Rage and Inspiration Today interviews

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Rog Wilko 12 Nov 2020

What a contrast between these two interviews on Today this morning.

1. Robert Jenrick - he had me spitting feathers. What a complete waste of time. He reminded me of the uncooperative child who sticks his fingers in his ears and shouts "lah-di-dah" repeatedly. He might just as well have said "No comment" to every question, like a criminal being interviewed down the nick. Come to think of it .... Typical of this worthless bunch.

2. Eddie Jacobs being interviewed about his book. Talk about inspiration. A Jew who was taken by the SS in 1938 (never to see his parents again) and a survivor of concentration camps including Auschwitz, he has just become a centenarian. He refuses to hate. His book is called "The Happiest Man on Earth". Hearing him speak is a revelation. He spoke intelligently and without hesitation (wish I could do that, at a quarter century his junior) and this is his second language.

If you missed it, here's the link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000p8c6. The interview starts at 2.23.20 or thereabouts. I've since discovered there's a TED talk he gave in May last year on Youtube. It's nice to see him as well as hear. 

Edit- spelling mistake

Post edited at 11:16
 neilh 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

May be have a look at Jenricks background to understand that the Holocaust is a significant part of his background...... they probably know each other...........

7
 Rob Exile Ward 12 Nov 2020
In reply to neilh:

I don't know whether it's me, but Today interviews don't seem as informative as they used to. Robinson is developing some really unpleasant and time consuming mannerism, Hussein doesn't let her interviewees finish their points but neither does she pick up on their answers, either ... Justin Webb still seems OK.

 Harry Jarvis 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

> I don't know whether it's me, but Today interviews don't seem as informative as they used to. Robinson is developing some really unpleasant and time consuming mannerism, Hussein doesn't let her interviewees finish their points but neither does she pick up on their answers, either ... Justin Webb still seems OK.

I think Hussain's problem this morning was that Jenryk was dissembling to the nth degree without giving answers to her questions. He had a script, and he was sticking to it, regardless of the question.

One of the infuriating things about Today interviews is that they are so time-limited. If more time were allowed, it would be harder for interviewees to blather their way out of any awkward questions. As it is, any interviewee being questioned at 7.55 knows they only have 2 minutes before the weather forecast (and similarly for all the other set-pieces, such as the sports news, Thought for the Day, and the round-up of newspapers and websites). 

 Bob Kemp 12 Nov 2020
In reply to neilh:

> May be have a look at Jenricks background to understand that the Holocaust is a significant part of his background...... they probably know each other...........

Aren’t you thinking of his wife?

 elsewhere 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Just listening to Eddie Jaku made me smile! Which considering the subject matter is quite something. Amazing man.

 Toccata 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

On John Humphrey's last Today he complained at both the ignoring of questions and short interview time. IIRC he said the crib sheet approach to interviews developed under Alistair Campbell where they had answers written to all the questions that were likely. From 2010 he felt that the crib sheets had moved to set answers regardless of the questions.

I have yet to hear Mr Jenrick answer a question he's been asked. Even more infuriating is that he's one of the 'if you just let me finish as I was about to answer the question' types then goes on to read out a preprepared response that, again, has nothing to do with the question.

 neilh 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Bob Kemp:

Well his wife is his background......like everybodys family

4
 Rob Parsons 12 Nov 2020
In reply to neilh:

> May be have a look at Jenricks background to understand that the Holocaust is a significant part of his background.

Jenrick was born in 1982. What's the specific background you're referring to?

 Dave Garnett 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

> He might just as well have said "No comment" to every question, like a criminal being interviewed down the nick. Come to think of it .... Typical of this worthless bunch.

Surely he's rare example of a cabinet minister who can fairly be described as taking a close personal interest in his brief.  From what it says on Wiki, it's hard to think of many people better qualified to be Secretary of State for Housing... 

"He owns two £2m homes in London, one of which is a £2.5m townhouse less than a mile from the Houses of Parliament. He also owns Eye Manor, a Grade I listed building in Herefordshire which he purchased for £1.1 million in 2009.[29][61] His constituency of Newark is 150 miles (240 km) from his 'family home' in Herefordshire.[62] He rents a £2,000-a-month property in his Newark constituency,[57] which is paid for by the MPs' second homes allowance."

 Harry Jarvis 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Rob Parsons:

> Jenrick was born in 1982. What's the specific background you're referring to?

A very quick Google would tell you that his wife is the daughter of Holocaust survivors, and that their children are being brought up in the Jewish faith. 

None of which has any bearing on his uselessness as a Cabinet Minister. 

 Andy Johnson 12 Nov 2020
In reply to neilh:

> May be have a look at Jenricks background to understand that the Holocaust is a significant part of his background...... they probably know each other...........

I don't see the connection. Was Jenrick's interview anything to do with the holocaust?

In reply to Rog Wilko:

> 2. Eddie Jacobs being interviewed about his book. Talk about inspiration. A Jew who was taken by the SS in 1938 (never to see his parents again) and a survivor of concentration camps including Auschwitz, he has just become a centenarian. He refuses to hate. His book is called "The Happiest Man on Earth". Hearing him speak is a revelation. He spoke intelligently and without hesitation (wish I could do that, at a quarter century his junior) and this is his second language.

> If you missed it, here's the link:

> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000p8c6. The interview starts at 2.23.20 or thereabouts. I've since discovered there's a TED talk he gave in May last year on Youtube. It's nice to see him as well as hear. 

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Well worth 5 mins of anyone's time

 Bob Kemp 12 Nov 2020
In reply to neilh:

> Well his wife is his background......like everybodys family

That’s pretty tenuous. By that logic my background includes Italian refugees from Mussolini but for me to claim that has any major personal significance would be absurd. 

 Rob Parsons 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> None of which has any bearing on his uselessness as a Cabinet Minister. 

Doesn't appear to have anything to do with the interview under discussion, either!

Christ knows what neilh is on about.

OP Rog Wilko 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Rog Wilko:

I seem to have misheard the name. It's Jaku, not Jacobs. 

 Yanis Nayu 12 Nov 2020
In reply to Bob Kemp:

> Aren’t you thinking of his wife?

Saucy...


New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...