realise it’s a non story and apologising on behalf of some idiots in his party shouldn’t have much value but in the times we live he should have known that by just repeating the denunciation of antisemitism but not offering up any form of apology would be the only thing the media picked up on.

I bet Cummings and Johnson were in stitches watching that shit show play out

He must have known in advance he’d get some questions around anti-semitism and the best he can do is just try the usual denunciation that even a complete moron can see isn’t working.

At least he didn’t do the waffle about “bad people on all sides” (sound familiar?) Before going to “I think we’ll have to do this another time” and then hanging up routine like he did when he refused to condemn the actions of the IRA.

Bad people on all sides? Very Trumpian…

Hanging up to avoid answering a difficult, direct question? What a guy!

I think it’s fair to say that Labour (but mostly Corbyn) had a bad day yesterday, the Andrew Neil interview was just the end of it.

It’s an odd world when Corbyn not Johnson is getting called Trumpian.

Not really the parallels between Trump and Corbyn are massive:

Keynesian stimulus at the wrong point in the cycle: Tick.
Presenting as the establishment outsider: Tick.
Populist looking to make radical changes: Tick.
Instinctively hostile to the UK’s allies: Tick.
Brexiteers: Tick.
Hostility to NATO: Tick.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/11/jeremy-corbyn-like-donald-trump-not-boris-johnson/601957/

Andrew Neil’s a great interviewer IMHO facts always at his fingertips. I think the request for an anti-semitism apology question was unfair (how can you apologise for something without accepting the premise!) but apart from that spot on. He doesn’t ask any more unfair questions that other interviewers IMHO. It’s clear the other candidates are running scared of him which suggests that they don’t think he’s biased, and nor do I.

I’m really liking the Lib dems this time: Revoke. 1p tax rise on all of us, not just people who can easily avoid it. Review of IR35. End of the Loan Charge.

I’m a Corbyn supporter, and I don’t like Andrew Neil, but I have to admit that Corbyn did badly and Neil didn’t do anything out of order. If a proposal isn’t costed, that needs to be called out. The test of Neil will be if he does the same or worse to Johnson, as I don’t think their proposals are any better and I suspect worse.

Not really the parallels between Trump and Corbyn are massive:

Keynesian stimulus at the wrong point in the cycle: Tick.
Presenting as the establishment outsider: Tick.
Populist looking to make radical changes: Tick.
Instinctively hostile to the UK’s allies: Tick.
Brexiteers: Tick.
Hostility to NATO: Tick.

Do me a favour. You’ve cherry picked concepts to fit your argument. Trump is nothing like Corbyn, not in the slightest, and you know this because it’s staring you in the face.

It’s indicative of the establishment that Andrew Neil is more interested in the past activity of some Labour members

The man wants to be PM. How he handles an issue such as this in a party he leads is pertinent to voters who need to trust him to handle issues once he is our PM.

It’s also laughable that Neil used the £250 for marriage tax allowance as attack on tax and income.

The benefit of improved NHS, free broadband, cheaper water rates and other utilities will wipe that out and more.

Completely agree that the increase in tax will be far outweighed by the benefits. But untruths and deceit in a campaign should still be pointed out… even if you agree with the policy base. Claiming that no one paid under £80K will pay more tax, when that is not true, should be challenged.

The test of Neil will be if he does the same or worse to Johnson

Andrew Neil is a equal-opportunities rottweiler. I’m sure he’s absolutely relishing tearing Boris Johnson a new one. The Tory’s policies, such as they are, are as ripe to be torn to pieces as Labours

Both manifesto’s are the work of fantasists that won’t stand first contact with reality. Andrew Neil is intelligent enough to know this. And so is Boris Johnson

I doubt Johnson is relishing the prospect of the interview after watching that train wreck last night. Johnson’s shtick does ok for him when he’s allowed to bluff and bluster uninterrupted, but it collapses under scrutiny. Neil will make mincemeat of him too

Andrew Neil in his day to day political commentary is very right wing… that doesn’t change the fact that he does these interviews well. If Corbyn had tried to change the interview into questioning Neil, he’d have looked as if he didn’t want to answer questions. Jones did a great job… I was cheering him… but that wasn’t in an election campaign leaders interview.

Neil’s interview of Johnson during the leadership campaign can be watched here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0006xtz/the-andrew-neil-interviews-conservative-leadership-jeremy-hunt-boris-johnson

Judge for yourself.

Johnson will avoid an interview before the election, if his handlers think they can get away with it.

He’s allergic to confrontation and an instinctive consensus builder

Eh? He can’t even build a consensus within his own party. Mainly as he’s demonstrated zero desire to do so

Good traits for a PM, not that great for a campaign.

Not much chance of being a good PM if you’re shite at campaigning, is there? One tends to follow the other

Like I said, he’s basically completely useless as a politician. But his delusional fan club still won’t accept that. LA-LA-LA-NOT LISTENING!!!!!!

Its ridiculous that He’s still there, all ready to lose a second election. He should have been put out to pasture 2 years ago so that the party could move on from its latest failed experiment. Not losing quite as badly as expected when faced with an opponent who conducted the worst election campaign in history is hardly an endorsement to be given a second crack at it, is it?

All this latest car crash shouldn’t even be up for discussion. Its not like we didn’t know what to expect, is it?

I’m really liking the Lib dems this time: 1p tax rise on all of us, not just people who can easily avoid it.

Just checking, I am assuming that was a sarcastic comment?

Caution, contains many bad words.

I am so, so disappointed and the buck stops here. pic.twitter.com/EVNApDENFZ

— Cable says join a union (@JAACable) November 26, 2019

Well the labour centrists didn’t seem to think so.

You seem to be getting confused as to how decisions in the labour party are presently taken? The centrists have zero influence so it doesn’t matter what they think.

This continuing rudderless shambles is entirely on Momentum and the rest of the sixth formers. You broke it, you own it

From the Independent via FB:

Jeremy Corbyn has released an uncensored official document which he says provides confirmation that the NHS is on the table in trade talks with the USA.

Could get interesting…