Marr criticises MPs' PR abilities

Marr also criticised some aspects of journalism

Andrew Marr has criticised politicians for their "fundamental lack of professionalism" when it comes to communicating with voters.

The ex-BBC political editor, who takes over David Frost's flagship interview slot on Sundays later this year, said politics was 40% or 50% communication.

He attributed poor communication in part to so many politicians lacking a background in public speaking.

And he also blamed journalists for opinionating rather than reporting.

Speaking at a summer festival of politics organised by the Scottish Parliament he said many politicians did not think TV mattered.

Normal language?

He also said politicians in the past, who had come via university debating societies or the trade union movement, often had had a chance to hone their rhetorical skills.

"We have an awful lot of people coming into politics from academia, or from being backroom research assistants working for parties or politicians, and they haven't had the habit of using strong, vivid, normal language," he said.

"That's why people like me are used on TV bulletins - we can describe a situation or what a politician is up to relatively clearly and briskly, and in terms that most people can understand.

"What is extraordinary is that so few politicians seem to feel that it's worth their time trying to push people like me aside and take that spot for themselves.

"I'm only there, and my colleagues are only there, because they can't do it properly for themselves, so I do think there is a fundamental lack of professionalism in our politics."

Back to basics?

Marr went on to argue for newspapers to report politics in a more serious manner and pay attention to "some of the slightly more boring things".

Newspaper circulation was dropping each year and people trusted journalists less.

"I think it requires leadership from editors and senior broadcasters to try and turn that around and back off the position where we are opinionated first, and come round to the facts later," said Marr, who used to edit the Independent.

"If all newspapers are losing circulation, maybe it's just worth trying to go back to some reporting, to see if that might be the reason - even if only one newspaper tried it, to see what happened."