It's Going To Get Tougher Than This Labour, Are You Really Up To It?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/chuka-umunna-storms-off-sky-news-9988250.html

[Farriercm]

Naomi, Cameron will face the other party leaders on a Tv debate ,
but not Farage, Cameron knows Farage will make mincemeat of him, fact.

[naomi24]

Fact, eh? That gives the impression that you have friends in high places, but I
I have my doubts. ;o)

[jim360]

It was particularly unimpressive when Dermot Murnaghan replied to the "I've not read the letter" with "So you're not going to answer until you know the party line?". Politicians deserve some cynicism but it's pretty bad when they can't even admit to not knowing something.

[Postdog]

That's called honesty...

[ichkeria]

Well, what a disappointment. I watched this video on the Daily Telegraph website, expecting a John Nott-Robin Day-style "Here today and, if I may say so, gone tomorrow politician", microphone-tossing tizzy, and thinking to myself "unlike Chuka to lose his rag".
And instead what I saw was a dignified and honest Mr Umunna calmly explaining to Dermot "Senator, you're no Robin Day" (say it in a Reagan accent if you can bring yourself to) Moanaghan why he wasn't going to give him a soundbite when he was not sure of all the facts.
All we got was a minor flounce when the interview was already over.
1 out of 10 on the Nott/Heseltine scale I think.
No wonder Cameron's scared of the prospect of live TV debate :-)

[ludwig]

Dermot Murnaghan was being an arr5e in my opinion, but Umunna handled it badly at the end - he let himself get rattled, which is exactly the result Murnaghan wanted.

[ToraToraTora]

Yes I agree with those above Murnaghan was being a prat. If he was invited on to talk about one specific subject then the interviewer should not hijack the discussion. However with the election looming all politicians are going to get mugged by interviewers so they should be ready.

[jno]

one way of "being ready" is to talk about any subject that comes up even if you don't know that much about it (because life's too short to know about everything everywhere in the world). Another is to say "I don't know" when asked about something you don't know about, which Umunna did.

I'd very much sooner have the latter sort of politician in charge.

[naomi24]

I think he was fibbing when he said he hadn't read the letter – and I think Dermot was right when he asked Umunna if he was waiting to find out what the official party line was - but we’ll never know.

[anotheoldgit]

One would think that a minister (even though just a shadow one), would have the knowledge to speak on a multi number of subjects not just the ones that are attached to the ministry that he happens to head.

I imagine the response from some would had been entirely different had it been a Tory minister, Nigel Farage or Boris Johnson.