Fear or stupidity?
James Forsyth 1:20pm
My first reaction on hearing of what Harriet Harman said at PMQs today about her becoming Prime Minister—she joked that if it wouldn’t be possible because there isn’t enough airport capacity to allow all the men who would want to, to leave the country—was that fear of Gordon’s henchmen had again led a possible leadership contender to go to absurd lengths to rule themselves out, remember how Alan Johnson declared he wasn’t intellectually up to the job of being PM on Desert Island Discs last autumn. But others told me I was being far too generous to Ms Harman and that she actually froze and couldn’t find a way out of the hole she was digging herself into. Having seen it (we go to press at one so I rarely get to watch PMQs live), I think I was being too kind. Harman was rather desperately searching for some witty rejoinder and ended up blurting out the first thing that came into her head. I do find it incredible--considering all the press speculation in recent days--that Harman didn’t arrive with a pre-prepared line to use if the leadership came up.
The clip is below so have a look—you want to fast forward to 1 minute 54—and let us know what you think.
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Comments
Liz Brown
July 9th, 2008 1:49pmIt certainly came across as a panicked response - were it not for the fact that I have already fled the country, I would be first in line at the check in/out and I am defintitely not a man. Incidentally, protecting zanulabs back again - only " Tories were called and the rest were either planted questions or ones that should properly have been asked in Edinburgh
Disraeli's Ghost
July 9th, 2008 1:49pmJames, The answer could be both. It is stupid to be afraid of Gordon. He is the Wizard of OZ as Matthew Parris said
fulcanelli
July 9th, 2008 1:49pmIf she's the best hope for the future of the Labour Party, then they really are in dire staits. She was completely out of her depth, and was unable to think on her feet or articulate a coherent reply.
No wonder this government is struggling when it promotes such talent to senior positions. She should return to the classroom!
Liz Brown
July 9th, 2008 1:50pmsorry, that should have read 2
David
July 9th, 2008 1:55pmThe number of ers and ums in that 20 seconds of speech suggests she's just making it up, and it gets worse and worse as she goes along. Quite right - lots of hole digging.
Nicholas
July 9th, 2008 2:03pmIf Harmthenation thinks that all the men in this country would head to the airport if she became PM she is sadly underestimating the men in this country.
Besides the aircraft would not be able to take off because of all the flying pigs.
Max
July 9th, 2008 2:18pmPMQ's today made quite a change. HH's gaffs - "we will keep unemployment high" and others - were entertaining. A pity she kept launching into the painfully scripted attacks on Hague even when he was asking the most inoffensive of questions.
Most points of the session clearly went to Hague for his effortless reply to HH's dig about his claim to have consumed 10 pints at a sitting.
"But none of it was wasted....."
Priceless.
Max
http://theerrorlog.blogspot.com
Tory Lion
July 9th, 2008 2:45pmMax, couldn't agree more. Very trivial session - no substance whatsoever by the "prospective PM"
Miliband, Purnell et al must be rugby their hands together with glee
Tory Lion
torylion.blogspot.com
Ian C
July 9th, 2008 2:49pmThat looks to me like it WAS her prepared line. And she thought it was funny!! Lord save us. Self-deprecation means being funny at one's own expense, not telling it like it is!!!
Verity
July 9th, 2008 3:59pmIan C - Ha ha ha ha ha!
John
July 9th, 2008 4:13pmfulcanelli: define 'talent' ;-)
This idiot would be an embarrassment as a last-minute substitute PTA secretary.
Perry
July 9th, 2008 5:27pmStupidity
fulcanelli
July 9th, 2008 5:28pmJohn
Exactly!
If this is the best the Labour party can find then it's no wonder the country is in such as mess. Quite frankly, it's embarassing to see such inept public speaking.
Fergus Pickering
July 9th, 2008 5:47pmAs politicians' jokes go, I thought it WAS quite funny. Not exactly a Hiag rib-tickler but as good as any of Blair's and as for Gordo... has he ever made a joke?
Bill Quango MP
July 9th, 2008 5:52pmLook carefully and you can see she is looking for her prepared 'joke'.
She can't find it and ends up doing it from a half memory.
Not very good delivery.. or even material.
"You've all been great. My names Harriet Harman, goodnight"
CCTV
July 9th, 2008 6:03pmHarman is intellectually-challenged despite having such an elite family background and elite schooling.
She is living proof that the lucky sperm club keeps even ballast afloat and her childish rants would have made Barabara Castle or Gwyneth Dunwoody regard her as just another jolly hockey-sticks public school girl out for a bit of rough
BrianSJ
July 9th, 2008 6:12pmIan C; agree. The awful remark about the men leaving was the prepared bit. Her 'true grit' comments about Gordon Brown did seem to have been worked out in a panic - the question was the most obvious one possible and she really seemed to have no answer for it.
andy F
July 9th, 2008 7:06pmeh ???
Are you people for real???
It was a prepared bad joke....she didn't even have to deal with the subject, Hague hardly pressed her for an answer, it was just a throw away remark from him ... She could have easily just sat down without answering.
You have totally misread it
john miller
July 9th, 2008 8:10pmAll you need to know about this woman is that she sent her son to the same school that my son attends - St Olaves Grammer - and now she intends to support Balls in abolishing it.
They pull the ladder up behind them to leave you in the shit.
"The purpose of power is power" Spot on Eric...
Carol-Ann
July 9th, 2008 8:16pmMy God it shows how far we have sunk that this woman is being talked up as Prime Minister. She's not fit to carry Thatcher's handbag. She makes Brown look competant.
Tom
July 9th, 2008 8:19pm"We will keep unemployment high"
Surely a Freudian slip if ever there was one.
John
July 9th, 2008 10:06pm"as for Gordo... has he ever made a joke?"
He doesn't need to. He is a joke on legs.
Ben Elford
July 9th, 2008 10:33pmI can imagine Gordon Brown consoling himself in coming weeks by watching the recording of this embarrassingly poor performance, during the wee small hours.
Who else has the (lack of) ability to make even him look good at the despatch box?
Silent Hunter
July 9th, 2008 11:14pmTory Lion:
'...Miliband, Purnell et al must be rugby their hands together with glee...'
"...rugby their hands together...?" Eh?
Is this some sort of public school initiation involving odd shaped Balls?
Has anyone told the Education Secretary?.........or Gordon? ;O)
Hysteria
July 10th, 2008 1:59amtruly an inept performance - cringe worthy!
Marian C
July 10th, 2008 11:16amAfter that performance; Harriet the Harpie to be the future PM; don't make me laugh, the woman is a PRAT. As for the rest of the wannabees, her so called colleagues, they too are just as inept as she is, they are nothing but a bunch of spineless chumps