PMQ: Harman v Clegg
- 14 March 2012 16:26159298With the Prime Minister away to New World pastures, taking in the latest basketball game with Barack, carousing jean clad on Air Force One, banqueting sumptiously on the White House lawn...and altogether having a good old time out west. That little local difficulty here at home, called Prime Ministers Questions, was dutifully ignored....or rather, left to the minions to get on with.
And speaking of minions..up stepped Deputy Clegg into the role of master of the despatch box. He is more experienced now and almost always ready for the continuous flak that surges his direction, and flak he got. With the PM away and Clegg doing the role, tradition has it that his opposite number takes on the challenge. This time in the shape of Harriet Harman, last remaining front bench Labourite of the Blair era.
Harriet has her own style, you wouldnt call her a natural but nevertheless she delivers the blows with some finesse, in her own way. The situation got heated.
Harriet had plenty of ammunition, the jobless figures continue to rise affecting women mostly and the young..and Harriet as we know is a champion for women. She weighed in with gusto on this, she also clobbered Nicholass over the Libdem weakness on the NHS reforms, where even his own membership defeated the proposal at their recent conference. Nick got flustered, Nick got tetchy, Nick got angry... and turned a little white.
...And he didnt half give poor Harriet a finger wagging. But Harriet was having none of it. She complained that Nick has lost his way, the things he once stood for now no longer matter to him, or so it seems...
"He no longer stands up for anything!" said Harriet pointing at Nick
"In fact the only thing he stands up for these days is when the Prime Minister walks in the room!!"
Ba Boom. It may have been scripted but it was good.
Nick got ever angrier...giving Harriet a good finger wagging once again. But he was glad when her allotted questions were over.email: dover7@msn.com - 14 March 2012 16:30159300This Nick does have a great deal in common with Dave...each at times gagging for a Fag.Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
- 14 March 2012 17:06159318I couldnt possibly comment as one could be getting into dangerous territory there as to what kind of fag you may be referring to.
While in the US, David Cameron, who I believe is getting little coverage in the US according to Sky News sources... this week however he was scheduled to meet Damian Lewis at the aforementioned White House dinner, Damian is the hit of that new american political drama called Homeland ( about an American hero/prisoner after he is released from Al Queida captivity in Iraq) Damian it seems, and not a lot of people know this, is also an old Etonian.
Old Etonian and actor dont seem to go together somehow.email: dover7@msn.com - 14 March 2012 17:12159321I am sure it all goes swimmingly with the light-weight and his dark-mate.
I did see a quote the other day, "The world relies on the UK-US relationship."
Little did I know that fear was in such short supply.Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing. - 14 March 2012 17:40159328I try not to get involved in the political threads these days but just say for a bit of devilment that many on the blue side think it should be Vince Cable asking questions as Leader of the Opposition
- 14 March 2012 17:54159333i must admit i was taken aback by the headline "clegg to answer health questions".
i had this vision of him addressing the speaker thus "the old farmer giles are playing up a bit and i am a martyr to my back, baffles all the doctors". - 14 March 2012 21:31159358Perhaps poor Nick felt Harriets wroth was a little to near the truth hence his anger.
As for David Camron well I'm sure he will be enjoying The White House Dinner amongst a carefully chosen guest list.
- 15 March 2012 08:58159389In the heat of the fray yesterday, in the midst of the tumultuous uproarious shenanigans, a legend rose to his feet. Yes indeed. The legend I speak of.. is none other than Dennis Skinner.
The silver haired fox tells it like it is..and no messing about with niceties. The picture shows him wading into Nick Clegg in fine traditional left wing cloth cap table thumping style. And no one would want it any other way. He is certainly a throw back to the old days which is hardly a surprise as he has been in The House for 42 years. I have to take me hat off to an English legend and no mistake.
Yesterday he gave young Clegg some stick, goaded him somewhat, albeit with a glint in his eye, to come clean about all this Tory sleaze with prime ministers riding horses with dodgy hackers etc. He urged Clegg along the lines of "Now that the boss is away come clean..Be a man!..tell us what you really think!"
Clegg of course widely side stepped this one by the proverbial mile. But the whole House enjoyed Dennis in top mode. What a character..we should treasure him.email: dover7@msn.com - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
15 March 2012 20:04159481what did happen in last weeks P.M.Q. cleggy avoided most of the questions
(apart from the planted ones)
that's understandable as cleggy will have told what to do/say
and can't make decisions.ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 15 March 2012 20:18159484Denis Skinner,one of the last bastions of ideology in a world of political/corporate homogeneity.God bless him.
- Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
15 March 2012 20:22159486JOHN;
Without doubt Dennis is one of the principled men,
great speaker, true to his word, but probably outdated in todays climate.
I know from bitter experience and experience in general principles are fine, but they don't pay the bills.ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 15 March 2012 20:37159494Keith,unfortunately,I think you may be right.The speakers of truth,However,of what ever political affiliation, should never become outmoded.
- 15 March 2012 21:01159497have to disagree about skinner, i find him a relic of the past.
i don't remember him ever saying anything intelligent or useful, just spouts vitriol to make sure that his constituents know that he is there. - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
15 March 2012 21:04159499JOHN;
I think Dennis is here to stay never moved from his principles
respected by all sides of the house, always good to listen to when pmq gets to be a bore.
have to say having heard arthur scargill speak very radical but a lot of what he said and was condemned by others as a liar
i attended a meeting in deal organised by the mining community during the dispute and arthur was to be the speaker but couldn't make it and instead tony benn came
i found he was very thoughtful, and laid -out a very good case.
he also stayed behind to speak to people even though on a 3 line whipALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 15 March 2012 21:04159500I quite agree with you Howard - But, that's OK with me, a relic spouting tosh maybe but he is a character and there are too few in the House these days.
- Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
15 March 2012 21:10159507barryw;
we probably agree on this one
politicians from all 3 parties are so faceless these daysALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 15 March 2012 21:22159511keith
there is no comparison between tony benn and denis skinner, benn has a brilliant brain and is not a headline grabber.
i have listened to all the loud mouths from left and right over the years, most have very little of interest to say.
they get by because they have given their phone numbers to tabloid journalists who ring them at all hours to get a quote from them on a breaking story. - 15 March 2012 21:25159513Howard - Benn is of the same mould as Skinner and he has nothing much more intelligent to say, same old tosh but perhaps more entertaining in his delivery. Both are saved in my mind by being characters.
- 15 March 2012 21:27159514Tony Benn Howard,the greatest leader the Labour Party never had.
- Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
15 March 2012 21:33159516barryw
of course we disagree
at least benn/skinner have some character
rather than your face less lot
and that of the 3 partiesALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
