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Mary Coughlan in the context

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  • 25-01-2010 10:39pm
    #1
    MJ23
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,039 ✭✭✭


    Can this woman answer a question without using these 3 words. Watching the politics show last night, and every time Sean O Rourke asked a question she was able to fit in "in the context"
    Very annoying


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    #2
    Joe1919
    Registered Users Posts: 1,153 ✭✭✭Joe1919


    Very annoying, especially 'in the context' of her being a T.D. Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment etc.


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    #3
    GuanYin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 15,552 ✭✭✭✭GuanYin


    Moved to Politics.

    ==========================

    Many public speakers have a crutch.

    Unless the phrase is used for evasion of a question, I don't see a problem so long as her message gets across.


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    #4
    aidan24326
    Registered Users Posts: 5,925 ✭✭✭aidan24326


    What about "And it's important to say....", usually followed by some waffling banality that isn't really that important at all, since waffle usually isn't.

    Waffling is of course quite acceptable if employed in the task of sounding semi-interesting while chatting up that blonde fox with the large breasts. But one might be entitled to expect better from An Tanaiste, not to mention the rest of Cowen's motley crew.

    She's a very poor speaker in general though, as is Cowen.


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    #5
    Liam Byrne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,163 ✭✭✭✭Liam Byrne


    GuanYin wrote: »
    Unless the phrase is used for evasion of a question, I don't see a problem so long as her message gets across.

    So what you're saying is that "in the context" of evading a question, it wouldn't be acceptable ? ;)


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    #6
    bmaxi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,859 ✭✭✭bmaxi


    It's a stalling tactic to search for words, although why someone with f*ck all to say should need to search for words is beyond me.


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    #7
    Joe1919
    Registered Users Posts: 1,153 ✭✭✭Joe1919


    I remember reading some time ago abour some anchient pipe smoking politician who when asked a difficult question would spend many minutes filling and lighting his pile before answering it. At one time, seemingly, it was considered a great virtue, that a politician would spend time and deliberate before giving an answer to a question.
    Now we have the opposite. Politicians are expected to have answers at the tip of their tongue.


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    #8
    aidan24326
    Registered Users Posts: 5,925 ✭✭✭aidan24326


    Joe1919 wrote: »
    Now we have the opposite. Politicians are expected to have answers at the tip of their tongue.

    Well in Coughlan's case she hasn't anything particularly interesting to say anyway.

    And anyone remember Maura Hoctor's embarrasing episode on tv* a while back? Where she had to be (audibly) prompted by one of her advisers in the background, as she hadn't a clue what to say in reply to a question that she was asked in relation to her own department (she was, at least then anyway, a junior minister).

    *I think it was primetime, but not certain


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