Diane Abbott's LBC interview.

[geetee1972Member]

How can a Cambridge Graduate come across as so completely stupid?

I guess because she’s human?

[StonerSubscriber]

How can a Cambridge Graduate come across as so completely stupid?

They let anyone in. Ahem.

Mind you, you should the divs they let into Oxford! eh noteeth? 😀

[thegreatapeMember]

What’s most frightening about reading the content of this interview is finding out that she’s the shadow Home Secretary.

[PigfaceMember]

Horrible performance, Ferrari is hardly a heavyweight 😉 questioner yet she managed to screw up on a question it was obvious she was going to be asked.

[gobuchulMember]

I guess because she’s human?

So a Shadow Labour Minister goes on to a local radio station, which has a history off an aggressive right wing basis and doesn’t even bother to a have breakdown of the financials or to have made any preparations and you think that’s a “human” mistake? 🙄

[geetee1972Member]

and you think that’s a “human” mistake?

Well she’s human and it was a mistake so……

BTW for the record I’m not overly keen on Diane Abbot (she used to be my MP); I have never warmed to her ‘all white people are evil’ type rhetoric. But still, you have to respect what she’s acheived and give her some credit for clearly being very capable. She has been an elected member of parliament since 1987. Getting elected is not exactly easy.

[bodgySubscriber]

Can’t say I’m a fan of Diane Abbott, but that was very poor by any standard.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zUUY8Zz380[/video]

[ctkMember]

Pretty bad. If you don’t kniw the answer dont say it. “it’ll be in the manifesto” seems to be stock answer.

Also she should have the answer written down.

[gobuchulMember]

Well she’s human and it was a mistake so……

You can call it that.

I would call it gross political incompetence.

[B.A.NanaMember]

and you think that’s a “human” mistake?
Well she’s human and it was a mistake so……

That was a classic Lizard mistake

[JamieMember]

Well. That wasn’t strong or stable.

Diane Abbot really has stolen a career.

[gobuchulMember]

But still, you have to respect what she’s acheived and give her some credit for still be very capable. She has been an elected member of parliament since 1987.

Really?

Stinks of positive discrimination to me.

[outofbreathMember]

She was equally dreadful on R4. It wasn’t so much presentation, she just couldn’t say how the policy would be funded.

She was quite good on “This Week”.

[gobuchulMember]

It get’s worse.

Asked on a campaign visit to Southampton if he was embarrassed by the gaffe, Mr Corbyn said: “Not at all, we’ve corrected the figure and it’ll be absolutely clear now, today and in the manifesto. I’m not embarrassed in the slightest.”

Not embarrassed that one of his Shadow Cabinet has failed to do basic preparation before a radio interview.

Labour are completely un-electable so we are left with probably 8 more years of Tory government without a credible opposition.

[anagallis_arvensisMember]

Is it only me that doesnt give a **** if they dont have every figure in their head?

[ctkMember]

Credible opposition yawn. You cant do **** all in opposition. At least Corbyn actually opposes rather than coalescing.

Tho police officer policy was poor from the outset imo. All I was hearing was gun and knife crime in London, metropolitan police etc

[thegeneralistMember]

Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn need to know that they are complicit in the ruin of this country.

By being so utterly inept, useless and unelectable they ensure that Tory rule will continue indefinitely and Brexit will come to pass.

I genuinely believe that the they could do the world a great favour by absenting themselves from it.

[outofbreathMember]

“Is it only me that doesnt give a **** if they dont have every figure in their head?”

Just listened and yeah, she just blanked it under pressure, I don’t think it’s evidence she doesn’t know.

The real problem is these numbers almost certainly won’t add up not that she completely forgot them momentarily.

[gobuchulMember]

Is it only me that doesnt give a **** if they dont have every figure in their head?

Nobody expects them to.

You ever had to present something to a client at work? Or have you had someone present a proposal for a service or equipment?

What would you think of them if they couldn’t tell you how much it was going to cost?

That’s basically what happened, she was on LBC to talk about that subject of using money from Inheritance Tax to pay for extra Police Officers. She was presenting to the public but didn’t do any preparation or show any understanding of the proposal or process.

[outofbreathMember]

“Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn need to know that they are complicit in the ruin of this country.”

They’re looking longer term than June.

If they can get rid of moderate MPs their legacy will be a “proper” Socialist Labour party. They will have achieved something big.

Whether that’s good or not is a different question.

[ulysseMember]

Just for Thegeneralist, ill post this again.
And all this, with knives in his back.

[gobuchulMember]

Without looking further down that list, it was that well known Corbynite, Michael Gove, who made the Government cancel the Saudi Contract.

[thegeneralistMember]

If they can get rid of moderate MPs their legacy will be a “proper” Socialist Labour party. They will have achieved something big.

I don’t want a Proper Socialist Labour Party that has zero chance of getting into power or making a difference to the government of the country.

I want a party that will beat the Tories, end of.

[natrixMember]

This is all part of Labour’s cunnung plan. 😀 Lull the tories into a false sense of security, then WHAM Jeremy Corbyn stands down due to ill-health, WHAM David Millibrand is voted the new Labour leader Labour takes the country by storm

[kerleyMember]

I want a party that will beat the Tories, end of.

even if that is just another tory like party under a different name?

[CaptainFlashheartMember]

RACIST!

[devashMember]

I can’t stand Abbott and I’m a Labour voter. She should be in middle-management, not politics (although there doesn’t seem to be any difference between these two roles nowadays).

[NorthwindSubscriber]

She should have done a proper interview, answering every question with “strong and stable”. If in doubt, say there’s “many complex reasons”. That’s what a proper politician would have done.

[ctkMember]

Corbyn brought the subject up (Saudi) in his acceptance speech as leader.

[gobuchulMember]

Corbyn brought the subject up (Saudi) in his acceptance speech as leader.

So what?

Trump spoke about a wall in his…..

[gobuchulMember]

nick-ferrari-diane-abbotts-agonising-interview-over-policy-cost/

Another vote winner for the Tories.

I reckon she must be an undercover Tory agent.

How can a Cambridge Graduate come across as so completely stupid?

[CaptainFlashheartMember]

Northwind, it would be better than ‘if in doubt, make up some numbers. Then keep digging.’

Any basic media training would have made sure she knew that.

[ninfanMember]

You have to question Labours abilities for even putting her forward as a spokesperson

FFS – Donald Trump is better at interviews than Diane 😀

[kimbersSubscriber]

Northwind, it would be better than ‘if in doubt, make up some numbers

the borris johnson method!

the real tragedy is that policing in some communities is non-existent, police morale is at an all time low and many many victims of crime are being let down

ask any copper if they will be voting for theresa may

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/02/inspectorate-police-engaging-dangerous-practices-austerity-cuts-diane-abbott

Abbots cock up is the story now, rather than the damage being done in the name of ‘austerity’

[franksinatraSubscriber]

Is it only me that doesnt give a **** if they dont have every figure in their head?

No, its not. But I do expect the shadow home secretary to have just a basic understanding of such a key policy. She was wildly out over and over again.

Paxman would have literally eaten her.

[oldnpastitMember]

+1 Ninfan. Do they really have no-one better?

[centralscrutinizerMember]

Leave the poor woman alone 🙂

[chewkwMember]

franksinatra – Member
Paxman would have literally eaten her.

😆

[AlexSimonSubscriber]

She shouldn’t be allowed in front of a mic imo.
Her writing is quite good though.

[dannyhMember]

The most worrying thing was how wrong the figures she quoted were. Some were orders of magnitude out from figures that would make sense, but she still said it. It’s all very well not knowing every single figure you might be asked about, but you need some common sense. There has to be a part of your mind that says “the figures you are about to quote can’t possibly stack up”.

£300,000 cost of 10,000 new police? Then £80,000,000 cost of 10,000 police? Neither figure is anywhere near plausible and someone at that level should realise that long before they engage their mouths.

[kimbersSubscriber]

the final figures she read out make more sense

“In year one we are getting ready to recruit, but in year two the cost will be £64.3m. In year three the cost will be a £139.1m. Year four the cost will be £217m and year five the cost will be £298m and that can be amply covered by reversing the cuts in capital gains tax.”

sadly her floundering makes it even easier for the tories to cut policing even further

[fifeandyMember]

Sad thing is LBC was her second attempt of the day.
SJM had already made her look quite silly earlier on Sky News…..

[gobuchulMember]

£300,000 cost of 10,000 new police? Then £80,000,000 cost of 10,000 police? Neither figure is anywhere near plausible and someone at that level should realise that long before they engage their mouths.

Completely agree.

The other thing is, she was only talking about wages, as I understand it this is typically about 50% of a true capitation cost for personnel. I guess with the Police, the percentage is much lower due to the training, pension, specialist equipment etc.

[cheers_driveMember]

I can’t stand Abbott and I’m a Labour voter. She should be in middle-management, not politics

A middle manager is the most accurate description of DA I’ve heard.

Making a mistake every now and gain is human, but this just adds to the reasons why I think she is useless.

[fanatic278Member]

She set herself up for this by being deliberately vague and obtuse on her Sky interview: Sky interview

Any decent journalist would have noticed this and gone in for the kill. The guy on LBC certainly noticed and was ready. She should have been prepared. I’m not talking about having it in her head – she just needed a copy of the draft manifesto she kept referring to in her Sky interview.

Is it me, or does it seem like her mind has slowed down over the years? Her voice seems to have become more faltering.