McDONNELL'S HEARTBREAK

The BBC's Emily Maitlis spoke to John McDonnell last night and opened with a devastating assessment of the Corbyn regime: "When you look at the last four years in opposition, you will see that you have delivered a Tory government, a large majority and perhaps the hardest Brexit you could ever have imagined".  McDonnell, in his guise as cuddly old grandad, appeared close to tears as he responded: "It's heartbreaking".  He repeated the word 'heartbreaking' twice more before Maitlis interrupted and accused him of shunning responsibility.  McDonnell then stammered horribly before launching into the same old hard left excuses that we've heard time and time again since the election. 

No John, you didn't 'nearly get into government' in 2017.  This redrawing of history can't keep going uncorrected.  Labour were 64 seats short of a majority.  That's not close.  Even with the SNP's 35 seats you still required a further 29 gains to form a functioning coalition.  Not close.  Not near.  Give it up.

McDONNELL vs MAITLIS

Bronze-faced Emily Maitlis tackles John McDonnell in her latest Labour interview.  Note the change of tone from her recent encounter with the war criminal Blair.  She is very confrontational with McDonnell, at times they are both speaking over each other and waving their arms around.  Is this the best the beeb has to offer?  She scores easy points on Labour's woes and their poor electoral track record dating back more than a decade, but Paxman she isn't.  McDonnell fires back with some lame responses and towards the end of the interview he lays into the new Lib Dem leader, referring to coalition policies that "cost people their lives".  After doing so he promptly says he expects Jo Swinson's party to support Labour in their forthcoming endeavours ie. a vote of no confidence and Brexit blocking moves.  Such is politics.

A CRACKED RECORD

"You sound like a cracked record now" Emily Maitlis told remoaner Tony Blair as he whinged and whined about Brexit.  Isn't the expression 'stuck record'?  Oh well, never mind.  Blair was being interviewed for Newsnight by a peculiarly bronze-faced Maitlis who almost resembled a victim of Goldfinger.  "You sound like a Lib Dem now" she told him as she proceeded to goad him into saying he would vote accordingly.  Such an admission would give Corbyn the perfect trigger to expel the troublesome 'fascist', but Blair is a slippery snake and would never fall into such a trap.  Consequently he doesn't say whether he would vote Lib Dem or even Labour.

Blair goes on to further 'endear' himself to Corbynistas by criticising the direction of the party.  "The weakness of the Labour party facilitates the right wing, always has done... it's what the left does when it indulges itself in sectarian politics of a far left variety".  He then goes back to his favourite topic of (stopping) Brexit and suggests that the weakness of Labour is helping to deliver a no deal Brexit.  He's clearly not as sharp as he once was and in mocking Labour's recent electoral performance he almost forgets himself and has to shake his head to stop himself from fully letting rip.  He is then stumped by Emily's final question and takes an age to answer.

Watch the interview below.

MAITLIS VS GARDINER

This is the full Newsnight exchange between 'whispering' Barry Gardiner and increasingly exasperated Emily Maitlis.  Flanked by two Brexiteers - Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi and the DUP's Ian Paisley Jnr - Barry managed to invoke an eye-roll, shake of the head and a death stare from Emily.  If you miss them the first time around don't worry we've repeated them at the end of the video, plus a pair of raised eyebrows from Paisley!