PMQs - Gordon Brown says Alex Salmond should be ashamed of his party.

12/12/2007

SNP MP Angus Robertson, asked Gordon Brown whether he would join him in congratulating Alex Salmond for giving the police in Scotland a full pay rise, including back pay. Gordon gave a point blank "NO" in reply, and he said that the SNP had gone back on their promise to create 1,000 new police officers. He went on to say that Angus should be ashamed of his party for not honouring their manifesto commitment. Ahhhgggg!!!!! what a cheeky git! Gordon Brown has more faces than Big Ben's clock Tower. How the hell can he stand there and reprove anyone for going back on manifesto promises?

Incapability Brown doesn't even want to be photographed signing the traitorous EU Treaty. His claims that he can't make the signing due to being double booked are just pathetic - the Commons liaison committee have said they don't mind re-appointing their hearing. It just goes to show that the title "Bottler Brown" is well suited to our Great PM - at the first sign of a difficult decision his sphincter starts twitching like a rabbits nose.

Luckily good old Vince Cable embarrassed Brown with another great put down. Gordon tried to repeat last weeks lame joke about the LibDems penchant for changing leaders on a regular basis. However Vince came back with another beauty, Vince said: "Given his (Gordon's) own position, the prime minister might not be wise to speculate on leadership elections". Gordon will not be happy.

David Cameron's performance was workmanlike; he asked some pertinent questions, whilst managing to reinforce the image of Labour incompetence. All in all, not a good day for his incapableness.

You can watch today's PMQs by clicking HERE.

Prime Minister's Questions - Brown V Cameron - Place your bets now.

I know who my money is going on. Gordon Brown is not proficient at thinking on his feet and he knows that he's in for a mauling. David Cameron justifiably has an axe to grind today and should use his superior public speaking skills to take Brown to task. The press have attacked Brown and Darling in today's papers and I can't see anything but hard times on the horizon for the Labour party. No doubt Cameron will use his quick wit to embarrass Brown over his policy crime wave.

I'll update this post when the smoke has settled and we can see who is left licking their wounds.

UPDATE: Well I wish I had placed a bet. Cameron tore into Brown not so much on his blatant theft of policies but for being a "phoney".

Robert Neill asked Brown if he would congratulate the Tory authority in Bromley on its recycling record - Robert offered to show Brown Bromley's "bottle banks"

Brown once again denied that the polls put him off holding an election. Cameron replied by saying that if Mr Brown was to be believed he was the first PM in history to "flunk an election because he thought he was going to win it" (Much laughing was to be heard around the chamber).

Then just when he didn't need it Brown went and shot himself in the foot. He pointed out that only 26 people have signed a petition calling for an election on the Downing Street website - "and not one of them are on the Conservative front bench". This brought on another outbreak of laughter as the opposition pointed to Mr Browns own front bench.

Cameron continued his attack saying that Brown had plotted and schemed for the job for 10 years and was in danger of losing his moral authority. "How long will we have to wait before the past makes way for the future?"

The real killer blow came as Cameron challenged Brown to: "find a bit of bottle, get in your car, go down to Buckingham Palace and call that election".

Brown was definitely on the back foot and was reduced to shouting his replies, red faced from the dispatch box. Not a good day for the Labour Party.

PMQ's should be shown at prime time. I haven't laughed so much in ages. You can watch it now by clicking HERE.

You can sign the petition for an election in 2007 that Mr Brown mentioned in PMQ's by clicking HERE. @ 13:40 it now stands at 429 signatures and rising fast.

Press Conference - Could this be the beginning of the end for Gordon Brown?

As the title of this post suggests, could this morning's monthly press conference be the beginning of the end for Gordon Brown?

Gordon has been lucky to have received a relatively easy ride from the media during his first few months as PM. However the events of last week are going to change all that. The press are not at all happy with the way they have been snubbed. First there was Gordon's refusal to take any of the dead tree journalists on his disastrous visit to Iraq. A few days later he snubbed them again. He announced his decision not to call an Autumn election in a one to one with his pet reporter Andrew Marr, leaving (as one reporter put it) the rest reporting from the gutter opposite No 10.

Since then there has been a united criticism from the press, even from those normally loyal to the left. Brown has made a massive miscalculation: you can dump on the public and get away with it, but not the press. It's the press that put Prime Ministers into No 10, and it's the press that can remove them. Gordon had better be very careful to avoid spin during his brief to the press this morning. He is already in for a grilling and any sign disdain or any arrogant reaction to their questions will see an "open season" on Gordon the Bottler Brown.

The press conference will take place at noon, he will face MPs in the Commons at 1530 and then address a mass meeting of all Labour MPs.

One thing is for sure, Gordon will not have been looking forward to today. It's make or break time.

UPDATE: First question from Adam Boulton is a beauty: Are you, as David Cameron said treating the public like fools? Gordon says he takes responsibility.

Nick Robinson: When the polls turned, you turned. Nice one Nick! that will be in the papers later.

I can't believe he is still even now waffling on and will not admit he bottled it over the polls.

Bob Roberts: Should NonDoms pay? Typical answer from Brown, guess what, it's still under review! what a shocker.

Some Aussie reporter: Will Visas be given to those that work for our armed forces. That cheeky sod Brown said he should announce that in parliament. It's a bit bloody late to realise that.

Jon Snow: Will you attack Iran: I will not rule that out. He's falling apart now, the waffle valve is fully open.

Should we have fixed termed parliaments: Answer: lots more waffle, basically saying No.

Will you rule out an election in 2008 and was it the polls that did it? Answer: Very unlikely (that's not an answer) and more spin.

I can't go on. It's like he's a tape recorder running a loop. If he says anything new I'll post it.

ABC: Will the removal of forces from Iraq make us safer or not? Did not answer the question. Yawn.

Repeat repeat repeat - it wasn't the polls - repeat repeat error error.

We've just had a "I can't remember" this just gets better.

They are not going too easy on him so far.

James Kirkup: Who first advised you to go for an election. Brown's answer: I won't go into that.

EU Treaty: Brown: There will be a parliamentary debate and I'm looking forward to that.

He's been asked about the polls again. He still maintains that he would have won the election and the polls had nothing to do with it. I think he trying to talk the time away.

That's all folks. I can't listen to this tripe any longer.

Prime Minister's Questions - Will Gordon Brown Throw a Sickie?

Gordon Brown is all about control. He's not a control freak, he just needs to be in control so that he is not made to look foolish. With that said, he will not be looking forward to PMQ's. I wouldn't be surprised if he throws a sickie, or manufactures an emergency Cobra meeting. He knows that after bottling the election, David Cameron and Ming Campbell are going to go to town on him.

I am so looking forward to Wednesday to watching him wriggle like a worm on a hook. You can watch them live at 12:00 on the day by clicking HERE.

UPDATE: Click HERE for my latest post on PMQ's

Former Itn Political Editor Michael Brunson attacks Gordon Brown.

Former Itn Political Editor Michael Brunson is not at all happy with Gordon Brown. In today's Sunday Mirror he attacks Brown for his "TROOP TRICK":

Gordon Brown's utterly cynical decision to fly to Iraq last week had me spitting tacks. I thought this Prime Minister had turned over a new leaf, staying out of sight until he had something important to say or do. Yet this was spin and news management of the worst kind - a cheap shot to try to steal the Tories' thunder during their conference. When Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly parroted the official line on BBC's Question Time that Gordon needed to inform himself of the situation on the ground ahead of his Commons statement on Iraq tomorrow, she was quite rightly greeted with hoots of derision from the audience and every other one of her fellow panellists, and made to look very stupid. So cut it out, Gordon.

You can read the full story by clicking HERE.

Prime Minister's Questions, EU Treaty Referendum.

Today at 12:00 Gordon Brown will face Prime Minister's Questions for the first time. You can view them live by clicking on the picture of David Cameron above. I'm not particularly interested in how Brown performs, David Cameron will be the one under my spotlight. Brown has talked of a road map to a British Constitution and that's all I think it is, talk. When Brown put forward his proposals my immediate thought was of spin - spin to confuse the issue of the EU Treaty (Constitution) by bringing another constitution into the public domain. Brown said he wanted parliament to decide whether or not the country would enter into any future wars. The fact is parliament did decide to enter the last war, so just like most of his budgets he is only offering something that we already had, but in new packaging. As for the rest of his proposals he said they must take the form of a consultation with the public. This will take years, cost a fortune (more bloody useless committees) and will probably never happen.

What I would really like to see from Cameron today is for him not to just make noise and accusations about the governments position on the EU Treaty. I want to see him stand up and demand that the government honour their promise to the British people by giving them their democratic right to vote in a referendum. If, as some members of the government have said: "referendums are not the way we do things in Britain", then why did they promise us one in the last election? I'll tell you why, if they had not promised a referendum, there is a damn good chance that they would not have got back into power.

I would like to see Cameron make Brown very uncomfortable today. I want to know why the NHS budget in England has been cut by £2b, when the rest of the UK's remains untouched. I want to know why there are no service hospitals in which our injured men and women could be treated in the fashion that they deserve. I want to know why we are wasting millions on rubbish like smoking ban advertisements while our soldiers are firing bargain basement bullets. There are a lot of other questions I would have Cameron ask, but it doesn't really matter what he asks, what matters to me is that he demands action and takes no waffle in response. Like in business, any of Cameron's questions that do not get actioned this week, I want to see repeated each week until something is done.

David Cameron, now is the time to stand up.

Come on England?

The following article by Louise Dunderdale has been published in the Dorset Echo:

NORTH Dorset MP Bob Walter will present a Bill to Parliament this week in a new bid to stop MPs from Scotland and Northern Ireland voting on issues that only affect England and Wales.Mr Walter's Private Members Bill would provide an answer to the "West Lothian Question".It would allow the Speaker of the House of Commons to decide when a particular issue only affects England and Wales, allowing it to be debated and voted on only by those MPs.

Mr Walter said: "Scotland is essentially internally self-governing but they still send 59 Members of Parliament to London. They can vote on laws which only affect England and Wales. "I think that is very unfair particularly when we as English MPs have no say on healthcare or schools or roads in Scotland but they can have that say on what happens in England."

There are many who believe that this proposed bill does not go far enough.

This is from the Campaign for an English Parliament:

Devolution has brought about major constitutional changes within the United Kingdom. Scotland now has its own parliament, Wales its own assembly. The Scottish Parliament hasn't just given Scotland legislative powers independent of England in such major matters of governance as education, health, transport, law, planning and many more but has established Scotland constitutionally and politically as a distinct country and the Scots as a distinct nation within the UK. The Welsh Assembly has done precisely the same for Wales and the Welsh people. The Scots through their Members of the UK Parliament can legislate for England in every possible area of law and governance whereas no English MP can participate in the making of any legislation in matters reserved to the Scottish Parliament. For example, Scottish MPs can both initiate and vote on Acts of Parliament concerning education and the NHS in England. No English MP has any voice at all in such matters as they affect Scotland. It is a grotesque injustice.

Devolution however has not been extended to England and the English people at all. England has neither a parliament nor an assembly. Constitutionally and politically it still does not exist because, by the express and explicit intent of the UK government, it is being denied any national political institution of any sort to make the statement that the people of England are a distinct nation.
An English Parliament will bring clear practical benefits to the People of England. The concerns of England will not be lost in the multitude of issues which the UK Government has to deal with. An English Parliament will mean greater democracy because it will bring government immediately and directly to the people of England without it being mediated through the UK Parliament.

Q. Should we have an English Parliament?

To view the results go to:

http://dailyreferendum.co.uk/ (These result are archived by the British Library)

There is also a No10 E-Petition submitted by Gareth Young:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to initiate a Parliamentary debate on the adoption of a national anthem for England that is distinct from the British national anthem.

To sign the E-Petition please click: HERE

Blair says NO to Iraq withdrawal

Tony Blair has rejected Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell's call for UK troops to start a five-month "staged withdrawal" in May, with all British forces clear of Iraq by the end of October.
Mr Blair told the Commons such an "arbitrary timetable" was unworkable.

Mr Blair added: "our forces are there under a United Nations resolution, with the full support of the government of Iraq. Pulling out now would send the most disastrous signal to the people of Iraq".

Sir Menzies, speaking at prime minister's questions, said: "If he feels so strongly, he should come to debate these issues. There is nothing more important." The Prime Minister's official spokesman said it was "not the practice for Mr Blair to lead foreign affairs debates. He has made a commitment to the Commons to make a statement when Operation Sinbad is finished and assessed. That will be the appropriate point."

The total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq has risen to 130 after a soldier was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Basra on 21 January. According to UN estimates, 34,000 Iraqis had been killed in 2006 alone.

Q. Should UK troops start a five-month staged withdrawal in May?

To view the results go to:

http://dailyreferendum.co.uk/

Petition - Early Release

I have written on the subject of early release and held a vote on my website Daily Referendum.
The question was: Q. Should those convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence be considered for early release on licence?
The results can be viewed HERE

My personal opinion is that some of the pathetic sentences handed out in recent times insult the victim, in some cases sadly they insult the victim's memory.

To then let these prisoners out early on licence is an even greater crime.

Ivar Bundulis has created the following petition at No 10:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Limit the early release of prisoners.

We believe that prisoners should lose any right to early release if they have committed sexual or violent offences or if they have been imprisoned for the same offence more than once.
Prison works because it removes offenders from public harm and deters offenders.
Removing violent or sex offenders from the streets to prevent them from re-offending must be the main concern of sentencing and parole authorities. Removing the right to early release for these classes of prisoner will greatly help in reducing the sexual and violent crime figures. Similarly, removing any possibility of early release for offenders who have been imprisoned for any crime more than once would greatly help in reducing the overall level of crime in society.
The public are sick and tired of hearing of offenders committing offences when released early from prison.
It’s time to be hard on these types of offenders. The public deserve protection.

Please go along and add your names to this most deserving petition.