I could hardly belioeve my ears at the beginning of PMQs when a Labour MP, Robert Fello, read out a list of government economic achievements. There was an interruption and the Speaker stood up and said: "Let the honourable Gentleman continue with the good news"!!!
So how do people think the exchange between Cameron and Brown went? Brown looked incredibly downbeat and uncomfortable, I thought. I'd give a points win to Cameron. Clegg did very well, I thought, but Brown's response on the Calamity Clegg document rather cut the ground from beneath him.
43 comments:
Help!, i can only find the scottish parliament PMQs on BBC2 and SKY NEWS, what channel is the English Parliament on??????.
Robert Flello used to be a Councillor in Longbridge, Birmingham. This after being Richard Burden's bagman for some time.
His latest contribution sums up his political career to date.
Brown doesn't seem to feel any obligation to tell the truth about anything. And in anticipation of being a member of the opposition soon he's asking more questions that he answers.
I am surprised that Brown gets away with continually turning round "yes or no" responses to the Leader of the Opposition. It is he and not the opposition who is being held to account.
No-one better to bait the beak at PMQs than a smarmy Etonian
Eton Baiting Song
Jolly baiting weather
Baiting Brown’s a breeze
Tickle him first with a feather
Mock when he’s down on his knees
And we’ll all laugh together
Watching Cameron taunt him and tease
Yes we’ll all laugh together
Watching Cameron scoring with ease
On Wednesdays when Parliament’s sitting
Brown rises to take PMQs
His trousers he’s been sh*tt*ng
Awaiting the bolt from the blues
And while Cameron’s blows are hitting
Brown’s supporters just study their shoes
Yes the Tories’ sides are splitting
And the government studies its shoes
Brown is a laughing stock as
He stumbles from pillar to post
Put him on beta-blockers
Before he gives up the ghost
But his pitiful efforts are shockers
And it’s Blair that’s enjoying it most
Brown can never escape his mockers
And it’s Blair that’s enjoying it most
A solid win for Cameron, and it was good to see all six questions being asked on Northern Rock. Brown is stuck between a rock (sorry) and a hard place - it'll be politically disastrous for him to admit to the real sum the taxpayer is exposed to, but his refusal to do so gives the opposition enormous fodder. He's got to develop a new technique for avoiding questions soon as well - even Gorbals Mick ended up pointing out that it's not Leader of the Opposition's Questions today.
Brown was clutching his red pen so hard towards the end of Cameron's questions that I thought it might snap. Especially when he started stabbing the dispatch box with it as if it was Cameron's face.
Why does Brown get away with his oft-repeated boast about inflation? With rising food, fuel, energy & council tax costs, no-one I know recognises a figure remotely like 2% - or even the 2.1% he used today.
And does he not realise how foolish he appears when he constantly tries to change the session into Leader of the Opposition's Question Time?
Is there any mechanism for expressing no confidence in the Speaker?
Martins has is steadily destroying the office of the Speaker. What a disgrace.
See, the HOC is an old boys club. The Tories are HOPELESS why respect the chair of the Commons whilst the chair does not respect impartiality. Whilst directing comments 'through the chair' in the HOC why Gorbals Mick is not referred to as 'the labour stooge' is beyond me!
Iain,
That Leonard Cheshire advert beneath this post (Don't know if it's being rotated with other ads or not):-
They are using the colour red and that trendy white text in a red square for the logo. Look familiar.
Much as I agree with the sentiment (although not necessarily the means they are imagining) What are they doing advertising on your blog?
I was suprised Flello didn't compliment the 17.2% rise in tractor production in the Petrograd Workers Co-operative as being down to the glorious economic stewardship of the great helmsman.
Every time I view Brown answering questions I consider whether suicide would be preferable
More smarm, mingled with whine from Camoron. No policy on Northern Rock, just a pathetic attempt to blame Brown. Capitalist torpor. No substance. Polls going south.
I'm a feckless leftie, and even I've made a ton of money oveer the last ten years - why haven't the tories above? Are they all thick?
Good poem above! Should go onto Tory billboards - that'll do it for him!
The Calamity Clegg line was actually pretty lame...
Michael Martin should be run out of the capital. He is incompetent, ignorant and bigotted and has corrupted his office.
You never had it so good !!!!!.
I find it mildly amusing reading Tory bloggers actually wishing our economy to go under. How patriotic of you all. Would you like more people on the dole, would you like the poor to be poorer? From reading many Tory bloggers and commentators this does seem to be the case.
The economy is sound, there are bumps ahead but I’m sure we, yes we, the country, will get through it. Tried to get a Wii for Christmas, couldn’t get one, because they had sold out everywhere. Yes we are economy is doomed !!!!!
I nearly fell off my chair when the Speaker told the House to be quiet so that the Leader of the Opposition could answer the question - despite the fact that Brown only answered Cameron once.
Iain,
Not sure I'd rate Clegg quite as highly as you, but time will tell. I thought he looked like a pleasant, moderately sensible, good-natured fellow who simply doesn't have the voice and presence to hold his ground.
Thought Cameron pitched things about right, straight questions but no bullying. As an outsider, rather than someone in the midst of politics like you and many of your contributors here, I thought Brown looked much more like a bull in a china shop than a PM. Nobody outside parliament really believes all his bulls*** about inflation, nobody believes his bluster about economic performance and nobody is that impressed by toadying planted questions. Speaker Martin's surprising tolerance of silly tricks doesn't impress either, but the tricks cut no ice so who cares; I notice Cameron just ignores the question-back ploy.
If the Politics Show had been using its viewer response panel my guess Brown would have been rated poorly.
Plenty of time for the Tories to cock things up of course, but it does look like a one way trip for Brown.
A solid win for Cambo ( LIZ 12:41 )
Oh you are funny, clearly watching a different PMQs than me. He had Six questions, all about Northern Rock, and failed to deliver any blows to the PM. Strangely failed to mention Hain in any of his questions…Oh I wonder why ???. Could it be that Gideon was sat next to him.
I do enjoy PMQs, but what is more satisfying is reading Con Bloggers logon afterwards and proclaim a Cameron victory regardless of what was said.
Brown gave a solid performance, Cameron wasted his questioning time; and as ever the Tory benches were awash with expensively suited middle aged white men, invariably balding asking inane questions while this colleagues guffawed.
Like or loathe, Brown is beginning to find his feet at PMQs, so please stop declaring victory where one doesn’t exist.
After Brown's disastrous performances during the autumn, when he looked to be in the grip of the early stages of a nervous breakdown at PMQs, we have come to expect disintegration at some point. Especially given the continued bad news on donorgate, Hain. The fact that he hasn't and seems to have just held his own since December appears an achievement of sorts. The continuous swatting back of questions is poor stuff but, to the man in the street, effective, as it puts Cameron on the spot.
Gordon Brown - shifty
David Cameron - precise
Chris Clegg - irrelevant
All the majority of people will see of PMQs is a few soundbites on the news or a summary in the paper. In both people will see Cameron asking reasonable questions and Brown failing to answer.
That is why it was a clear win for Cameron
middle aged white men
Racism and sexism in four words!
RE: "I find it mildly amusing reading Tory bloggers actually wishing our economy to go under. How patriotic of you all. Would you like more people on the dole, would you like the poor to be poorer? From reading many Tory bloggers and commentators this does seem to be the case.
The economy is sound, there are bumps ahead but I’m sure we, yes we, the country, will get through it. Tried to get a Wii for Christmas, couldn’t get one, because they had sold out everywhere. Yes we are economy is doomed !!!!!"
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I find statements like this utterly incredulous!, a Mclabour regime supporter, no doubt, crowing and gloating, thumping away at the keyboard with seemingly glee at how "great things are", ranting against people who DARE to speak out against the McLabour regime, and then wait for it!, DARES to sarcastically accuse people who oppose McLabour "Oh How patriotic of you"
This from the supporter of a communist regime that is intent on regionalising England out of existence and handing over what remains to their masters in the EU for them to rule!, what a DISGRACE!, this is "Patriotic" is it????, you hang yourself by your own words, Mclabour will lose the next general election by a LANDSLIDE!.
As ever the Labour benches were awash with badly dressed middle aged white men, invariably balding and grossly overweight asking inane questions while their colleagues guffawed.
Gordon Broon is an utter buffoon!, he never answers a question, he actually thinks HE is there to ask questions!, send this unelected unnacountable communist foreigner back up to the Scots Region of EU!, England doesnt want YOU OR McLABOUR!
Brown has learnt to do, what Bliar did at PMQs, not answer any questions and come out with soundbite lies and nonsense.
Leave Speaker Martin alone. He doesn't drive or operate heavy machinery. Nothing wrong with a few pints of heavy before work.
Woeful performance from Brown. By not answering questions he is showing contempt for the House and the country at large. Solid if unspectacular from Cameron - points victory probably the correct interpretation.
As for the Speaker, did anyone see that Little Britain episode where Marjorie Dawes visits her mother in hospital after she'd had a fall and says "We'll put you in a home, yeah, home, yeah, we'll put you in a home, yeah."? For some reason whenever I see Michael Martin that scene always leaps to mind...
RE: "Anonymous said...
As ever the Labour benches were awash with badly dressed middle aged white men, invariably balding and grossly overweight asking inane questions while their colleagues guffawed."
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Champagne "Socialism" at its finest my friends!, like that "Little Britain" character...
I'll have the artichoke pate, truffles, caviar.....and a Kit-kat!
For McLabour read Little McBritain.
Camera-on was b awful AGAIN!
Brown is given lee-way to pose questions, just as Cameraman is given lee-way to answer back if he wants to.
NR - a failure of capitalism - no Tory policy on it - why are they scared of saying they'd have let it go belly-up? That would have been the capitalist solution (after trying and failing to do a "quiet" deal, which would have led to runs on all the other banks)
They should sack the heavily-made-up man immediately and advertise for a proper leader - he makes Brown look and sound brilliant.
LunarTalks - Understandable interpretation but I believe that The Speaker is a teetotaller.
Anonymous 12.51 said :
I'm a feckless leftie, and even I've made a ton of money oveer the last ten years - why haven't the tories above? Are they all thick?
No, just deluded and arrogant.
"....asking inane questions while their colleagues guffawed."
Labour MPs were particularly amused by the thought of 40,000 people losing their homes. They didn't half laugh their little socks off at that one.
I suspect The Speaker is nosing Brown so that he does not get knobbled in his pension like the Lord Chancellor did...
anon 1251
Benefits cheat, then?
PMQs would be much improved if the Speaker insisted on ministers answering (instead of dodging) opposition questions. The Speaker is supposed to assert the authority of the Commons and hold ministers to account. Why doesn't he do so?
On a slightly different point; if you despair of the calibre of people in the cabinet, just reflect on the pool of talent Brown has to draw on. Robert Fello, who stumbles through a patsy question which the whips have written out for him, no doubt in large print, is fairly typical of many Labour MPs, i.e. third rate.
Which PMQs were you watching then? I thought Brown looked much stronger than he ever did before Christmas, much more confident and secure.
Those saying he was like a bull in a china shop - when? I watched it, I didn't see any bulling about.
Cameron failed to land a single blow.
Has anyone noticed how obese many backbench Labour MPs are?
Not just fat but huge. Are they being swelled by guzzling on Brown's largesse?
Will they all die soon as a result of their over-indulgence? I hope so!
(No, not really, but perhaps Alan Johnson should have a word and explain that it's not government policy?)
"George Soros" (deluded or what?)thinks only benefit cheats have made a lot of money in the last ten years. At least he offers confirmation that you're incapable of making money. You should get out more. Turn the telly off, get dressed and see if you can contribute something. Private sector employment has risen in the last ten years at the fastest rate, and by the greatest amount ever. Why are the soi-disants capitalists here not enjoying that fact? Could it be that you're all useless?
Black spot -
If 40000 homes are re-possessed(I presume you mean 40k homes rather than the 25k people who live in them!), that will still be better than 1990-1996, when re-possessions neveer fell below 44k homes, and peaked at 76k in 1992 (and proportionate to the number of homes owned, those figures are worse than they look now).
The main difference now is that we do not have a govt that thinks 4m unemployed is a price worth paying.
Of course that should read 40k homes rather than 40000 people (who live in 25k homes)
"So how do people think the exchange between Cameron and Brown went? Brown looked incredibly downbeat and uncomfortable, I thought. I'd give a points win to Cameron. Clegg did very well, I thought"
I'm afraid I can't really agree with that.
Cameron was, I suppose, asking worthy questions but they seemed a bit flat. I assumed he must have reasons for not wanting to talk about anything else.
I do think Brown is beginning to get a grip on how to do PMQs. He doesn't do it well but he gets by.
The questions he raised for Cameron were no doubt unfair but seemed to leave Cameron floundering.
More like a no-score draw.
As for Clegg, I didn't really notice - he really is too irrelevant. But he was wearing a very nice suit. I wonder where he got it.
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