News
Matthew Champion
Sep 30, 2015
Jeremy Corbyn did the breakfast TV and radio circuit today after his inaugural speech as leader to conference yesterday.
Among his interviewers was Eamonn Holmes of Sky News, who proceeded to ask Corbyn via video link a series of increasingly bizarre questions.
Football analogies were a recurring theme:
Was yesterday your FA Cup final?
Corbyn: "It... it was a great day."
The Labour leader tried to talk about creating a more equal society, the closure of the Teesside steelworks and the social housing crisis, but Holmes had more pressing things to talk about:
It's almost like a religious message, you're like a religious leader in many ways.
Later, as Corbyn explained the more conciliatory, collegiate approach to politics he favours, Holmes asserted:
You don't love and respect everybody, why don't you just admit you hate the Tories.
Corbyn said he wanted to listen to the concerns of Labour's 400,000 members and Holmes began to look annoyed and even bored.
He interjected:
Let's talk football, right. Your man's Arsene Wenger, my man was Alex Ferguson. Even Louis van Gaal now. Do you think they go into the dressing room and they say 'Listen boys how we're going to line up tonight, what are we going to do? You disagree? Do you want to play in goal? Do you want to play in goal?' No, they don't. Fergie always said he had to make it clear there was one boss, he was the boss, that was it. That's not your way of doing things though.
Corbyn tried to explain that politics was "not the same as managing a football team".
Holmes replied:
It so is! If you want to be a winner? Do you want to win the league? Do you want to win the league? Do you play for a place in the fop four or do you want to win?
Then came his killer final question: Did someone lend you that tie you wore yesterday?
Um...
You can watch the entire interview below:
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