Teresa May ...dancing queen or chief clown?

I think she’s a candidate for Strictly ?

She was in a no win situation.If she didn't join in she would appear totally standoffish and unfriendly.If she did she opens herself to ridicule.I don't like her politics but I think she did pretty well.It can't have been easy for her and I think she earned a bit of good will.

Well, TM certainly did not bring back much if anything in the way of trade deals from her African dancing trip.

It seemed to me that the visit reports spoke much more of what Britain would give financially to those countries than anything they may give to us in trade.

I felt those African State leaders danced all round her and the other members of the delegation as the UK appeared to grovel for some kind of announcement on trade during the trip.

Agree with Greenfinch, damned if she did and damned if she didn’t.

I think I agree withGreenfinch about the dancing, but I do think it was very hypocritical of her to go to Nelson Mandela's cell, when at the time he was imprisoned she considered him to be a terrorist.

It was the first time I ever saw her genuinely happy. When she was watching those singing and dancing schoolgirls in south africa the smile reached her eyes. Her whole face changed.
I know she can't win no matter what she does. I like her!!

I have no great love for TM or her party but I take my hat off to her for giving it a go. I think her hosts would have considered her stand-offish and bad-mannered not to have attempted the dance. Even the Royals have a go in these situations.
Whether anything useful for our trade materialises, we will just have to play the waiting game.

Chief clown, and probably in floods of tears off screen, particularly as she knows the rest of the clowns are somewhere in the backroom planning all sorts of funny pranks and tricks to play on her!

I'm another one who thinks it was good of her to have a go. She must know that she is not a natural dancer but at least she joined in when appropriate. I think there are far more important things to criticise politicians about than when they try to do the right thing and that thing is extremely unimportant.

Ilovecheese, you personally know May? Must do because she became an MP in 1997, Mandela was made President in 1994.

I thought her joining in the dancing was great, good for here, I have nothing but admiration for her for joining in,

Good for you Annie. Far too many things get stated as fact and, simple soul that I am, I believe them. It is good for me when they get debunked.

Nonnie, I await a link proving that Mrs May called Mandela a terorist, but understand this can’t be done if it was a private conversation.

I was surprised at how stiff she was. She must have known it was coming and could have practised in secret at home first.

winter I doubt any amount of practice would have made a difference, some people just can't dance, no matter what. I also suspect she had rather more pressing things to do with any spare time.

Fair point about the spare time, Nonnie, tho she could have multi-tasked and jigged around while cleaning her teeth. Making a more inspiring impressions might have been on the list..

who cares if a PM can dance or not? The very fact that she joined in at all was impressive, and she lights up when children are around her.
would Corbyn have danced better, or any other leader?Is this the petty way we judge political figures today, dancing prowess?How well would anyone on GN have done?

paddyann am sure that if wee Nichola Sturgeon had done an African dance she would have been awesome! Not!

She'd have turned it into a Highland fling and blamed Westminster for the music!

? lemon, Jane

I thought it was terrific of her to join in, as best she could particularly knowing that people would ridicule her and make sarcastic comments, or criticise her for being off hand and stuffy if she hadn't jointed in! T.M suffers from type 1 diabetes which can cause stiff joints and other inflammatory symptoms, probably the cause of her apparent stiffness and slightly bad posture. Yes she clearly loves children, how sad that she wasn't able to have any. Perhaps you who sneer will be a bit more circumspect before casting dispersions about anyone another time.

lemongrove quote[How well would anyone on GN have done?] end quote

Yea most definatly, you should have seen Carol and me doing the "skip jive" at the Britol Chinese jazz club in the mid sixties.

is there Chinese jazz? I bet you were the talk of the town back then, as many of us may well have been, but all us 60 or 70 somethings [including T May] are not as supple as we used to be, sadly.

now, who is up for a vigorous Twist And Shout?

We were all able to cut the mustard in our youth Grandad even P & T. May I daresay. Fifty odd years along the line can often be a very different matter!