George Osborne and Gordon Brown had a right set-to in Gordon Brown's final Treasury Questions this morning. Not a lot of love lost there...
George Osborne: "Can I join in congratulating you on the remarkable
achievement of surviving 10 years at the Treasury - even if it was twice as long
as you wanted. On the question of employment and jobs, can I ask you about the
biggest employer in the country, the Secretary of State for Health (Patricia
Hewitt). "You are reported to have said of her this week: 'I have to sit here
while she loses me the next election'. "Can we take it then that she'll soon be
joining the record numbers of people who are economically inactive?"Gordon Brown: "Our Government has invested more in the health service, with
more results. "It`s difficult to listen to what you say on one day because
usually you will have changed your mind by the next - as on grammar
schools. I understand you have just given an interview to Glamour magazine
and the interview has been issued with a free pair of flip-flops. You should
take advice from your leader (David Cameron). Only a few days ago he said:
'We`ve got a successful economy'. "Why - because we`ve got a Labour
Government."George Osborne: "At least I don't appear in glossy mags talking
about what I listen to on my Ipod! You've just hung the Health Secretary
out to dry. No wonder you write books about political courage instead of
appearing in them. The fact is that the NHS job loses, ward closures and the
crises are your doing because it was your NHS plan, your Wanless report, your
money without reform. Does the anger junior doctors feel about their employment
prospects explain why one Downing Street aide said this week of you: 'I think
he'll be the first Prime Minister to be carried out of No 10 by the men in white
coats' - or was he getting at something else?"Gordon Brown: "I`ve been up against seven shadow chancellors in the last 10
years but you are the only one who never actually asks me about inflation,
interest rates or the economy. Every time we have a question about employment
and economic activity you want to change the agenda. It is because we have
invested twice as much in the NHS that we do not have the waiting times and
waiting list crises that the last Conservative government had. It is because we
have managed the economy well that we are able to invest in public services.
Girls, girls...
29 comments:
I make that about 10-0 to Brown. And the flip flops spot is magnificent.
Osborne: "At least I don't appear in glossy mags talking about what I listen to on my Ipod!"
Anyone seen the Glamour interview? Osborne is asked what's on his iPod and Boy George gives a full run down.
A touch hypocritical.
Nice review in The Economist of Broon's book - "Most revealing of all, though, is who is excluded. Mr Brown says his eight “have done almost more than any other men or women I can think of to advance the great causes of our times.” Yet not one is an anti-communist. Is anti-communism a cause without heroes, despite Solzhenitsyn, Sakharov and the rest? Or, for Mr Brown, simply not “great”?
That reference to the men in white coats is genius...
Punch, meet Judy, Judy meet Punch. A new low for British Politics.
I bet Sir Peter Tapsell asked a question about Gold... that's a decent use of Treasury Questions.
Well I suppose you would Chris Paul. You are so deluded by Nulabour you must be one of the few people left in Britain who think Blair an honest man.
More seriously ,is the level of debate at these meetings? Seems a bit pathetic from both men to me.
Why doesn't the Speaker put a stop to this sort of nonsense?
Well Georgie boy was truly slapped down there. Go Gordon
Chris Paul was bitten by a radioactive parrot and aquired an uncanny ability make word like noises with no cognitive input. Its not his fault.
I see Brown is still telling us what a lot of our money he has been spending . God knows what he would do with a five year stretch. PR , "redistribution " , and god knows what liberty will be left. He must really hate the English and the South especially
'You are the one who never asks me about the economy, inflation or interest rates'(GB 14/06/2007)
This quote and moment will forever go down in the annals of history as being a pure ripper (GE 14/06/2007)
What a wheeze. What a put down. What a boster.
Gary
You all might have noticed that the flip flops joke was nicked straight out of The Thick Of It.
Who's writing Broon's stuff, these days...?
Have to agree Brown won that battle. Especially liked the line 'You are the one who never asks me about the economy, inflation or interest rates'.
Did nobody else notice that in the first paragraph Osboure makes an implict criticism of the NHS for employing too many people and then in the second moans about NHS job losses. Not very consistent.
'You are the one who never asks me about the economy, inflation or interest rates'
Duh. Both inflation and interest rates are the responsibility of the Bank Of England. As for the economy, is Gordon sure about that? I doubt it.
4-2 to Brown. What was Osborne doing on the first question? The obvious answer was for Brown to disregard the questions about the NHS (this was Treasury Questions) and to congratulate himself on 10 years in office. Fortunately the red mist ensured that Brown did not spot the open goal.
Goad the arrogant twat into more boasts about his economic myth, the more he lies the easier he gets later.
George the response to his
"your the only one who doesnt ask me about economy, inflation or interest rates"
What the point? Youve been making it up 10 years cant see you coming clean now"
How many rendition flights landed in the UK?
How much will you reduce spending in real terms over the next 3 years and where will these cuts take place?
How much of the money you promised Geldof has actually been paid out?
whats VAT on 2.3bn?
How much will you reduce spending in real terms over the next 3 years and where will these cuts take place?
Brown is a liar, we all know that, he will blow himself up.
'girls girls'..
Bit sexist isnt it Iain?
Horrible to see that Brown is still boasting about how much of our money he has spent. An unreconstructed socialist, he sees public expenditure as a good thing, full stop.
Oh dear - why not a comment from Osborne that the Euro has halved in value since its launch, and that the ECB's statistics are a farce? or something intelligentish.
Is Broon aware that if he signs up to the Constitution we could have the Euro imposed on a majority vote?
I suppose such matters are mere trivia when you have an image to groom.
Why did you cut the bit where Brown called Osborne "squeeky" and Osborne lobbed back "bogey man"?
As an example of the opposition holding the executive to account - bloody pathetic.
As an example of blistering debate and blinding wit - bloody pathetic
As an example of someone setting the attack dogs on Gordo - bloody pathetic.
Didn't some git once say something about bringing an end to "Punch and Judy politics"? Maybe they have, but only to replace it with Mickey Mouse politics instead.
I'd expect a higher quality of debate from third formers. From the special school.
It's only when one sees these exchanges written down in black-and-white that one realises how puerile it all actually is. Sad to think of grown men indulging in such pointless banter - don't they have better things to do? And - of course - it's the poor bloody taxpayer (PBT) paying for it all.
Far better for Osborne to concentrate on serious economic debate than cheap political points.
btw, to answer Trumpeter Lanfried's first question:
Even Gorbals Mick realises that if he stopped this sort of playground taunting, someone might actually ask a decent question and Gordon would be forced to answer it.
Somehow I get the impression The Greasy One wakes up in a cold sweat imagining a day when he might have to face some real talent.
Here's what Osborne should have asked:
"Did you say, speaking of the Secretary of State for Health, 'I have to sit here while she loses me the next election,' or words to that effect?
In other words, don't invite discussion. Just ask an unambiguous, factual question, which can readily be answered yes or no. Then watch him squirm and, if necessary, repeat the question verbatim.
It's not rocket science.
Me, I like Geo. He's young, bright and personable. The trick's easy with Brown - laugh at him. Just laugh, George - self-important old men like our esteemed Chancellor can't bear to be mocked.
George Osborne is delightfully cheeky with Gordon Brown - may the saucy insults continue :)
I can't stand Gordo but Osbourne's such a complete ***E! He lost that exchange about 3-nil. Why does he bother to get out of bed in the morning?
According to Match of the Day in the LES:
In fact it was:
Osborne -1 , Brown - 3
Osborne did list his iPod music on 'page 122', and it's The Killers. Doh!
The Scottish coward did what he usually does when confronted by questions he can't answer: took refuge in bullying. George Osborne hasn't yet worked out how to combat that, so Broon may have appeared to come out better. But the fact that he didn't answer either of GO's questions means that any analysis of this as a match is pointless. It's more like two football teams playing on different pitches and scoring endless goals, but the final score is just a little meaningless.
Osbourne is truly pathetic.
Why don't the Conservatives get someone whose ball have dropped for their shadow chancellor instead of this fatuous juvenile?
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