Tory Minister's Ignorance On Her Subject Exposed By Andrew Neil!

[@Dash8Q400Channel]

Its amazing the way they continue to spout lies even when faced with facts with absolutely no sense of shame or embarrassment.

[@derekharrison1582]

They learnt from the biggest liar of all...BORIS JOHNSON.😾

[@tomthomassony8607]

Tories only say what their fan boys want to hear. Doesn’t matter if it’s total crap, just saying what their fan boys want to hear.

[@13woolley]

I guess unfortunately that's the skill of professional politicians, I remember in the seventies my old dad saying exactly the same thing never answered the question.

[@TheSuperPsychoKiller]

These tv show presenters should cut off their guest microphones and call them out on their buffoonery on national television. Don’t worry, Tories feel no humiliation so you won’t hurt their feelings.

[@nicodesmidt4034]

@@TheSuperPsychoKiller maybe they should just send the questions before the interview, so the goon can prepare 😂

[@321bytor]

Austerity was always a political choice, not an economic necessity

[@stevenhoward3358]

Austerity is a necessity for rich people who don't want to pay taxes

[@FSMDog]

It was always a POOR choice - you cannot cut your way to growth...

[@Coelacanth1]

@@FSMDog Lack of growth has caused the ascension of the rights wing for many a mind to now be thinking about 1930's Germany.

[@daltonadams4672]

I agree.It has always been tory choice, throughout modern British history. The destruction of the welfare and the NHS has been the goal from the 1940s.they want to follow the American model. They are likely to succeed because their aims and media owners are the same. The Ace cards of racism and xenophobia are always there to play.

[@Robin-cf9ts]

So is underfunding the NHS, education, social services, etc etc.

[@garywilson1235]

The gross incompetence of these ministers is worrying.

[@kev643]

We had austerity for years. The workers got POORER and the rich got RICHER. We were conned.

[@pipster1891]

I never knew austerity had ever stopped.

[@steves7013]

Lost my job & 15 years of pension due to Cameron, don't get me started on the rest 🤬

[@paulcopsey6573]

I didn't vote Tory. I knew you were getting conned.

[@wolfen210959]

@@pipster1891 It didn't, it was paused during the pandemic, but was restarted in early 2022.

[@crayontom9687]

The workers have had austerity for around 45 years

[@DJWESG1]

A lot of ppl suddenly realising we are run by a bunch of wrong uns.

[@janetmalcolm6191]

Only been 13 years!!.....deflecting blame no longer acceptable. Fed up of it is not us.... it is them!

[@56postoffice]

Scales have only just fell from their eyes. Taken 13 years but, hey ho. Better late than never.

[@paulcopsey6573]

Suddenly 🤔.... it is in Tory DNA

[@nickbea3443]

More worrying are those who still cannot see any problem with their conduct and performance.

[@marksykes1191]

Hope you’re right !

[@williamcreighton1417]

Not only no understanding of their job but no interest in actually learning while on the job.

[@22Phantasm]

Nicely put, William. And if they were humble enough to admit their mistakes as well, they could learn from them too. It's stuff we teach at junior school level. But you know they actually just don't care.

[@nevilleattkins586]

You wouldn't ask her to look after the float at the school fair.

[@verystripeyzebra]

I wouldn't let her look after the float in my cistern

[@nevilleattkins586]

@@verystripeyzebra GENIUS!!!!😂

[@highdownmartin]

Floater in the pan, perhaps.

[@cleanbeans4280]

​@@highdownmartin her brain has floated out of her head

[@TheWiseJames]

i am the same, I disagree with Andrew neils views but nobody can say he is not a good interviewer. Never afraid to ask a question.

[@blandoatmeal1273]

My favourite was him interviewing Ben Shapiro. Ben got so flustered by his questions that he called Andrew a secret lefty, which even Andrew laughed at.

[@TheWiseJames]

@@blandoatmeal1273 I liked the truss interview when she did not know how many homes she built and it was 0.

[@fang_xianfu]

Kind of makes the point about how it's possible to separate someone's performance on air from their personal views they express off-air or while working for someone else, doesn't it?

[@wolfen210959]

@@fang_xianfu Yes it does, the BBC should take note.

[@amcc5887]

💯 %👍

[@davidlewis9946]

This government is a complete joke

[@derekharrison1582]

@David Lewis.I think a lot of us have known this for a long time.The one’s that you’ve got to convince are those that STILL BLINDLY follow the Tories and are convinced that Labour are no better.While we still have people with that attitude,then unfortunately, we’ll carry on being led by shyster Ministers like Victoria Atkins and her Tory cronies.😿

[@Paul-pf6rm]

You're correct. And Labour would be even worse with Starmer and the ginger growler. Basically we are f***ked.

[@kyorin6526]

It's far more sinister than that.

[@50043211]

True and it was voted into power over and over and over again! What does this tell you about the general affairs of the UK?

[@Demun1649]

Except when they are being a tragic farce.

[@RazorMouth]

All European countries have a friggin NHS 🙄 They really have no clue how to govern a "society" do they.....

[@mcmustangno1567]

It’s not in the rights advantage to have anyone know anything about anywhere outside these shores. They’re the epitome of 1930’s Germany or 1930’s Russia or 1930’s Spain or 1930’s Italy............ A true fascist state, the end

[@RazorMouth]

@Abitofsanity Irelands system is means tested and overall our system is ranked just as good as the UK. You don't have to pay for most things either, all elective procedures are free unless you choose to go private and all emergency department services are the same for everyone, you can't attend an emergency department using private healthcare. Private can only apply to elective procedures. As for GPs again it's means tested, the poor don't pay and everyone else gets tax rebates on what they spend. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's not a national health service. It's a health service and it's provided by the state nationally. So it's a NHS 🤣

[@andrewrobinson2565]

​@Abitofsanity Talking about the G7. Just a teensy weensy bit of sanity?

[@andrewrobinson2565]

Question was about the G7.

[@RazorMouth]

@@andrewrobinson2565 which includes 4 European countries. My point stands.

[@davecap2641]

Smart interviewer knows the answer to the questions he asks. A very easy thing to do when interviewing tory MPs.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

This is so worrying that the treasury minister doesn't know that

[@roderickmain9697]

"Hey guys. Andrew Neil wants somebody to interview about the economy. Who's up for it.? - Victoria Atkins, you're a treasury minister. Sounds like your territory?" I bet when they asked if she was "fully briefed" she thought they were asking if she was wearing underwear.

[@davecap2641]

lol

[@neelvk]

Sir/Madam, you win the award for most Shakespearean insult. :)

[@pauls3204]

On her head with two pencils up her nose

[@Alex-cw3rz]

They are so incompetent at their jobs I can garentuee that they don't know that austerity harms the economy

[@blehblehorama]

They're ideologues who are tied to trickle down economics because they've based their entire personality on it. So to them hurting the riches damages the economy but hurting literally everyone else who spends money doesn't...which makes no sense whatsoever but that's what they are as people.

[@updistant705]

But not the economy they live in

[@Notalloldpeople]

To my mind, the main point of austerity is to completely destroy the workforces ability to demand reasonable pay and working conditions. If people are broke, worried about losing their job or getting low hours on a zero hours contract, they are much less likely to be able to demand fair working conditions.

[@eddys.3524]

ain't it great to have people in Government that are totally oblivious of facts... :facepalm:

[@edgeyt1]

Austerity didn't work the first time so why repeat a failed policy? There's nothing left to cut. #NeverVoteConservative

[@indricotherium4802]

She'll be baffled at the idea that she's expected to know facts. Her first priority, they'll have told her, is to know how to stonewall and evade/deflect scrutiny and accountability. If she can't get that right, they'll soon change her for someone who can.

[@markl2815]

I recently had a cycling crash and was driven over to the local A and E. I walked in, gave details, got checked and stitched back up in about 45 minutes and was out. In January, a friend booked an appointment the same week, went to his GP, was immediately referred to a heart specialist who checked him and arranged for him to have a stent fitted within 4 weeks All of this on the NHS …. Except this one is in France

[@patrikfloding7985]

45 minutes? There’s a mandatory 4 hour wait, minimum, at A&E in the UK for anything minor, like a couple of stitches.

[@poundshopcicero3089]

The tories could not run a bath.

[@artnull13]

True - Jacob Rees Goebbels has his nanny run his

[@poundshopcicero3089]

@@artnull13 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 brilliant, nearly peed me kilt !

[@James_Doyle83]

They can't run a country never mind bath the county 😂😂

[@tt-ew7rx]

She was right about very high interest payments on our debt. Other countries do not necessarily pay this level of interest and can borrow more because they have not crashed their gilds market.

[@dirtyden1]

Absolutely does my head in. Austerity didn't work then. It work any other time. Under the last 13 years of Tory rule our national debt has actually close to tripled since the last Labour government.

[@kyorin6526]

But but but, the Tories can be trusted with the economy! What a load of crap, the sooner they're out of power the better this country will be. The Tories exist only to transfer the wealth from the poor to the rich, nothing more.

[@dirtyden1]

@kyorin6526 I argued with someone with this one Facebook and they genuinely justified it by say that 'they've balanced the books' 🤣

[@ianoliver3130]

Austerity means "small state" It is a fundamental corner stone of Tory party ideology and always has been. Every man for himself!

[@sheilaroddick5853]

Conveniently missed that bit out.Who would have thought it.

[@JHatLpool]

Andrew Neill desperately trying to show that he can be impartial too. But it was Channel 4 so he did not have to cosy up to his Tory mates at the BBC. Neill did not have to try very hard before the Tory minister floundered.

[@jasonk7072]

'Guess what darling, I've been promoted.' 'Oh that's wonderful dear, well done. What have you been promoted to?' 'I'm the new, oh hang on a moment, I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget. Here is is. I'm something called Treasury Minister.' 'Cool. What's that?' 'I think I'm in charge of pirate treasure? Let me Google it. Ah, I'm in charge of financial things it seems. Nothing about pirates or anything like that though. What a shame.' 'But you know nothing about financial things' 'I know, hilarious isn't it? Come see the the car they gave me...'

[@orraman5427]

Would it surprise anyone that Atkins represents a seat which has voted Tory since 1924?

[@trevordavies5486]

Lincolnshire - the inbred cap doffing is strong there.

[@sheilaroddick5853]

Are they all inbred?

[@orraman5427]

@@sheilaroddick5853 I don't know about that, but the sanity of 38,021 of her constituents has to be questioned.

[@Belfreyite]

Not at all. Tory voters are as bad or worse than the corrupt morons they elect.

[@MrDavetheengineer]

@@orraman5427 The majority round here would vote for a donkey if it wore a blue rosette. I would be embarrassed to say I voted for this person to represent me.

[@alana8863]

This nonsense just keeps coming from the Tories. Every country in G7 has a health service, it also has a military budget (but for some reason the Tories never mention this), it also has the costs of the elderly (pensions, etc) but that never gets a mention from the Tories. Nothing seems to cost anything but health. It's as though they are trying to undermine our health system, that was the envy of the world.

[@korolev-musictodriveby6583]

If it benefits ordinary people , they want rid .

[@patrikfloding7985]

Don’t know if NHS was ever the envy of the world. It’s just something they like to say.

[@kennylloyd7645]

The person who introduced a rudimentary N.H.S. in France, was Maximillian Robespierre

[@verystripeyzebra]

With some quite dramatic cures for migraines.

[@kennylloyd7645]

@@verystripeyzebra love it

[@laurencesmith2199]

I write his name on ballot papers when I'm spoiling a vote , because they get read and counted , hopefully somebody got a chuckle .

[@jeremymerrifield219]

It's those damn doctors and nurses fault

[@zerobeat2020]

"I have no effin clue what I am talking about but I know Brexit is brilliant"!

[@Totalinternalreflection]

Tory austerity never ended, there was no point where they reversed any of it, only rounds of cuts after rounds of cuts at every opportunity they've felt they could get away with it. They have broken this country, I cry every day I've had enough.

[@farokudahitam]

Austerity has always been a Tory policy at the core of the party. It is their go to policy.

[@isabellewhite3505]

Yes, and those Tory ministers all appear to claim £200k each in expenses every year in addition to their salaries.

[@patrikfloding7985]

How else do you get good forelock tuggers?

[@40yearoldvirgil15]

It is tory ideology

[@ThePereubu1710]

The British system has never demanded that a Minister is an "expert in the field" but it does demand that they are well briefed (that's one of the purposes of the civil service) and that they are able to understand the briefing. in "The Thick Of It" this is one of Malcolm Tuckers main problems with Nicola Murray, she is too stupid to understand her brief. Now we have fact imitating fiction!

[@HoodyKid100]

"how to trigger snap general election"

[@permissiontoshoot5036]

It took me years to train and become a welder, this is what happens when people have zero knowledge of the department they are running.

[@91leeds82]

hello max hope your good, none of them have a clue get rid of the lot of them.

[@bigdaz7272]

Noam Chomsky said it best when he said if you want to understand Austerity you need to understand it as Class War then it all becomes crystal clear.

[@ulicadluga]

Public Services -The services for the weakest, for the most vulnerable have essentially disappeared. Even the NHS is floundering. Just look at the interventions "waiting list" and dental treatment (Cheap for the rich and unaffordable for the poor). It's pretty much "medieval". Dental health is probably the most "treatable condition" in our nation. Yet, it can lead to some of the worst outcomes. Heart health, mental instability, social decline, communicative decline. We need to tackle the rich opportunists in our country that just allow the poorest most vulnerable to "rot quietly"!

[@Peter-Ac]

Plato “ While I’m thinking, do not confuse me with facts”

[@Angela-en6oh]

Max, your comment about successive prime ministers putting idiots in places of authority is pertinent. However, with the current shower of Tory mp’s that they can select from, it is down to the level of idiocy they think they can get away with inflicting on the country.

[@minimax9452]

As a matter of fact the Germany has a "Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung" (what you call NHS) since 1883, about 50 years before the british introduced it. It is still running very fine!

[@laurencesmith2199]

I sniggered every time I passed a Krankenhaus .

[@minimax9452]

@@laurencesmith2199 Kaiser Wilhelm and Bismarck started it to avoid the rise of Social democrats.

[@sirmeowthelibrarycat]

🤔 Indeed. A policy devised by Otto von Bismarck, l believe.

[@laurencesmith2199]

@@minimax9452 I love the pickelhaube , that's a man armed to the teeth . Run out of bullets or paratroopers , no problem .

[@minimax9452]

@@laurencesmith2199 we don*t wear Pickelhaube anymore😅

[@charliearmour1628]

Once again - it's not the Tories fault, it's the fault of the people who vote for them.

[@DJWESG1]

Many of which were lied to repeatedly by the tory party to win said vote. Many of them are victims of the tories themselves. Not mention use of big data to nudge ppl on social media. Smears and crisis to put fear into ppl.

[@derekharrison1582]

@Charlie Armour.The Tories have ALWAYS been like this.Blame everyone and everything else.They never take responsibility for their actions.Nearly THIRTEEN YEARS in power, and STILL its other people’s fault.I just wish those that keep blindly voting for them could see this, that they’re being hoodwinked by these shysters,but they’ll just keep voting for them,like sheep 🐑 because they will NEVER VOTE for anyone else, no matter how bad their party is.😿

[@hvhvgitaar]

Not really. A majority voted for other parties, but the FPTP system gives a minority party complete control over parliament. In a democracy, you don’t get a government that has no support from the majority of the voters. As long as the U.K. is not a democracy, it will have minority governments who wreck the country for their own interests and against the explicit will of the majority.

[@Coelacanth1]

Except Sunak's government was not by the people voted for, for Sunak's government to be without mandate an imposition on the British people.

[@derekharrison1582]

@@Coelacanth1 And he’s only Prime Minister because Liz Truss was absolutely hopeless! A SUBSTITUTE PRIME MINISTER...a Prime Minister no one voted for.😾

[@julielevinge266]

Why would you not make sure you had all your ducks in a row before being interviewed by O’Neil? Reminds me of that twerp who didn’t know O’Neil & called him a leftie!😂😂

[@hg82met]

As it's widely known, austerity has always been a political choice to punish the poor, reward the rich and increase the inequality. They've spent the last 13 years systematically undermining public services to save pennies, which in the long run will cost the country hundreds of billions.

[@mattthomson162]

Austerity hasn't gone away. It never stopped. They have been cutting budgets for the NHS, local government and public services for the last 13 years.

[@janetmalcolm6191]

They play a game of giving a bit back...more police etc.....boast about the numbers....then cut things down again! So we get nowhere...with other things as well. Also say we are building 40 hospitals...always going to...never we have....it is always we will in future...

[@oystercatcher943]

Given they are refusing to pay doctors and nurses any more it doesn't seem like extra NHS funding can be the reason for austerity!

[@specialized500]

God help the UK

[@janetmalcolm6191]

A lot of people possibly think this way daily....

[@TheSuperPsychoKiller]

No, god is too busy helping the Royal family enjoying their best lives.

[@supernoodles91]

Another Government Minister that has zero knowledge of their departments, we should be shocked but it shows just how far standards in politics (Government) have fallen since 2016 and especially 2019

[@barryroberts7159]

God help us with these idiots!!. My pet budgie could answer better!!

[@paulawakefield7869]

Fiddling while Britain burns and chucking the family furniture on the fire.

[@lynnlovattjones4171]

Boris had to surround himself with idiots so that he looked as though he was the voice of reason. Mind boggling.

[@tonyroy8123]

Raab with no knowledge of anything

[@snafutube]

I don't think austerity 1.0 ever finished, the tories just push the austerity accelerator harder and harder

[@rowdogspeaks5900]

I mean, to give her a smidgen of credit, she answers one question by saying she doesn't know, which is more than what other politicians do who dance around it trying to distract to something else...which she then goes on to do!

[@logtothebase2]

Andrew Neil is very sharp on economic technicalities.

[@Bolivar2012able]

CANADA HAS AN NHS!

[@wilfpickles9488]

Why didn't she remind Andrew of The Great British Vaccine Roll Out,WWII, & Wembley '66.

[@californiadreamin8423]

I’m going to report Andrew Neil to the Royal Society to the Protection of Politicians. I wonder what he’ll be tweeting after this feeding frenzy.

[@gjbell3127]

As a former barrister who specialised in fraud, l think she should take a long look in the mirror & know her own fraud!

[@rudiklein]

She probably thinks that currency is the stuff that comes out of a wall socket.

[@doubleducks814]

My question is "Where has the money gone? "

[@peterhagan8454]

thick as mince

[@jimmeltonbradley1497]

An incompetent minister appointed by an incompetent PM to serve in an incompetent government. That's what I call a perfect storm!

[@andrewolgado6018]

To his credit, he is not like Keunsberg. He does give Tories a hard interview

[@johnmaclagan2263]

Wow - almost choked on ma tea when u said what her job Is

[@marcusmurray5440]

Spain has an NHS

[@rodericde876]

In the olden days factory workers would migrate to the countryside for their holidays and work on the fields. If we still had factory workers we could return to those practices.

[@MrDamo34]

I tell you one thing for sure. Victoria didn’t awake her way to the top.

[@ange1098]

Why are we still sending money to Ukraine 🤔

[@williampatrickfagan7590]

Saw the interview life.

[@gresach]

would prefer to hear more of the actual interview pls

[@vinylrulesok8470]

Treasury Minister?????? One might think she would have been prepped for these fairly basic questions. And this whole issue of reducing debt is a red herring, If you can service the debt, then that's what matters, not reducing it. The UK economy shouldn't be treated the same way as a household budget - that is a misnomer and is misleading.

[@cpuuk]

I bet she knows how to fill out the expenses form.

[@wendysimpson6395]

She gets in the firing line every time they need distract yet again.

[@evadd2]

They all have a equivalent to NHS except the US where they spend more and have worse outcomes.

[@Emanon...]

There's not a single example in the history of the world where austerity has worked for the benefit of citizens in their country, short- or long-term.

[@janetmalcolm6191]

Try telling a Tory that! Most other countries not cutting anything back apparently...no wonder we'll be at the bottom....they just never seem to learn....

[@roderickjoyce6716]

Austerity isn't meant to work for the benefit of citizens. It's meant to enrich a very small number of extremely selfish people.

[@maxwellsmart3156]

Canada has an NHS like publicly funded healthcare system but is administered by province health insurance.

[@adblocker276]

Isn’t she a lawyer as well

[@frothe42]

#LivingBrainDonor #MentalAbstinence. Typical for the current government, and the party.

[@FFVoyager]

I'm no fan of Andrew Neil as a person either but I really do like his interviews. He doesn't seem to have any bias when questioning politicians of any party.

[@janetmalcolm6191]

Well at least he does go for the jugular...better than the nodding dogs in Parliament who just agree with anything and everything said...! The bad and the ridiculous... Xx

[@eddjordan2399]

she either dosnt know or she is lying. either way she should be fired.

[@modestproposal9114]

Great line, "when Liz Truss left, she didn't take all the idiots with her"

[@PsychedelicGoo]

The Government now seems completely committed to the redistribution of wealth... just the opposite way round to what people usually mean by that phrase.

[@billywiz1307]

How her net worth is in the millions is a mystery if this is her competence on show. Brillo went easy on her, he should have had her in tears.

[@angussoutter7824]

She does know it but knows the answer will blow their argument out of the water

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Is this a brexit benefit?

[@johnwilliams6900]

I sighed with disbeleif

[@vernonbear]

After we’ve had a ridiculous number of PMs head through the door at Number 10 and at each change they’ve swept away the individuals they don’t like from the cabinet it’s inevitable that we end up with a weak cabinet. They have simply ran out of intelligent, focussed and appropriate ministers. They started out with a cabinet under Johnson which wasn’t fit for purpose, it was full of MPs who were willing to play Johnson’s Trumplite approach to politics and then they’ve taken a trip through less and less suitable MPs. It’s no surprise we’ve ended up with a cabinet that isn’t up to snuff and one that’s incapable of coherent and intelligent responses to legitimate questions.

[@audreymcgready4329]

This didn't start with Johnson's appointment.

[@vernonbear]

@@audreymcgready4329 True enough, but he had the widest selection of MPs to choose from so I started there. You are totally correct, the downward trajectory was underway well before him. My worry is that there’s no party with any MPs who are well enough equipped to take our country forward and build towards a stronger future, one that goes beyond the next election or disaster, they are focussed on reelection rather than the long term future. When will an MP stand up and say their policies are focused on ten or twenty years or even longer? Even better than that actually HAVE policies that will do that?

[@janetmalcolm6191]

They tricked many into thinking they did have reasonable people. That is what happens when it ends up all lies....

[@lingeary2654]

How about taxing the rich fairly.

[@Richard_Turner]

When the Tory media turn on the Tory, you know its game over and Tory media trying to look for their new grift

[@christinerowe1042]

Yes, spoke the truth! Vote! Vote! Vote!

[@finlayfraser9952]

Max, we the people are a hindrance to the profiteers. These people, despite their outer human carapace, are in essence jackals and hyenas. But, jackals and hyenas don't have the capacity for reflection, so it is fair to conclude that these people are consciously malevolent, and yet we tolerate their existence, we tolerate those who want to injure us.

[@hiigara2085]

Nice when Andrew uses his genuine talent to do this

[@kowalskizapata3058]

" We can not focus on the billions stolen by ourselves and freinds, We have boats floating across the channels we need to deal with" - The Conservative Party.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

He gave her a slow underarm pitch, but she was holding the bat by the wrong end.

[@vultan2000]

Tories don’t say what their reasons are, they only come up with false and spurious excuses.

[@davidmullen6011]

So do Labour and the Liberals - they all come from the same school.

[@jamborobin1]

@@davidmullen6011 the tories are demonstrably worse when it comes to lying and corruption. plus newsflash they are the ones in charge!

[@vultan2000]

@@davidmullen6011 They literally and figuratively don’t. If you believe this Tory trashing of the UK will be as bad with any other party you’re sadly mistaken.

[@davidmullen6011]

@@jamborobin1 I am *very* well versed in the last six years of the Labour party's attitudes and membership, enough to know that you are working from a false assumption that they are (somehow) morally superior to the Tories - which they are most assuredly NOT!

[@jamborobin1]

@@davidmullen6011 As Nye Bevin famously said, the tories are lower than vermin. They are pigs at the trough, the concept of morals is alien to their nature

[@4bawbees]

A Victoria Sponge would have come up with more intelligent answers.

[@paulkerr2654]

"Malcolm, the cameramen are laughing"

[@followthetrawler]

I wonder on whose watch we accumulated those debt repayment levels? Hmm...

[@billywiz1307]

Atkins is a train wreck of a minister but when asked about Corporation Tax "Do you know what you're doing?", the way she said "yes we do". No you don't!!!

[@Human_Herbivore]

It's quite deliberate to put the clueless in the media, makes it easier for them to distance themselves when the inevitable questions are asked.

[@brunobrauer6301]

I'm not on of Neil's fans either, but I understand his fans. Both of them.