PMQs today had the themes of protectionism which Cameron then linked to Brown's notorious phrase "British Jobs for British Workers" (BJ4BWs) and tax avoidance from the Lib Dem's Nick Clegg, in what was a much better performance from him. In fact, the PM also had a much better outing than has been the case in recent weeks. He gave a feistier performance but was also helped by Cameron who, although did not have an off day as such, was not firing on all cylinders and did his best to scuff his shots on the BJ4BWs issue, despite being presented with an open goal.
But the headlines from this PMQs may be about a word the Prime Minister used - perhaps inadvertently - in reply to Cameron: DEPRESSION. The PM had said: "We need to take the world out of depression." It may well have been a slip of the tongue but the Prime Minister did not correct himself. Nick Robinson, on the BBC's Daily Politics show, revealed that it was a word that was being used behind closed doors. What is unusual is that Brown is ahead of the curve on the issue. He normally prefers to be behind the curve and in denial, refusing to admit things are as bad as they are, giving an unrealistic and absurd sunny outlook. It is for this reason that i would expect the PM's Official Spokesman to back away from it. But too late, Brown has said it. What was also a surprise was that Cameron missed it.
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Anyway, David Cameron began with a question about US protectionism, particularly the decision of the US House of Reps to endorse a 'buy American' protectionist fiscal stimulus package. The Tory leader wanted to know whether the PM was concerned by the move.
Brown did no such thing of course preferring to give a general answer about how he has made it clear retreat into protectionism is the biggest problem the world faces. The PM was never going to address the specifics of Cameron's question as the 'buy American' idea comes from President Obama (though he may be backing away from it now). The last thing Brown is going to do is criticise anything the Messiah has said. That just would not do - how could Brown and Obama be best friends after that?
Cameron then moved on to the Doha Round of WTO trade negotiations which have stalled. Cameron said the US and India had to give ground the most and argued that as both would be present at the G20, if barriers are not removed, it would represent a failure of the summit.
The PM gave a breakdown of the reasons for the deadlock and said some progress had been made and it was up to Obama and the Indian PM to accept the terms of the agreement.
Cameron then linked protectionism surrounding the Doha talks to the Prime Minister's ill-judged comments at the 2007 Labour Party Conference about "British Jobs for British Workers." Cameron denounced the statement saying it showed a lack of judgement and asked whether Brown regretted using it?
The PM admit a mistake and show regret? Never! I seriously think we need to introduce truth serum and a lie detector test to PMQs so we can get Brown to answer a question, and answer a question truthfully. That said, the man is so often in denial that i sincerely think he believes his own spurious rhetoric. Anyway, Brown comes back with the most ridiculous spin i've heard for some time, claiming: "Can anyone here say that they don't want jobs for British workers?" A pathetic interpretation of his own statement.
Cameron hit back saying Brown's use of the statement was opportunistic, protectionist and pandering to people's fears, and he knows it. The use of the word 'opportunistic' by Cameron always brings loud jeers from the Labour benches who think it's a case of pots and kettles. However, Cameron has been consistent on this issue - he condemned Brown's use of BJ4BWs back in 2007 and is doing the same now in 2009. Nothing opportunistic about that. The sad thing is that the Labour MPs who jeered Cameron actually privately think it was a gross error of Brown's to have ever used the slogan in the first place. This was something Cameron picked up on quoting the Home Affairs Select Committee Chairman Keith Vaz as saying in 2007 that the phrase was tantamount to "employment apartheid." Cameron again asked: "Isn't the use of the slogan an error of judgement, a mistake and he should apologise?"
Brown replied saying that it was the government's duty to help British workers get skills (as if that was what his statement was all about). The PM also latched on to the 'opportunistic' jibe and said there was nothing more opportunistic than giving support to the government like Cameron had done and then withdrawing it. My view has always been that Cameron should never have offered Brown bipartisan support - the PM is the most tribal politician there is and has no interest in consensus and bipartisanship.
Cameron then said doesn't the PM understand he's taking people for fools again - he's been found out? Not the strongest riposte from Cameron - it lacked punch.
Brown then went into patronising mode and said: "Let me bring him up to date on industrial dispute..."
Cameron then hit on a key weakness of Brown saying that one of his problems is he refuses to admit mistakes when they are starring everyone in the face - citing BJ4BWs and 'boom and bust'. The Tory leader then said the PM "should just look behind him, they are so ashamed of what he said," which was met by Labour jeers. "Wasn't using phrase error of judgement?"
In a feisty, clunking fist of a reply, Brown countered that the biggest error of judgement would be to do nothing. (Come on, Brown has to get the "do nothing" jibe in during PMQs - it wouldn't be the same without it). Brown said the government was investing while Cameron was going around the world talking the pound down. In a hard-hitting attack, Brown accused Cameron of deciding it is in the interest of Tory party to talk Britain down and said he should be ashamed of himself.
Unfortunately Cameron had run-out of questions and was unable to counter this claim. Cameron could have credibly argued that it is only he who is being straight with the British public while the PM is in denial viewing the economy with rose-tinted spectacles giving wildly optimistic assessments of the British economy which do not correspond with reality.
I thought Cameron did ok but he should have done better given the own goal he was presented with on the BJ4BWs issue. I thought Ken Clarke was more convincing the other day with his attack in the Commons.
As for the anonymous Nick Clegg, i thought he put in a much better performance today. The Lib Dem leader went again on the issue of tax avoidance which he said was costing Britain £14 billion in lost taxes. Clegg wanted to know when the PM would close the tax loopholes and give us "British taxes for British companies."
It was a decent question which Brown replied by saying that it needed an international agreement.
Clegg hit back claiming the PM was living in denial. Clegg needs to watch the beginning of his second intervention. He often comes across quite shrill. Anyway, he attacked Brown for having created the system that lets this happen and accused the PM of losing this country billions of pounds. Why should anyone trust him when there is one rule for fat cats and another one for everyone else? This was much better from Clegg and a marked improvement on his recent efforts in PMQs.
However, the PM had a pretty good response saying maybe it was the Lib Dem leader who was in denial as it was the chief donor to the Lib Dems who had got into trouble as a tax evader and the Lib Dems had not paid back the money he had donated. Brown claimed the government will continue to do everything it can to lead to an end of tax avoidance and evasion.
But the headlines from this PMQs may be about a word the Prime Minister used - perhaps inadvertently - in reply to Cameron: DEPRESSION. The PM had said: "We need to take the world out of depression." It may well have been a slip of the tongue but the Prime Minister did not correct himself. Nick Robinson, on the BBC's Daily Politics show, revealed that it was a word that was being used behind closed doors. What is unusual is that Brown is ahead of the curve on the issue. He normally prefers to be behind the curve and in denial, refusing to admit things are as bad as they are, giving an unrealistic and absurd sunny outlook. It is for this reason that i would expect the PM's Official Spokesman to back away from it. But too late, Brown has said it. What was also a surprise was that Cameron missed it.
More...
Anyway, David Cameron began with a question about US protectionism, particularly the decision of the US House of Reps to endorse a 'buy American' protectionist fiscal stimulus package. The Tory leader wanted to know whether the PM was concerned by the move.
Brown did no such thing of course preferring to give a general answer about how he has made it clear retreat into protectionism is the biggest problem the world faces. The PM was never going to address the specifics of Cameron's question as the 'buy American' idea comes from President Obama (though he may be backing away from it now). The last thing Brown is going to do is criticise anything the Messiah has said. That just would not do - how could Brown and Obama be best friends after that?
Cameron then moved on to the Doha Round of WTO trade negotiations which have stalled. Cameron said the US and India had to give ground the most and argued that as both would be present at the G20, if barriers are not removed, it would represent a failure of the summit.
The PM gave a breakdown of the reasons for the deadlock and said some progress had been made and it was up to Obama and the Indian PM to accept the terms of the agreement.
Cameron then linked protectionism surrounding the Doha talks to the Prime Minister's ill-judged comments at the 2007 Labour Party Conference about "British Jobs for British Workers." Cameron denounced the statement saying it showed a lack of judgement and asked whether Brown regretted using it?
The PM admit a mistake and show regret? Never! I seriously think we need to introduce truth serum and a lie detector test to PMQs so we can get Brown to answer a question, and answer a question truthfully. That said, the man is so often in denial that i sincerely think he believes his own spurious rhetoric. Anyway, Brown comes back with the most ridiculous spin i've heard for some time, claiming: "Can anyone here say that they don't want jobs for British workers?" A pathetic interpretation of his own statement.
Cameron hit back saying Brown's use of the statement was opportunistic, protectionist and pandering to people's fears, and he knows it. The use of the word 'opportunistic' by Cameron always brings loud jeers from the Labour benches who think it's a case of pots and kettles. However, Cameron has been consistent on this issue - he condemned Brown's use of BJ4BWs back in 2007 and is doing the same now in 2009. Nothing opportunistic about that. The sad thing is that the Labour MPs who jeered Cameron actually privately think it was a gross error of Brown's to have ever used the slogan in the first place. This was something Cameron picked up on quoting the Home Affairs Select Committee Chairman Keith Vaz as saying in 2007 that the phrase was tantamount to "employment apartheid." Cameron again asked: "Isn't the use of the slogan an error of judgement, a mistake and he should apologise?"
Brown replied saying that it was the government's duty to help British workers get skills (as if that was what his statement was all about). The PM also latched on to the 'opportunistic' jibe and said there was nothing more opportunistic than giving support to the government like Cameron had done and then withdrawing it. My view has always been that Cameron should never have offered Brown bipartisan support - the PM is the most tribal politician there is and has no interest in consensus and bipartisanship.
Cameron then said doesn't the PM understand he's taking people for fools again - he's been found out? Not the strongest riposte from Cameron - it lacked punch.
Brown then went into patronising mode and said: "Let me bring him up to date on industrial dispute..."
Cameron then hit on a key weakness of Brown saying that one of his problems is he refuses to admit mistakes when they are starring everyone in the face - citing BJ4BWs and 'boom and bust'. The Tory leader then said the PM "should just look behind him, they are so ashamed of what he said," which was met by Labour jeers. "Wasn't using phrase error of judgement?"
In a feisty, clunking fist of a reply, Brown countered that the biggest error of judgement would be to do nothing. (Come on, Brown has to get the "do nothing" jibe in during PMQs - it wouldn't be the same without it). Brown said the government was investing while Cameron was going around the world talking the pound down. In a hard-hitting attack, Brown accused Cameron of deciding it is in the interest of Tory party to talk Britain down and said he should be ashamed of himself.
Unfortunately Cameron had run-out of questions and was unable to counter this claim. Cameron could have credibly argued that it is only he who is being straight with the British public while the PM is in denial viewing the economy with rose-tinted spectacles giving wildly optimistic assessments of the British economy which do not correspond with reality.
I thought Cameron did ok but he should have done better given the own goal he was presented with on the BJ4BWs issue. I thought Ken Clarke was more convincing the other day with his attack in the Commons.
As for the anonymous Nick Clegg, i thought he put in a much better performance today. The Lib Dem leader went again on the issue of tax avoidance which he said was costing Britain £14 billion in lost taxes. Clegg wanted to know when the PM would close the tax loopholes and give us "British taxes for British companies."
It was a decent question which Brown replied by saying that it needed an international agreement.
Clegg hit back claiming the PM was living in denial. Clegg needs to watch the beginning of his second intervention. He often comes across quite shrill. Anyway, he attacked Brown for having created the system that lets this happen and accused the PM of losing this country billions of pounds. Why should anyone trust him when there is one rule for fat cats and another one for everyone else? This was much better from Clegg and a marked improvement on his recent efforts in PMQs.
However, the PM had a pretty good response saying maybe it was the Lib Dem leader who was in denial as it was the chief donor to the Lib Dems who had got into trouble as a tax evader and the Lib Dems had not paid back the money he had donated. Brown claimed the government will continue to do everything it can to lead to an end of tax avoidance and evasion.
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