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Why the reluctance to answer questions and face the real electorate ?

(244 Posts)
James2451 Fri 02-Jun-17 12:14:20

This morning Teresa May had an opportunity to speak on Woman's Hour, just a few days after criticising Jeremy Corbyn's performance in the programme. Yet once again she has hopped out of any real discussions on her uncosted policies and previous statements.

We must have all seen her reluctance to have a face to face with the electorate as she crosses the Country, the majority are staged photo events with her own faithful. I have not as yet seen any interview with journalists where she has fully answered the questions put to her.
Is she really expecting the electorate to give her their vote to negotiate in Europe and most of all to run this Country when she is deliberately being so evasive in having face to face discussions the way Corby has done? Before the election I did not think I would ever vote for Corbyn but now May is changing my views.

Rather than have tribal type responses can we please have constructive analyse of the likely real reason for her reluctant attitudes.

Anya Sat 03-Jun-17 08:03:26

I thought that young girl's response (what drew a huge, spontaneous applause) was well said. It is obvious that many people are totally ignorant of how the fall-out from a nuclear weapon works. Even a small (compared to a bomb) radioactive release such as Chernobyl affected us, thousands of miles away.

Anyone read Neville Shute's On the Beach ?

Anya Sat 03-Jun-17 08:03:58

What drew? That drew!

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 08:06:44

I watched it all last night, May did really well although asked difficult questions she stayed polite and upbeat.Corbyn did well for half if it, then went to pieces over questions of the IRA and the nuclear deterrent.His voice and body language said 'angry and don't question my judgement'.
I watched it objectively with no bias to see how they both performed.May hasn't been campainging well up to now, Corbyn has, but I think last night changed things.

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 08:11:47

Nobody wants a nuclear exchange!
However, in the imagined scenario of a country targeting one of our major cities with a nuclear missile, whilst in the full knowledge that they would get one back at them .....would they then do it? If they knew our PM would never sanction it, then we fail to have a deterrent, and that country or group could then feel free to target other cities here with no redress.

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 08:15:09

World wide nuclear disarmament is a dream, a good dream of course, but simply giving up your own, while other countries possess them ( and some dodgy countries at that) just will not work.

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 08:16:02

I don't take any newspapers, but interesting to see what they say.

whitewave Sat 03-Jun-17 08:26:26

Watched it objectivelygringrin

Here is my objective assessment.

May had no answer for the questions about social care, funding for schools, pay cuts in the public sector -in fact anything thst directly affects peoples day to day lives.
She clearly has no idea or answer for the utter misery shown by the partially sighted person. Mays comfortable life in the Westminster bubble which she leaves only if forced shows that she is unsuited to deal with the problems of the vast majaority of folk
Cornyn is uncomfortable when answering questions about the IRA when they are taken out of the historical context in which theg took place. Attrocities were commited on all sides, history showed that the only way to end hostilities anywhere in the world is by discussion. Dont forget at the same time Tories were branding Mandela a terrorist, and the Tories were mever able to bring peace to NI - it took a Labour government to achieve that.

Turning to nuclear weapons. Corbyn belongs to a long and honourable tradition which sees the use of nuclesr weapons which kill so many innocents whilst leaving others with unspeakable injuries as highly immoral and the use of ehich will almost certainly mean the end of the planet.
He rejects this insanity

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 08:29:25

Yes ww watched it objectively....perhaps you should try it once in a while, it makes for more interesting viewing.

Anniebach Sat 03-Jun-17 08:30:14

Corbyn is not honourable

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 08:33:21

He may reject 'the insanity' which is why it makes him unsuitable to be PM. It would be true insanity to get rid of our deterrent or to say we will never retaliate.
Having it and saying we are prepared to use it if attacked keeps us safer.We have not had a PM before who is/was a vice president of CND.

Welshwife Sat 03-Jun-17 08:33:38

I only saw bits of TM - those shown on the News etc but did see most of Corbyn. He said quite clearly that Trident would be renewed but that talking to others was the way forward as nuclear war was total destruction. The men who got apoplectic are just fools and one in particular simply showed his complete ignorance.
I thought Corbyn continued to improve really - when he started off as leader I felt he was not up to the job at all but his confidence has improved and he can speak without notes and go from one subject to another. He also seems to understand that diplomacy is required when dealing with International affairs and will be very important in the Brexit talks.

The Newsnight discussion was a bit of a mess -- one chap was totally biased and was not going to allow Paul Mason to speak if he could help it. The young woman was very patient and waited her turn!

Boris was totally ignorant when interviewed late last night - was like a robot which was switched on and could only spout what it was programmed to say and not actually listen or answer any questions.

whitewave Sat 03-Jun-17 08:36:37

How come my assessment is biased whilst yours is objective rose?

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 08:37:58

You need to watch the whole exchange ( from York) Welshwife because bits of it don't show the whole picture.

Anniebach Sat 03-Jun-17 08:47:08

It is amusing thst Corbynites critcise May for not attending two debates yet defended Corbyn who refused to take part in one during the Brexit campaign,

The BBC were biased because he had to look up facts and figures on his iPad during an interview.

It really is amusing,

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 08:47:30

How come you can 'grin' at my saying I watched it objectively ( which I did) and yet your own is objective ww? I watched them both critically, and how can you argue with my view that T May was polite and upbeat?
You must also admit that Corbyn became rattled and his demeanor changed considerably with the defence questions.
May has not run a good campaign up to now, coupled with an unpopular manifesto.Her advisors need sacking.Corbyn and his team have led a good campaign coupled with a very popular manifesto ( if you don't worry about tons more massive borrowing.)
Which is why the polls are showing closer figures.However, I think last night did
Change things and will make people think.

Welshwife Sat 03-Jun-17 08:48:47

I realise that which is why I made no comment on the performance of TM - but I thought the 'money tree' quote was a bit unnecessary and gave the nurse no hope of any increase.
Corbyn did admit if he thought a mistake had been made and gives families split because of bad Home Office rules hope that it should be changed. He does come over as man who understands the problems of the population and is willing to do his best to help them.

whitewave Sat 03-Jun-17 08:54:34

Because neither of our views are objective.

May tried to appearupbeat - that was her brief because her campaign has been so downbeat and miserable to date.
But she was far from giving a smooth performance, stumbling and unable to give any reassurances that people's lives would improve as a result of Tory cuts etc.

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 09:21:20

Was upbeat, appeared upbeat, it amounts to the same thing.
Corybn being rattled when out of his comfort zone really showed, he hates being challenged on his views.T May is used to being asked awkward questions and the government already in power is usually at a disadvantage anyway.Making unpopular cuts is never going to get smiles and applause even if it's the right thing to do.Somebody on the news was complaining that the Conservatives had not got the huge deficit down much, but is more massive borrowing from Labour going to help.No.
For all concerned about Brexit, voting Labour is a massive gamble.

Ginny42 Sat 03-Jun-17 09:29:14

I'm very concerned about Brexit Roses, and that's just one reason why I've voted Labour.

trisher Sat 03-Jun-17 09:30:32

I'm not objective and I don't believe anyone is.
May didn't know about nurses' pay and failed miserably to understand or offer anything to the woman who asked. She also apologised to the partially sighted girl with mental health problems but didn't recognise her responsibility. She looked like a rabbit in the headlights.
Corbyn was asked such stupid questions. Loved the girl who simply said 'I can't believe that you want to discuss killing millions of people" or something similar. If the only thing you can criticise about someone is his links with a movement that has been dormant for 17 years and the possibility of an unlikely if not impossible nuclear attack it means his policies must be fantastic

whitewave Sat 03-Jun-17 09:34:09

No it doesn't because it was an act and an obvious one -she was trying too hard, her words said one thing but her poor body language was said another. She was way out of her comfort zone.

Corbyn is consistently challenged on his views that is why the manifesto has proven so robust and well costed.
May avoids all challenges and thinks a woolly manifesto without a single costing will fool the voter. If/when she gets in she will see it as a blank cheque. I hope that you won't regret your vote.

I disagree that "unpopular" cuts are the right thing to do, there was always an alternative, and in fact that alternative had been set up at the end of the last Labour Government and was proving successful with growth once again. The evil Tories stopped it dead in its tracks. Rather taking away from the poor and rewarding the very people who had caused the disaster in the first place.

rosesarered Sat 03-Jun-17 09:34:59

Yes, you're right trisher you are not at all objective......you could have tried to be!

durhamjen Sat 03-Jun-17 09:35:38

I was longing for someone to ask May how much of a payrise she had had since 2009.
I liked that girl's response, too.
I think Corbyn just dismissed the redfaced warmonger because he had already answered that question politely a couple of times, and wanted Dimbleby to move on.

By the way, if anyone wants any left wing media reports on it, don't forget Gove has recommended skwawkbox and the Canary.

durhamjen Sat 03-Jun-17 09:45:57

skwawkbox.org/2017/06/02/9-tories-of-120-bbcqt-audience-ask-29-of-questions-still-corbynwins-ge17/

Rigby, to read along with the DM and T and Tel, etc.

trisher Sat 03-Jun-17 09:46:09

I could have rar. I could also have pretended I was being objective, but I was brought up to be honest.