An atrocious performance from Brown
Lloyd Evans 3:21pm
A quiet, chastened, nervous House of Commons today. Like a bunch of naughty schoolboys caught wrecking the art-block and forced to clean it up. The Prime Minister, looking even more dank and grotty than usual, faltered as he recited the names of last week’s war dead from Afghanistan. By contrast Cameron’s bright, youthful demeanour served him well as he once again outclassed the PM on expenses.
Cameron suggested saving £6m by scrapping the new £10k ‘communications allowance’ for members which, he said, merely allowed MPs to tell the world how wonderful they were. The PM tried to play the lofty man of principle but he sounded feeble and indecisive. He said it was ‘open to the house’ to suggest scrapping the communications allowance when they made representations to the Kelly Committee. He hoped that Kelly would ‘report as soon as possible.’ Cameron came back hard. ‘This doesn’t go to the heart of the anger people feel’. He asked the PM how he could justify a £10k allowance during a recession. Brown sprayed repetitive platitudes in all directions. ‘It’s open to the house to look at all these things. It’s open to members to propose to change it.’ Cameron: ‘What we want is some leadership. The PM has a tin ear for these issues.’ Hearty Tory cheers.
Cameron then tossed out another crowd-pleasing proposal, to reduce the size of Parliament, which flummoxed the PM further. To accept it would make him seem weak. To reject it would look protectionist. So he referred again to the far-off verdict of Kelly and complained, ‘Today is a day for all of us to come together’. Cameron’s scornful impatience was well judged. ‘He wants an independent commission. I wonder if he needs an independent commission to decide whether to have tea or coffee in the morning.’ The only sentiment Cameron doesn’t quite capture is the frustration of the public. When voters hear politicians say ‘let’s wait for the committee’ it sounds like the death-knell of democracy. Accountability is being taken out and shot.
As a final flourish, Cameron previewed a soundbite that has the pithiness and truth of a campaign slogan. ‘How can we bring about the changes the country needs if we cannot change ourselves?’ If that’s the Tory plan, to position themselves as the voice of honest reform and to portray Labour as a backward-looking irrelevance, they’ve done some very neat footwork in the last two days. While Cameron appeals to the public, Brown appeals to his party. The PM finished by claiming, ‘I am trying to build a consensus on change,’ and expressing his sorrow that Cameron had ‘chosen to look for division’. This simply emphasised Brown’s cheap anxiety to turn the crisis to his momentary political advantage.
Nick Clegg had another good day. Avoiding Brownian circumlocutions, he spoke in ordinary language and urged the House to ‘get MPs out of the property game altogether.’ What did Brown do? Referred to Kelly. Clegg: ‘He’s making it too complicated. We are here to serve our constituents, not to make a fast buck.’ Brown’s response was another colossal blunder. Rather than addressing Clegg’s point that the House seems to be full of property developers who do a bit of politics in their spare time, the PM spoke up for ‘decent hard-working members.’ Come off it.
This was an atrocious day for Brown. He had no idea how out of touch he sounded. Only the Speaker fared worse. Bloated and knackered, looking like a crimson bull-frog, he was tetchy and uncertain in the chair. He interrupted speeches constantly and scolded members for no reason. He has spent the week digging his own grave. It’s deep enough now.
Previous
Not the usual biased poster.
May 13th, 2009 3:43pm Report this commentDo you and Fraser take turns with the tissues?
Do you fight over who has the picture of Cameron on your desks?
bill
May 13th, 2009 4:08pm Report this commentTakes me back. Mucking about in the art block. Those were the days.
Cybgen
May 13th, 2009 4:08pm Report this commentVery subdued PMQ today, Brown reminds me of a non swimmer thrown into the deep end -floundering madly trying to get somewhere but ultimately staying in one place.
This is not a good time for Brown at all, he seems to be a man alone with no-one to trust. Are the knives out for him. Mind you say what you like about Brown but anybody in the house has more political credit that the Speaker at the moment.
David Ossitt
May 13th, 2009 4:09pm Report this commentNot the usual biased poster.
What a strange nomdeplume; but it does tell us an awful lot.
You are biased; as we all are, but you are biased in the other direction, aren't you?
It must be difficult for you to see your political hero exposed as a fraud, a freak, a failure.
To us it is a pure joy.
Get over it.
The Bellman
May 13th, 2009 4:10pm Report this commentIf his performance at PMQs was atrocious, it is as nothing compared with his news conference with Zardari taking place now. It's really some kind of achievement to make Zardari look like the head of government with the brighter future.
Considering Afghanistan-Pakistan is the theatre in which so many British soldiers are being killed, you'd think the Prime Minister would be able to make a statement without reading verbatim from a script without stumbling. If he just memorised a few important phrases from what passes as our policy there and managed to repeat them fluently it would be something. (Even, God help us, if he could call AQ something other than Alky Ada...) Zardari on the other hand is speaking confidently.
@Not the usual biased poster: At least you managed to spell 'usual' correctly on this thread as you scrabbled to share your thoughts with us. I assume your nom de plume on LabourLost is easier to spell.
David Ossitt
May 13th, 2009 4:11pm Report this commentNot the usual biased poster
Come on own up; what do you usually call yourself?
Wight Tory
May 13th, 2009 4:11pm Report this commentAm I alone in thinking Gordo's using a "talk alot to waste time" tactic these days, he did it last week also, this week seemed to go on and on. I know he doesn't do answers, at this rate, Clegg won't be doing questions either.
kinglear
May 13th, 2009 4:24pm Report this commentWell at least Cameron's picture might cheer you up. Brown's certainly won't
Dilishnik Darak
May 13th, 2009 4:25pm Report this commentGordo is the faltering HAL9000 in the movie 2001:
"Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?"
Tiberius
May 13th, 2009 4:40pm Report this commentAway with you, Ntubp, Labour troll!
In view of his facial appearance, Martin really should consider using some of Brown's make-up.
TrevorsDen
May 13th, 2009 4:45pm Report this commentMr.' ... poster' - accept it, Brown is useless.
Ivan
May 13th, 2009 4:48pm Report this comment@NTUBP
Why? Have you run out after half an hour watching Brown?
Forlornehope
May 13th, 2009 5:19pm Report this commentThe danger for the Conservatives is that Brown is now falling apart so fast that even the Labour party might manage to ditch him. A defeat on the Post Office followed by a vote of no confidence, which Brown would win, would make it very difficult to get rid of him without an election. This could be interesting, to watch.
Rivere
May 13th, 2009 5:23pm Report this comment@NTUBP
Become a special advisor,Brown could easily sit you behind McBrides old desk.
mac
May 13th, 2009 5:29pm Report this comment"A quiet, chastened, nervous House of Commons today."
Except for the predictably juvenile envoi from Mr Skinner (he really has a remarkable knack of catching the Speaker's eye, doesn't he?) playing to the gallery in the bar of the Bolsover working men's club.
John Levett
May 13th, 2009 5:45pm Report this commentHave I missed something? Is the communications allowance really a new allowance? When was it voted in and who voted against it? What justified it?
I love Gordon.
May 13th, 2009 5:55pm Report this commentwatching brown stand up and slump down. I imagine him in his under clothes.
I reckon he wears old fashioned button up vests and Y fronts.
His unathletic legs, always hid from camera lenses, spindly and not very hairy.
Is he the object of anyone else's dreams.
david sanders
May 13th, 2009 7:38pm Report this commentright the expence scandel is out in the open.now what about the laws that were made to destroy ones own castle like hips,certificates peoples properties are being destoyed by law. i am a carpenter in the building trade i have built extensions in the past but i cant certificate myself in jobs i can do to my own property with out paying some fat cats £2500 to do so its quite possible that these people who are demanding this money may not be tradsmen. i would like to see if laws were made to benifit these people and why,
i have gone through planning and have plans passed to develope my property but the cost of certificating is expesive. do the public know that planning is now privattised and not part of the rates. by the way im back after my internet was stopped for about 5 months.i wonder why
wound-up
May 13th, 2009 8:42pm Report this commentCameron was grandstanding, but didn't he do it well?
Dorothy Wilson
May 13th, 2009 9:04pm Report this comment"Is he the object of anyone else's dreams." Presumably Sarah's.
BaiDaLong
May 13th, 2009 11:21pm Report this commentThe most difficult to understand is why there are still 27% of the British people who will still vote for Labour. Why? Who in their right mind (no pun) would even consider voting for this pigsty of a political party?
The truth is that very many of these have their own snouts in the government trough. They are Brown's 'client state' and will continue voting for Labour to protect their benefits or non-jobs.
This scandal is FAR bigger than the MPs expense issue. If the DT were to investigate this it would need to wipe out entire forests to produce enough paper.
Verity
May 14th, 2009 2:59am Report this commentRe the photo, is that a wig?
john ward
May 14th, 2009 4:50am Report this commentUm, I make that Speccie Readers 37, Brown -6.
All good knockabout stuff, but the key thing to remember is that the One-eyed Trouser Snake got where he is without an election (albeit with lots of threats) and New Labour's favoured successor is the only womann in the UK less electable than McDoom.
We need politics from REAL, street-wise people from now on. George Osborne? Hmm. I think the mess is a bit out of his league. Those who were www.notbornyesterday.orglose sleep at nights thinking about that.
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