Health reforms again dominated PMQs today. That’s four weeks in a row. And the great debate, like a great sauce, has now been reduced to infinitesimal differences of flavouring.
David Cameron repeated his claim that 8200 GP practices are implementing his policies. But, corrected Ed Miliband, that’s not because they love the reforms. It’s because they love their patients. He quoted a Tower Hamlets health commissioner who berated the PM for confusing reluctant acquiescence with whole-hearted endorsement.
Fair enough. But this nicety won’t resonate beyond the tips of either men’s brogues. The rest of the bout was a repeat of last week’s effortful stalemate.
Mr Miliband had a list of institutions that claim the reforms are the worst thing in healthcare since leeches. Mr Cameron had an even longer list of institutions that claim they’re the greatest thing since laser surgery. We heard both lists. Oh whoopee.
It was Cameron’s recital that drew the heartiest cheers. ‘Obviously well-trained today,’ said Miliband, conceding his failure to land a killer-blow. He then fluffed his next line. ‘Their support for the health bill is digging their own burial at the next election.’ And, to hide his frustration, he improvised a sneaky pot-shot at Nick Clegg.
‘It’s no good the Deputy Prime Minister smirking,’ said Miliband. ‘We don’t know if he supports the bill or not.’
Clegg mouthed, ‘I do support it.’ ‘Oh he does,’ echoed the Labour leader. ‘That’s firm leadership for you.’
This was his best moment. These reforms are carrying a chronic fatigue bug and Mr Miliband has caught it too. But he can’t afford to call in sick on this one because he stands to gain most from it.
His performance today lacked momentum, acuity and strategic direction. He opened by taking a side-swipe at Michael Gove which removed the urgency from his attack. On the substance, he had nothing new to add. And his curtain line — ‘Doesn’t it occur to the prime minister that he may be wrong?’ — was more a tickle to the tummy than a blow to the solar plexus.
Strange. It’s Ed Miliband’s strongest topic. And his heart’s gone out of it.
And after four weeks the PM is groomed like a dressage pony in the art of sidestepping every obstacle.
Where Cameron is less adroit is in handling an abstruse issue parcelled up in a terse question. That’s what Sheila Gilmore (Edinburgh East) bunged at him. ‘Last autumn,’ said the Labour backbencher, ‘the prime minister announced the credit easing programme. How many business has it helped?’
Cameron had no time to think. He stood up, frowning hard, and muttered that the programme was intended to start this year after the Budget. Was he right about that? Probably. Did he look feeble? Absolutely.
For Labour it’s obvious. Choose off-beat topics and ask succinct questions. This makes Mr Cameron wobble, very badly, and every obviously. But perhaps Labour’s strategists don’t watch these exchanges with a critical eye at all.
Perhaps they’re just enjoying the spectacle. And what a treat we had today from Gerald Kaufman who stood up to demonstrate that folly, age and the House of Commons are still excellent bedfellows. The intellect shrinks, the girth expands, and the tailoring gets more garish to camouflage the gaps.
This afternoon Sir Gerald had come to the chamber dressed in a three-piece banana. His great accumulation of winters seems to have convinced him that he enjoys an unofficial role as ‘Deputy Father of the House’. Naturally this entitles him to unloose great gobbets of smug prose in all directions. On behalf of a Pakistani grandmother, aged 72 — whose MP he isn’t — he informed us that a wedding in his constituency has been threatened with ruin by the reluctance of officials to issue visas to all family members from overseas. He asked the Prime Pinister to assume personal command of the nuptials and to ensure that a full complement of elders is granted safe passage to the reception.
‘I wasn’t aware of the individual case,’ said Cameron dryly. And, like any highly trained bureaucrat, he listened patiently to the complaint and then delivered some advice. ‘Take it up with the immigration minister.’
That’s the idea. Pass it along to another bored official.
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