Advantage Cameron

Walking into the press gallery, I saw something I haven't seen for ages. Labour MPs animated, laughing, roaring, unfrozen. David Cameron was making the light-hearted speech which follows opening of parliament, and making everyone laugh. "We welcome the climate change bill, and when it comes around next year we will welcome it again". Labour MPs were allowing themselves to be entertained; Showing that it can be done. Sadly for them, Gordon Brown can't seem to do it.

When we moved to the combat phase, Cameron was on great form speaking with immense confidence. Taking interventions, he was asked about the "black hole" in his plans - Brown's favourite theme. "I was wondering how we would go before the whip's read-out question", he said. "There is only one black hole in British politics and it is the gap where the prime minister's credibility used to be". Great response. The Tories loved it, order papers aloft. 

If you ask me, Cameron should have saved this ammo for PMQs tomorrow. But he visibly outshone Brown, whose jokes were laughed at only by loyalists. The look on Tory faces was one of pity.

Brown seems to have conceded defeat on the entertainment stakes. "He may have been good on jokes" he said of Cameron, "but he was bad on policy". Then back to autopilot, and long Labour faces.

He dismissed the SNP saying "only a third of the Scottish people" voted for them. Erm, I think he'll find less than a quarter of Britain voted Labour at the last election. From the performances today, I suspect it will be even less next time.