Brain Freeze
An incredible thing about the widespread anti-politics mood in the country is that many voters are so fed up with the political establishment (Labour and the Tories) that they seem to forgive the 'insurgent' parties for making the most amazing gaffes.
So it was yesterday when the Green Party leader, Natalie Bennett, had what she later called a 'brain fade' during a live interview on LBC radio when, literally, she did not know what she was talking about and made a complete fool of herself.
Likewise UKIP makes a fool of itself on a daily basis with a wide variety of fruitcakes and loonies shooting themselves in the foot and making their party look ridiculous, yet the Nigel Farage bandwagon marches on, seemingly unperturbed.
Green party leader Natalie Bennett suffers on-air ‘brain fade’
By Callum Jones - The Times
The leader of the Green party has spoken out after struggling to explain the detail of some key policies in an “excruciating” live radio interview.
Speaking to LBC this morning, Natalie Bennett seemed lost for words at times when fielding questions over the funding of some of her party’s pledges.
When asked how her party would fund the construction of half a million social rental homes, Ms Bennett said this would be paid for by the removal of tax relief on mortgage interest for private landlords.
However, when pressed over how much would be raised by removing the relief, she hesitated. “Erm ... well ... that’s part of the whole costing,” she said.
Nick Ferrari, the host, was seemingly staggered when the Green leader suggested that just £2.7 billion would need to be raised for the housing project.
“Five hundred thousand homes, £2.7 billion – what are they made of? Plywood?” he asked incredulously.
Ms Bennett later found herself in more trouble after she suggested that the building would cost “£60k per home”. The interview also saw her struggle to talk through NHS figures.
She pledged to unveil a “fully costed programme” before the election.
Appearing later at the launch of the Green party’s general election campaign, Ms Bennett was asked whether she had let her party down. She replied: “It was absolutely excruciating in the studio. All I can say is occasionally one just has a mind blank, that happens.”
The Green leader said she was suffering with a “huge cold”.
When asked by Sky News whether she was fit to be leader, she responded: “Anyone can have a brain fade, can have one of those moments when things go out of your head.
“I’ve spent the last two and a half years as leader of the Green party having been elected by members, going up and down the country talking about our policies. The answer is to face up to one’s faults, one’s mistakes, and move on.”
Ms Bennett secured a platform in the proposed election TV debates last month after 281,879 people signed a petition calling for Green representation.
