The Conversation (0)
Liam O'Dell
Oct 09, 2021
T’is the season to be having a good long think “about what Christmas is all about” if you’re concerned about the impact of shortages on this year’s festive period, GB News presenter Isabel Oakeshott has said.
Speaking during her first show on the controversial news channel on Friday, the Brexiteer journalist touched upon concerns raised over supply chains and food shortages, citing a comment by retail analyst Clive Black that Christmas would be a “nightmare” for consumers.
“So this prediction of a nightmare Christmas… really?
“First of all, I do think if your Christmas joy depends on getting a particular type of turkey for lunch, or the latest must-have toy for little Johnny, I would suggest you need to take a long hard look and really have a think about what Christmas is all about.
“Really, there’s not going to be no food in the shops and no toys, and surely a great Christmas isn’t just about whether you can buy a particular brand of this or that, but about family and friends getting together,” Oakeshott said.
The remarks have gone on to spark a strong Twitter debate on the true meaning of Christmas, something we feel is a little bit premature – the same word some of us would use to describe our exit from the European Union in 2016…
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@GBNEWS https://t.co/8wDVAFy3bv— Brn Candlish (@Brn Candlish) 1633728359
@GBNEWS “The Traditional Farm-Fresh Turkey Association, whatever that is” Award-winning incisive journalism right… https://t.co/DEoMQ04b0Q— LfB (@LfB) 1633695537
@GBNEWS Why should we have things now we have Brexit?— Sarah Hurst (@Sarah Hurst) 1633708045
@GBNEWS It’s high time we went back to a traditional Christmas stocking with a lump of coal, a tangerine and a doll… https://t.co/6We76bgGZa— Andrew Brook 🏳️🌈 🇪🇺 🎹 🎤 #GTTO 🏳️⚧️✊🏿 (@Andrew Brook 🏳️🌈 🇪🇺 🎹 🎤 #GTTO 🏳️⚧️✊🏿) 1633701767
@GBNEWS Wondered how long it would be before 'it's all your fault because you want stuff'— Steve Widman (@Steve Widman) 1633695315
@GBNEWS Fish finger butties. With a dollop of cranberry sauce. Sorted.— Ken Goodwin (@Ken Goodwin) 1633765652
@GBNEWS Isabel Oakeshott’s Christmas recommendations https://t.co/fn4OpyMCVo— Iain Macintosh (@Iain Macintosh) 1633765244
I bet Isabel Oakeshott won't be having a tin of spam for Christmas Dinner.— Simon Bye 🎪🔶 (@Simon Bye 🎪🔶) 1633702104
@GBNEWS Isabel Oakeshott lecturing us on ‘what Christmas is all about’ is up there with Boris Johnson telling us we… https://t.co/6zq6N5ZtJW— Nita W #FBPE 🇬🇧🇪🇺 (@Nita W #FBPE 🇬🇧🇪🇺) 1633705597
don't forget to hang your stocking up on Christmas Eve for Isabel Oakeshott to shite in https://t.co/axubayktRb— Gpoptosis (@Gpoptosis) 1633727135
@IsabelOakeshott This is like if a computer bot was asked to write a GB News segment.— Sooz Kempner (@Sooz Kempner) 1633723864
2016: Brexit will improve your lives 2018: Project fear 2021: The following food shortages are actually good- https://t.co/6wlMY0CrL8— James Felton (@James Felton) 1633714266
There you go. You absolutely love to see it. https://t.co/jOA8z3dyQ4— Tom Peck (@Tom Peck) 1633713274
2020: If we go into lockdown this will cancel Christmas. This cannot happen. 2021: So what if Christmas is cancell… https://t.co/AWZ7Icqzaq— James McManus (@James McManus) 1633716541
Others criticised her “terrible” use of the autocue:
@GBNEWS Really terrible using autocue. Amateurish.— Johnson is a Racist and a Liar 💙🇪🇺🏳️🌈 (@Johnson is a Racist and a Liar 💙🇪🇺🏳️🌈) 1633719515
@GBNEWS She’s such a natural on the auto-cue 🙄— Susanita : One of the Usual Suspects .💙🇪🇺🇪🇸 (@Susanita : One of the Usual Suspects .💙🇪🇺🇪🇸) 1633713091
That bus also made a surprise appearance in the replies:
@GBNEWS Was that on the other bus? https://t.co/0NKPfWlt4s— NewsThump (@NewsThump) 1633721876
@GBNEWS To be fair, they did warn us :- https://t.co/tRlcDkyHng— ...andTheVoidStaredBack (@...andTheVoidStaredBack) 1633700076
@GBNEWS I don't recall seeing "Brexit is about having a shit Christmas" on the side of a bus.— Steve Brookstein (@Steve Brookstein) 1633747660
Despite the initial backlash to her comments under the GB News video, Oakeshott went on to quote tweet the video herself later that day.
“I am right about this, obviously,” she wrote.