Nick Clegg doesn’t always shine at PMQs. He sometimes misjudges the chamber and suffers for it. He got the tone right for once. Dale usually scores PMQs, think Clegg deserves a winning score.
UPDATE : Dale did score Clegg the winner.
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Guido chuckled at the following exchange he had with a Tory insider:
Tory: “What’s Labour’s position on the Syria crisis?”
GF: “They say you should be talking to Russia.”
Tory: “Labour have been saying that since 1945.”
Maybe if they really wanted to “decontaminate the Labour brand” with business people, they shouldn’t have totally buggered up the economy?
Just a thought.
The whole thing was a farce
Especially Jonah leaving before he had to make his statement at the end. The man is a complete and utter f*ckwit and an embarrassment to the UK.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/3573746/another-moment-of-unintentional-comedy-from-brown.thtml
Watch the cabinet laugh, squirm or look away……
hear hear
Brown’s evasiveness over the Gurkha 20-year service requirement was utterly shameful.
Brown has no sense of honour. He is an embarrasment to this country. He is a bumbling, ranting, liability.
He’s an embarrassment to ANY country
Nick Clegg’s amendment has passed. Gordon has lost the vote!
He has lovely hair
He does the lucky swine
Probably a ‘syrup’, after all, everything else about him is false.
I agree – Cleggy “won” today.
Maybe Cameron is trying to look more Prime Ministerial than Punch and Judy?
Finally – you can bet that Gordon Brown has been made aware of the petition – he’d have at least needed to have a prepared response if Cameron taunted him with it.
Cameron is looking forward strategically. He sees Clegg hoovering up Labour votes from the disenchanted left while the Conservatives draw away the voters who signed up to Blair’s vision
Next Government Conservative with Lib Dem’s as opposition?
I still hope – I don’t like the LD’s but……
The petition has just had several hundred signatures chopped off it, thus pulling it back down to second place in the popularity stakes – hopefully several (hundred) thousand will soon make that impossible.
Time the NewCons looked for a new leader,Cameron was pathetic,today was like watching a handbag fight
Clegg was good, but then once out numerous occasions is just not good enough
The government has behaved shamefully over this, but let’s face it Clegg is arguing for
motherhood and apple pie here, if he can’t get this right what can he do. A tenth rater
I think …….
Yes. They’ll never win an election with him as leader…
Completely disagree. Cameron knew questions were coming in from Cleg on Gurkhas. Would have looked bad to use his time to taunt Brown on expenses, petition etc, only to have Clegg talk about the more serious stuff. Flu/Gurkhas are important topics outside Westminster, so they needed to be addressed for PMQs to look anything other than handbags (to use your own words) between the Tories and Labour.
The Tories/Lib Dems know that there is going to be a huge continuing fuss about the petition and expenses vote anyway, so why give McBroon the chance to address it in the House with some prepared put down?
Oh, and him forgetting his statement at the end was classic – losing it?
Three line whip are on to that already.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/james_kirkup/blog/2009/04/29/another_gordon_brown_youtube_classic
Have to agree with that, today was above the gutter. The issue of the Gurhas has to be addressed and the Gorgon has to be put under pressure on it. There must be a rethink on this.
Gorgon knows too well that he won’t get votes from the Gurkhas – too much penny pinching from Broon.
He’d rather have Burkas than Gurkhas.
Losing it?
McMoron has exceeded crush depth and the broken bits of Submarine Gordon Brown are falling gently onto the Abyssal Plain
PMQ’s was boring but it was good long game. Brown looked truly isolated. Getting it from Salter, Cameron and Clegg.
Clegg certainly had more passion. But Cameron may have struck the right tone as he must be seen as a serious PM in waiting.
Clegg did well, as did Cameron for congratulating him for raising the matter.
And, of course, it’s never off topic to comment on how ugly Ed Balls is; he sits on the government front bench like a fat toad.
Or like Jabba the Hut surveying the scene in the “Star Wars” bar.
Here. But do be careful, one of these images is rather scary.
Jabba the Hut
Ed Balls
Sorry i dont get it , thats the same image ?
The whole atmosphere was so sombre it made me wonder if there isn’t a big announcement coming. Snotty’s resignation, we hope.
There’s always the ‘sicky’ option. I see it waiting in the wings, ready to be wheeled out at a moments notice.
I am waiting by my phone.
The call will come!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good no. If Brown hangs on until after the election the remaining PLP will be the old left loonies. We could get Harperson as Labour Leader.
Fucking get in!
Well, they must be thinking of trying for the sympathy vote. They’ve got nothing else that will run outside their core support.
Of course, they’ve got no-one who looks like a proper successor, and appointing a caretaker isn’t a very attractive proposition. Not many votes in that, I’d have thought.
I thought Broon looked really ill today. Old, tired, pale and grey. Harperson looked drugged, and the rest of them looked they were expecting their own funerals.
LET ME THROUGH! I INSIST ON BEING HEARD!!!
Speaking as a High Profile member of this discredited, bankrupt, lying, and deceitful government, I would like to thank taxpayers for my LOVELY BATHPLUG!
It fits beautifully, and is very nice.
pleased you’re wearing it
Unusually I was impressed with Clegg….. He summised the inadequacies of the Ghurka position concisely and provided a moral soundbite that hit Brown where it hurt.
Re DC – if he had done anything other than focus on Swine Flu and Ghurkas he could have been accused of cheapening the debate at a time where there is a huge issue facing the country (pandemic). Though i was aching for him to slog it to Brown, it will wait for another day (hopefully when the petition is the most popular on the website – big push this week people please – don’t let this one die!)
DC behaved as a leader should today, and his focus should be commended…. next week will be the time to put Brown on the ropes…..
agreed
Does anybody outside of the media actually give a flying fuck about swine flu?
Agree DC was right to raise the Ghurkas though.
i do ,im a pig .and i have started with a cold
Dale scored it as a win to Clegg. Sir Michael White as a win to Brown, with Clegg last.
Either Sir Michael White was watching a different PMQ’s to me.
Or the man is a total wanker.
I think we know the answer to that.
Kingbingo : The second one.
Michael Whitewash has a special BBC live link. There is plenty of high tech, super F/X blue screen effects added to his monitor.
Brown has a halo and major dental reconstruction. Cameron has horns and smoke seeps from his nostrils.
Clegg has short trousers, Harman looks like a pig {not sure if that’s the effects or just her natural face} etc.
It only costs a few hundred thou’ so very well worth it for a few BBC chuckles.
Do we have to choose?
Why not both..?
Should’ve gone to Specsavers.
Come the next election when public sector jobs aren’t keeping the Guardian afloat he’ll be unemployed and able to get a discount on them at least
Maybe the debate on the Gurkhas will promote the death throes of new labour, because the government is going to lose the vote.
one can but hope!
Yep
Yes, that is why Cameron was so restrained. No point in raising the temp. now which might push some NuLab. dissenters back behind the party line. I did get a sense that Cameron Clegg and even Salter might have colluded to isolate Brown over the Gurkhas. The more tractor stats he delivered the further adrift from universal pubic opinion he navigated. Never mind the potential costs ffs- every single email and fax received at the Daily Politics, (Neil was genuinely impressed by the universal concensus) supported the proposition that all the Gurkhas should have right of settlement because we owe them.
Between them they exposed Brown as a man of no honour at all. Blair would not have been so manouevered. Brown looks beaten, physically so I think the oppositions smell blood .
Clegg head and shoulders above the rest, but only because of low flying by Cameron, whether by accident or design isn’t clear yet but I’d have to agree with Zeno (9) that the atmosphere seemed one of anticipation, rather than replete with frissons of excitement.
Has to be by design. I was disappointed- I expected something genuinely apocalyptic today. Must be keeping his powder dry. When the expenses claims are published- that’s when the shit hits the fan.
Keeping his head down. Has to address Swine Flu. MP’s are very worried about anything that afflicts swine.
Not me though. I’ve got my inoculation already. Have you?
It is not possible to mix up politics and party politics with the death of a soldier; that is why it went the way it did.
Sheer and obvious hypocrisy the way Brown behaved over the Ghurkas though. He obviously can’t be sincere on both points.
The snotty one lost there big time, although DC let him of the hook Clegg kept asking the question to which he couldn’t give a fucking straight answer.
Good luck to them all in this afternoon’s Gurkha debate, fingers crossed the one-eyed cnut will get a kicking!
Did Cleggy get three questions?
I wonder if Gorbals Mick F****d up again?
Clegg was the winner. He nailed a grade A shit to the wanker wall.
Who cares? it’s all a load of pony!
Harold says.
‘Oh gawd Father. You, dirty, filthy, horrible old man.
Itz bad enuff yew pickin’ your nose in the ‘Ouse of Cummuns. But to eat it. On national television! The Queen might have been watcin’, you disgusting little worm.
Evidence for petition manipulation keeps growing. The total has now reached 27676, now just 632 behind the RNLI (which is barely increasing), so it should reach number 1 later this afdternoon.
The increase over the past half hour is 345, but of course now PMQs are over. Preceding half hours showed increases of 198 (during PMQs), 182, 208, 184 and 158. The throttle has been loosened a little, but not a lot.
It’s accelerated again – now 27835
I make that an increase of just 159.
Now at 28003, a further 168
Interesting – when I signed the petition a couple of days ago, the confirmation email came through immediately. I have one colleague and one relative who signed it about an hour ago who have yet to get their confirmation emails, ergo their signatures on the petition.
Has the no 10 website’s petition reply system failed (possibly due to being bogged down with eager signatories) or is it something a bit more intentional on the part of one of Gordo’s lackeys?
I think Gordon Brown won. He’s done nothing wrong. Who are the Gorkhaes anyway?
A bunch of brave soldiers who have served our country and probably vote Tory.
Now feck off back to Labourlist and do yourself a favour, start a campaign to get Brown out.
Save yourselves Labour.
That you do not know who the gurkhas are – and equally cannot spell correctly – speaks volumes about you. That you cannot see that Brown has done anything wrong confirms you are indeed a complete Hoon.
Methinks that’s not the real Tom Miller.
Ghurka , Gurkha , Gorkha … w/e .
But as for who they are and what they have done for us … why not read up a little ?
http://www.khukuriblades.com/the_gurkhas/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigade_of_Gurkhas
Has Tom Miller been in an isolation ward for the past 2 years?
Twelve years, more like. I suspect it’s taken him that long to gnaw through the restraints.
Gawd, I can ‘drone’ on…zzzzzzzzz!
She holds the the silver medal record for speaking for 52 min 18sec without saying anything.
She’s still a long way behind Brown’s Gold medal standard though.
Probably. He will be able to tell the great larder what it’s like then.
Clegg did do well but then Cameron lined him up. If anyone is prepared to die for our country then they have the right to live in it. Brown has admitted many who have not paid the same price as the gurkhas and in Hillingdon – they give them free cars!!! Why not admit the gurkhas and give them free limos – they, if anyone, have earnt it. Brown is shameful and well done Clegg for holding him to account on what is the shabbiest of moves from this government. None of this government have shed a drop on behalf of this country though they are great at spending other people’s blood – and money. Time for them to go.
Most people would be delighted to have a Ghurka and his family living near them. The idea that they would be a drain on the taxpayer is totally ridiculous. They are hard-working, honourable people.
An with the Gurkhas you know their kids are not going to grow up and bomb people on the underground for some imagined holy war.
Loved the look on McSnots face when Cleggy put the boot in.
Billy Hague stuck himself between me and Cameron and then kept pushing me out of the picture.
What a carry on!
Shut the fuck up Osborne.
The Tipping Point for Brown:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2009/apr/29/michael-white-gordon-brown-tipping-point
He really must be screwed then if this partisan bastard writes as such.
I suppose if you fire enough bullets in the general direction of your target, one of them’s bound to hit it eventually. Er, well done then.
Swine Flu latest: Alan Johnson on Sky interview at 13.31 in response to Neal Patterson referred to people being “given anti-virals as a prophylactic”.
No wonder the NHS is screwed.
This is a cheap wedge issue.
How many Gurkhas and their family members will be allowed in under the proposals?
Neither Cameron or Clegg answered that question.
Presumably because they know the numbers will be big, which wouldn’t play well with many of the electorate.
Also presumably there are European issues.
How would the British react to all of France’s multi-hued mercenaries being allowed to live and work in Sutton Coldfield or wherever?
“Neither Cameron or Clegg answered that question.”
Neither man is Prime Minister.
What do you want, a medal?
There is a difference between being an EU citizen with right of abode anywhere in the EU and being a non-EU citizen with right of abode in the UK, especially as the UK remains outside the Schengen area.
I suspect that most in the UK would prefer to see Ghurkas and their close family has immigrants over many others to whom the doors have been flung open since Labour came to power. For example, it really makes no sense to have 10,000 Pakistani “students” admitted when the anti-terrorist authorities then have to try to work out which small group of them are actually terrorists who got in under the radar. We didn’t have an open door policy for citizens of the Eastern bloc in Communist times – only admitting a few very prominent citizens who were refugees, and a small number of diplomatic/commercial representatives that was low enough to be manageable for the intelligence services to keep tabs on them.
Colonel
It appears that you didn’t see the Politics show not ONE email against the Gurkhas & ALL saying how they are ashamed of this government – According to AN the 1st & only time this has happened on the show – He also remarked how restrained the comments had been in light of the subject & the anger shown – so no one here posted then
By mercenaries I assume you mean the Foreign Legion – Soldiers from the legion. no matter their nationality, ARE allowed to settle in France as full French citizens
Not one email against the Gurkhas? How can we be so sure of that? All my comments here against the Gurkhas have been spiked by Guido, so perhaps you’re getting swept away by the tide of apparent enthusiasm. The country is full and it is broke. We don’t need any more people from anywhere. We actually need less.
PMQ’s just made Brown look even more isolated
Only criticism over the Gurka affair, ribald fun over expenses, and a very angry Nick Clegg
…and Brown still doesn’t get it, trying to slug it out even when he knows he doesn’t own the ground upon which he stands
Just go
Private Eye being a bit snooty about you this week Guido. I think they may be annoyed that you had the story first x
Clegg, Lumley – what exactly are they arguing for?
The Gurkha’s. as loyal & worthy as they are, took the Queens shilling on the understanding that they would stand up for duty in nepal, be stood down from duty in Nepal, would recieve their pensions in Nepal & remain Nepalese citizens.
That was the contract.
If it was stated when they signed on that they would receive British Citizenship & right of residence that would be a different matter, but the goalposts have not been moved from their original remit.
Piss orf
The goalposts have however been moved for many others far less deserving than the Ghurkas. This government have let in millions of ne’er do wells who contribute nothing to this country (or any other for that matter). If they can be let in, then so should the Ghurkas.
As someone has already mentioned I think, I suspect this has everything to do with the fact that Brown knows that few (if any) Ghurkas would ever vote for his corrupt band of thieves.
and yes, I need to learn to spell Gurkha properly
No your spelling is just fine
The goalposts WERE moved when their based was changed from Hong Kong to the UK in 1997, hence the current pre 1997 cut off. There are hundreds of them living and working near me and I’d be happy to have thousands more.
Nonsense.
Their original remit & contract was that they would always remain Nepalese citizens.
If you have evidence to the contrary please post it.
Extract from my link posted above :
‘ After this an important highly unusual clause was included in the peace agreement, which was known as the “ Treaty of Segauli”. The clause gave the British army the right to recruit Nepalese citizens. Then on, Nepal became the only nation whose citizen fought in wars that it had no direct conflict with.’
Taken from my wiki link :
‘Under international law present-day British Gurkhas are not treated as mercenaries but are fully integrated soldiers of the British Army, operate in formed units of the Brigade of Gurkhas, and abide by the rules and regulations under which all British soldiers serve. Similar rules apply for Gurkhas serving in the Indian Army.[citation needed] ‘
They fought in the Falklands in the 80′s , which I’m fairly sure is outside the remit of your stated contract , Mrs .
Why can’t you hoons spell “Gurkha”?
Hint for the terminally confused: it isn’t “Ghurka”.
This has been a pubic service announcement.
Gurkha, also spelled as Gorkha or Ghurka, are people from Nepal who take their name from the eighth century Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath.
On which point they are not Gurkhas (or Gorkhas or Ghurkas), the plural is Gurkha (or Gorkha or Ghurka)
Oar hite?
Mmmm , I love the smell of umble pie .
Brown still doesnt get it.
It’s f*cking worrying.
Thank god they’re blaming it on pigs
When you have to compliment someone like Clegg you then know how bad times are.
I hear that the little racsals are all hung like donkeys.
I got a Brazillian in I’m sure I can manage to fit a Gurkha in.
OOO ERR Mrs Brown
A spokesperson for the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which is expected to play a major role in the new secular republic, has stated that recruitment as mercenaries is degrading to the Nepalese people and will be banned.
Nick Clegg showed the passion Cameron sorely lacks.But then again it would
be hypocrisy of the highest order for the Tories to attack the current shambles of a Government with the same ire and rage that Nick Clegg so forcefully used in PMQ’s today because in 18 years of Government the Tories never moved an inch on this matter, treating the Gurkhas with an even bigger disdain than even the shambles currently masquerading as a NewLabour Government. Labour haven’t done nowhere near enough to move this issue forward. What concessions they have made are little solace to the lengendary bravery of the Gurkhas and we must treat those that serve our country with the respect they deserve. For too long Tory and Labour Governments both have showed an apalling lack of support for our armed forces. For years they have fought bravely only to be brushed under the carpet and quickly forgotten. Walk around the streets of London and you will meet homeless veterans of Falklands, Bosnia, and current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan who have been left to rot by Governments who show a breathtaking arrogance and ingratitude for the dedicated service they’ve put in for our country.
Nah. I think they stitched Brown on this one. Cameron let Clegg make the running and they both took the spoils.
Burpas: Advance!
“For too long Tory and Labour Governments both have showed an apalling lack of support for our armed forces.”
Didn’t Thatcher give them a 29% pay rise when she came to power?
Oh, just when I thought this was a thread without the usual partisan ‘The Tories were 100% right all the time, the world was always 100% wrong’ kind of tedium, along comes a stereotypical Tory spin merchant who will probably also try to deny that Thatcher tried to reduce the pension for the Gurkhas. Even if Thatcher did raise army pay 29%(and let’s be honest that’s an extremely generous assesment when you look at what was the actual reality in pay increases for the rank and file) across the board) it doesn’t take anything away from my pointt that successive Labour and Tory Governments have abandoned our soldiers and left them to rot on civvy street without aftercare, support or any assistance to help with the difficulty in adjusting to a life that often involves living with disability, serious injury and deep psychological trauma. If you must play the partisan bore on this issue at least be honest and hold your hands up to the disgraceful, bitter and disgusting treatment given to the Gurkhas by the Tories.
In 18 years they done absoloutely nothing for the Gurkhas. There can be no doubting the astonishly high amount of our servicemen who have ended up homeless as a result of Governments unwillingless to show any interest once the camera oppurtunity has passed them by. Both Labour and Tory have let the Armed services down. To try and pretend the Tories have any more credibility on this issue is totally misleading. I know there’s been alot of very wistfully spun(and very selective) propaganda looking back at the Thatcher years in recent times but let’s not get too carried away in how much we re-write history. Thatcher cared alright, shame it was only about winning the election.
” M….Mm…..Mi…….Mister Grimsdale…….!”
So now we know what Toenails is up to.
Instead of doing his job as a chief political editor (aka chief propagandist for Gordon Brown), he’s decided to fuck off to Old Trafford to watch Man United.
Jesus Christ, the man barely works.
Let us hope his half-time pie is less than Pukka.
Cleggy growing into himself,floored PM,than the twit in such a rush for the bunker forgot he had statement to make,you couldn,t make it up.
[...] Dems were the only viable opposition voice. After a storming performance at PMQs which had even the repugnant right [1] scoring Clegg better than Cameron, we then have Cameron playing third violin to Clegg’s [...]