Answer the question...
If you hadn't noticed this time of year in the UK is conference season. It's the time when the political parties all meet for self congratulatory meetings and dinners. It is the time when the key players in the parties take to the stage and reaffirm, indeed reinvent, their core values and principles to once again inspire confidence in their party members.
The leaders speech is always important. You can be sure that on the run up to the speech the media have managed to wheel out some back benchers who are unhappy with their elected leader, someone who is prepared to go on record claiming that the parties support will depend upon a rousing repose. Occasionally the media are able to report an unnamed source in the cabinet, or equivalent, who is considering mutiny and is being prepared for a hostile takeover.
Today it appears that Ed Milliband may have done enough to placate most of his own party critics, although it will be how the papers report it that might be more important. What's amusing is that he did it with an old conservative slogan.
http://www.highpants-thinkmachine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/machine-curiosity-testing.jpg
For me the problem with conference season is that so many more politicians appear on TV and in particular Radio 4. This is where I get frustrated. The said politician is inevitably trying to explain a new policy and they are on radio to do just that and only that. This means that they will avoid any other question. They just will not answer it. I have found myself over the last couple of days listening to two senior Labour politicians simply failing to answer the questions asked. Literally I have shouted at the radio, "answer the question!" On both occasions the interviewer has asked the interviewee to answer clearly and on both occasions they have been met by the standard responses, "I am answering your question but first I would like to outline..." or "the problem is your question is built on assumptions..." or "if you would stop interrupting I would be able to answer..."
It appears that many politicians, granted not all, are unable to answer the hard questions and that modern spin has now become the normal way of communicating with their public.
Next week is the turn of the conservatives. The big media draw next week is the apparent show down between David Cameron and the character that is Boris. It appears that there are a small but significant number of back benchers who quite fancy Boris for party leader, but that could mean Boris as PM.
The leaders speech is always important. You can be sure that on the run up to the speech the media have managed to wheel out some back benchers who are unhappy with their elected leader, someone who is prepared to go on record claiming that the parties support will depend upon a rousing repose. Occasionally the media are able to report an unnamed source in the cabinet, or equivalent, who is considering mutiny and is being prepared for a hostile takeover.
http://www.highpants-thinkmachine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/machine-curiosity-testing.jpg
For me the problem with conference season is that so many more politicians appear on TV and in particular Radio 4. This is where I get frustrated. The said politician is inevitably trying to explain a new policy and they are on radio to do just that and only that. This means that they will avoid any other question. They just will not answer it. I have found myself over the last couple of days listening to two senior Labour politicians simply failing to answer the questions asked. Literally I have shouted at the radio, "answer the question!" On both occasions the interviewer has asked the interviewee to answer clearly and on both occasions they have been met by the standard responses, "I am answering your question but first I would like to outline..." or "the problem is your question is built on assumptions..." or "if you would stop interrupting I would be able to answer..."
It appears that many politicians, granted not all, are unable to answer the hard questions and that modern spin has now become the normal way of communicating with their public.
Next week is the turn of the conservatives. The big media draw next week is the apparent show down between David Cameron and the character that is Boris. It appears that there are a small but significant number of back benchers who quite fancy Boris for party leader, but that could mean Boris as PM.
http://croydoncommunists.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/boris-yawn.jpg
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