Beth Rigby - Sky News interviews

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I'm not a viewer of Sky news at any time, so I'd never heard of her - it's never been the most politically neutral of news outlets hence my avoidance.

However, I spent about 10 minutes listening to her interview Keir Starmer and she became easily the most irritating interviewer I've ever heard, constantly goading her prey towards answers she wanted and wasn't going to get, while not listening to a word said by Starmer most of the time, twisted things he said when he was given the rare opportunity and talked over him 90% of the time. At one point she said she had to move on from something as time was short, yet also said she would continue asking the same question until she got the answer she wanted.

This isn't about Starmer at all, she'd get on my nerves regardless of who she was interviewing if she's like that all the time. It was as if she had a set agenda and wasn't budging from it.

On the opposite side I saw Nick Robinson (good to see him back, haven't seen him on TV for years) interview Rhun Ap Iorwerth and, while he probed away with some challenging questions, at least he allowed the person being interviewed the opportunity to speak. Regardless of who is being interviewed, they should be allowed that opportunity to speak without constant interruption (apart from Farage, who needs a bullet).

[Keyser Soze]

I'm not a viewer of Sky news at any time, so I'd never heard of her - it's never been the most politically neutral of news outlets hence my avoidance.

However, I spent about 10 minutes listening to her interview Keir Starmer and she became easily the most irritating interviewer I've ever heard, constantly goading her prey towards answers she wanted and wasn't going to get, while not listening to a word said by Starmer most of the time, twisted things he said when he was given the rare opportunity and talked over him 90% of the time. At one point she said she had to move on from something as time was short, yet also said she would continue asking the same question until she got the answer she wanted.

This isn't about Starmer at all, she'd get on my nerves regardless of who she was interviewing if she's like that all the time. It was as if she had a set agenda and wasn't budging from it.

On the opposite side I saw Nick Robinson (good to see him back, haven't seen him on TV for years) interview Rhun Ap Iorwerth and, while he probed away with some challenging questions, at least he allowed the person being interviewed the opportunity to speak. Regardless of who is being interviewed, they should be allowed that opportunity to speak without constant interruption (apart from Farage, who needs a bullet).

Kay Burley is guilty of this as well.

For me Jonathan Humphreys, Jeremy Paxman and Brian Walden (I think that was his surname - 1980s interviewer) were the best political interviewers I have ever seen. Calm, forensic, logical, but gave them time to finish their sentences.

This modern trend of interrupting and shouting over people just reflects modern society’s mentality on social media. One liners, lack of critical thinking, lacking in class and loose on manners. Low grade, and not something I want to see in people debating subjects of importance.

But I also pick on your last point: “Other than farage”. At this point you are not giving a legally allowed politician to speak, simply because you disagree with their viewpoints. Cancel culture is for crusty university students that are yet to mature. You have to offer a level playing field to all legitimate candidates to be impartial. I hate communists - but I would still allow them to speak. If you are that confident they are wrong let them speak in order to pull them apart with confidence!

[Elwood Blues]

I'm not a viewer of Sky news at any time, so I'd never heard of her - it's never been the most politically neutral of news outlets hence my avoidance.

However, I spent about 10 minutes listening to her interview Keir Starmer and she became easily the most irritating interviewer I've ever heard, constantly goading her prey towards answers she wanted and wasn't going to get, while not listening to a word said by Starmer most of the time, twisted things he said when he was given the rare opportunity and talked over him 90% of the time. At one point she said she had to move on from something as time was short, yet also said she would continue asking the same question until she got the answer she wanted.

This isn't about Starmer at all, she'd get on my nerves regardless of who she was interviewing if she's like that all the time. It was as if she had a set agenda and wasn't budging from it.

On the opposite side I saw Nick Robinson (good to see him back, haven't seen him on TV for years) interview Rhun Ap Iorwerth and, while he probed away with some challenging questions, at least he allowed the person being interviewed the opportunity to speak. Regardless of who is being interviewed, they should be allowed that opportunity to speak without constant interruption (apart from Farage, who needs a bullet).

I must admit she does get on my nerves a bit.

And I cannot understand why she rushed his last answer saying that they had to get to the audience questions, yet when they went to the other presenter,she said something to the effect that they were going to the audience early because the first part had been shorter than expected!

As an aside interesting to know that his father was a tool maker and his mother a nurse. Or that he was DPP and knows all about public service

He's never mentioned it before.......

Well.not that often.............!

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I must admit she does get on my nerves a bit.

And I cannot understand why she rushed his last answer saying that they had to get to the audience questions, yet when they went to the other presenter,she said something to the effect that they were going to the audience early because the first part had been shorter than expected!

As an aside interesting to know that his father was a tool maker and his mother a nurse. Or that he was DPP and knows all about public service

He's never mentioned it before.......

Well.not that often.............!

We know more about his parents than we do about him!

[Keyser Soze]

I must admit she does get on my nerves a bit.

And I cannot understand why she rushed his last answer saying that they had to get to the audience questions, yet when they went to the other presenter,she said something to the effect that they were going to the audience early because the first part had been shorter than expected!

As an aside interesting to know that his father was a tool maker and his mother a nurse. Or that he was DPP and knows all about public service

He's never mentioned it before.......

Well.not that often.............!

It is not as if he has to tell us his father was a tool maker. Just look at the son he produced. Exhibit A.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

It is not as if he has to tell us his father was a tool maker. Just look at the son he produced. Exhibit A.

I think most members of the house of commons had a parent who was a tool maker.

[Keyser Soze]

I think most members of the house of commons had a parent who was a tool maker.

😂😂😂👏👍

[JamesWales]

I think they all do, and I hate it.

Aside from anything else, longer answers are often far more interesting and illuminating

[pipster]

I'm not a viewer of Sky news at any time, so I'd never heard of her - it's never been the most politically neutral of news outlets hence my avoidance.

However, I spent about 10 minutes listening to her interview Keir Starmer and she became easily the most irritating interviewer I've ever heard, constantly goading her prey towards answers she wanted and wasn't going to get, while not listening to a word said by Starmer most of the time, twisted things he said when he was given the rare opportunity and talked over him 90% of the time. At one point she said she had to move on from something as time was short, yet also said she would continue asking the same question until she got the answer she wanted.

This isn't about Starmer at all, she'd get on my nerves regardless of who she was interviewing if she's like that all the time. It was as if she had a set agenda and wasn't budging from it.

On the opposite side I saw Nick Robinson (good to see him back, haven't seen him on TV for years) interview Rhun Ap Iorwerth and, while he probed away with some challenging questions, at least he allowed the person being interviewed the opportunity to speak. Regardless of who is being interviewed, they should be allowed that opportunity to speak without constant interruption (apart from Farage, who needs a bullet).

I watch skynews live most nights, both Beth Rigby and Sam Coates try their best to avoid displaying their left wing bias. But usually the way they phrase questions and continual negative vocal responses is not well hidden.

Faisal Islam was much better.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I think they all do, and I hate it.

Aside from anything else, longer answers are often far more interesting and illuminating

There's also more scope for getting a politician to trip themselves up as well.

[stevo]

Evan Davis (Radio 4 PM presenter) is awful for interrupting answers.

[The Bloop]

When you have media-savvy politicians who answer the questions they wanted to answer, rather the questions they were actually asked, the presenters have a largely thankless task.
The 1-2-1s with Nick Robinson are much better than any format with either a studio audience, or one with a multiple number of politicians talking over each other.

[JamesWales]

I watched them both and whilst not disagreeing with Eric's analysis, I quite like the forum of Q&As from an interviewer and the audience.

It's a low bar too, but I think that was Sunaks best performance of the election campaign really.

That said, just seen the snap poll and Sunak won the debate last week 51-49 but lost this 36-64 apparently.

He won't recover from D-Day gate.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

I watched them both and whilst not disagreeing with Eric's analysis, I quite like the forum of Q&As from an interviewer and the audience.

It's a low bar too, but I think that was Sunaks best performance of the election campaign really.

That said, just seen the snap poll and Sunak won the debate last week 51-49 but lost this 36-64 apparently.

He won't recover from D-Day gate.

Sunak is a dead man walking

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

I think Rigby , Sarah Jane Mee and Sophie Ridge are all excellent and very fair

Kay Burley is a horror show tory

[Wales-Bales]

I'm not a viewer of Sky news at any time, so I'd never heard of her - it's never been the most politically neutral of news outlets hence my avoidance.

However, I spent about 10 minutes listening to her interview Keir Starmer and she became easily the most irritating interviewer I've ever heard, constantly goading her prey towards answers she wanted and wasn't going to get, while not listening to a word said by Starmer most of the time, twisted things he said when he was given the rare opportunity and talked over him 90% of the time. At one point she said she had to move on from something as time was short, yet also said she would continue asking the same question until she got the answer she wanted.

This isn't about Starmer at all, she'd get on my nerves regardless of who she was interviewing if she's like that all the time. It was as if she had a set agenda and wasn't budging from it.

On the opposite side I saw Nick Robinson (good to see him back, haven't seen him on TV for years) interview Rhun Ap Iorwerth and, while he probed away with some challenging questions, at least he allowed the person being interviewed the opportunity to speak. Regardless of who is being interviewed, they should be allowed that opportunity to speak without constant interruption (apart from Farage, who needs a bullet).

It sound like you were having a cognitive dissonance episode, and they can be quite stressful

[Keyser Soze]

Sunak is a dead man walking

At the event in Cleethorpes tonight Rishi Soon-Out was laughed at, at the end. When you are that far down the line, when you are not only criticised but now routinely mocked and laughed, it is more than game over.

So many things so far since Soon-Out took over reminds me of John Major. Not just the lack of personality, lack of coherent policies, lack of persuasion skills and charisma - but other stuff too. Major 1995-97 was mocked, with his shirt tucked inside his Y Fronts, grey face on Spitting Image and obsession with eating his peas. Ed Miliband and Corbyn were laughed at by certain corners of the press, and Brown in late years was picked on for his “moody silverback” impressions around government departments, but none ridiculed like Major.

But none of these, not even Major, were laughed at openly at leader conferences like Sunak tonight. This is worse than Major. He cannot debate, looks desperate, is now desperately flip flopping on policy, his campaign has had the umbrella/rain incident, poor optics and PR, D-Day incident and now tonight looking a beaten man.

The polls are about to get worse I think. He could drop to 15% and go down as the worst Conservative leader ever on record. Even worse than Anthony Eden and Iain Duncan-Smith - and that really does takes some beating.

[ninian opinian]

I watched them both and whilst not disagreeing with Eric's analysis, I quite like the forum of Q&As from an interviewer and the audience.

It's a low bar too, but I think that was Sunaks best performance of the election campaign really.

That said, just seen the snap poll and Sunak won the debate last week 51-49 but lost this 36-64 apparently.

He won't recover from D-Day gate.

That was no way his best performance. He looked a broken man.

[Hilts]

At the event in Cleethorpes tonight Rishi Soon-Out was laughed at, at the end. When you are that far down the line, when you are not only criticised but now routinely mocked and laughed, it is more than game over.

So many things so far since Soon-Out took over reminds me of John Major. Not just the lack of personality, lack of coherent policies, lack of persuasion skills and charisma - but other stuff too. Major 1995-97 was mocked, with his shirt tucked inside his Y Fronts, grey face on Spitting Image and obsession with eating his peas. Ed Miliband and Corbyn were laughed at by certain corners of the press, and Brown in late years was picked on for his “moody silverback” impressions around government departments, but none ridiculed like Major.

But none of these, not even Major, were laughed at openly at leader conferences like Sunak tonight. This is worse than Major. He cannot debate, looks desperate, is now desperately flip flopping on policy, his campaign has had the umbrella/rain incident, poor optics and PR, D-Day incident and now tonight looking a beaten man.

The polls are about to get worse I think. He could drop to 15% and go down as the worst Conservative leader ever on record. Even worse than Anthony Eden and Iain Duncan-Smith - and that really does takes some beating.

To be fair. He's also paying the price for the bufoon and Truss before him.

It was some achievement by Truss to be a complete laughing stock after Johnson but she achieved it.

She's mocked on social media with videos of her just humiliating herself.

Sunak is just an out of his depth politician but he also never stood a chance with what came before.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

At the event in Cleethorpes tonight Rishi Soon-Out was laughed at, at the end. When you are that far down the line, when you are not only criticised but now routinely mocked and laughed, it is more than game over.

So many things so far since Soon-Out took over reminds me of John Major. Not just the lack of personality, lack of coherent policies, lack of persuasion skills and charisma - but other stuff too. Major 1995-97 was mocked, with his shirt tucked inside his Y Fronts, grey face on Spitting Image and obsession with eating his peas. Ed Miliband and Corbyn were laughed at by certain corners of the press, and Brown in late years was picked on for his “moody silverback” impressions around government departments, but none ridiculed like Major.

But none of these, not even Major, were laughed at openly at leader conferences like Sunak tonight. This is worse than Major. He cannot debate, looks desperate, is now desperately flip flopping on policy, his campaign has had the umbrella/rain incident, poor optics and PR, D-Day incident and now tonight looking a beaten man.

The polls are about to get worse I think. He could drop to 15% and go down as the worst Conservative leader ever on record. Even worse than Anthony Eden and Iain Duncan-Smith - and that really does takes some beating.

Good post but I'll make one point that Corbyn wasn't just laughed at by certain corners of the press. He was initially when he took over as leader, then his party forced a hung parliament after a huge sink in the Tory vote and all of a sudden he became a threat. The Tory media hounded him like no politician has ever been hounded before or since. Corbyn winning an election, regardless of anyone's opinion of him, would have been disastrous for the establishment and billionnaires that run our country. They wanted him gone.

Ever since that I've wondered how much democracy we actually have in the UK. For all the debates, different parties and opinions, I wonder how much the public is "steered" towards the party or leader those in far loftier positions than we'll ever know want us to vote for. That might be cynical. I also wonder how much that influence got rid of Liz Truss and her very right wing chums when they were in power for such a short space of time.

Apparently Yes Minister was far closer to the mark than we think. There it showed that politicians had little real power and that deals and talks about all matter of things were discussed and decided behind closed doors, then it was a case of getting politicians to do those things, usually easily.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

You are about to see the bargain basement side to political media

BBC Wales Live

With the truly dreadful Bethan Rees Roberts

After the news

[Wales-Bales]

Apparently Yes Minister was far closer to the mark than we think. There it showed that politicians had little real power and that deals and talks about all matter of things were discussed and decided behind closed doors, then it was a case of getting politicians to do those things, usually easily.

The politicians and the media are the new Punch & Judy. Where we are now has been 27 years in the making.

[Hilts]

Sounds like Sunaks had a complete mare tonight.

[Keyser Soze]

Good post but I'll make one point that Corbyn wasn't just laughed at by certain corners of the press. He was initially when he took over as leader, then his party forced a hung parliament after a huge sink in the Tory vote and all of a sudden he became a threat. The Tory media hounded him like no politician has ever been hounded before or since. Corbyn winning an election, regardless of anyone's opinion of him, would have been disastrous for the establishment and billionnaires that run our country. They wanted him gone.

Ever since that I've wondered how much democracy we actually have in the UK. For all the debates, different parties and opinions, I wonder how much the public is "steered" towards the party or leader those in far loftier positions than we'll ever know want us to vote for. That might be cynical. I also wonder how much that influence got rid of Liz Truss and her very right wing chums when they were in power for such a short space of time.

Apparently Yes Minister was far closer to the mark than we think. There it showed that politicians had little real power and that deals and talks about all matter of things were discussed and decided behind closed doors, then it was a case of getting politicians to do those things, usually easily.

Yep I’d have to agree with most of that.

[the other bob wilson]

Didn’t watch last night and won’t watch any of the leaders’ debates. One reason for that is the modern style of interviewing, I’ve seen enough of Beth Rigby already to know what last.night would be like - someone like Victoria Derbyshire is able to put the politicians right when necessary, but tends to let them speak, rather than badger them all of the time. People can spot bullshit from politicians easily enough these days without a line of questioning that can get you sympathising with them - I may have not watched last night, but I have seen some on line reaction pieces and there were people who are hardly Tories saying that they almost felt sorry for Sunak.