|
PMQs - The Verdict
Edward Davie
Hollywood's influence is felt everywhere and this week's PMQs were no exception.
According to the prime minister Tory policy is inspired by Groucho Marx, David Cameron compared the government to "the living dead" and Sir Peter Tapsell said Walter Mitty would have been proud of Tony Blair.
But first Liberal Democrat president Simon Hughes kicked off proceedings by congratulating the prime minister on his part in helping restore devolution to Northern Ireland.
Hughes said Blair had brought hope and peace to the "six million people of Ulster." Last time I looked the population was more like 1.6 million, so the first thing messrs Paisley and McGuiness might want to look into is the province's spiralling immigration.
For weeks, if not months, Westminster has been speculating on the timing of Blair's exit and when David Cameron said that "tomorrow the prime minister will announce his departure" and the prime minister did not deny it we finally had our answer.
The Tory leader went on to use the words of Labour former home secretaries - Charles Clarke and David Blunkett - to condemn the government's splitting of the Home Office to create the new, distinctly Orwellian sounding: "Ministry of Justice."
Blair hit back saying that hiving off prison and probation responsibilities, allowing the Home Office to concentrate on crime and security, was a better idea than the Tory policy of creating a Secretary of State for Homeland Security.
Given that Cameron has failed to replace Patrick Mercer, who he sacked for comments about black soldiers, as shadow of the non-existent homeland security minister Blair had a point.
The prime minister also raised the contradictions between Cameron, George Osborne and the Tory's ID card assessor Sir John Stevens on identity registration.
Cameron retorted by quoting the prime minister saying just a year ago that "the fit between immigration, crime and prisons is a proper fit".
He went on to point out that John Reid was leaving government just as he had introduced this major change to one of the biggest departments of state.
This, he suggested, was a symptom of governmental "paralysis" with ministers charged with implementing reform jumping ship, or about to be pushed from it by Gordon Brown.
Blair said he was spending the next seven weeks on serious policy and suggested Cameron do the same mocking the Tory policy chief Oliver Letwin whom he quoted: "Cameron Conservatism is an attempt to shift the theory of the state from a provision-based paradigm to a framework-based paradigm - the provision theory of the state being the successor to socialism in the post-Marxist era. It all goes back to Marx." 'That's Groucho I assume,' Blair quipped.
Genres shifted swiftly from comedy to zombie-horror with Cameron saying: "This is the government of the living dead."
The Liberal Democrat leader opened his remarks with a tribute to former speaker Lord Weatherill, who he said was he was generous to "new members."
This may have had the unfortunate effect of reminding his comparatively youthful colleagues that Sir Menzies has been an MP for more than 30 years and that after the party's recent showing in the elections it might be time for a change.
Sir Menzies attacked tax credits on the back of a Public Accounts Committee report that found that billions were being wasted.
Blair defended Gordon Brown's flagship policy saying it had benefited "millions of the poorest families in the country."
Shortly after another knight of the realm - Sir Peter Tapsell - rose majestically to his feet to assess Blair's premiership.
"He [Blair] manages to portray an optimism that eluded James II, and would have delighted Walter Mitty."
Anyone who can allude to the last Catholic monarch, a fantasy character played by Danny Kaye and annoy the prime minister in one sentence deserves his K.
The Verdict
Tony Blair - 7/10 - Still able to muster the enthusiasm to put down the young pretender.
David Cameron - 7/10 - Sensible line of the attack on "paralysis" of the government in Blair's final weeks.
Sir Menzies Campbell - 6/10 - After poor election showing seemed to have lost his recent confidence.
|
Published: Wed, 9 May 2007 16:08:52 GMT+01
Submit Comment
|
| Name |
|
| Email |
|
| Location |
|
| Comment |
|
| Remember Me |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
