The first thought that occurs on looking at Gordon Brown’s YouTube PMQs is that Rory Bremner’s impersonation is now near-perfect. It’s a parody of himself. He says he’ll be glad to take everyone’s questions “on this exciting new initiative.” All Politics 2.0, going straight to the public without the interface of journalists or MPs. And then without pausing for breath, the Great Helmsman helpfully tells us what these questions should be. “Questions you have about how gloablisation’s working, what’s happening to climate change, how we can build the houses we need, how we can get the jobs we need for the future… I’m here to answer your questions. Politicians get a chance at Prime Minister’s Question Time. I think it’s time the public got a chance.”
I remember how Blair said in his “feral beast” speech how the internet disappointed him, and how he expected the public would be more supportive than the agenda-driven mischievous press. Turns out the public are ten times more hostile than the most troublesome hack. If Brown were to open himself up to genuine questions, they’d be like “who elected you?” and “why have you taken so much from my family’s income with your taxes?”. I suspect this will end up in a Fake Question Time (FQT) with questions obviously dreamed up to coincide with the very narrow agenda of Brown’s, which has so spectacularly failed to capture the public imagination.
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