Unusually for me, for the past couple of weeks I’ve been watching PMQs.
It hasn’t been a happy experience for me. On both occasions Clegg has been felled by Brown, who on both occasions has simply swatted him away by smearing about £20bn cuts in public services. And I can’t help but feel that the confusion at the heart of Clegg’s own strategy has lead these blows to be effectively self-inflicted wounds.
It’s time he rethought this strategy. Instead of flailing wildly once Brown has accused him of wanting to cut public services, he should confront it face on. I’d like him to say something like:
The Prime Minister has repeatedly accused me of wanting to cut public services. If by that he means I am calling for him to abandon the appalling money pit of the national identity card scheme, scaling back the NHS IT programme and [your choice here], then I plead guilty. In this time of economic crisis, how can he possibly justify continuing to waste public money on these projects?
Come on Nick, don’t make me put my head in my hands for the third week running.
PMQs is a total waste of time.
Want the Lib-Dems to have a real impact at PMs Q.T.?
Why not announce 5 minutes prior to the start that Nick has a terrible headache, broke something terrible or caught a nasty fishbone in his throat sothat (who else but..) “Vince Cable has offered to confront the P.M.” or at least make us all laugh (like he did so very, very well last year…) Gordons standard reply will be of no use to him and so he might look very silly indeed. I’m sure Nick would do ANYTHING for the Party or… ? P.S. Vince might then even be persuaded to do it more often between now and the next Gener. Elections.. Good luck.
Paulus
So, James did you hold your head in your hands??
Your anti-clegg comments contine to bore me.
Nick only get’s two questions each PMQ’s, in comparison to Cameron’s 6 and Gordon of course get’s the full 30 minutes.
Given that, he can never make a massive impact because his role is so marginalised.
Nick continually raises valid points on issues that matter to the electorate, while pointing out the failure of government policy. That’s exactly what I and the electorate are looking for, and he can do no more without more questions, which he won’t get.
So, as for your whining about Nick being “swatted”, that’s pretty much unavoidable when the Prime Minister gets the last word now isn’t it. He does the same thing to Cameron in an answer to his 6th question, and to Nick in and answer to his 2nd.
Seriously, if you absolutely HAVE to bash Nick Clegg, at least choose a more sensible and indeed valid approach.