PMQs needs its own thread

[purves grundy]

But what is there to say on that score? That PMQs, and the silly media focus on it, is utterly indicative of the how parliamentary politics is completely disconnected from the majority of people in the UK. Great, thread closed.

Of course, it's theatre but that doesn't render it impotent. It has its own sui generis efficacy.

 

[Mation]

So, for his first question, why did he choose to ask about Orgreave: a serious issue but one that is three decades old, and plays to the notion that Corbyn’s politics are buried in out-of-date trade union disputes? And if it was such a big issue, why didn’t he ask a follow-up question? Instead, Corbyn chose a different topic for each of his six questions: home ownership; Boris Johnson’s racist comments; the long-term economic plan; job security; and child poverty.

Saying Orgreave is 3 decades old makes it sound as though its effects were limited to the time, rather than being 3 decades of injustice. I'm no expert on it, but it seems current to me because the effects are ongoing. And why would you do any follow up questions at a new PM's first PMQ? Better to set out as much of the ground you're going to come after them on as possible.

He's always fired off random questions, often about random things rather than the topic of the day. He's missed a lot of chances to haul the PM over the coals.

Why do you think they're random? Because they're not the topic of the day? I don't want politicians* to be jumping to respond to whatever the current media-led drama is and the agenda behind it. Ignore all that shit and focus on the things that affect people in the medium and long term. Unless of course there is something that is genuinely time critical.

*I could have ended that sentence there, really!

Edited for clarity.

 

[keybored]

Completely random point: John Smith whose leadership era gets forgotten, was rather good at PM qs. A bit lawyerly in his performance, be he managed to get the right balance of seriousness and one liners.

I'm a bit sick of one liners when we pay these people to manage the country, not try to score points off each other with embarrassingly puerile banter.

 

[Calamity1971]

I'm a bit sick of one liners when we pay these people to manage the country, not try to score points off each other with embarrassingly puerile banter.

On the upside, whoever is writing May's one liners is cringening at her delivery.

 

[nuffsaid]

Shows how much the headbangers in the labour party have fucked up the normal order of things really. The story should have been about the tory headbangers that cameron couldn't deal with, had to give a referendum to, which he promptly lost - a colossal miscalculation ( a sub plot of which was that may herself lost over the referendum, but also refused to get out in the country to fight for it. She was much less visible than Corbyn). But yes, well done PLP, the labour party ends up being the story.

Yes - but PMQs is where Corbyn has the stage to really attack all that you say, with the media watching - but he didn't. The PLP not piping up at all in support was awful, but they didn't see a coherent attack to get behind. And that is precisely why the PLP have problems with him. It's not about policies, it's about his style, being able to lead in front of your peers and provide a coherent message to attack the govt. effectively, being an effective opposition and a government in waiting. That is not what is being portrayed.

 

[butchersapron]

Yes - but PMQs is where Corbyn has the stage to really attack all that you say, with the media watching - but he didn't. The PLP not piping up at all in support was awful, but they didn't see a coherent attack to get behind. And that is precisely why the PLP have problems with him. It's not about policies, it's about his style, being able to lead in front of your peers and provide a coherent message to attack the govt. effectively, being an effective opposition and a government in waiting. That is not what is being portrayed.

Do you really think all this is about style?

 

[nuffsaid]

It's not 'style' per se - it's leadership, they obviously don't see any evidence of it and that was what we saw in PMQs.

 

[bi0boy]

I'm a bit sick of one liners when we pay these people to manage the country, not try to score points off each other with embarrassingly puerile banter.

The ancient Greeks and Romans knew that debating the management of a state didn't simply involve dully intoning on a series of problems. The art of rhetoric, eloquence and wit all played their part. You might complain about the quality of such, but PMQs is never going to resemble an appearance before a select committee.

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

And that is precisely why the PLP have problems with him. It's not about policies...

If only that were true. It's not. They generally take Blair's position when he said the following:

“Let me make my position clear: I wouldn’t want to win on an old-fashioned leftist platform. Even if I thought it was the route to victory, I wouldn’t take it.