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PMQs - The Verdict
Edward Davie
Parliament can be a surreal place at the best of times but today's prime minister's question time really was something special.
Whilst statesman, and apparent foreign policy expert, Sir Menzies Campbell fluffed a question on pensions the young and relatively inexperienced David Cameron used his first set of questions to probe the government about the situation in Palestine.
To be fair Sir Menzies is trying to move beyond his old brief and show he can do domestic issues, and the government's rejection of the ombudsman's criticism on the subject seemed to offer an open goal.
Unfortunately for him the Lib Dem leader was tackled by a well timed gag, and as a result missed the goal spectacularly.
As Sir Menzies began his pensions question an unidentified backbencher shouted "declare your interest" in an ungracious reference to the nearly pensionable Sir Menzies's age.
As the laughter rang round the chamber you could see the panic flick over the leader's features as he struggled to come up with a witty riposte.
"If the chancellor of the exchequer ever gets round to accepting Adair Turner's proposals then it will be some time before I get a pension," he said. It didn't make a lot of sense but it was the best he could do.
He then struggled to remember the end of his question, which was delivered from a sedentary position, the wind having been knocked out of Sir Menzies.
His predecessor had a similarly hard time in this particular form and Labour backbenchers quickly smelt weakness and harassed Charles Kennedy every time he got to his feet. If Ming does not to get to grips with PMQs soon they will be as merciless with him.
But the strangest exchange came with Cameron's second salvo during which he sought to persuade potentially-rebellious Labour MPs to vote with the government on the education bill whilst Tony Blair seemed to want to warn off Tory support for his own measure.
Quite what the tourists and the school children in the public gallery made of it is a mystery but I wouldn't have wanted the job of explaining it in citizenship class.
Cameron's party is to vote against the programme motion (which would mean the bill's progress through parliament taking much longer) despite having urged Blair "to get on with it" in the past.
Although he insisted that it was because the Conservatives were defending parliamentary scrutiny, "two words the prime minister probably can't even spell" he said rudely, the real reason is hard-nosed political manoeuvring.
It might be a cynical ploy but it is a clever one and left Blair looking as if he was fighting on two fronts.
Blair tried to undermine Cameron by asking why the Tory leader had only employed a two line whip, to which, in true Punch and Judy style, Cameron said the prime minister was "being ridiculous" and should worry about whipping his own side.
Later on rebellious Labour MP Helen Jones told the prime minister that he was facing "a challenging day" to which Blair said, almost plaintively: "If she wants to make it a less challenging day the remedy is in her hands."
And so ended the warm up for the main event - the crucial education bill votes.
The Verdict
David Cameron - 8/10 - Foreign affairs questions gave a him a bit of balance and gravitas before getting on with the nitty-gritty of undermining Blair.
Tony Blair - 6/10 - Couldn't help but look a bit trapped in a pincer movement between the Tories and his own backbench rebels.
Sir Menzies Campbell - 4/10 - on this day of education debates his school report reads: "Must do better."
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Published: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 13:55:59 GMT+00
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