butchersapron
Bring back hanging
Would the Prime minister like me to lick his ring in front of the hon L&G?
Who loves Prime Ministers Questions?
- Thread starter skyscraper101
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Would the Prime minister like me to lick his ring in front of the hon L&G?
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
Bumped, more nonsense questions (around OAPs and transport, but also), more absolutely useless non-answers from Brown (repeated "we are the party that helps the poor"), a remarkably funny comment about Cheerios from the otherwise despicable Cameron, Clegg heckled even when he took part in the now sadly traditional messages of condolence.
One remarkable question about al-Fayed, and an attack made upon him under parliamentary priviledge. It would be entirely wrong to suggest the question may have been paid for.
One remarkable question about al-Fayed, and an attack made upon him under parliamentary priviledge. It would be entirely wrong to suggest the question may have been paid for.
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
This week - not one, but three (so far) planted questions about exactly the same thing (mortgages and new homes for first-time buyers). Bit of a let-down from Cameron (who made one really twattish comment about Brown wearing makeup), Clegg was less angry but equally shit - bring back Vince. Brown utterly useless.
It was crass and useless. Worse than that, Cameron was so intent on using his pre-prepared quips that he failed to pursue Brown on the split with Wendy Alexander, which had been so openly revealed. A halfway-competent debater would have abandoned the jokes and gone for the jugular.
Cameron is strong on learned techniques (the turning sideways on to Brown and addressing the Speaker, immediately after a particularly personal attack, is effective), but he's not bright enough to think on his feet.
Brown's now established response - denouncing the Tories for putting style over substance - is essentially right, but the tone isn't right. He should patronize Cameron, laugh at his posturing.
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
I dont think Brown's response is right tbh - when he uses it (which is all the time) the answer is rarely anything even remotely close to what the question was about. Bliar would have at least responded with a load of statistics which claimed to answer the question (though as we have seen, they rarely did) but Brown just repeats the same mantra all the time, which is both incredibly annoying to anyone watching and useless.
Cameron I remain to be convinced by - while he does regularly make Brown look like the mug he is, it is not exactly hard to kick a man when he is as far down as Brown is (and has been since October), and he was much less impressive against Bliar. The week before last - when he set up Brown over the 42 days issue - he looked a lot better than this, though admittedly there was so much to kick Brown over the temptation to make jokes must have been overwhelming.
Brown has very few cards to play at the moment. And the strongest is probably his experience of government, which is why I think he's right to attack Cameron et al for their obsession with style.
Even so, it's not a very strong card - his experience is only within the Treasury, which gives a somewhat skewed vision of government. But, after his cynicism over the 10% tax rate, he's thrown away what should have been his line of attack - honesty and integrity.
I can't really see where else he's got to go at the moment. His best hope is that Cameron has a vested interest in him staying in office.
Even so, it's not a very strong card - his experience is only within the Treasury, which gives a somewhat skewed vision of government. But, after his cynicism over the 10% tax rate, he's thrown away what should have been his line of attack - honesty and integrity.
I can't really see where else he's got to go at the moment. His best hope is that Cameron has a vested interest in him staying in office.
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
Dull PMQs today, Cameron really dropped the ball at the start with Burma and then failed to follow up with three non-answers from Brown. Clegg utterly useless, again. Brown useless, but like the whale who strands itself on an uninhabited island noone is around to kill him off quickly.
Barking_Mad
Non sibi sed omnibus
It's fucking rubbish. A load of mainly right-wing talking heads and politicians discussing issues between two narrow points of view.
I don't watch it for i would surely kill my neighbours.
I don't watch it for i would surely kill my neighbours.
Alex Salmond is very entertaining, but I'm not sure about the clapping or the way the Presiding Officer sounds like a tennis umpire.
Fictionist
Serving Eargasms....
It is nothing more than theatre, with pre-planned questions and speeches made which do little to address anything other than the concerns of the day - which may not actually amount to very much. It probably means more to the 'Westminster Village' set, who will ponder and comment endlessly on the possible meanings to be drawn from what has been seen.
The question is does it do anything to actually progress the functioning of government (accepting the limitations of parliamentary democracy).
I would say 'No'.
The question is does it do anything to actually progress the functioning of government (accepting the limitations of parliamentary democracy).
I would say 'No'.
Kenny Vermouth
Wankers
That's fucking genius - Billy Hague's a fucking legend.
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
More dullness before the Crewe by-election. Cameron wastes two of his questions about Burma in a futile effort to appear statesmanlike, then actually gets around to beating up Gordon for the 10p tax budget, and Gordon's non-attendance in Crewe.
Clegg tries to point out that he went to Afganistan, as a result making an even worse bid to be a statesman than Cameron's. Two risibly vague questions about military equipment.
All mixed with bollocks non-questions. "Does the Prime Minister agree that two and two is clearly four?" can be only a short distance off.
Clegg tries to point out that he went to Afganistan, as a result making an even worse bid to be a statesman than Cameron's. Two risibly vague questions about military equipment.
All mixed with bollocks non-questions. "Does the Prime Minister agree that two and two is clearly four?" can be only a short distance off.
miss giggles
an unknown quantity...
Just so you all know how truly sad I am, I'm so glad there is a thread about this, because it is my TV highlight of the week. I rarely miss it.
Vince Cable does indeed need to be brought back, and if I had my way, I'd bring back Betty Boothroyd too.
Vince Cable does indeed need to be brought back, and if I had my way, I'd bring back Betty Boothroyd too.
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
Surely you mean "Fizzy Willy", who allegedly drank 13 pints whilst out with the draymen.
skyscraper101
0891 50 50 50
Just so you all know how truly sad I am, I'm so glad there is a thread about this, because it is my TV highlight of the week. I rarely miss it.
Vince Cable does indeed need to be brought back, and if I had my way, I'd bring back Betty Boothroyd too.
Betty Boothroyd was great, she didn't take any crap. On the same token she was a very kind and witty woman.
Like him or loath him though, I haven't seen anyone quite as sharp as Blair during PMQs - even from his first days as labour leader he had Majors number and relentlessly pursued his downfall. There were few occasions where anyone seemed to get the better of him at the dispatch box and it is somewhat sad that Gordon doesn't seem to be up to it and the Tories seem to have the upper hand now during PMQs.
Surely you mean "Fizzy Willy", who allegedly drank 13 pints whilst out with the draymen.
I think Hague took some unfair flak for that. It wasn't 10 pints of Stella fighting lager he was talking about, but ten pints of weak "session" bitter, circa 3%, over a ten hour day in the summer lugging barrels about. The stuff' basically water, very refreshing and hydrating - but show what a goldfish-memory, southern biased media we have.
Aside for that, he's a twat, mind.
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
I recall seeing an interview with some commentator (Chris Moncrieff, I think), who claimed to have met one of the draymen who'd worked with Hague. He claimed that he never even approached that number and drank soft drinks most of the time. Hence the name "Fizzy Willy".
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
You are joking? Hague fairly regularly used to make Blair look a fool, and a lot of Blair's sharpness was in answering questions with statistics, or policies, that it transpired were bollocks. The best you can say of him is that he was a really convincing teller of whoppers.
As for Boothroyd, my originally high opinion of her has been hugely diminished by her involvement in the hounding of Elizabeth Filkin. Admittedly there were others involved, but she should have known better.
miss giggles
an unknown quantity...
What was the Elizabeth Filkin story?
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
What was the Elizabeth Filkin story?
Former Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, who was not reappointed after MPs discovered that she might actually hold them to account for their (as is now obvious) many misdeeds.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/feb/16/houseofcommons.interviews
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...destroy-ethics-watchdog-Elizabeth-Filkin.html
Kenny Vermouth
Wankers
Err, Wendy Alexander has a horrible accent.
miss giggles
an unknown quantity...
hhhmmmm, I see your point. She was a great madam speaker though.
I recall seeing an interview with some commentator (Chris Moncrieff, I think), who claimed to have met one of the draymen who'd worked with Hague. He claimed that he never even approached that number and drank soft drinks most of the time. Hence the name "Fizzy Willy".
I think we need to ask Fffffion if he's got a fizzy willy....but my point about southerners' ignorance of weak Yorkshire session bitter remains!
nino_savatte
No pasaran!
I think we need to ask Fffffion if he's got a fizzy willy....but my point about southerners' ignorance of weak Yorkshire session bitter remains!
If you're going to label me an "ignorant southerner", you would be wrong. I am well aware of the strength of session beers and they are not exclusive to the North or, indeed, Yorkshire. The point is, Hague claimed to have regularly consumed 13 pints of beer but his former coworkers told a rather different story.
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