Why do MPs lie so blatantly on TV?

fb.watch/jt5w2rUxag/

here it is - not a single hand went up, not one!

I saw the programme. Watching the Tory chap was a Masterclass in question avoidance, wasn't it?
Q: 'Is there a way back to politics for Boris Johnson?'

A: 'Blather, blah, Rishi, waffle, we have increased, witter on, ramble.'

Fiona B: 'That's not answering the question. Can you tell us if you think there's a way back to politics for BJ?

A: 'Well look. Dissemble, waffle, highest figures, blah, Rishi.'

It shouldn't be allowed, but I don't know how it can be stopped really. At one time, someone like Paxman would have had him by the throat, but there are very few 'determined' interviewers these days.

They lie because they are experts at it, they practise every day. Waffling or avoiding answering the actual question, crunching numbers, with no actual plans that they will state.
Representatives of all parties are the same.
Where do we get the truth from?

Agreed! I think it stems from the House of Commons itself. PMQs drives me mad. Starmer asks a question; Sunak doesn’t answer it! He avoids, deflects, answers the question that’s in his own head etc!!! I find myself screaming at the TV ‘just answer the bl** question’. I think the speaker should call him out and insist that he answers the question that has been asked.

How do you think Brexit succeeded? That was generational serious damage done by lies purely and simply.

The media are largely at fault as they do not call out these lies - like the BBC in the interest of balance apparently.

They do not do this country any favour.

With something like QT, it would be not too difficult to check what is being claimed and give the chairman the correct figures that could be read out. If the panelist’s knew this was likely to happen, then I suspect the lies would decrease.

Johnson lies when he opens his mouth, as do many other MPs like Mogg and Dorries (although her untruths are almost certainly as a result of ignorance).

The speaker has a duty to advise the house when a politician is lying. Imo

The answer to the question posed is that they are so practised at lying and know they can get away with it almost all the time. The truth is often politically or personally inconvenient to them so they lie. Simple!

WWMk2 It must be a deliberate policy not to have any corrections from the chair mustn't it. It's so easy to find out the correct information now. It's done on other programmes. I remember Sandi Toksvig on QI correcting Rhod Gilbert, as he struggled to work out if he was 49 or 50, with "The producer says you're 48."
Wouldn't it make Question Time so much better if you had someone like Sandi to hold politicians to account, with a proper information service behind her.

Yes, there are occasions when media interviewers perhaps overstep the mark and are rightly accused of being overly aggressive and intrusive. However, there are also occasions, such as the one described here, when the interviewee should be actively challenged and called out, in pursuit of the truth, the exposure of which is genuinely in the public interest. Sadly the Jeremy Paxman's, John Humphrys and Robin Days of this world are fairly rare birds these days, so too many interviewees are being given an easy ride. I also feel that despite the fact that politicians have long been associated with "doublespeak", blatant lying has become much more common within the current administration. Depressing.

Glorianny

WWMk2 It must be a deliberate policy not to have any corrections from the chair mustn't it. It's so easy to find out the correct information now. It's done on other programmes. I remember Sandi Toksvig on QI correcting Rhod Gilbert, as he struggled to work out if he was 49 or 50, with "The producer says you're 48."
Wouldn't it make Question Time so much better if you had someone like Sandi to hold politicians to account, with a proper information service behind her.

Yes.

I really think that there should be a countrywide push for honesty in political life.

Our politicians have never been held in such poor esteem almost entirely because of the lies and of course corruption we’ve witnessed.

Until these people are held to account our democracy can’t heal.

I think I'd liken it to the crack down on crime when clearing up crime ridden areas began with small infringements, because the likelihood is if you get away with a small transgression you will move on to bigger things. Which when you think about it is exactly what MPs have done, and continue to do.

Is Andrew Bowie a Scottish MP? I tend not to know the few tories ,
If he is then his figures are right but not under the tories ...under SNP general crime down to a 40 year low ,knife crime down by @65% .Particularly in the central belt .

Just googled him and he's one of 6 Tory MP's in Scotland so yes his figures are correct ...just not a tory success as he claims

They are trained to lie and prevaricate and if they want a successful career in politics. they have to do as they are told.

Far too many of our politicians, now are professional politicians, in the same way that a doctor or engineer is professional in those disciplines.

55% of Conservatives, 74% of Labour and 64% of Lib Dems come into politics from politically associated jobs, working for unions, in PR, lobbying, political research or local politics. Politics is their way of earning their living in the long term.

Politics is not a career that university graduates should aspire to - as it is now, The majority of MPS should come in from other totally non-associated occupations, have at least 10 years work experience in these professions and come into politics when they have some experience of life. They should need to be in with the in crowd and do as they are told in case they lose not just their job, but their career

All politicians lie, it's an essential part of the job description.

^ The majority of MPS should come in from other totally non-associated occupations,^

Oh, you mean like former coal miner '30p Lee'?

LadyGracie

All politicians lie, it's an essential part of the job description.

Ha, ha - I've said exactly the same thing on here myself, LadyGracie - and was shot down in flames!

Yes, Maizie. People like him because with a range of MPs form differing backgrounds you are bound to get a selection of the nutters and the syupid, but also the clever, intelligent, honest and questioning.

When Parliament is full of political party apparatchiks, as we have, now the only thing we can be sure of is the utter mediocrity and bum-licking subservience of the lot of them.

Yes, Maizie. People like him because with a range of MPs form differing backgrounds you are bound to get a selection of the nutters and the syupid, but also the clever, intelligent, honest and questioning.

We get all those, anyway, MOnica, even from the limited pool.

I do actually agree with you that our politicians should be drawn from a wider cross section of the population. 30p Lee was a bit tongue in cheek...

When DD was going for an interview for Cambridge, the advice she was given was that, if she was given a question she could not answer, she should deflect and answer one that she could. It’s evidently a sign of an agile mind. Her success didn’t mean she was going into politics.

Doodledog

I saw the programme. Watching the Tory chap was a Masterclass in question avoidance, wasn't it?
Q: 'Is there a way back to politics for Boris Johnson?'

A: 'Blather, blah, Rishi, waffle, we have increased, witter on, ramble.'

Fiona B: 'That's not answering the question. Can you tell us if you think there's a way back to politics for BJ?

A: 'Well look. Dissemble, waffle, highest figures, blah, Rishi.'

It shouldn't be allowed, but I don't know how it can be stopped really. At one time, someone like Paxman would have had him by the throat, but there are very few 'determined' interviewers these days.

Haha Carpe jugulum😄

That is the problem Maizie, with so many MPs being party apparatchiks with careers hanging on their behaviour, the pool of those 'independent' MPs who have careers they can return to if they lose their seat because they weren't subservient enough to the Whips gets smaller by the election

On the other hand as WS Gilbert said in Iolanthe

When in that House M.P.’s divide,
If they’ve a brain and cerebellum, too,
They’ve got to leave that brain outside,
And vote just as their leaders tell ’em to.
But then the prospect of a lot
Of dull M. P.’s in close proximity,
All thinking for themselves, is what
No man can face with equanimity.

QuoteWhitewavemark2

" ...With something like QT, it would be not too difficult to check what is being claimed and give the chairman the correct figures that could be read out. If the panelist’s knew this was likely to happen, then I suspect the lies would decrease... "

Absolutely right. It would great if they would do that.

" I really think that there should be a countrywide push for honesty in political life.
Our politicians have never been held in such poor esteem almost entirely because of the lies and of course corruption we’ve witnessed.
Until these people are held to account our democracy can’t heal. "

And I agree 100% with every word of what you said there, too, WW2.

I wonder just how bad things would have to get before the general population is aware enough and angry enough to take to the streets demanding a complete overhaul of our out-of-date, corrupt and not-fit-for-purpose political system.

I wonder just how bad things would have to get before the general population is aware enough and angry enough to take to the streets demanding a complete overhaul of our out-of-date, corrupt and not-fit-for-purpose political system.

It is very difficult to rejig a constitution because there are always unintended consequences. So I learned in politics lectures at uni. The French went through quite a few different ones in the 20th C...

However, a good first step would be to introduce proportional representation so that a wider range of the electorate's views are considered in Parliament. The two party system does no-one any favours, apart from the party of government...

I love your name CatsCatsCats

MP's do all lie, thats my opinion and I'm entitled to to it.

There's a load of tosh spoken on Gransnet sometimes which I don't agree with either, but I keep a civil tongue in my head.