I’ve never had breakfast with a government minister, but I can imagine what it would be like. First, I wish them good morning and ask how they slept.
Minister: “Let me be clear about this, I have said this clearly.”
Me: “Did you sleep well?”
Minister: “I’m not going to go into hypotheticals. I’ve made it very clear. I couldn’t have made it any clearer.”
Me: “Do you want tea or coffee?”
Minister: “It was never a question of tea or coffee. We have always been clear about that.”
Me: “So you don’t want to.” . ”
Minister: “If you can finish it.”
Of course, in a sense you don’t have to imagine it. Those who listen to Radio 4’s Today program each morning have the chance to have breakfast with a pastor each day.
Yesterday it was Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper’s turn. From the Yorkshire radio car he appeared to be making some sort of announcement about the railways, but from what I gathered it was actually a re-announcement of an announcement he had already made four months earlier.
I think he probably had three cards in his lap with the words “Game-Changing,” “Welcome,” and “Transformational” written in thick black felt-tip capital letters. His job was to repeat them as often as possible.
He said the government had provided some local authorities with “game-changing” amounts of funding. It was a “transformative” amount, he added.
Perhaps Mishal Hussain said: But why did Congress have to wait until next year to spend money now?
“This is a transformative amount of money that they have never had before,” he responded. It was such a huge amount that extra time was needed to figure out how to use it. This was a “game-changing” amount, he added.
He said the council would welcome it, then reiterated that it was, adding that it would be “welcomed by people across the country”.
In fact, he said he welcomed it three times in the same sentence, calling the amount one last time “game-changing.” After five minutes of this, the literal equivalent of kicking a ball against a brick wall, Mishal said: “Let’s move on to what happened over the weekend.”
The new talking point was Lee Anderson, the most recent of the big-talking heads to be chosen as first and then former deputy leader of the Conservative Party.
Mr Harper’s brief made it “very clear” that Mr Anderson was wrong to say that “Islamists” had “taken control” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, but why However, he did not say anything about the matter, saying, “I am not going.” To get into it.
It’s like a math teacher telling you that 2 plus 2 equals 3 is wrong, but not explaining why. Like many MPs on the Today show, Harper feels the best way to avoid the next question is to repeat the first answer over and over again.
If the interviewer tries to ask you another question, simply accuse him of interrupting, and after the interviewer makes his way, continue repeating what you’ve already said.
“What Lee Anderson said about him was wrong and he should not have said it… Prompt action was taken…”
Mishal tried to ask another question, but Harper said she had more to say on the matter. “wait a minute.” . . That is why prompt action was taken, and that prompt action was welcomed. It sends a clear message that comments like this are not acceptable. ”
By now, I was starting to count the number of times Harper said the words “clear” or “very clear.”
In the six minutes spent asking questions, Anderson said he wanted to send a “clear” message. He was “very clear” that Anderson was wrong. He stated his position “very clearly”. And he said his party had been “very clear” about the need for “decisive action”.
“We are very clear about that. There is no place for hatred against any people in our society. The government is very clear about that.”
In this six-minute section, he said he was “clear” or “very clear” a total of 13 times, or once every 30 seconds on average. Poor students! If it had been a drinking match, I would have immediately lost my footing.