Hats off to John McDonnell. We’ve all been fretting about how the Corbyn gang would cope against the media slick Tories. We all think that, despite the
appeal of conviction politics, a shadow chancellor such as McDonnell will
be eaten alive by the Tory front bench.
John McDonnell’s performance on BBC Question Time last night suggested
otherwise. Question Time is a good test for politicians: they have to look
and sound passionate while saying nothing much at all. McDonnell did
exactly that, and with gusto. He masterfully shrugged off his ‘joke’ about
killing Margaret Thatcher. When asked about his support for the IRA, he
managed almost simultaneously to apologise and to take credit for bringing
peace to Northern Ireland. His answer is worth quoting at length because it
is a masterpiece in deceptive speech:
‘I think my choice of words was wrong. I accept that. I should not have
said the issue about the honouring.
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